Walk Two Moons

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Harper Collins 1994
288 pages
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Read Aloud: 11
Read Alone: 12-14
1995 Newberry Medal Winner

To paraphrase something Donalyn Miller wrote about in The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child (which I highly recommend), reading children’s books as adults has the tangential benefit of giving the adult reader insight into the mind of children—what they think, how they think, and how they feel. I know, you were once a child, too (so was I), but I can pretty much guarantee you have forgotten (maybe with a sigh of relief?) the intensity, range and depths of emotion that children experience.

In her story, Walk Two Moons, Creech reminds us with a vengeance how much pain a thirteen year-old girl can feel. When her mother unexpectedly leaves their Kentucky farm, Salamanca Tree Hiddle’s entire life is uprooted. She moves to Ohio, her father finds new female companionship, and Sal faces a new school, new friends, and a crippling sense of loss and abandonment.

While traveling with her beloved grandparents on a journey to find her mother, Sal recounts the story of her experiences in Ohio by telling them a story of her new friend, Phoebe Winterbottom. Incidentally, Phoebe’s mother has also left her family though in entirely different circumstances than Sal’s.

There is much more to the plot than I can put down here. The characters are likeable and often funny. The story has elements of suspense (is there a body buried under that bush?), humor and love (Sal’s first relationship). Native American information is sprinkled throughout as are picturesque descriptions of some of America’s scenic vistas such as Old Faithful and Mount Rushmore.

Just writing this makes the plot seems complicated and unbelievable—a story within a story and two mothers’ departures--but it is not. Sharon Creech is so gifted and the story so finely crafted that it flows beautifully and does not feel at all contrived. The resolution (actually both resolutions) when they come are, while not unexpected, are powerful and satisfying despite being laced with sadness. I highly recommend this book for mothers and daughters and think it would make a great mother/daughter book group selection.

The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Publisher: The Chicken House, 2005
349 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Read Aloud: 9
Read Alone: 9-12

Abandoned movie theatres, enchanted merry-go-rounds, orphans, thieves, and villains abound in Venice in this novel of friendship, adventure and a little bit of magic. Although, it may sound like the makings of a fairytale, this thoroughly modern fantasy has more elements of realistic fiction than fantasy in my estimation. The bones of the story are formed by real emotions: loss, fear, unhappiness, deceit, and greed are counterbalanced by love, devotion, generosity and self-sacrifice. Add of touch of magic and some villains very easy to hate and you have an exciting adventure that sweeps the reader to the interesting and unfamiliar world of the alleys and canals of Venice.

The plot revolves around the struggle of two orphaned boys, Prospero (12) and Bo (5) to escape their vile aunt Esther whose sole goal seems to be to separate the brothers forever. They are aided by the benevolent and mysterious thief lord, Scipio, who is not all that he seems to be. A likeable but comic private detective, a wealthy patron, some nuns, and a greedy art dealer populate this novel as do any number of other quirky characters. Although this makes things interesting, it may make it hard for some children to follow the action and keep everything straight. Although I love the preponderance of details (think Dickens), this could also be off putting to some. Nonetheless, Funke’s skill as a writer keeps everything coherent and moving fast enough to make this all very entertaining.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

On its face, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DeCamillo is an interesting enough tale. It tells the story of the accidental separation of a china rabbit, Edward Tulane, from the little girl who loves him and the extraordinary odyssey that takes him home.

I can see many girls who would want to learn more about the title character—after all he was handcrafted in France with his own wardrobe of silk suits, custom shoes and hats (with special holes for his noble ears) suitable for every occasion. His travels—from the bottom of the ocean to the top of a garbage heap, are peopled with extraordinary characters like fisherman Lawrence and his wife Nellie. Lawrence rescues Edward from the sea, but it is Nellie who christens him Susanna and begins to teach him how to listen to more than his own inflated self-opinion.

