Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr.32 p., Greenwillow, 2004.
A little raccoon asks his mother when she loves him most. He guesses that she might love him most at times when he's adorable, or compliant, or plays well with other raccoon children, or shows his skills. Mother Raccoon explains that she loves him most now, because it's always now. This book is especially nice as a bedtime story, because it not only expresses a soothing message of unconditional love, but also ends with the little raccoon's bedtime.
Ages 3-7
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Abuelita's Paradise by Carmen Santiago Nodar
Illustrated by Diane Paterson.32 p., Whitman, 1992.
As this story begins, Marita's father gives her her grandmother's rocking chair, saying that Abuelita wanted her to have it. Marita sits in the chair and remembers sitting in Abuelita's lap in the chair as she told her stories of her childhood on a sugar cane farm in Puerto Rico. Abuelita tells Marita that Puerto Rico is paradise. Toward the end of the book, the author tells us that Abuelita has died. Marita's mother sits with her in the rocking chair and both feel embraced by Abuelita's presence, shown in the illustrations as a shadowy image. Marita daydreams about traveling to Puerto Rico someday, feeling that she truly has her Abuelita with her. Children will understand that when someone close dies, their stories are still a part of you.
Ages 3-8
As this story begins, Marita's father gives her her grandmother's rocking chair, saying that Abuelita wanted her to have it. Marita sits in the chair and remembers sitting in Abuelita's lap in the chair as she told her stories of her childhood on a sugar cane farm in Puerto Rico. Abuelita tells Marita that Puerto Rico is paradise. Toward the end of the book, the author tells us that Abuelita has died. Marita's mother sits with her in the rocking chair and both feel embraced by Abuelita's presence, shown in the illustrations as a shadowy image. Marita daydreams about traveling to Puerto Rico someday, feeling that she truly has her Abuelita with her. Children will understand that when someone close dies, their stories are still a part of you.
Ages 3-8
Monday, February 13, 2012
Henry's Show and Tell by Nancy Carlson
32 p., Viking, 2004.
Shyness can make some parts of life really difficult. Little mouse Henry loves everything about kindergarten except for Show and Tell. He feels too scared and shaky to speak in front of his class. His sympathetic teacher suggests that he bring something that he enjoys talking about and practice his presentation in front of a mirror. Henry takes her advice and brings his pet lizard, Wallace. But just as he's about to talk, Wallace escapes. By the time he catches Wallace, Henry forgets to be shy, and easily tells his class all about lizards. When it's time for Show and Tell again, Henry is silent. He explains that he has nothing to talk about because his pet spider has escaped. As his teacher calls recess, the story ends. With its bright, child-friendly illustrations, this empathic story shows children that they're not alone in their shyness, and that it's possible to overcome it even when - and possible because of - unexpected events.
Ages 4-7
Shyness can make some parts of life really difficult. Little mouse Henry loves everything about kindergarten except for Show and Tell. He feels too scared and shaky to speak in front of his class. His sympathetic teacher suggests that he bring something that he enjoys talking about and practice his presentation in front of a mirror. Henry takes her advice and brings his pet lizard, Wallace. But just as he's about to talk, Wallace escapes. By the time he catches Wallace, Henry forgets to be shy, and easily tells his class all about lizards. When it's time for Show and Tell again, Henry is silent. He explains that he has nothing to talk about because his pet spider has escaped. As his teacher calls recess, the story ends. With its bright, child-friendly illustrations, this empathic story shows children that they're not alone in their shyness, and that it's possible to overcome it even when - and possible because of - unexpected events.
Ages 4-7
Monday, February 6, 2012
Grandmama's Pride by Becky Birtha
Illustrated by Colin Bootman.32 p., Whitman, 2006.
How can a child make sense of pervasive, inexplicable prejudice? When 6-year-old Sarah Marie and her family visit her Grandmama in the South in 1956, adult relatives protect her from segregation. Instead of telling her she isn’t allowed to drink from a drinking fountain because she is African American, Grandmama simply advises against it, suggesting that it might not be clean, and promises her homemade lemonade instead. Grandmama refuses to ride segregated buses before the organized bus boycotts, but Sarah Marie doesn’t know that; she just knows that Grandmama never rides the bus. During her visit to the South, Sarah Marie’s aunt teaches her to read. Soon she can read the signs that reserve rest rooms for “White Women” and drinking fountains for “White [people] only.” When she asks Grandmama what these mean, Grandmama explains what segregation is, adding, “’you don’t want that city water anyway … It isn’t even cold.’” Now that she can read, Sarah Marie begins protecting her 5-year-old sister in the same ways her mother and grandmother have been protecting her. By the next summer’s visit, laws have changed, and these forms of segregation have ended in Grandmama’s town. When Grandmama explains this to Sarah Marie, her triumph is clear. The watercolor illustrations are especially evocative of summer light and long-ago memories. This story shows children that with the support of a loving family, it’s possible to maintain your own internal sense of who you are, even in situations of blatant, inexplicable prejudice.
Ages 5-10
How can a child make sense of pervasive, inexplicable prejudice? When 6-year-old Sarah Marie and her family visit her Grandmama in the South in 1956, adult relatives protect her from segregation. Instead of telling her she isn’t allowed to drink from a drinking fountain because she is African American, Grandmama simply advises against it, suggesting that it might not be clean, and promises her homemade lemonade instead. Grandmama refuses to ride segregated buses before the organized bus boycotts, but Sarah Marie doesn’t know that; she just knows that Grandmama never rides the bus. During her visit to the South, Sarah Marie’s aunt teaches her to read. Soon she can read the signs that reserve rest rooms for “White Women” and drinking fountains for “White [people] only.” When she asks Grandmama what these mean, Grandmama explains what segregation is, adding, “’you don’t want that city water anyway … It isn’t even cold.’” Now that she can read, Sarah Marie begins protecting her 5-year-old sister in the same ways her mother and grandmother have been protecting her. By the next summer’s visit, laws have changed, and these forms of segregation have ended in Grandmama’s town. When Grandmama explains this to Sarah Marie, her triumph is clear. The watercolor illustrations are especially evocative of summer light and long-ago memories. This story shows children that with the support of a loving family, it’s possible to maintain your own internal sense of who you are, even in situations of blatant, inexplicable prejudice.
Ages 5-10