Love That Dog
by Sharon Creech
After thoroughly enjoying my daughter's previous recommendation of Things Not Seen, I told her that I would read any book that she enjoyed more than that one. It didn't take her long to put Love That Dog into my hands. Even though I'm not especially fond of dogs, this touching story about a pre-teen boy who learns to express his feelings through poetry moved me.
Part epistolary novel and part free verse, Love That Dog is a gem of a story that serves as a great introduction for young children to poets, poetry, and writing their own verse. Featuring such notable poets as Robert Frost, Valerie Worth, and William Blake, we are given a glimpse into young Jack's writing notebook as he reads these works and responds to them as part of Miss Stretchberry's composition class. Along the way Jack grows more confident in his writing abilities and finds his own voice as a writer and a human being.
Even though the novel is over 100 pages, I was able to read it in less than an hour because of all the white space on each page. In the back are excerpts from all the poems Jack reads in the course of the story. The narrative is laid out as a poem, and moves quickly.
Sharon Creech transcends the "children's fiction" genre and creates something that will speak to anyone who has wondered what poetry is for, and how writing can give voice to our deepest feelings.
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: Joanna Cotler (July 24, 2001)
ISBN-10: 0060292873
Showing posts with label children's fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's fiction. Show all posts
Things Not Seen
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21.3.10
Things Not Seen
by Andrew Clements
I've read to my daughter for years, and as she's gotten older I've also recommended childhood favorites I thought she'd enjoy. So it marked a major milestone and delightful turnaround recently when my 10 year old excitedly pressed Things Not Seen into my hands, urging me to read it so we could discuss it.
A fast, easy read weighing in at around 250 pages, Things Not Seen was a page-turner, offering enough action and suspense to keep both children and adult readers engaged in the story. The story of a teenager named Bobby who wakes up invisible one morning, the book combines elements of science fiction, teen novels, and romance successfully in order to appeal to a wide audience.
While not a great work of literature by any means, Things Not Seen also manages to ask important questions about people that might be "invisible" to the typical teenager. Special needs children, the unpopular, the un-beautiful --Bobby's invisibility serves as the metaphor through which some of these other issues can be brought to light.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and discussing it with my daughter.
Publisher: Penguin Group USA (March 1, 2002)
250 pages
ASIN: B001IAW55Y
by Andrew Clements
I've read to my daughter for years, and as she's gotten older I've also recommended childhood favorites I thought she'd enjoy. So it marked a major milestone and delightful turnaround recently when my 10 year old excitedly pressed Things Not Seen into my hands, urging me to read it so we could discuss it.
A fast, easy read weighing in at around 250 pages, Things Not Seen was a page-turner, offering enough action and suspense to keep both children and adult readers engaged in the story. The story of a teenager named Bobby who wakes up invisible one morning, the book combines elements of science fiction, teen novels, and romance successfully in order to appeal to a wide audience.
While not a great work of literature by any means, Things Not Seen also manages to ask important questions about people that might be "invisible" to the typical teenager. Special needs children, the unpopular, the un-beautiful --Bobby's invisibility serves as the metaphor through which some of these other issues can be brought to light.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and discussing it with my daughter.
Publisher: Penguin Group USA (March 1, 2002)
250 pages
ASIN: B001IAW55Y
Because I Love You
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29.6.06
Because I Love You, by Max Lucado
Well, I just re-read Max Lucado's story for children Because I Love You and now I remember why I thought it was so creepy the first time I read it --especially in light of my fundamentalist upbringing.
One of the main messages of this book seems to be that curiosity is dangerous. Don't inquire. Don't question. Just accept what an authority figure tells you. If you do question, you risk alienating yourself from your community. Once you've gone down the questioning path and left the sheltering walls of religious totalism only an act of God can bring you back.
To me the book seems like an insidious attempt to try to frighten children out of questioning the values of the authority system. I see this with so many adults too, that seem afraid to question, that would rather live in a secure little bubble of never examining the assumptions behind what they believe.
