History on Horseback

NOTEABLE QUOTE

“How can one man kill another and not really know the reason why he does it, except that the other man wears a different color uniform and speaks a different language? And it’s me they call crazy! You two are the only rational creatures I’ve met in this stupid war, and like me, the only reason you’re here is because you were brought here.” – Butcher Friedrich, War Horse

REVIEW

An author who lives on a farm, hosts week-long retreats for children to learn how to grow food and care for animals … an author that has written more than 100 books for youth has to be doing something right. Of course, Michael Morpurgo is doing something right. He is adept at making history readable and War Horse does not disappoint. This first-person narrative from a horse’s point of view allows the reader to meet people from all sides of World War 1, both good and bad. It lays out the human side of war and depicts how it sweeps up humanity and morality in its tide. It also focuses on the daily grind of war, the length of time leading up to major battles and all of the drama that plays out in the in-betweens.

READING FOR FUN

Because War Horse is a book and a movie, I think it could be used as a terrific lead into a discussion of WWI, or a discussion about the best way to access a text. Is it better to read first and then see an interpretation of the visuals? What came across well on the screen and what elements of storytelling fail? It is a great opening for talking about how we process information as individuals and as a family.

Superhero School

REVIEW

What’s really important when you can bend steel beams and defeat evil? Leonard learns the answer to this question and much more when he stops fighting crime and starts learning fractions in Superhero School by Aaron Reynolds. The cartoon illustrations by Andy Rash in this fun picture book are reminiscent of comic book characters. The action is fast-paced with plenty of monsters (and surprise quizzes to tackle). It is also a terrific portrait of a great teacher, who isn’t afraid to take a risk, depend on students to come through and support independent thinking. 

READING FUN

The great thing that happens when books teach a lesson is — parents don’t have too. When it’s a fun lesson involving superheros, all the better. This book has an entire visual spread based on math facts, an ah ha moment for Leonard drawn in all its glory. After studying this picture several times, my 5-year-old son said, “What if they only had to fight 12 ice vampires instead of 20?” Suddenly, he was doing subtraction. “What if there were only … 1, 2, 3, ….” He went on counting and asking math questions for probably 10 minutes. One page in this book inspired all those wheels turning. I think that is the power of picture books, right there. Using Superhero School to start a math discussion, or relating the Superhero’s struggles to rescue their teachers to our daily life makes connections for kids that inspire more learning. 

Meant to Fly

REVIEW

“I don’t think he got the deeper meaning,” my husband said after reading Hook by Ed Young to our 4-year-old son. My son’s summery went like this: “The boy found a lost egg. He took it to a chicken. He tried to fly and fell so they took him a long way away and he flew and never came back to earth. Why don’t birds come back to earth, Mommy?” Hook is a Caldecott Medal winner. It’s chalk illustrations bring to life the harshness of growing up different, of not fitting in, of learning to fly and falling. Yet, it is a book full of hope. It is a book that asks for no pity, no guilt, no explanation of why. There is a problem that is solved through trial and error. Assitance is requested. Journeys are taken, and, at the end, an eagle soars. At its heart it is about valuing what is different because of its differences and embracing the journey to find out what could be without complaining about how difficult the journey might be. What a lesson for my son (even if he doesn’t understand yet), what a great reminder for us all.

READING FUN

Have a dad or another male role model read this book to kids. It’s always good for students to see more than one person in their lives read and men and women sometimes differ in their response to books. Although simple, this book has a toughness, a grittyness to it that lends itself to a more serious, perhaps a deeper tone. It should also be read slowly, taking the time to consider the images, the art, the position of the characters on the sandy page and the choice of colors. All of these pieces of the book are choices that someone has made. I think it’s good sometimes to enjoy a book just as a book, but this one begs to be looked at in smaller pieces, debated, understood on more than one level. I think even asking, “Is anything missing from the pictures?” might be a good question for any age. It’s all right if kids don’t have the answer, but many times mine surprise me.

Hook by Ed Young, 2009, ISBN-10:1-59643-363-9

A Question of Coincidence

REVIEW

Summertime is for adventure. At least I dream of that for my kids. My husband and I have talked more than once of the importance of kids having an opportunity to go play outside where they can roam freely, get into trouble and get out of it not necessarily under our watchful eye. My husband grew up on a farm and had lots of opportunities to explore his corner of the world on his own. He could create, imagine, travel to new world, be outside and never leave parents’ property. As a city girl, my adventures happened at a lakeside campground in Minnesota for one or two weeks a summer. Sure, I had family at the camp and the owners kept a watchful eye out for trouble, but for the most part no one bothered me, or scheduled me most of the vacation as long as I wasn’t too loud after bedtime and showed up for meals. With two of my kids under age 5, that kind of adventure is still limited for now, but I want them to have it … despite my fears of all the dangers out there waiting for them.

