Reading to Children: October 08 - Horse Stories, Mostly

"Kids who come to kindergarten and first grade with rich language experiences—language play, rhymes, and being read to from birth onward—have a deeper awareness of how 
language and reading works. Studies suggest that children without such backgrounds have an increased risk of reading difficulties." - from "The Mystery of the Struggling Reader" by Mike Knight, www.mspmag.com/education/raisingreaders/raisingreaderssept08/112808.asp?ht=

... but if your kids missed the pre-school experience of being read to, you can still give them a boost by starting now. The year I taught third grade, one of my biggest pleasant surprises came from several "resource" students who started the year reading at about first grade level, but finished almost on grade level, after a school year of a half-hour a day of silent and/or assisted reading aloud, and a half hour a day of listening while I read aloud.
Just today I read an e-mail from a new student in my on-line ninth-grade English class. She is a senior making up a quarter of ninth grade English, and she tells me she hasn't read a book since ninth grade, and hasn't been required to read a book for any of her classes in her first three years of high school. And we wonder why test scores don't rise?
Of course the schools have a role and a responsibility in getting kids reading, but as a parent, you have a greater responsibility for your kids' education. Your children see your priorities on a daily basis, and care more about your regard and opinions than about their teachers'. Along with everything you do to keep their bodies strong and healthy, nourish their minds with lots of reading!

Picture Books About Horses

Horses of Dreamland, by Duncan & Diamond - a short bedtime story in rhyme about "a child who dreams of horses" and her dream adventures. The illustrations are beautiful rather than cute, some in dreamy watercolors, some using silhouettes of horses, mountains, and mesas. This book seems to be out of print, but if you have a little horse-lover it is worth searching for used. Ages three and up.

The Sleep Ponies, by Ongman - soft watercolor illustrations showing cute ponies and children in meadows - a bedtime story, the basic concept is similar to Horses of Dreamland, but it is carried out quite differently. Ages two or three and up.

Snow Ponies, by Cotten & Cockcroft - When Old Man Winter lets his snow ponies out of the barn, they gallop over the countryside leaving everything white - a well-illustrated, magical story. Ages three and up.

Snow Riders, by McGeorge & Whyte - After a big snowstorm, a brother and sister build snow horses instead of snowmen - and that night, the horses come to life and carry them on a ride through the winter night. Wonderful illustrations - the night time pictures have deep, rich colors in the background, in contrast to the bright-white horses. Ages three or four and up.

Billy and Blaze, by Anderson - now a classic, C.W. Anderson's first picture book of several about a boy and his horse. The illustrations (pencil?) are typical of all Anderson's books - the horses (along with everything else) are drawn in impeccable, loving detail, and look absolutely real, ready to step off the page. K-3rd grade.

The Gift of the Sacred Dog, by Goble - a re-telling of a native American story about how the first horses were given to people, when a boy acted unselfishly. Like all Goble's books, this one has his distinctive, stylized, brightly colored illustrations, any one of which I would love to frame and hang on my wall. If you like this one, see also Goble's The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, and, for that matter, all his other books. Age five and up.

For elementary school listeners:
(see also A Ride on the Red Mare's Back, by LeGuin, in a previous post)

The Superlative Horse, by Merrill & Solbert - a picture book, but with more text than most, this one is based on a Chinese folk tale and has lovely, Chinese-style illustrations - about a peasant boy who becomes the emperor's "Chief Groom" because of his skill and integrity. I think it is out of print, but available used. For first or second graders and up.

Mrs. Mack, by Polacco - another longer picture book, autobiographical, about how the author learned to ride and the woman who taught her (and many others) horsemanship. First or second graders up.

Horses Across America, by Mellin - nonfiction picture book, this one mixes some history and geography with an introduction to common breeds of horses in the US. A mixture of black and white drawings and color paintings, but all beautiful and accurate. Also out of print. Second graders and up.

Classic Horse Stories: Smoky the Cowhorse, by Will James; The Black Stallion by Walter Farley; National Velvet, by Bagnold; Black Beauty, by Sewell (there is also an excellent abridged edition, abridged by Robin McKinley and with illustrations by Susan Jeffers); My Friend Flicka (NOT to be confused with the movie(s) of the same title) by O'Hara, and the two sequels; and the Marguerite Henry historical fiction horse books, including King of the Wind, Misty of Chincoteague, Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Black Gold, Justin Morgan Had a Horse, and two of my favorites of her lesser-known works, Gaudenzia: Pride of the Palio, and Born to Trot.

The Far-Distant Oxus, by Hull & Whitlock - written by two teenage girls in the 1930's, this is the story of several children on summer holiday in England farm country, a summer in which they each have a pony to ride. If you have ever read Swallows and Amazons, by Ransome, this book does with ponies what Ransome's books did with sailboats. Amazingly, it seems to be back in print, in paperback. Wonderful, old-fashioned fun. Read to third or fourth graders and up.

The Silver Brumby, and The Snow Filly, by Mitchell - The Snow Filly is the first full-length book I can remember really coming alive for me to read myself. I was in third grade. Coming back to them as an adult, I was afraid I might be disappointed, but I wasn't. Mitchell's love and knowledge of the Australian mountains shine through in her fluid writing, and the wild horses make wonderful characters. Third graders and up.

Afraid to Ride, by Anderson - a horse-crazy girl who has been thrown and badly frightened is paired with an abused Thoroughbred jumper, and gradually they heal each other. This book was written long before the fad for "animal rescue" stories came along, but it is realistic and optimistic - and since it is by CW Anderson, it also has some lovely illustrations. Fourth graders and up.

Fly-By-Night, by Peyton - set in Great Britain, a girl without much money acquires a green pony, and the two of them learn (sometimes the hard way) enough to have fun together, and join a local Pony Club. Well-written, with strong characters and realistic action, plot and subplot, this is a delightful "a girl and her horse" story. Fourth grade up. The sequel, The Team, is also excellent.