The lie is made all the stronger because it is partly true. As one who has rejected the fundamentalism of my upbringing, it does feel lonely and dangerous sometimes to be "out in the cold," outside of the authoritarian system that promised simplicity and security if one didn't question things. Yet there is also great beauty and truth outside the walls.
I guess I'd even go so far as to say that the whole truth is only outside the wall, and what it means to be human is to seek after the whole truth. This book does a terrible disservice by implying otherwise. It certainly feels safer inside the walls, but I was raised to shun "feel good theology!"
And what the is Lucado trying to imply by naming the curious kid "Paladin?" All the good conformist kids got normal names. Paladin sounds like something out of Dungeons and Dragons, which of course every good fundy knows is a Satanic game. :)
Okay, I'm done ranting now. Few things get me as irate as the manipulation of children.
Publisher: Crossway Books (February 1999); ISBN: 0891079920
Well, I just re-read Max Lucado's story for children Because I Love You and now I remember why I thought it was so creepy the first time I read it --especially in light of my fundamentalist upbringing.
One of the main messages of this book seems to be that curiosity is dangerous. Don't inquire. Don't question. Just accept what an authority figure tells you. If you do question, you risk alienating yourself from your community. Once you've gone down the questioning path and left the sheltering walls of religious totalism only an act of God can bring you back.
To me the book seems like an insidious attempt to try to frighten children out of questioning the values of the authority system. I see this with so many adults too, that seem afraid to question, that would rather live in a secure little bubble of never examining the assumptions behind what they believe.
The lie is made all the stronger because it is partly true. As one who has rejected the fundamentalism of my upbringing, it does feel lonely and dangerous sometimes to be "out in the cold," outside of the authoritarian system that promised simplicity and security if one didn't question things. Yet there is also great beauty and truth outside the walls.
I guess I'd even go so far as to say that the whole truth is only outside the wall, and what it means to be human is to seek after the whole truth. This book does a terrible disservice by implying otherwise. It certainly feels safer inside the walls, but I was raised to shun "feel good theology!"
And what the
Okay, I'm done ranting now. Few things get me as irate as the manipulation of children.
Publisher: Crossway Books (February 1999); ISBN: 0891079920
The BFG
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29.5.06
The BFG, by Roald Dahl
I can't think of a finer way to spend a lazy three day weekend than to kick back with some good, light reading. Now that I am a parent this simple joy can also express itself reading a book out loud to a young child. Not only does it provide some quality time together, but it gives me a chance to see life through a child's eyes once again.
The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) provided all of that and more. While Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is still my favorite, followed closely by James and the Giant Peach, BFG had plenty of entertaining moments. Surprisingly, my young audience was most enthralled by the silly words coined in the novel, such as snozzcumber (a bad tasting vegetable), frobscottle (soda pop where the bubbles float down instead of up), and whizzpoppers (flatulence!) What kid doesn't enjoy joking about flatulence?
The story line is simple enough. Young Sophie is abducted by the BFG, wins him over, and enlists his help in saving the world from the meaner sort of giant. She pleads her case to the queen of England, and hilarity ensues.
Great summer fun!
PUBLISHER: Puffin; Reissue edition (June 1, 1998); ISBN: 0141301058 (originally published 1982)
I can't think of a finer way to spend a lazy three day weekend than to kick back with some good, light reading. Now that I am a parent this simple joy can also express itself reading a book out loud to a young child. Not only does it provide some quality time together, but it gives me a chance to see life through a child's eyes once again.
The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) provided all of that and more. While Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is still my favorite, followed closely by James and the Giant Peach, BFG had plenty of entertaining moments. Surprisingly, my young audience was most enthralled by the silly words coined in the novel, such as snozzcumber (a bad tasting vegetable), frobscottle (soda pop where the bubbles float down instead of up), and whizzpoppers (flatulence!) What kid doesn't enjoy joking about flatulence?