Magic or Not? by Edward Eager, is the story of four, sometimes five kids exploring their world. It is the story of adventure, of glory, of mistakes and, maybe of magic. It is just the kind of summer fling I hope my kids experience someday, with a small exception. Written in 1959, the adventures include regular hitchhiking in to town. I hope my kids don’t try that.

The kid’s encounters with grown-ups are what stuck out to me here. These kids may have gotten in scrapes, may have tried to believe in the power of ghosts and a wishing well to change the stars, but the adults in their community generally treated them with respect. They listened, honored and communicated with the children in a way that took them seriously instead of over protecting, down-talking or laughing off their escapades. In response, the children respected their boundaries, kept curfew and tried their hardest to help the people they met. That’s a powerful story and one that I don’t think can be told as well today.

READING FUN

The central figures in this story frequently debate whether all of the things happening to them are coincidence or magic? That central question doesn’t stop the fun, it doesn’t even cause many hard feelings among the protagonists, but it is a great opportunity to pose the same question at the dinner table. And, since each chapter is a bit of a different adventure involving usually kids and adults, reading this with an elementary age child offers an excellent opportunity to talk about different social situations, how conflicts are handled, or what other choices they might have made.

I have read more than once that some studies estimate that parents only spend about 20 minutes each day actually talking with their kids — in a conversation that doesn’t center around a command. “Do this …” “Don’t do that …” “What have I told you about …” I am pretty sure those days have happened in my house from time to time, and I am pretty sure I am poorer for it. We read part of Magic or Not? while driving on vacation this year. Reading and asking questions, just for the sake of know what my children think about something is a terrific joy to me. It not only teaches them to honor each other’s ideas, but it reminds me how beautiful they are, how sometimes different from me they are, and how much fun they will be to watch grow up. (When I am not worrying about who they might be riding around with.)

Magic or Not? by Edward Eager, 1959, cover illustrations by Quentin Blake, 1999, republished in 1990 and 1999, ISBN-0-15-202080-2.

Good News on Four Legs

REVIEW

The Pete the Cat series by Eric Litwin has a message of hope for all ages. Each book is short and funky, sneaking in lessons about colors, counting and getting along in school. The free downloadable songs featuring kids singing short riffs central to each story kick these books into the stratosphere of preschool entertainment for me. As an added bonus, listening to the songs six or eight times in a row isn’t too tiring. In fact, my family has been caught singing the songs in the grocery store and the car, even without the music.

In the Pete the Cat “I Love My White Shoes,” Pete finds random piles of strawberries and blueberries to wander through, cruises with his tennis shoes on through city and country and plays a variety of instruments — all while being the epitome of cool. The pictures and words build a world occupied by the ultimate of cool, blue cats with long skinny legs. My favorite part is that these books build on a theme of optimism, a simple worldview that makes the small stuff, small and the big stuff, big. It’s virtually impossible to close the cover on Pete without a smile and a new lease on the day.

READING FUN

My 2-year-old has learned the colors blue and red from Pete. My 4-year-old likes the descriptions of all the rooms in a school highlighted in Pete and His School Shoes. And the belly button song … well that’s a favorite for all. In fact, my 2-year-old danced to Pete’s song for all her grandparents, singing the words and then finding all their belly buttons. This book teaches. It informs. It does it all in just a few minutes. If you miss it, you’re missing out.

Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean.

Ban this Book

REVIEW

I love the first amendment. Love it. I object to the idea of banning books with every fiber of my being. I embrace the idea that part of democracy is debate, that part of the wonder of this country is the fact that we defend the right of people to say things that others find objectionable, even hateful. Yet, for the past two weeks I have found myself reading (sometimes six times a day) a book I wish had never been written — Everyone Poops, by Taro Gomi, translated by Amanda Mayer Stinchecum.

This picture book was recommended to me by an early childhood educator. Its simple, bright illustrations, opening with one comparing elephant and mouse poop makes my 22-month old giggle every time. With twitter-like intensity, this book explains the biology, the normalness, the repetition and the reason for poop perfectly. It even has room for a poop joke.