For Teens:

The Horsecatcher by Sandoz - Newbery honor book, historical fiction about a Cheyenne boy, maybe in the early 1800's or late 1700's. Young Elk's father and older brother are important hunters and warriors in the tribe, and he is expected to follow in their footsteps, but what he truly wants is to be a horsecatcher and trainer. This is a wonderful coming-of-age story about how he learns to follow his own heart, but in the end makes a personal sacrifice for the good of his people. Sandoz researched the Cheyenne culture extensively, and the bits about horses are realistic and believable. I remembered this story well from when I read it as a child. Can work as a read-aloud for about fourth or fifth graders and up.

Three of Robin McKinley's wonderful fantasies include significant equine characters - Beauty, The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. I couldn't live without any of them, and although the main characters in all three are girls, my boys loved these books, too. The Blue Sword is a sort of distant sequel to The Hero and the Crown, but it really doesn't matter in which order you read them.

Not on a White Horse, by Springer - realistic fiction, about a twelve-year-old girl from a tough community. Her father's been laid off and drinking, her pretty teenage sister runs off to marry a boyfriend, and of course they can't afford a horse for Rhiannon. The way things work out is optimistic but believable.

Flambards, by Peyton - set in England in the early 1900's. Christina is sent to live with her uncle and cousins in the country, and introduced to foxhunting. This well-written book isn't so much about horses, but horses play in important role. It also has at least two sequels.

My Horses, My Teachers, by Podhajsky - nonfiction, autobiographical - the author remembers the horses he has known and learned from over a lifetime that led him to be head of the famous Spanish Riding School and the Lippizan stallions. Fascinating for serious horse-lovers, especially if they have had some experience actually riding or training horses.

The Man Who Listens to Horses, by Roberts - autobiographical, although there is some question about whether some of it is fictionalized. Skip the introduction, as the person who wrote that either doesn't know much about the history of horsemanship or chose to disregard it. Whether it is 100% true or not, this is an interesting story about one of the most famous living horsemen in the US and his experiences and ideas about training horses.

Reading to Children - September 2008

New Research Shows Hope for Dyslexic or Poor Readers

Two recent studies using brain imaging (MRI) found that the brains of children who were having trouble reading actually changed and became like the brains of normal readers in the course of intensive remedial training. Children with reading problems can be helped - most dyslexia does not have to be a lifelong problem. One of the studies focused specifically on how children process the sounds of oral language, as this is one of the causes of reading difficulties. The study did not specifically look at reading aloud, but it seems very likely that more practice at listening will help children who have these difficulties. (Note that these children did not have problems with hearing, but with understanding or processing what they heard.) These articles are available at http://www.sciencedaily.com - "Learn to Read Through Sound" dated May 1, 2008, and "Remedial Instruction ReWires Dyslexic Brains" dated August 7, 2008.

Picture books:

A Visitor for Bear, by Becker, illustrated by Denton - My brother told me his two year old likes this book, which has perfect pictures to go with the story of a grumpy, reclusive bear and the irrepressible mouse who keeps ignoring the "no visitors" sign, and all the bear's objections, till the bear finally discovers that he really does enjoy company, after all. Funny & sweet, with just the right amount of repetition, this is a new book you won't mind reading over and over again. Age two and up.

Millions of Cats, by Gag - first published in 1928, this is one of the oldest of my favorites. It is a tall tale of sorts, about a man who sets out to get his lonely wife a cat, and ends up bringing home... "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats" because he can't decide which one is prettiest. When he asks the cats to choose which one is prettiest, a fight ensues, and when the old man and his wife venture back outside, they find only one frightened kitten hiding - which, of course, turns out to be the perfect cat for them. It has simple, black and white illustrations. Besides just being a clever story, any child who grows up reciting the repeated lines about how many cats there are will never have trouble remembering the order of the place values in numbers! Age two and up.

Mrs. Crump's Cat, by Smith, illustrated by Roberts - another fairly new book, 2006, with a theme similar to A Visitor for Bear. Color pictures are somewhat stylized, but the expressions of the characters are priceless. Irritable Mrs. Crump has no use for cats, and finds them sneaky, finicky, and troublesome... but somehow she lets the wet stray cat on her doorstep in one evening. Ages three and up.

The Boy Who Drew Cats, by Levine, illustrated by Clement - This story is based on a rather spooky Japanese folk tale, and the pictures are beautiful, perfect for the story. Kenji is a boy who loves to draw, and he is forced to leave his monastery after he is discovered drawing instead of working. Lost, he ends up spending the night in an old temple that has been abandoned because the King of Rats has taken it. Kenji fills some blank screens with drawings of cats, and wakes in the morning to find his cats have magically defeated the King of Rats, the temple safe again, and the villagers grateful. Ages four and up.

Wendell, by Nones - Wendell the cat keeps getting into trouble because none of the humans in the house can see the little gremlins who do things like knocking a fork off the table, moving Dad's reading glasses, or moving the TV antenna. He gets put outside till a mouse shows up - and then gets to chase both the mouse and all the gremlins out of the house. Ages four and up.

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle, illustrated by Jeffers - The text of this book is a translation of Chief Seattle's famous speech about loving the land, and the pictures are Susan Jeffer's softly colored illustrations. This may be her most beautiful book, and the words are suitable for bedtime reading or to spur a discussion about conservation. Ages three and up.

The Sons of the Dragon King, by Young - based on a Chinese legend, this is a story about how each of the very different nine sons of the Dragon King first gets into trouble, and then finds a way to use his talent for the good of the people. The illustrations are a nice mix of traditional-looking and more modern styles, but all with a strong Chinese flavor. Ages four and up.

For Elementary-School Age and Above:
The Book of Bad Ideas, by Huliska-Beith - This is a picture book, and not terribly long, but pre-schoolers might miss most of the humor. The illustrations are very brightly-colored, and text is written in an unusual, sort of hand-written-looking font. It starts out with "Bad Idea #134: Rollerblading with your dog even though he flunked out of obedience school" and a picture of the dog in hot pursuit of a cat and towing a girl on rollerblades, and it goes on from there with lots more bad ideas and their amusing results. Kindergarten or first grade and up. (A fun writing project might be to try to create more "bad ideas".)

