Books to Read Aloud - November 2008

With all the bad news these past few weeks on the economy, reading is looking even better - it is cheap, fun, educational, AND offers you a temporary escape from current events. Reading aloud doesn't require higher processor speeds, additional memory, a more expensive video card, or a new flat-screen. As days get shorter and colder, it is cozy to sit together on a winter evening and enjoy a good story. If you haven't already got one, give yourself the gift of a library card.

Picture books:

The Thanksgiving Story, by Dalgliesh & Sewell - this book was published in 1954, and is the traditional story of the Pilgrims. It follows one family as they leave England, cross the ocean, and begin a new life, surviving the difficult first year. I am particularly fond of the picture of the ship on the dark green ocean - as a child I always thought it looked just like the ocean I knew (in the Pacific northwest). (Age three and up)

Two very different takes on the Bible verses from Ecclesiastes, both beautiful:
Turn, Turn, Turn by Seeger & Halperin - The text is just Pete Seeger's folk song, and the illustrations feature the round earth, and emphasize the cyclical nature of things. It includes a CD with both Pete Seeger's banjo-accompanied version of the song, and the Byrds' rock version.
To Everything There is A Season, by Leo & Diane Dillon - the text is straight from the Bible, and the illustrations show off the Caldecott-winning artist team's skill with different styles, all lovely.

My Grandmother's Journey, by Cech & McGinley-Nally - The story of a grandmother who grew up in Russia, survived the revolution, and walked through World War II, pregnant and then carrying a newborn, to finally immigrate to the US. The pictures are colorful and have a Russian flavor - reminiscent of those nesting dolls. (age four and up)

Grandfather's Journey, by Say - About a Japanese-American family, their love for both their countries, and the feeling of not quite belonging. The illustrations are in soft, faded tones like old photos. (Caldecott award winner - age four and up)

For elementary school or older readers:

My Diary From Here to There, by Perez & Gonzalez - a Mexican girl's experience with moving to the US, brightly illustrated; any child who has had to move to a new place could relate to this story. (Written in both English and Spanish - age five and up)

Fire on the Mountain, by Kurtz & Lewis - a wonderfully illustrated version of the story of the boy who stayed all night on a cold mountain, looking at a candle across the valley (age five and up)

Elijah of Buxton, by Curtis - (historical fiction; Newbery honor book) this is in many ways an "old-fashioned" story about the life of a twelve-year-old boy in the mid 1800's, with touches of humor (Elijah is gullible), but Elijah is a free black, growing up just over the Canadian border in a community of escaped slaves and their children. Elijah is afraid of snakes, and timid about a number of things, but his courage is tested by the end of the story. Don't let the humorous tone of the beginning fool you - the last quarter of the book deals with some of the grim realities of what happened to runaway slaves, or even free blacks, in pre-Civil War America. It is not generally graphic (the violence is mostly "off screen"), but there are scenes of death. Elijah manages to bring one small triumph out of tragedy in an ending that definitely isn't "and they all lived happily every after". Probably fourth or fifth grade and up, though some middle school-age kids may initially feel that the book is "too young" for them. I highly recommend this one as a family or classroom read-aloud - it is the kind of book not many kids might pick up on their own, but it is a story that will stay with you.

House of Many Ways, by Diana Wynn Jones - (fantasy) Just out, this book says it is a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, but it can easily stand on its own, and most of the characters from the previous book don't even show up till the second half. The two main characters are a boy and girl who are very realistic early teenagers, flaws, talents, and all. Like many of Jones' books, this one has a humorous tone and gives some twists to the conventions of fantasy. It should appeal to fans of the early Harry Potter books. Fourth grade and up.

For teens:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Speare - (historical fiction) This book is a classic now. It is the story of Kit Tyler, who has been raised and spoiled by her grandfather in the Barbados, and must, on his death, go to Puritan Massachusets colony to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins. It is a story that works on several levels - Kit's adjustment to the different culture, her coming of age and learning to work hard and care for others, some mixed-up romances that work out for the best, and a look at prejudice, religious intolerance, and the witch scares of the times. Memorable, distinct characters, a window into Puritan life, and well-crafted writing make this one worth re-reading. Fifth grade and up.

Chalice, by Robin McKinley - (fantasy) Joy! Robin McKinley has a new book out! This is classic McKinley - a well-written fantasy with a heroine who is trying to save her "prince", and a happy ending. In some respects, you might almost see this story as yet another "Beauty and the Beast", but it is an original "fairy tale". The main character is an ordinary young bee-keeper who has suddenly been thrust into a position of great responsibility in the governing of her country, at a time of upheaval and looming disaster. Bees and honey play an important role in the story, which is laced with a sort of earth magic. There is a creepy villain (or two), and true love (but no sex), and not much violence. I think I would try this one with fourth graders or up, certainly with sixth graders or higher.