The story line is simple enough. Young Sophie is abducted by the BFG, wins him over, and enlists his help in saving the world from the meaner sort of giant. She pleads her case to the queen of England, and hilarity ensues.
Great summer fun!
PUBLISHER: Puffin; Reissue edition (June 1, 1998); ISBN: 0141301058 (originally published 1982)
The Tomten and the Fox
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6.4.05
The Tomten and the Fox, by Astrid Lindgren
I suppose everyone who has kids (or has been a kid) has read Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking books. Much less well-known is Lindgren's adaptation of Karl-Erik Forsslund's poem, "The Tomten and the Fox." I found it to be a charming rendition of an old Scandinavian folktale featuring a wise and kindly gnome who protects the family farm from a chicken-hungry fox.
Harald Wiberg's watercolor illustrations bring the magical moonlit evening to life, lending a certain serenity to the story even as the ravenous fox creeps ever closer to the chicken coop. The gnome's solution to the dilemma teaches children alternatives to violent conflict resolution even as it makes them aware that not everyone will always act fairly, honestly, and in accordance with adult rules. Still, the fox is not drawn as a purely evil character. Lindgren hints at the broader issues that surround want and hunger, suggesting complex motivations for anti-social behavior.
In the end, The Tomten and the Fox can be seen not only as a children's story, but as an allegory on sharing and social justice.
PUBLISHER: Coward-McCann, Inc. 1966. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-25501
I suppose everyone who has kids (or has been a kid) has read Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking books. Much less well-known is Lindgren's adaptation of Karl-Erik Forsslund's poem, "The Tomten and the Fox." I found it to be a charming rendition of an old Scandinavian folktale featuring a wise and kindly gnome who protects the family farm from a chicken-hungry fox.
Harald Wiberg's watercolor illustrations bring the magical moonlit evening to life, lending a certain serenity to the story even as the ravenous fox creeps ever closer to the chicken coop. The gnome's solution to the dilemma teaches children alternatives to violent conflict resolution even as it makes them aware that not everyone will always act fairly, honestly, and in accordance with adult rules. Still, the fox is not drawn as a purely evil character. Lindgren hints at the broader issues that surround want and hunger, suggesting complex motivations for anti-social behavior.
In the end, The Tomten and the Fox can be seen not only as a children's story, but as an allegory on sharing and social justice.
PUBLISHER: Coward-McCann, Inc. 1966. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-25501
Christopher
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14.10.04
Christopher: The Holy Giant, by Tomie dePaola
Lately I've been reading a lot of Tomie dePaola's books to my daughter. Some, like The Clown of God and Christopher deal with Christian themes. Others, like Now One Foot: Now the Other deal with the impact on a child of his aging grandfather after he suffers a stroke. Still others, like Tom and The Art Lesson deal with themes surrounding individuality, conformity, growing up, and just plain having fun. All are richly illustrated with prose that manages to convey both depth and simplicity at the same time. Not skirting mature themes such as death and suffering, dePaola nonetheless manages to present these topics in a gentle way appropriate to younger children.
I found Christopher to be especially exemplary of dePaola's sweet yet substantive style. While retelling the legend of St. Christopher with alacrity, simplicity, and vivid illustrations, he also retains the full allegorical impact the tale for the benefit of the adult reading the story. I felt like two stories were being told simultaneously. One was a fairy tale for children, complete with monsters and a happy ending. Yet on another level we are introduced to the important themes of the Christian journey --spiritual practices, the dark night of the soul, the face of Christ found in service to others, prayer-- culminating in the transformation of the Christian into the image of Christ.