Catwings, by Leguin - a chapter book with quite a few pictures about a litter of kittens who are born with wings, and so don't fit in with either cats or birds. There are three sequels. These make good books for kids who are "in between" picture books and longer books, and Leguin's writing is well-crafted. Read aloud to first graders and up.

The Cat Who Went to Heaven, by Coatsworth - first published in 1930, this re-telling of a Japanese folk tale is still a good story about being rewarded for compassion. There are at least two different illustrated versions, both of which are very nice. Like The Boy Who Drew Cats, this is also a story about an artist, but they are quite different. Read to first or second graders and up.

It's Like This, Cat, by Neville - a quiet kind of story, but very well-written, about a teenage boy growing up in New York City with, yes, a cat for a pet. This book is a Newbery winner, and the kind of book your child might not pick on his/her own, but is likely to enjoy (and re-read later) if you read it aloud. For listeners fourth grade or above.

For Teens:
Tailchaser's Song by Williams and The Wild Road by King - both fantasy with cats as the main characters, and a cut above many YA fantasies in the quality of the writing. These are also both quite long, and they might be candidates for you reading the first quarter, and then letting kids finish on their own - but you might enjoy the story enough that you won't want to stop. Read to seventh graders and up.

Rose Daughter by McKinley - Robin McKinley's SECOND novelization of "Beauty and the Beast", this one is quite different from the first (Beauty). I wouldn't want to have to choose between them - both are wonderful - but this one is a little more complex and nuanced, requiring a little more mature reader (no, there isn't any "inappropriate" content, but it is just not quite as easy to follow). Read to sixth or seventh graders and up.

The Book Thief by Zusak - a Prinz Award winner. You may think you have read enough books set in WW II Germany, but make room on your shelf for this one. The first few pages are a little difficult, but persevere. The main character, Liesel, is a foster child who starts out the story at eight years old, not yet able to read, but having a book she stole. Some readers might find it distressing that characters (including the foster mother) refer to each other with German terms most of us would regard as vulgar, but try to get past that. This is an important book, one that deals with many issues of love, loyalty, friendship, courage, integrity, compassion - and, yes, the importance of reading, words, and books. It is never preachy, and never predictable, but it shows ordinary people making extraordinary choices. Read it to fifth or sixth graders and above.

August 2008 Suggestions for Reading Aloud

It's the "dog days" of summer, so named originally because the "dog star", Sirius, rose around sunrise at this time of year. It's also the last month of summer, and we are inundated with advertising reminding us that school will be starting again soon, for those on a traditional school calendar. If your children have put off doing assigned "summer reading", why not jump-start them by reading the first part of the book aloud together? If you haven't already started reading aloud regularly, this time of getting ready for the change in family routine to accommodate school schedules is a good time to establish a new routine. Most American children aren't getting to bed early enough to get as much sleep as they need. Use an evening reading time to get them to unwind and settle down for an earlier bedtime.

Dog Stories for Preschoolers:

Where's Spot? , by Hill - for really young children (under three), this is a simple, cute story with heavier-weight pages and a little flap to lift on each page as Spot's mother goes looking for him.

Good Dog, Carl, by Day - a funny, mostly-wordless picture book about what happens when the dog is left to tend the baby. Age two and up.

A Boy, a Dog and a Frog, by Mayer - a wordless picture book with really detailed drawings. A boy and his dog set out one day to try to catch a frog, but have a series of cartoon-style misses and finally give up and go home - but in the end, the frog follows their wet footprints and jumps into the bathtub with them. Age three and up.

The Dog Prince, by Mills, illustrated by Nolan - a spoiled, selfish prince offends an old woman, who turns him into a hound, and a hound he stays as he learns some manners from a goat girl and eventually defends her goats in a completely unselfish heroic act. Lovely, traditional watercolor pictures complement the traditional, fairy-tale tone of the story. Age four and up.

No Roses for Harry, by Zion - another story about Harry the Dirty Dog, this time about an unwanted gift - a doggie "sweater" with roses on it, which Harry is embarrassed to wear in public. Age three and up.

Dog stories for elementary to middle school listeners:
Lots of classics:

Lassie Come-Home, by Knight - the original story of the beautiful collie who escapes from her aristocrat owner to return to the poor family she loves. There is also a beautifully illustrated, abridged edition, abridged by Rosemary Wells and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. The original version is probably for second or third grade or above listeners, the abridged version for first grade or higher. This is the rare dog story with a happy ending.
Old Yeller, by Gipson - combination pioneer story and dog story; told in first person by Travis, a teenage boy who is trying to be the man of his pioneer family on the Texas frontier while his father is away temporarily and a stray "no-account" yellow dog shows up. One of those books that will make you laugh in some places and cry in others. It has a sequel, Savage Sam, which has fallen out of favor, I suppose because the plot turns on a portrayal of the Indians as savage kidnappers. Third or fourth grade and up.
Big Red, by Kjelgaard - starring an Irish setter (a valuable show dog belonging to a wealthy neighbor) and the teenage boy Danny, this is another story about the loyalty of a good dog to his master. Kjelgaard wrote many other dog stories, including some sequels to this one (Irish Red and Outlaw Red) and one about a greyhound called Desert Dog. Third or fourth grade up.
Other dog classics: Beautiful Joe, by Saunders (an early novel about the abuse of dogs), The Incredible Journey by Burnford (a lab, a bull terrier, and a cat travel across Canada to find their humans), Where the Red Fern Grows, by Rawls (a boy and a pair of coonhounds in the Ozarks), Bristleface, by Ball (see my July post), The Call of the Wild and White Fang, by London (sled dogs in Alaska), Lad: A Dog, and sequels, by Terhune (collies), and Finn the Wolfhound by Dawson (Irish Wolfhound, first in England and then in the wilds of Australia). Finn the Wolfhound is a bit longer and probably best for fifth grade or above listeners.

