Monday, May 28, 2012
Little Mamá Forgets by Robin Cruise
Illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen.40 p., Farrar/Kroupa, 2006.
When someone has dementia and forgets many things, we can still appreciate the things she remembers. Although Lucy's grandmother sometimes forgets to wake up in the morning, Lucy reminds her by tickling her awake, and Little Mamá remembers to tickle her back. Although Little Mamá forgets how to tie her shoes, Lucy reminds her - and Little Mamá remembers how to button her dancing shoes and remembers dancing with Papi, she and Lucy enjoy dancing together. Little Mamá may forget to wait for a green light to cross the street, but she remembers how to skip, and the whole family enjoys skipping together. In spite of her forgetting, Little Mamá recreates the warmth and family closeness that she remembers from Mexico. With its lively illustrations, this story shows children that even when someone forgets important things, closeness and joy are still possible.
Ages 4-8
Monday, May 21, 2012
The Biggest, Meanest, Ugliest Dog in The Whole Wide World by Rebecca C. Jones
Illustrated by Wendy Watson. 32 p., Macmillan, 1982.
Jonathan lives next door to Pirate, a very scary dog. Although he does all he can to avoid Pirate, one day he is surprised and terrified to find himself alone with him. He throws a ball at Pirate, who responds by playing with him. Once Jonathan gets to know Pirate, Pirate looks and sounds a lot less scary. This story not only shows children that something that seems scary is not so frightening when seen from a different perspective, but also, more metaphorically, shows kids that if they make friends with their fears, they'll be less scared.
Ages 3-7
Jonathan lives next door to Pirate, a very scary dog. Although he does all he can to avoid Pirate, one day he is surprised and terrified to find himself alone with him. He throws a ball at Pirate, who responds by playing with him. Once Jonathan gets to know Pirate, Pirate looks and sounds a lot less scary. This story not only shows children that something that seems scary is not so frightening when seen from a different perspective, but also, more metaphorically, shows kids that if they make friends with their fears, they'll be less scared.
Ages 3-7
Monday, May 14, 2012
Where's Jamela? by Niki Daly
36 p., Farrar, 2004.
Sometimes moving to a new house means leaving a home that you love. Jamela doesn't want to move to the new house that Mama has found, even though her Gogo (grandmother) is going to live there with them. She loves the old house, the street sounds, the smells of the neighborhood, and the stars she can see from her bedroom window. But Jamela works hard packing her things, and she gets so tired that she goes to sleep - in her packing box. When Mama's friends pack the family's things into their pickup truck, no one can find Jamela. They look everywhere, and finally call the police, before they discover Jamela, who has woken up, in her box. Everyone is happy to see her, and they celebrate with music and dancing, which Jamela correctly understands as "a going-away song." She begins to understand that even Mama is sad to leave their old home. But the new home is as nice as Mama had said it would be, and Jamela realizes that she hasn't lost the sky that she used to see from her old bedroom window. With its lively illustrations, this story will be a comfort to children who are sad to leave an old home for a new one.
Ages 5-8
Sometimes moving to a new house means leaving a home that you love. Jamela doesn't want to move to the new house that Mama has found, even though her Gogo (grandmother) is going to live there with them. She loves the old house, the street sounds, the smells of the neighborhood, and the stars she can see from her bedroom window. But Jamela works hard packing her things, and she gets so tired that she goes to sleep - in her packing box. When Mama's friends pack the family's things into their pickup truck, no one can find Jamela. They look everywhere, and finally call the police, before they discover Jamela, who has woken up, in her box. Everyone is happy to see her, and they celebrate with music and dancing, which Jamela correctly understands as "a going-away song." She begins to understand that even Mama is sad to leave their old home. But the new home is as nice as Mama had said it would be, and Jamela realizes that she hasn't lost the sky that she used to see from her old bedroom window. With its lively illustrations, this story will be a comfort to children who are sad to leave an old home for a new one.
Ages 5-8
Monday, May 7, 2012
Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar
40 p., Candlewick, 2004.
Sometimes our ideas about what's perfect make it difficult to see what really is perfect. In this story, Bertie loves the color blue, and so he wants a blue dog more than anything. When he yaps while pretending to be the blue dog he wishes for, he's surprised when someone yaps back - a little white dog with black spots, "all alone and looking for an owner." Bertie immediately thinks the dog is wonderful, and adopts it. But the dog isn't blue. He finally solves this problem by giving the dog something blue: the name Blue. They become best friends, and love each other very much. With its simple, expressive illustrations, this story shows children the possibilities of using their imagination to discover what they want, and recognizing when they've discovered this in reality, even if it doesn't appear so at first.
Ages 3-5
Sometimes our ideas about what's perfect make it difficult to see what really is perfect. In this story, Bertie loves the color blue, and so he wants a blue dog more than anything. When he yaps while pretending to be the blue dog he wishes for, he's surprised when someone yaps back - a little white dog with black spots, "all alone and looking for an owner." Bertie immediately thinks the dog is wonderful, and adopts it. But the dog isn't blue. He finally solves this problem by giving the dog something blue: the name Blue. They become best friends, and love each other very much. With its simple, expressive illustrations, this story shows children the possibilities of using their imagination to discover what they want, and recognizing when they've discovered this in reality, even if it doesn't appear so at first.
Ages 3-5