Transformation on every level is most clear in the middle of the story, which I consider the fulcrum or turning point of the entire tale. After having worshiped strength and power in the forms of both an earthly king and Satan, Reprobus wants to serve Christ because of Christ's power. He demands of a hermit he meets during his journey through the desert, "Tell me how to find him, so I can serve him." But the hermit refuses, saying "You cannot find him. . . you must pray, and Christ will find you. . . then you will be told how best to serve Christ." Reprobus obeys, humbles himself, and eventually finds Christ through serving others. And when he finds Christ, Christ's strength is made manifest through the weakness of a child. Yet as Christ's strength is made manifest through weakness, Reprobus' strength is also only perfected after he has humbled himself and carried the Christ child across the river on his back.
It was this theological depth that I loved about the book. While dePaola tells a good story and gives children what they want, he doesn't talk down to them, instead telling a tale that will grow in meaning instead of diminish with the passage of the time.
PUBLISHER: Holiday House, New York (1994); ISBN: 0823408620
Lately I've been reading a lot of Tomie dePaola's books to my daughter. Some, like The Clown of God and Christopher deal with Christian themes. Others, like Now One Foot: Now the Other deal with the impact on a child of his aging grandfather after he suffers a stroke. Still others, like Tom and The Art Lesson deal with themes surrounding individuality, conformity, growing up, and just plain having fun. All are richly illustrated with prose that manages to convey both depth and simplicity at the same time. Not skirting mature themes such as death and suffering, dePaola nonetheless manages to present these topics in a gentle way appropriate to younger children.
I found Christopher to be especially exemplary of dePaola's sweet yet substantive style. While retelling the legend of St. Christopher with alacrity, simplicity, and vivid illustrations, he also retains the full allegorical impact the tale for the benefit of the adult reading the story. I felt like two stories were being told simultaneously. One was a fairy tale for children, complete with monsters and a happy ending. Yet on another level we are introduced to the important themes of the Christian journey --spiritual practices, the dark night of the soul, the face of Christ found in service to others, prayer-- culminating in the transformation of the Christian into the image of Christ.
Transformation on every level is most clear in the middle of the story, which I consider the fulcrum or turning point of the entire tale. After having worshiped strength and power in the forms of both an earthly king and Satan, Reprobus wants to serve Christ because of Christ's power. He demands of a hermit he meets during his journey through the desert, "Tell me how to find him, so I can serve him." But the hermit refuses, saying "You cannot find him. . . you must pray, and Christ will find you. . . then you will be told how best to serve Christ." Reprobus obeys, humbles himself, and eventually finds Christ through serving others. And when he finds Christ, Christ's strength is made manifest through the weakness of a child. Yet as Christ's strength is made manifest through weakness, Reprobus' strength is also only perfected after he has humbled himself and carried the Christ child across the river on his back.
It was this theological depth that I loved about the book. While dePaola tells a good story and gives children what they want, he doesn't talk down to them, instead telling a tale that will grow in meaning instead of diminish with the passage of the time.
PUBLISHER: Holiday House, New York (1994); ISBN: 0823408620
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
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11.12.03
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson
In yet another re-read of a somewhat sentimental holiday story I enjoyed as a child, I was surprised to find more poignancy and a surprising spirituality underneath the surface story of a small-church Christmas pageant starring the most disruptive family in the town. Below this Norman Rockwell facade lay themes of children versus bullies, conventional families versus single-parent families, and conventional wisdom versus subversive alternative wisdom. In a surprising ending, these opposites are transcended in a Christmas miracle that is sentimental yet moving, reflecting the true spirit of the Christmas season.
Originally written in 1972 as a short story for McCalls magazine entitled "The Christmas Pageant," this funny and entertaining story features the Herdmans --a dysfunctional family that could have been the prototype for "The Simpsons," only worse. Father Herdman abandoned the kids while they were very young for a life on the road. Mother Herdman neglected her children for double-shifts at a factory job. The children end up raising each other and generally running amok while the town looks on judgmentally with a kind of disaffected "tsk-tsk" attitude.
