Monday Reading

              Visit Jen at Teach MentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders to discover books you'll love!                                      

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      We had a wonderful time at the beach, and I visited two of the terrific book stores on the island, too, always fun. I did finish Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave, but not Nikki Grimes' One Last Word. I'll start soon. Now I'm reading Eula Biss' Notes From No Man's Land, American Essays, a fascinating collection of this woman's observations in various parts of the country, including thoughts about race, those left behind, historical background, too. 

        The writing is to be relished, the story to remember, to re-read again. It's a love story swirling in the beginning of World War II in London, touching on other parts of the world between the British and the Germans. There is one page where two of the characters spoke of war that touched me deeply, and part of that holds these words: "Perhaps it was true, thought Alistair, that Septembers would come again. People would love the crisp cool of the mornings, and it would not remind them of the week war was declared. Perhaps there would be such a generation."

          It’s a fantastical story. After all, when would an alligator really show up at dance class? But it did, and while the teacher and dancers were a bit scared that the alligator (called Tanya after a famous dancer) might become “bitey” (author’s word), they did welcome her. And they did their best to accommodate her needs, like creating a part in the coming recital. The mystery is that after that, she disappears, and where she went is what you will discover when you read the book. I liked the end, but wish there had been a bit more added within this end. Young dancers will like it, I suspect! All those tutus!

                 Here, Matthew Cordell has “brushed” a story in his unique style of sketch and color of the feelings and dreams of parents with a new child. Where will that child go, what will befall him or her? “A great journey was beginning on this very bright night” declares the parents as they hold their baby and look up at the stars. Holding love in their hearts, we see these parents dreaming of the future, holding close the present. This will make a wonderful gift.

           There aren’t many books set in the Philippines, so I am happy to share this one written by Alma Fullerton. Nina really wants to go out with her grandfather, Lolo, fishing all day. He continues to tell her that “A boat is not a place for a girl” until one day, she gets her chance. That “hand over hand” is part of Nina’s challenge and success, and she gets to celebrate her time with all the Filipino village. Renné Beloit’s illustrations are lovely, realistic watercolors.

 

             What happens when the thing a sheep is most proud of disappears? It takes a little while to understand that good can come, but it does in this delightful story of a sheep who regrets his unruly hair, but is happy when he hatches an egg in that soft nest. Making friends with an unexpected creature (or person) turns out well, and perhaps children will learn from this soft-spoken story from Gemma Merino. Her fun, colorful and scribbly pictures fit the whimsy. It’s terrific.

             Gorgeous, heart-breaking illustrations carry a young Afghan girl’s wish for peace, to fly her kite high with all others who wish for it too. There are symbols that will need discussion, but some are quite clear, like the tank bursting with a beautiful lily. Her toys created from a junkyard sit on an abandoned tire but offer the ability to make peace, just as she makes her toys. I would use this with older students when studying the middle-east conflicts, the unvarying strife where children know nothing but that. The proceeds from this book are donated to the Cometa Foundation, supporting children’s education and women’s support in mid-east countries.

         More than one story has an underlying theme of loneliness and this is another. A fisherman alone on his ship finds a gull with a broken wing, helps it recover, but knows it cannot stay after healing. Kindness prevails; he heads the ship SOUTH! I love illustrations that fill the page, and Daniel Duncan, new illustrator to me, creates pages with lots of sea-faring details that can be imagined on a ship that one lives on. There’s a fun ending, too.

Happy Reading!