My little one loves looking closely at the mouse poo, waving bye-bye to the poop swirling down the potty, saying “Yuck,” to the baby’s dirty diaper. (Yes, that’s in the book, too.) In fact, “Want poop book,” is one of the first three-word combinations she made. In 14 days we have read this book so many times the middle page fell out. And yet, it makes me slightly ill every time I open the cover. I want to hide this book, yes, even burn it. Illustrated poop turns my stomach far worse than forensic murder mysterys or sci-fi slime fests. So now I must admit, even my love of books has its limits.

READING FUN

As a mom, I am not objective. I have opinions, ideas, thoughts about almost everything. I am good with my kids getting dirty. I am OK with them throwing a ball in the house. I can even handle pre-teen girl drama sometimes. I know now that I am terrible with poop. Potty-training may be my least favorite part of parenting. Thank goodness somewhere in the world people can draw and write about poop in a way that makes it wonderful and OK, even fun. That is the greatness of books, of letting other authors speak to my children, sometimes even better than I can.

Spring is here!

REVIEW

The story behind Houdini the Amazing Caterpillar isn’t magical, unless, of course, you believe kids all possess a little magic. I think re-discovering the magic and miracles in everyday life through the eyes of a child is one of the best parts of parenting. In Houdini, Janet Pedersen takes a day of discovery at her son’s school and turns it into a fantastic story of a caterpillar using his metamorphosis as a way of climbing back into the limelight for an “audience” of hard-to-please preschoolers. As if making tons and tons of leaves disappear wasn’t enough! Houdini must find something to top the turtle’s disappearing act and the spider’s secret tightrope after all. The expressions on the kid’s faces, the playfulness of color and design truly brings the preschool world of discovery and delight to life.

READING FUN

Houdini is the perfect beginning to a lesson in all things spring, as well as the story of a caterpillar’s metamorphosis. It lays out the life-cycle of a butterfly in detail without being obvious about it, giving the reader lots of opportunity to stop and ask questions. I offer one reading challenge this week that I learned at a parenting class:

When reading with a preschooler, when you stop and ask a question (which is a great thing to do), stop and wait at least 5 seconds for the child to formulate an answer. They don’t pull words together as fast as an adult. I have been trying this with my kids. It really works. Sometimes the world does need to slow down.

Houdini the Amazing Caterpillar, by Janet Pedersen, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-618-89332-4.

The Joy of Everyday Life

REVIEW

In Front of God and Everybody: Confessions of April Grace by KD McCrite celebrates a two-parent, middle class family with two-kids struggling to do the right thing. It’s got a mystery, several tragedies, culture clash and some great life lessons. April Grace is 11. She lives in the country with her older sister and her parents. Her grandmother, sometimes forgetful but always a spitfire, lives in a little house not far away. Their old neighbors are hippies, a con man comes for grandma and new citified neighbors shake up the family dynamics. This is book one of April Grace’s confessions, and the happy, but not happily-ever-after ending, is a good sign for books to come.

Truly, the best thing about McCrite’s story is that it’s centered on a family and the wonders, foibles and follies of everyday life. Unlike many books for older-elementary and junior high kids, unlike many Disney movies, April Grace seems like someone I could have known. I often wonder why Disney movies have so many dead or missing parents. Maybe it’s because their heroines are so young, and get married so young, there must be something missing in their past. Maybe it’s because these tales come from fairy tales which started as a way to teach kids about the more difficult subjects, like death. Perhaps it’s because the audience, even kids, is emotionally involved faster when tradgedy is involved. Whatever the reason, the fairy tale fades fast in the reality of life. April Grace could by my next door neighbor and that makes her much more vivid than any Beauty or Maid turned Princess and I applaud McCrite for creating a charater that could be without losing any entertainment value and reminding the reader that life is crazier than fiction.

READING FUN

Confessions of April Grace is a great opportunity to kick-start an older child’s journaling or to talk about families. This book is all about relationships, respect and forgiveness. It is also about the meaning of love and how it’s displayed by different people. These topics are among those that aren’t always easy to discuss as children grow – or at least I don’t always find them easy.

For instance, differences in family structure is addressed frequently on Sesame Street, but when faced with a friend of my daughter’s asking, “Why do you have two daddies?”, I had to step back and think about my reaction and my answer. April Grace does this a lot in her confessions, noting what she wanted to do and what she should do aren’t always the same. 

I have been married twice. One child out of three spends time with two families. She has a dad and a step-dad. She’s not unusual. She’s very loved, but our life isn’t the “normal” nuclear family I grew up with. Learning to celebrate the different types of families, the different types of love, the different “normals” is important, vital to acceptance and understanding. It also helps us in understanding what we should say isn’t always what we want to say. This book can open doorways to those conversations and others. Try asking this question around the dinner table: “What do you like most about our family?” or “What’s one reason to be nice to someone who is different from us?”