The story is told in the first person from the point of view of an un-named pre-adolescent girl whose mother has been thrust into the role of putting on the annual church Christmas pageant. Coming from a two-parent family with a stay-at-home mom, she is quick to point out the differences between her family and the Herdmans. Yet there is also a wise reflective quality to this young girl which allows her to see injustice in the way that some of the townspeople react to the Herdman's, especially when they decide they want to participate in the Christmas pageant.
Normally the pageant is a sleepy affair featuring the pastor's son as Joseph, prissy perfectionist Alice Wendleken as the Virgin Mary, and various children in bathrobes of all ages (I'll leave it to you to decide whether I'm referring to children or bathrobes here). This year, however, wild child Imogene Herdman is playing the role of Mary, and everyone in town shows up to enjoy the hilarity of what is sure to be the worst Christmas pageant ever.
The Christmas pageant is a story about transformation, however. What started out funny turns serious, and what seems a travesty becomes a treasure. The Christ Child was born in a barn, transforming it into a temple. God became human, redeeming all humanity. And it is in Imogene Herdman's transformation from a cigar smoking, free swearing, rebellious youth to the visible means by which invisible grace is revealed that this short book reaches it's climax. By the end of the pageant everyone learns that the last are first and the first are last in the topsy-turvy Kingdom of Heaven, and it is indeed the Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
PUBLISHER: Harper & Row Publishers, New York. 1972.
In yet another re-read of a somewhat sentimental holiday story I enjoyed as a child, I was surprised to find more poignancy and a surprising spirituality underneath the surface story of a small-church Christmas pageant starring the most disruptive family in the town. Below this Norman Rockwell facade lay themes of children versus bullies, conventional families versus single-parent families, and conventional wisdom versus subversive alternative wisdom. In a surprising ending, these opposites are transcended in a Christmas miracle that is sentimental yet moving, reflecting the true spirit of the Christmas season.
Originally written in 1972 as a short story for McCalls magazine entitled "The Christmas Pageant," this funny and entertaining story features the Herdmans --a dysfunctional family that could have been the prototype for "The Simpsons," only worse. Father Herdman abandoned the kids while they were very young for a life on the road. Mother Herdman neglected her children for double-shifts at a factory job. The children end up raising each other and generally running amok while the town looks on judgmentally with a kind of disaffected "tsk-tsk" attitude.
The story is told in the first person from the point of view of an un-named pre-adolescent girl whose mother has been thrust into the role of putting on the annual church Christmas pageant. Coming from a two-parent family with a stay-at-home mom, she is quick to point out the differences between her family and the Herdmans. Yet there is also a wise reflective quality to this young girl which allows her to see injustice in the way that some of the townspeople react to the Herdman's, especially when they decide they want to participate in the Christmas pageant.
Normally the pageant is a sleepy affair featuring the pastor's son as Joseph, prissy perfectionist Alice Wendleken as the Virgin Mary, and various children in bathrobes of all ages (I'll leave it to you to decide whether I'm referring to children or bathrobes here). This year, however, wild child Imogene Herdman is playing the role of Mary, and everyone in town shows up to enjoy the hilarity of what is sure to be the worst Christmas pageant ever.
The Christmas pageant is a story about transformation, however. What started out funny turns serious, and what seems a travesty becomes a treasure. The Christ Child was born in a barn, transforming it into a temple. God became human, redeeming all humanity. And it is in Imogene Herdman's transformation from a cigar smoking, free swearing, rebellious youth to the visible means by which invisible grace is revealed that this short book reaches it's climax. By the end of the pageant everyone learns that the last are first and the first are last in the topsy-turvy Kingdom of Heaven, and it is indeed the Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
PUBLISHER: Harper & Row Publishers, New York. 1972.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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4.12.03
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
Once again I revisited a book I enjoyed as a child, and once again it was well worth the visit. This time my wife and I read Roald Dahl's scrumptious story to our three-year-old, in anticipation of visiting Marshall Fields "Annual Animated Holiday Display". That was a bit of a stretch, even for our very bright three-year-old. (Doesn't every parent think their child is the best and the brightest?) Yet she was able to glean enough of the basic plot for our visit to the display to be fun and meaningful. The story is simple yet whimsical, candy-coated yet splashed with darkness --possessed with an outlandish fairy-tale quality that is sure to appeal to and perhaps frighten young children. Yet these very qualities make the story fun and exciting.