Ajax, Golden Dog of the Australian Bush, by Patchett - old enough to be a classic, but not as well-known as the others, perhaps partly because it is by an Australian author. This is a book about a GIRL and her loyal dog, and their adventures in the Australian bush. It also has a happy ending. I loved this book when I was in upper elementary school, and I recently bought a hard-back copy off Ebay. For third or fourth grade and up.

Stone Fox, by Gardiner - this is a fairly short book, but the end packs a real punch. Willie decides he must train his dog, Searchlight, to win the annual sled dog race so that he can use the prize money to save his grandfather's Wyoming potato farm. However, he will be competing against the native American Stone Fox whose team of Samoyeds has never lost. Guaranteed tear-jerker, to read to third graders or above.

My Life in Dog Years, by Paulsen - autobiographical stories about eight different dogs from Gary Paulsen's life. Also by Paulsen: Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod, and Dogsong, and several other books featuring dogs.

No More Dead Dogs, by Korman - only peripherally a dog story, this recent, funny contemporary book is about a middle-school boy in trouble because he doesn't want anything to do with reading another book where the dog dies in the end - yet he ends up reluctantly involved with staging a play based on that book, and, from the teacher's point of view, creating mayhem along the way. Korman's humor makes his books popular with kids - read aloud to fourth or fifth grade and up.

Because of Winn-Dixie, by Dicamillo - I haven't seen the movie, but the book is sweet and funny. Opal is the only child of a preacher (her mother is long gone), and lonely because they just moved to a new town, when she spontaneously claims a big, hairy dog who is bouncing through the local grocery story. Third grade and up.

For older readers -
Dogsbody, by Jones - a fantasy and dog story with a sense of humor. Sirius, a kind of seemingly immortal being, is unjustly accused and punished by being turned into a puppy on Earth. To regain his proper form, he must perform a nearly impossible task within the limitations of his dog body. For sixth grade or above listeners.

Bandit: The Heart-Warming True Story of One Dog's Rescue from Death Row, by Hearne (This may be a re-issue or revision of the book titled Bandit: The Dossier of a Dangerous Dog) - Vicki Hearne, a dog and horse trainer and university philosophy professor, is at her best when she is telling stories about the animals she has trained. Some of her ideas are too complex for younger readers, but a bright teen who is interested in animals will really enjoy this one. If so, next try Hearne's book Animal Happiness. Probably for eighth grade or above.

All Creatures Great and Small, by Herriot - autobiographical, stories of starting his career as a vet in rural England, this book is not specifically about dogs, but all sorts of animals. It is full of self-deprecating humor and real incidents from his experiences. There are also sequels. Fifth or sixth grade and up.

Deerskin, by McKinley - the darkest of Robin McKinley's fairy tale novelizations, the main character in this book is a princess whose father decides to marry her - so early in the book is an incident of sexual abuse of a teenage girl. It is not detailed or particularly graphic, but you should read it yourself and decide whether it is something you would want to share with your teenager. Once you get past that, the rest of the book is about how the girl and her dog (and eventually, a whole pack of dogs, since she becomes a kennel worker in the realm of a neighboring kingdom) heal physically and emotionally. Although it is grim in the first third of the story, I find it ultimately uplifting, an affirmation of how the human spirit can rise above horror with love.

Books to Read Aloud - June 2008

Summer vacation is here (although you can't tell by our weather), and most kids are out of school for two or three months - a great time to catch up on reading for fun! Make weekly trips to the library to choose books to read, and take a little more time to read to your kids on these long summer evenings, or on a hot afternoon when they can sip lemonade while they listen.
Often children or teens will want to re-read a book you have read aloud to them, or an old favorite they have read before. Sometimes parents worry that this is a waste of time, but actually, re-reading is a great way to build up reading fluency and speed. If a child ONLY wants to read one book, over and over, you might want to encourage him to try something else in addition to the favorite - and remember, one of the best ways to do that is to read something new out loud to him!

Picture Books:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Carle - not really a natural history lesson (though the caterpillar does turn into a butterfly at the end), but a colorful, fun counting book - a classic that doesn't seem to ever go out of print, for two-year-olds and up.
The Windigo's Return, by Wood, illustrated by Couch - an Ojibwe tale that explains the origins of mosquitoes, with lovely, sometimes almost batik-like, illustrations. The Windigo is a man-eating monster who must be trapped - maybe a little scary for some little ones, so use your judgment - for three or four year olds and up.
The Legend of the Whale, by Stansfield - this reads like a folktale, and the illustrations are brightly-colored, stylized paintings with an aboriginal feel to them, but it is actually an original story that explains the origin of the whale in a kind of allegory about peace. I often find myself irritated at children's stories with a "message", but this one has enough fun details to win me over. A bit long for really young children - probably good for four & up.
Miss Rumphius, by Cooney - Miss Alice Rumphius wanted to travel to faraway places and then come back to live by the sea - and her grandfather told her she must also do something to make the world more beautiful. This story has been criticized by some because it tells how she planted lupine seeds around her community (ie, bringing in possibly "invasive species"), but it is truly a classic, wonderfully written and illustrated. When your children are older, you might want to discuss reasons it might not be a good idea to spread around plants that aren't native - but for now, enjoy the story! Short enough to read to a three year old, meaningful enough to read with elementary children, or even teens.
Once There Was A Tree, by Romanova, illustrated by Spirin - originally written in Russian, and translated into English - an old tree is struck by lightning and then cut down for firewood. The story follows what happens to the stump, as it is used by insects, animals, and eventually decays and a new tree grows. It is both a natural history story, and a rumination on philosophy - who does the tree stump belong to? The illustrations are delicate and intricately detailed. For three and up.
The Bee-Man of Orn, by Stockton, illustrated by Lynch in this oversized picture-book, but available in various editions - as picture books go, this is quite a long story, and the sly humor would go right over the heads of young children, although they might enjoy the story anyway. I'd try it with second graders and up.