In Front of God and Everybody: Confessions of April Grace, by KC McCrite, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-4003-1722-6.

Outside Science

I am Snow

Review

I am Snow is a science book for preschoolers. This Level 1 Science Hello Reader written by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Judith Moffatt from Scholastic makes casual learning awesome. Each pages teaches about snow in one or two sentences that are fun — so fun they stick just like wet snow for snowmen. It’s short sentences and simple, easy to describe pictures, make it a fast, repetitive, easy lesson in all things snow. It’s simplicity hides everthing it teaches, from what snow is and isn’t, to the shape and variety and weight of snow. If that isn’t enough, it also provides a page of information on steps to literacy for preschools and ends by teaching kids how to cut make their own snowflakes. The Hello Reader series also offers I am Water for early scientists and a series of math books for preschool through third grade. Sometimes the way into other subjects comes via reading and these are no boring textbook with images of skiing, of melting, of cracking ice.

Reading Fun 

I am Snow is my 19-month-old’s favorite right now. I am learning with the third child — she wants to be big. Right. Now. This book has paper pages and quite a few of them, yet it’s small enough for her to hold and light enough to carry up and down the stairs. Everything, right now has to go up and down the stairs, so that’s important.

My 19-month-old is the only one of my kids who loves faces in books.  Smiles. Tears. Eyes. Noses. This book teaches about snow by showing lots of people, and animals, experiencing snow. We read the third page and the last page over and over because she wants to turn the pages. But the great thing is that we’ve been reading the third and the last page for months and today it finally snowed. We built a snowman. We made snowballs. We scooped wet snow which is heavier than drier snow. She wasn’t scared. She knew snow from her book.

My 3-year-old is at another stage. I will read the words, which include pronunciation help for harder ones, like crystal (KRIS-tal) and then give him a turn. His repetition is spot on and outside that translates into understanding. He knows snow from hail because it doesn’t, “bounce, bounce, bounce.” The book taught him this while we were having fun. I wish all lessons were that easy.

My 8-year-old pulls this book out every year when she wants to make snowflakes. The directions are part of the story itself. She can read them. She can teach her brother and sister. I can watch and smile. It’s an all-in-one activity for a snowy day. What could be better?

I am Snow by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Judith Moffatt, 1998. ISBN: 0-590-64174-3.

Christmas Classic

REVIEW

The 108-page The Best (Worst) Christmas Pageant Ever was my Christmas miracle this year. I can’t say I am a huge fan of the Christmas movie genre. Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, that one featuring Clark and family, I know people who gather and watch them every year. I don’t. In fact, until my third grader brought home Barbara Robinson’s tale of what happens when every that can go wrong, does, I had forgotten I had a favorite Christmas movie. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a story about what happens when things change — sometimes against the popular will — and what happens when people put the spirit of Christmas first. Robinson’s book came out in 1972. It was made into a TV movie in 1986 starting Loretta Swit.

The story goes something like this: a congregation is preparing a Christmas pageant illustrating Christ’s birth. Everyone expects it to go as it has every year — the good girl plays Mary, the pastor’s son plays David and someone’s chubby baby cries during the angel’s chorus. Everyone else is an angel or a shepherd. Then, the director actually breaks a leg and someone tells the Herdman’s, the town bullies, beggars and all-around troublemakers, that a free snack might come with practice. The Herdman’s (six of them) have never heard the Christmas story. Their antics and that of those resisting the sudden change in “the way it’s always been done,” lead to a hilarious climax that illustrates in all its messiness, the reason we celebrate Christmas. I read the first line and found myself transported back to the movie, watching the final scene, where the littlest Herdman, with a dirty face and scrunched socks, steals the show by proclaiming the good news. I couldn’t help but smile.

READING FUN 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was in the door of the car when we left to travel to visit family for the holidays. We discovered it was the perfect length and style for reading aloud as we journeyed. It has universal elements that appeal to girls and boys, young or old. It is cleanly written so that although there are several characters, they are easy to track. Little time is wasted on fluff or long descriptions. This is a fast-pace, hysterical peek into one community’s life around Christmas. Characters move in and out to move the story without weighing it down so that a stop at McDonald’s didn’t leave us struggling to catch up or remember what was happening. When I was done, I was finally able to forget all the craziness of Christmas, put aside my own selfishness and focus on my family. Next year, I plan to read it again. This time a little sooner in the season.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson, 1972, ISBN: 978-0-590-16243-2