Charlie Bucket is a boy from a poor family. The only candy Charlie ever gets to eat is a single chocolate bar on his birthday. Every day he must walk past famous Willy Wonka's chocolate factory on his way to and from school, tempted by the wonderful aromas that emanates through the factory gates. As winter progresses the family's economic conditions grow worse as Charlie's father loses his low-paying job screwing caps on toothpaste tubes. As the family begins to starve, Charlie wins Willy Wonka's contest and is among only four other children that get to tour Wonka's never before seen chocolate factory. The other children are all horribly spoiled and mis-behaved in one way or another, and like a children's version of "Survivor," they are eliminated one by one until only Charlie --a very good and well-behaved child-- is left. And then.... well...I won't spoil the ending, but suffice it to say good behavior is rewarded just as bad behavior is punished.
It seems unusual and delightful that such a fun book would also carry such a harsh subtext about spoiled children and the parents who spoil them. The story pulls no punches here, but it's all presented in a fun enough way as to not seem preachy at all --although if you see yourself in the parents or the children Dahl's indictment may sting a little. The whimsical Oompa-Loompas play the role of an ancient greek chorus, driving the thematic points home hard.
This edition was illustrated by Quentin Blake --I don't believe he was the illustrator of the original 1964 edition that I read as a child. While I don't remember much about the original illustrations, Blake's artwork seems to fit the text very well. Blake's art is also the basis of the Marshall Field's display.
PUBLISHER: Puffin; (January 2002); ISBN: 0141301155
Once again I revisited a book I enjoyed as a child, and once again it was well worth the visit. This time my wife and I read Roald Dahl's scrumptious story to our three-year-old, in anticipation of visiting Marshall Fields "Annual Animated Holiday Display". That was a bit of a stretch, even for our very bright three-year-old. (Doesn't every parent think their child is the best and the brightest?) Yet she was able to glean enough of the basic plot for our visit to the display to be fun and meaningful. The story is simple yet whimsical, candy-coated yet splashed with darkness --possessed with an outlandish fairy-tale quality that is sure to appeal to and perhaps frighten young children. Yet these very qualities make the story fun and exciting.
Charlie Bucket is a boy from a poor family. The only candy Charlie ever gets to eat is a single chocolate bar on his birthday. Every day he must walk past famous Willy Wonka's chocolate factory on his way to and from school, tempted by the wonderful aromas that emanates through the factory gates. As winter progresses the family's economic conditions grow worse as Charlie's father loses his low-paying job screwing caps on toothpaste tubes. As the family begins to starve, Charlie wins Willy Wonka's contest and is among only four other children that get to tour Wonka's never before seen chocolate factory. The other children are all horribly spoiled and mis-behaved in one way or another, and like a children's version of "Survivor," they are eliminated one by one until only Charlie --a very good and well-behaved child-- is left. And then.... well...I won't spoil the ending, but suffice it to say good behavior is rewarded just as bad behavior is punished.
It seems unusual and delightful that such a fun book would also carry such a harsh subtext about spoiled children and the parents who spoil them. The story pulls no punches here, but it's all presented in a fun enough way as to not seem preachy at all --although if you see yourself in the parents or the children Dahl's indictment may sting a little. The whimsical Oompa-Loompas play the role of an ancient greek chorus, driving the thematic points home hard.
This edition was illustrated by Quentin Blake --I don't believe he was the illustrator of the original 1964 edition that I read as a child. While I don't remember much about the original illustrations, Blake's artwork seems to fit the text very well. Blake's art is also the basis of the Marshall Field's display.
PUBLISHER: Puffin; (January 2002); ISBN: 0141301155
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