Survival Stories for Elementary & Middle School-Age Children

Hatchet, by Paulsen - probably now the best-known survival tale for kids, this is about a boy who is in a small plane over the Canadian wilderness when the pilot dies of a heart attack. Brian must survive months waiting for rescue. Realistic fiction, listening for third grade and up. (There are also sequels.)
Swiss Family Robinson, by Wyss - though dated in some ways, this classic is still a good read with a little "suspension of disbelief". A family is ship-wrecked on an island with exotic animals and plants, and they begin to build a life for themselves using supplies retrieved from the wreck, and resources they find on the island. (The tree-house home alone is worth reading the book for!) Third grade and up.
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by O'Dell - historical fiction, based on an actual incident - a native American girl is accidentally left behind on the island where she has been raised when the rest of the tribe leaves. She must find food, maintain shelter, make clothes, and conquer loneliness as she grows up all alone. A classic that still stands up to expectations, well worth sharing - third or fourth grade up.
The Sign of the Beaver, by Speare - historical fiction, set in early Maine - a twelve-year-old boy's adventures when he is left to take care of the family's cabin while his father goes to get the rest of the family, and is befriended by a local native American boy. Third or fourth grade up.
Julie of the Wolves, by George - a thirteen year old Eskimo girl runs away from her village when she is told to marry an older boy, and learns to survive and become accepted by a wolf pack. There is a scene early in the book where the older boy knocks her down and attempts to rape her, but a child who didn't already know about sex wouldn't realize that was what was going on, since it is implied rather than described. The information about the wolves is scientifically-based (the author is from a family of naturalists/biologists), and the book is well-written and haunting. The ending is ambiguous - did she choose to go back to civilization or not? There is a sequel. Fifth or sixth grade and up.
Touching Spirit Bear, by Mikaelsen - realistic fiction - a violent teen juvenile delinquent who has not been improved by previous punishments is sent to live alone on an island off Alaska, where his anger management problems get him into more trouble, but there is no one to blame it on but himself. This book has been a favorite of some of my teen students. I'd try it for sixth graders and up.

One you might want to read with teens...
Life as We Knew It, by Pfeffer - realistic fiction, except that it is set in the VERY near future after the moon is knocked closer to the earth by an asteroid - setting up for floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the breakdown of society and government. The main character, Miranda, is an average tenth grader before the disasters, wondering if she will ever be asked out, living just outside a small town in Pennsylvania. None of the spectacular disasters occur where she lives, but until the power and radio stations go out, a few months into the story, we hear about the news. Gas gets terribly expensive and eventually unobtainable, food gets scarcer and scarcer, and the weather turns terribly cold. The ending is optimistic, but much of the story is quite frightening, especially set against the general anxiety these days about gas prices and climate change. If your teen is a worrier, you might want to skip this book. On the other hand, it is a gripping and powerful story, in the main believable, and shows Miranda maturing and becoming responsible rather than self-centered.

...and one you probably DON'T want to read with your teen -
How I Live Now, by Rosoff - don't get me wrong, I really liked this book in many ways, but I wouldn't want to read it aloud to my children. You need to know, right up front, that two of the main characters are teen-age cousins who fall in love and have sex. No, it is NOT graphically described, but it is happening. The main character, Daisy, is an American girl not getting along well with her father and stepmother, and is sent to England to spend the summer with an aunt and cousins she has never met. She immediately likes them all, and within days her aunt leaves on what is supposed to be a weekend trip, but a war breaks out. Daisy and her cousins are fending for themselves on the farm without adult help or supervision. At first it seems idyllic, since the war doesn't impinge on the farm for a while, but then the farm is commandeered by the army, and the teens are sent off to live with other families - the girls to one place, the boys to another. A subtle sub-plot is that Daisy is anorexic, but that is one of the things she matures out of in the course of the book. It doesn't sound like an appealing book, but Daisy's narrative voice captured me in the first couple pages, and never faltered. I was completely swept into her world. If you find the fact of the sexual relationship to be objectionable, you probably don't want your teen reading this book. As an adult reading it, I loved the book.

Read-Aloud Books: Suggestions for April '08

*In 2007, the average American teenager spent nearly 26 hours a week watching TV, playing video games, and/or using the computer - and 2 hours reading.*

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April is National Poetry Month. Poetry is meant to be read aloud! Many poems are fun to hear, even if the listener may not entirely "understand" them. Quite a few picture books are written in verse, and some "story poems" are available in beautiful illustrated editions. Here are some books and poems to share with your children:

Picture books:

• A House is a House for Me, by Hoberman: I always loved reading this to my children - a playful romp through different kinds of "houses", both for animals and for people, with fun illustrations, and all told in rhythmic verse.

• Each Peach Pear Plum, by Ahlberg: Another fun picture book in rhyme, this one plays with characters from different nursery rhymes or fairy tales.

• Mother Goose - available in various editions, but get at least one! Lots of other books refer to nursery rhymes, and it's surprising how many kids these days don't know them.

• The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, edited by Prelutsky, illustrated by Lobel - a good anthology with pictures, with selections for reading to children three or four and up, a mix of traditional and more recent poems, arranged by topic.

• The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury, edited by Prelutsky, illustrated by So - another anthology, this one containing more modern, lesser-known poems, mostly playful. It includes a CD of the poems read aloud.

• The Golden Treasury of Poetry, edited by Untermeyer - many old classics not included in newer anthologies. This book is out of print, but check your library or bookfinder.com - it includes one of my favorite of the lesser-known poems for children, which begins something like this:

"Zoon, zoon, cuddle and croon, over the crinkling sea,
the moon-man flings him a silvered net fashioned of moonbeams three,
And the waves roll in, and the waves roll out, and the nodding night wind blows,
But why the moon-man fishes the sea, only the moon-man knows..."

• A Child's Garden of Verses, by Stevenson - Robert Louis Stevenson's classic children's poems are available in a variety of illustrated editions.