As Edward moves on, never by choice, but always due to the actions of DeCamillo’s detestable secondary characters—Edward gets new names—Malone for his time with a hobo and his dog Lucy, and finally Jangles for his sojourn with Bryce and his little sister, Sarah Ruth. It is the death of Sarah Ruth that concludes the truly extraordinary journey of Edward—one that leaves a heart capable of happiness, love and empathy where before there had been only emptiness. That is the true miracle of this story.

Camillo’s elegant and somewhat stilted prose complement beautifully the impression of a china toy “jointed and joined by wire”. While Bagram Ibatoullini’s sepia toned drawings and muted gouache color plates are as outstanding in their style and detail as in their ability to convey the mood of each scene depicted. (Appropriate to read aloud from age 7 to 12). There is also a wonderful website to explore: http://www.edwardtulane.com/

A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme

Poetry and geography simultaneously? Interesting and entertaining? Absolutely!

I am not sure which is more enchanting in A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme, J. Patrick Lewis’ (of A Burst of Firsts and The Bookworm’s Feast) clever poetry or Alison Jay’s (Picture This) enormously appealing artwork.

Lewis’ humorous poems cover a multitude of topics from explorers Columbus and Magellan, to quirky commentary on the world’s unique geographic features such as Who Can Somersault the Andreas Fault? Perhaps most importantly for geophobes (like me) is that the poems simultaneously entertain and educate: Not sure about the difference between longitude and latitude? One reading of How to Tell Latitude from Longitude, a mere 4-line poem, should clear that matter up. (“Lines of latitude have flatitude. Longitudinal lines rise like porcupines.”)

Jay’s oil paint with crackling varnish illustrations have winsome appeal and makes what could be a dry subject highly approachable. This book is a fun quick read for kids from 5 to 10.

The Trumpet of the Swan

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White as read by the author

Of White’s three novels for children, this one seems to have become something of a lowly step child despite dedicated teacher’s efforts to the contrary. Aside from pure literary merit, I believe Charlotte and Stuart have stayed current due to their film treatment which introduced the characters to streams of new readers. Although Trumpet of the Swan was made into an animated film, it lacked the quality and commercial success of the other two. Anyone encountering only the film would likely turn their back on Louie the swan and run--it was, in my opinion, that terrible.

The book however, is not. It is as well-imagined and beautiful as the other two. The story of a Trumpeter Swan, Louie, born mute and his incredible journey to find his voice transports the listener—child and adult alike. You go to school with Louie where he learns to read and write—a talent that enables him to communicate with his human friend, Sam Beaver, but is not much help in bridging the isolation he feels with his fellow swans. He eventually manages to bridge this gap with the help of a stolen trumpet. Louie’s father does the actual stealing and it is this character that will have all of you laughing at his outlandish speech and behavior. (Moms—pay attention to how deftly his wife “handles” him.)

The plot is complicated—its takes Louie from Canada to Montana, to Boston and Philadelphia (with other stops in between), but its movement will keep everyone interested. Where it really shines is in E.B. White’s audio recording of the story. He reveals Louie as only a creator could—one nuance at a time. In his simple and straightforward way, White makes Louie interesting, sympathetic, admirable, and most importantly, believable. The talents of a trumpet player make Louie’s “voice” seem magical.

This story has general appeal and will entertain most kids over the age of 5. Parents will be hooked as well. This is one for a road trip, but make sure it is a long one or I guarantee you will be pulling over just to hear how it ends!

I am already agonizing over this blog which I promised myself I would not do before I started…sigh.

Going forward I am just going to write about books as I read them or as they occur to me—not giving selection so much weight. But for the first book—the all important first book, it seems like I should try and choose something meaningful, something to set the right tone, something that will wow you all with my insight and discerning taste. Oh brother! I am not sure I can stand the pressure (and I am not kidding).

This is really ridiculous. I just want you and your kids to read and not fuss too much about it, so I guess I should just write and not worry too much about it either! Okay. Here it goes:


My first book selection is:

The Cricket in Times Square written by George Selden and illustrated by Garth Williams

Read aloud: ages 6 to 12
Read Independently: ages 9 to 12

Of interest to: girls and boys; animal lovers, NYC enthusiasts, budding music lovers

This is the story of the friendship between a cat (Harry), a worldly, wisecracking mouse, Tucker, and a musically gifted cricket named Chester who is accidentally displaced from his home in a Connecticut meadow to the Times Square subway station. There are human characters in this as well—an engaging family, the Bellini’s, who are proprietors of a newsstand in the station. It is their son, Mario, who finds Chester and it is this that sets the whole tale in motion.