Books to Read Aloud to Your Children - January 2008

Note: for the introductory information about why, how and where to read to your kids, see my first post. Remember the most important thing:
Read what you like! If you and your child don't like the book, set it aside and read something else!
Seasonal picture books:

• Anno's Counting Book, by Mitsumasa Anno - probably best for kids 3-5, this is a wordless picture book that starts out with a scene of a snowy, empty field and the number "0". The next pages show the field with one house, one person, one tree, and as you turn the pages the things in the pictures illustrate the numbers from zero through twelve, and the months/seasons of the year.
• The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats - a simple, sweet story showing a little boy who lives in an apartment building going out to play on a snowy day, and trying to keep a snowball. Probably for younger pre-schoolers.
• The Mitten, and The Hat, by Jan Brett - two whimsical, wintery stories with a folktale feeling and delightful, detailed illustrations
  
• Katie and the Big Snow, by Virginia Lee Burton - an old favorite of little boys who are interested in big machines, one of the main "characters" in this book is the snow plow who helps clear the streets of the city after a big snow.
• Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin & illustrated by Azarian - the true story of the man who studied snowflakes, with beautiful woodcut illustrations
  
• Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Frost & illustrated by Jeffers - This is just the text of the famous Robert Frost poem, with gorgeous wintery illustrations. Short enough for very young listeners, beautiful enough for up to adults!
• The Tomten, or The Tomten and the Fox, by Lindgren, illustrated by Wiberg - These are two simple, comforting stories based on Norwegian folklore, about the little "tomten" who watches over the farm at night; the pictures are beautiful, and very wintery.
• Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here, by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Krupinski - lots of information about what animals do in the winter, and the idea of the winter solstice
• Wild Horse Winter, by Tetsuya Honda - true account of a herd of wild horses surviving a terrible winter in Japan, with watercolor illustrations
  
• A Ride on the Red Mare's Back, by LeGuin, illustrated by Downing - Although this is a picture book, the story is longer than most picture books, so it is more for the kindergarten through second grade listener. The little girl who is the main character in this fairy-tale type story rescues her little brother from trolls.
• ...and one chapter book: The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder - From the "Little House" series, but you don't have to have read the other ones to enjoy this one about pioneer difficulties surviving prairie blizzards. Good for elementary listeners, at least up to sixth grade.
  

About civil rights:

• The Story of Ruby Bridges, by Robert Coles, illustrated by Ford - about the first black child to attend a previously all-white school, first-grader Ruby Bridges, this picture book is suitable for early elementary children.
• Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , by Doreen Rappaport - an illustrated biography of Martin Luther King, Jr, for ages five and up.
• Words by Heart, by Ouida Sebestyen - historical fiction, set in the early 1900's, about a black girl growing up in an all-white town in the Southwest; for upper elementary or above, this book does portray an incident of racial violence, but is ultimately about humanity and forgiveness.
• Elijah of Buxton, by Christopher Paul Curtis - historical fiction set in pre-Civil War America - Elijah has grown up free, as the first black child born in a community of escaped slaves just across the border into Canada, but he makes a dangerous journey into "the States" to try to help a friend. This book has humor, suspense, and real-life horror - for upper elementary to middle school.
• The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis - historical fiction in the 1960's, this book starts out funny as the family leaves their home in Michigan for a visit to Alabama, where we get a child's-eye view of the way blacks were treated in the South - for upper elementary to middle school.
  

From the fairy-tale tradition:
Somehow winter nights seem like a good time for reading fairy tales. As well as the Disney versions, there are beautifully-illustrated picture-book versions of nearly all the old favorites, plus lots of lesser-known stories and some modern stories written in the style of fairy tales. For older children, ready for longer books that will take multiple sessions to finish, there are some wonderful "novelizations" of old fairy tales.

• Beauty by Robin McKinley - this novelization of "Beauty and the Beast" is more for listeners eight or nine and up, although I have known younger children who enjoyed it, too.
• The Goose Girl or Princess Academy by Shannon Hale - The first of these is based on the fairy tale, and the second is an original story. Both are good read-alouds for ages nine and up.
• The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbit - this one has a boy for a main character. It is an original story, but with an old-fashioned fairy-tale feel to it. It is a lighter story, with touches of humor, for listeners about seven and up.

For reading aloud to teens:

• The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, by Caroline Alexander, illustrated with photos from the actual expedition - if you think winter is cold, this incredible, true story about survival against impossible odds in Antarctica will boggle your mind! The same basic story has been told by several authors - you could also try Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Lansing (for older readers), or Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance (for elementary age) by Armstrong.
• The Time of the Dark, by Barbara Hambly - fantasy, about a punk motorcycle-riding airbrush artist and a nerdy female graduate student who get taken from California across "the Void" into another world, where magic is possible, winter seems to be taking over, and horrible flying monsters roam the night. It is the first in a series.
  

Look for books in your local library! Buy your favorites through your local bookstore, or search for in- or out-of-print books at www.bookfinder.com .