• When We Were Very Young, and Now We Are Six, by A.A. Milne - These two are collections of poems by the author of Winnie-the-Pooh, and one of them includes another of my old favorites, "The Doctor and the Dormouse", which children will enjoy for the sounds of the words, and adults will enjoy for the sly pokes at the pompous doctor. It begins like this:

"There once was a Dormouse who lived in a bed
Of delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red),
And all the day long he'd a wonderful view
Of geraniums (red) and delphiniums (blue)."

• Hiawatha, by Longfellow, illustrated by Jeffers, or Hiawatha's Childhood, by Longfellow, illustrated by LeCain - either of these are beautifully illustrated editions of the melodic old story-poem.

• Paul Revere's Ride, by Longfellow, illustrated by Rand, or The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, illustrated by Bing - again, illustrated versions of the poem - enough pictures for pre-K, enough story for older kids. You might want to discuss with older kids the fact that it isn't intended to be an exact historical account.

For elementary age and up:

• A Child's Introduction to Poetry: Listen While You Learn About the Magic Words That Have Moved Mountains, Won Battles, and Made Us Laugh and Cry, edited by Driscoll & Hamilton - this one is not just an anthology, but includes explanations of different forms of poetry along with examples, and a CD of the poems. For upper elementary to middle school.

• The Poetry for Young People series has illustrated volumes on individual poets (Carl Sandburg, Maya Angelou, William Blake, and many more) and on topics (The Seasons), with poems chosen as appropriate for children.

• Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Silverstein - funny poems well-loved by many elementary-age kids.

• Time for Poetry, by Arbuthnot - a thicker, longer anthology with fewer illustrations, this is another older, out-of-print book, but easily available quite inexpensively on-line. It has lots and lots of poems arranged by topic - all older poems, since it was published in 1959.

• "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" by Service

For Teen Listeners

• "The Raven" by Poe, "The Highwayman" by Noyes, and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge are longer narrative poems that often appeal to teenagers.

• April is the tragic anniversary of Lincoln's assassination. Read Walt Whitman's poems "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed" and "O Captain, My Captain" to begin to glimpse the country's grief.

• Poem a Day, edited by McCosker & Albery, is an anthology of mostly older, mostly short poems that the editors suggest would be good poems to memorize (though anyone who can memorize one a day has a better memory than I!). It might make sense to read one a day, and then choose one each week or month to try to memorize.

• A Book of Luminous Things, edited by Milosz, is an anthology of mostly modern, mostly short, poems from all over the world, many translated from other languages, that are likely not to be familiar to most readers.

If you want to tackle a classic -

• Beowulf: A New Verse Translation, by Seamus Heaney , or The Inferno of Dante: A New Verse Translation, by Robert Pinsky- neither of these are easy, but they are more accessible that some of the earlier translations.

Read-aloud Books: Suggestions: for March '08

Turn off the television and read to your kids!
Quote from "What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?" by Ellen Gamerman, Wall Street Journal, February 29, 2008 : " ... by one international measure, Finnish teenagers are among the smartest in the world. They earned some of the top scores by 15-year-old students who were tested in 57 countries. American teens finished among the world's C students even as U.S. educators piled on more homework, standards and rules. Finnish youth, like their U.S. counterparts, also waste hours online. They dye their hair, love sarcasm and listen to rap and heavy metal. But by ninth grade they're way ahead in math, science and reading -- on track to keeping Finns among the world's most productive workers.... One explanation for the Finns' success is their love of reading. Parents of newborns receive a government-paid gift pack that includes a picture book. Some libraries are attached to shopping malls, and a book bus travels to more remote neighborhoods like a Good Humor truck."

Picture books:

• Max's First Word, by Rosemary Wells - one of my favorite very simple stories for toddlers - Max's sister is trying to teach him to say something besides "bang".

• The Year at Maple Hill Farm, by Alice and Martin Provensen - a book of months and seasons, this picture book focuses on what is happening with the animals on an old-fashioned farm. It looks like it could be set in the northeast US. (Pre-school through first grade)

• Ox-Cart Man, by Hall, illustrated by Cooney - a simple story about life in early New Hampshire, with lovely, spare text and simple, folk-style illustrations (Pre-school through first grade)(Caldecott book)

• Bedtime for Frances, by Hoban, illustrated by Williams - a charming story about Frances making excuses not to go to bed (or stay in bed) - every parent will recognize some of these ploys! I suppose some modern parents might not like the reference to a possible spanking, but I can't think of any other reason not to love this classic!

• The Mousehole Cat, by Barber, illustrated by Bayley - this book is by a British author, so it was not eligible for a Caldecott, but it must be one of the most beautiful picture books of all time. The story is of an old fisherman and his cat who brave terrible, stormy weather to bring back fish for the starving villagers, written in beautiful prose and illustrated with gorgeous, detailed pictures and decorative borders. It is a little long for younger preschoolers, but good for pre-K through second or third grade.

• Paddle-to-the-Sea, by Holling C. Holling - a longer picture book, to be read over several days, with lots of information about the Great Lakes, the story follows a hand-carved canoe from where the boy who made it sets it into a melting snowbank in a stream that feeds into Lake Superior, through the lakes and eventually to the ocean. (Grades 1-3)

• A World of Faith, by Stack, illustrated by Peterson - a brief introduction to 28 different religions, listed alphabetically. There is a page of text about basic beliefs, and a full-color illustration of people in historical dress for each faith. Again, this is not a book you would probably read straight through at one sitting, but maybe do one, or a few, each day, and then use as a reference book. (middle elementary to middle school)

• Dogs and Dragons, Trees and Dreams, by Karla Kuskin - whimsical short poems (Pre-K and up)

Longer books for reading to third graders and up:

• Surviving the Applewhites, by Stephanie Tolan - realistic fiction, funny, this book is a romp with various outrageously stereotyped (but mostly lovable) characters. The two main characters are Jake, a middle school boy who has been expelled from school for bad behavior and is sent to the Applewhite family's "home school", and the middle-school-aged Applewhite girl who feels like the only ordinary member in her brilliant, artsy family. Jake starts out smoking and swearing, but gives up both along the way. Great literature? Probably not, but a lot of fun to read. (Newbery Honor book)

• The Secret Garden, by Frances Burnett - the old-fashioned classic about friendship between a lonely, spoiled orphan girl, her invalid cousin, and a local farmer's son who share a hidden, walled-off garden, and how working in the garden heals bodies and spirits.