For me, the juice of this story comes not so much from the plot (although that is strong enough to keep everyone interested) but from the dynamics of the friendship between the three animal characters and from the delicious details that Selden generously sprinkles throughout the story. Through his details, he paints so vivid a picture that not only you can see the animals’ drainpipe home and the surrounding station; you can smell and feel its dampness as well. Selden’s imagination turns a matchbox and some Kleenex into a bed anyone would want to sleep in--though it is actually intended for Chester. Just wait until you see what he and Tucker can do to a lunch counter!

Garth Williams’ illustrations bring Selden’s work to life. I chose to include this picture because its fineness and detail exemplify the quality of Williams’ work throughout the book. Look at Harry closely and you will see kindness and intelligence in his eyes. Having no artistic talent myself, I am awed by great illustrators’ abilities.

This is a great book to read aloud and, by the way, don’t worry if the only way you can get your kids to be involved in a book is by reading aloud to them. Try it and just keep doing it. They will come to recognize your commitment to reading and hopefully realize that it is a valuable activity. Besides, spending quiet time together enjoying a good story is fun. Intrepid parents out there can even ask their kids to read a page or two at each session if that feels right.

Another good thing about this book is that if your child enjoys it, there are a number of sequels and even a prequel. My son and I read several and though nothing matched the first, we enjoyed them as well.

My next post is going to be about an audio book. For some of you, it might be easier, more practical, or less scary to begin by listening to a book instead of reading one. I generally don’t do this because I love the printed word and creating voices in my own imagination, but I think it is a wonderful option and am glad there a some many good ones to choose from. In fact, there is one I love so much that I listen to it every year. I believe you will be hooked as well.

Happy Reading.

IF THERE WERE A SUREFIRE WAY TO HELP KIDS BECOME MORE LITERATE, WOULD YOU IGNORE IT? Free voluntary reading, or reading because you want to, is the kind of recreational reading that most mature readers do most every day. In schools, this approach is often called sustained silent reading, or SSR. Although some educators and parents think that students who read for pleasure are "merely enjoying themselves," there's a huge amount of research that supports the importance of free voluntary reading. In fact, research strongly suggests that free reading is the source of our reading prowess and much of our vocabulary and spelling development, as well as our ability to understand sophisticated phrases and write coherent prose. The secret of its effectiveness is simple: children become better readers by reading.
Excerpts from “Free Reading” by Stephen Krashen School Library Journal, 2006.

Simply put, what Mr. Krashen is saying is that reading works to improve reading skills. Shocking, isn’t it? Of course it isn’t. But for some reason many parents feel that there is some secret skill or trick that they (or their school) has failed to give their child which results in lackluster reading performance, reading reluctance, or downright hatred for reading. Not to oversimplify, as I know that there are a multitude of problems that contribute to the dismal statistics on kids and reading, but I do think parents and kids ought to give the simplest solution a try—reading for a little while everyday.

As a library student, booklover, and mother of an 8 year old son, I have decided to start this blog as a way to give parents some insights into books that may appeal to their children. After all, reading a little every day should be pleasurable and half the battle to get children reading deals with savvy book selection. (The importance of parents’ roles in this cannot be overemphasized—see the 2008 Scholastic Reading Report @ http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/news/readingreport.htm for some sobering statistics).

This blog will be about books—children’s books. I wrote a bit more today so you will understand my perspective and purpose. I am also doing this for myself as a way of remembering the many books I read. If there is a specific book, subject, genre or author you are interested in, please ask. I will do my best to get you some usable information.

Unlike most of my journeys I am not sure where this will end, or even what route it will take, but it is my hope to make books a bit more accessible to kids in the process.