• An Edge of the Forest, by Agnes Smith - a book I remember my mother reading to us, and that I read to my children, this one can't be classified into the usual categories, but it is a wonderful story to read aloud. An orphan black lamb wanders away from her flock and is befriended by a young black leopardess, a doe and fawn, and an owl. Yes, it does have "talking animals" and sounds entirely unlikely, but the way it is written makes it work. It can be hard to find - try interlibrary loan or bookfinder.com. I found an old copy in our local library in the late 80's, considered stealing it (no one else had checked it out in years), and instead asked to buy it from them. They wouldn't sell it to me, but not long after, they weeded the stacks and threw it away. I searched through boxes of discards, but I was too late. It was one of the first books I bought, a few years later, when the internet made it possible to find rare books.

• The Indian in the Cupboard, by Lynn Reid Banks - fantasy set in our modern world - a boy finds that he can turn a plastic toy Indian into a "real" (though still miniature) live man - the ultimate toy. Of course, when a "toy" is a live person, soon many practical and ethical dilemmas crop up, some funny and some serious. Avoid the movie, but read the book. It also has sequels your children are likely to be inspired to read themselves after you read them the first one.

• Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen - realistic fiction - this story is told in alternate chapters by the two main characters, starting when they are in early elementary school, and the girl has a huge crush on the boy, who is constantly coming up with schemes to avoid her. When they get to middle school, though, he begins to notice that he likes her, right about the time she decides maybe she isn't interested after all. A light story with some humor, but also some serious undertones (about social class, stereotyping, and how we look at the mentally handicapped). The "romance" is handled in age-appropriate ways.

For reading to teens:

• Seabiscuit: An American Legend, by Laura Hillenbrand - nonfiction - although this is about horses, it is also about the Depression, and the lives of Seabiscuit's owner and trainer and jockey, who were all amazing people. The interwoven stories of their personal struggles to overcome injuries and adversity create suspense even if you know the outcome of most of the races.

• A Story Like the Wind, by Laurens Van Der Post - historical fiction, set in southern Africa; the main character is a white boy who has grown up, home-schooled, on a remote farm in southern Africa (first half of 1900's). This is a quiet story about his experiences as a boy, with his hunting dog, building very gradually to a dramatic ending that will probably leave readers wanting to go immediately on to the sequel, A Far-Off Place, which is more of a survival story, as the boy, a teen-age girl with only a few weeks experience in the area, and a Bushman couple must make their way across the Kalahari desert. (The movie A Far-Off Place bears very little resemblance to the book - even less than most movies bear to the books they are based on.)

Read-aloud Books: Suggestions for February '08

Give your children the gifts of literacy and time - read to them every day!

Picture books:

• Chicken Soup With Rice: A Book of Months, by Sendak - a fun, silly set of rhymes that go through each month of the year with refrains like "Sipping once, sipping twice, sipping chicken soup with rice".
• Flamingos on the Roof, by Calef Brown - a new favorite - nonsense rhymes full of word play, with colorful, interesting illustrations, for preschool through middle elementary.
• Tikkatoo's Journey, by Amanda Loverseed - an Eskimo folktale about a little boy who makes a hero's journey to bring his sick grandfather a piece of the sun. Wonderful, stylized illustrations.
• Owl Moon, by Yolen, illustrated by Schoenherr - a quiet story about a little girl who goes with her pa for a walk in the winter woods hoping to see an owl. (Caldecott winner)
• Louhi, Witch of North Farm, by Barbara Cooney - a folktale from Finland about how Louhi steals the sun, and is then persuaded to bring it back. I love nearly all Barbara Cooney's illustrations, but the pictures in this book may be my favorites!
• Eleanor, by Barbara Cooney - about how Eleanor Roosevelt grew up; too long for pre-schoolers, but good for elementary, maybe first grade and up.
• Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books, by Winters, illustrated by Carpenter - a picture book biography of Abraham Lincoln for elementary-age listeners.
• Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers, by Karen B. Winnick - the true story of how a little girl wrote a letter to Lincoln suggesting that he grow a beard, and how she later got to meet him - elementary.
• Abraham Lincoln, by Ingri & Edgar D'Aulaire - a somewhat longer illustrated biography of Lincoln - read aloud to first or second graders and up (1940 Caldecott medal winner).
• George Washington, by Ingri & Edgar D'Aulaire - folk-style illustrations with a straight-forward biography of the first president. The fact that he had slaves is mentioned, but without comment on the problematical ethics.
• George Washington's Breakfast, by Jean Fritz - a little boy who was named after George Washington, and shares his birthday, goes looking for information about Washington; early to middle elementary.
  
• ...If You Grew Up With George Washington, by Gross, illustrated by McCully - information and pictures about life in colonial Virginia; elementary
• So You Want to Be President? by St. George, illustrated by Small - a light-hearted approach to the message that our presidents were/are very human, with their individual quirks and different backgrounds, and that anyone can aspire to our highest office. Appropriate for fairly young children, although some of the humor will go right over their heads. (Caldecott medal book)

Longer books for elementary to middle school listeners
Historical fiction set in the US:

• Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder - first book of the classic series, this one is set in Wisconsin in the 1800's, and written from the author's memories of life in a log cabin with her older sister, Mary, and their parents. Short chapters and the simple story make this suitable for quite young listeners, maybe as young as first grade.
• By the Great Horned Spoon, by Sid Fleischman - full of humor and adventure, this is a story set in the California gold rush days, as young Jack and his aunt's butler Praiseworthy set out to strike gold and save Jack's aunt from poverty. It is a bit of a tall tale, but lots of fun. (middle elementary and up)
• Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan - another pioneer story, this one is about two children whose mother has died, and whose father has a "mail order bride" coming to join them on the prairie. Short and sweet, for second grade or above listeners.
• All-of-a-Kind Family, by Sydney Taylor - a classic family story, set in the early 1900's in New York City, about five sisters growing up in a poor Jewish immigrant family. (middle elementary)
  

• Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt - Set in rural southern Illinois in the 1860's, this is a classic coming-of-age story. The main character, Jethro, is a young boy when Lincoln is elected president. Two of the older boys in the family(along with his school teacher) fight in the Union army, and one fights for the Confederate army, while Jethro must take on more and more of the work of running the family farm. It would be good to have a map of Civil War battles handy as you read, so you can see where the different battles (described in letters and newspaper articles) were fought. (Fourth or fifth grade and up listeners)
  
• The River Between Us, by Richard Peck - another Civil War era story, with a mystery blended in, the main story is framed by a 15-year-old boy's 1916 trip to visit his grandparents' home, but most of the narrative is in the voice of his grandmother as a teenage girl during the Civil War, and revolves around two "young ladies", one light-complected and the other dark, who arrive on a boat from New Orleans and board with the family, and may not be exactly what they seem. (Third or fourth grade and up)
• Sarah's Ground, by Ann Rinaldi - based on actual people and events, this is the story of a "Yankee" young woman, and a "Southern" gentleman who are working together to manage Mt. Vernon during the Civil War - a quieter story that will probably appeal more to girls (upper elementary to middle school)
• Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes - set in the decisive time leading up to the Revolutionary War, Johnny is a talented apprentice silversmith in Boston. Paints a picture of colonial life, and weaves Johnny's personal story in with historical events and appearances by several of the founding fathers. (fifth or sixth grade and up) (Newbery medal)
  
• Bull Run, by Paul Fleischman - looks at events in the Civil War from various viewpoints; does contain some realistic violence, so use your judgement about what your children are ready to hear, but probably fifth grade and up. (Newbery medal)
  
• The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come by John Fox - an old-fashioned classic, set in Civil War Kentucky, not something your kids would be likely to pick up and read on their own, but a good, long read-aloud for middle elementary and above.

For teen listeners:

• 1776, by David McCullough - historical (nonfiction) account of the difficult war for independence - a fresh look at George Washington
• A Free Man of Color, by Barbara Hambly - historical fiction and a mystery, set in New Orleans in the early 1800's, this book sheds light on the little-known culture of the free blacks at a time when "Americans" were regarded as outsiders and the "civilized" population of New Orleans still spoke French. It is the first book in a series of mysteries featuring the same main character.
  

Introduction: Why Read to Children?

It's fun for everyone involved.
It helps get them settled down.
It makes the children more likely to read to themselves, too.
It's a great excuse to sit down when you're tired in the evening.
Multiple research studies show that the time parents spend reading to children has the greatest influence on how well the children read, which in turn is one of the strongest predictors of success in school and in life.
It's family time.
It can help establish a routine.
It increases the child's attention span, vocabulary, and general background knowledge.
The time you spend reading to your children establishes the ideas that reading is important, and that the children are so important you take time from the dozens of other things you would otherwise be doing to read to them.

When should you start?
Today. Well, if you don't have kids yet, you can put it off.
There are people who say you should start while the baby is still in utero. I have my doubts about that, although it won't hurt.
There are people who say you should start as soon as the baby is born. That's getting a little more plausible. Recent studies show that children can tell the difference between the language(s) spoken in their home, and "foreign" languages by the time they are six months old. Again, it certainly can't hurt. The young baby won't understand the story line, and might or might not look at the pictures, but s/he will enjoy the sound of your voice and the time you spend paying attention to him.
I think a reasonable goal is to start a regular daily reading time when your child is about a year old - or immediately, if your child is already older than that.

When should you stop?
Not until the child (or the youngest child, if you have more than one) is at least fourteen. No, I'm not kidding. Of course the child will be able to read to herself before that, but that is no reason for you to stop reading aloud to her.

When?
With very young children who have not yet gotten used to being read to, you may need to pick your times carefully at first - choose times when your baby/toddler is willing to sit still for a few minutes.
As soon as you can, establish a routine that fits your schedule. For many families, that means reading just before bedtime, and that can work well. The reading can help the children wind down, relax, and be ready to sleep. It makes a peaceful, cozy ending for the day, but it is not the only option. If there are two parents around, maybe one parent could read to the children while the other one puts the finishing touches on dinner, or washes dishes after dinner. If your family is in the unusual position of not needing to rush around in the morning, right after breakfast might be a good story time. Look at your schedule and see where it can fit.

How much?
A good rule of thumb is that you should read aloud at least 5 minutes a day for every year the child is old, and for older children, at least a half hour a day (the children over seven should also be reading to themselves at least a half hour a day, but that's another topic).

Where?
Find a quiet, comfortable spot where you can have a baby or toddler on your lap, and older children sitting right next to you - a roomy chair, a loveseat, or couch. On a bed will work if you have a good back-support pillow to lean against. You need good light on the book, though the rest of the room doesn't need to be light.
If possible, turn off all other noise in the house - television, radio, stereo, computer, video games, everything (well, you could experiment with a little soft music in the background if you want). Anyone in the house who isn't listening to the reading should be quiet. If you can't get rid of all the noise, at least have a closed door between the reading area and the other noises.

A few other miscellaneous issues...
When you first begin reading with your child, he may not want to sit still very long. This problem will usually gradually diminish as he gets older and gets used to the routine (and gets interested in the stories). For very wiggly children, you could try breaking the reading time into two or three sessions instead of one long one. You could try giving the child a "stress ball" or some silly putty to squeeze and play with while you read. It is preferable to have the child completely focused on the book and the reading, but some children do listen well while doodling or drawing - or riding a stationary bike, or walking on a treadmill.
Some people really get into dramatic storytelling, doing different "voices" for different characters. If you like doing that, go for it. Younger children, especially, will enjoy it. However, don't feel that you must be a great storyteller.