Traction Man Is Here! by Mini Grey Published by Dragonfly Books / Random House c2005

A boy receives a Traction Man Action Figure, and safety for all around the house is vastly improved. Arriving in his Combat Boots, Battle Pants, and Warfare Shirt, Traction Man gets to work immediately. Toast needs guarding and defenseless toy farm animals must be protected from being smothered by the Evil Pillows. Traction Man is going to be very busy. Fortunately, he has an outfit for every emergency. His wardrobe includes a diving suit, jungle pants for outdoors, and of course, a sweaty bandana. The life of an action figure is not supposed to be easy!

Creative play is the winner in this funny and very cleverly illustrated picture book. My listeners frequently laughed out loud when I shared the picture featuring the “Mysterious Toes”. Traction Man returns in “Traction Man Meets Turbodog” and “Traction Man and the Beach Odyssey”.

BILBO’S SONG

by J.R.R.Tolkien

I sit beside the fire and think
of all that I have seen,
Of meadow-flowers and butterflies
in summers that have been;

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
in autumns that there were,
With morning mist and silver sun
and wind upon my hair.

I sit beside the fire and think
of how the world will be
When winter comes without a spring
that I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things
that I have never seen:
in every wood in every spring
there is a different green.

I sit beside the fire and think
of people long ago,
and people who will see a world
that I shall never know.

But all the while I sit and think
of times there were before,
I listen for returning feet
and voices at the door.

It must seem odd to see a post on aging here. Children are mostly unaware of adult aging. I can remember wondering how adults could find someone the correct age to date, they all seemed about the same vintage to me. If all goes well, children do not have to realize that someday the world will go on without them in it, or without someone they love in it. Some children have to face loss, and how in the world do we help them?

It might help to have encountered a few stories where a character faces a sad event and gets through it. Stories appropriate to the age and sensitivity level of your child are out there, and you probably know a few. I will provide some of my favorite titles in the next post. Today, I wanted to share just one such story, in the above poem. It could be a good discussion starter for children in sixth grade or above.

For Tolkien people, this poem appears in “The Fellowship of the Ring”. Bilbo is outfitting Frodo for his quest, passing on to him his sword and cloak. Bilbo knows that his own adventuring days are over. If you want to avoid launching into distracting talk about how cool the movies were, don’t use Bilbo’s name at first, and let your students tell you what the poem is about. What age is the person in the poem? Who are the “people long ago”? Who will see a world that he will never know? Do they know anyone who might be thinking similar thoughts? Why not end with: Is there anyone they know who could use a visit or a letter? Have them write an actual letter in their own handwriting and introduce them to a postage stamp, grandparents will appreciate it.

Wolves have probably been a part of storytelling since language began. I never set out to scare children at story time, but the occasional delicious thrill is just part of the activity. Here are two titles that always return the desired response, with a laugh thrown in.

Both of these books are reprints from the New York Review of Books, Children’s Collection. Great authors like T.H. White, Margery Sharp, Rumer Godden, Robert Lawson, Astrid Lindgren, E. Nesbit, Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire and many others are in the collection. If you have not already discovered these books, visit the NYRB site for titles that are golden standards in children’s literature.

“Wolf Story” by William McCleery with illustrations by Warren Chappell was originally published in 1947. This is the story of a father telling a bedtime story to his young son. It is told in 10 short chapters, which make it a good choice for reading at the end of class, or at bedtime.

The author’s words:

“Make it that a wolf lived in a deep dark forest,” said the boy

“Please,” said the man, “Anything but a wolf. A weasel, a ferret, a lion, an elephant….”

“A wolf,” said the boy.

“Well, all right,” groaned the man, “but please don’t sit up in bed. Put your head on the pillow and shut your eyes.”

“O.K.,” said the boy. He turned his pillow over so that it would be cool against his cheek.

“So,” said the man. “In the forest lived a stupid old wolf, too tired to do any harm.”

“No!” cried the boy, sitting up in bed again. “The wolf is fierce! Terribly terribly fierce!!”

“Haven’t we had enough stories about terribly fierce wolves?” cried the man.

“NO!”

The wolf is after Rainbow, a chicken owned by the Tractorwheel family. Five-year-old Jimmy Tractorwheel is not about to let him snatch her. I read this to second grade students. Chapter 10 is pure comedy just right for that age group! Don’t miss the joy of reading this one aloud.

“The Complete Polly and the Wolf” is all four of the” Polly and the Wolf” books written by Catherine Storr between 1955 and 1990. They began as stories for her youngest daughter Polly, who was convinced that a wolf lived under her bed. In each story Polly shows herself to be more than a match for a hungry wolf prowling the neighborhood. The wolf knows how things should work out, after all, he has read Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf version, in which the wolf enjoys a good meal…….

Here is an excerpt from “Little Polly Riding Hood” in book one:

“Where does your grandmother live, Polly Riding Hood?”

“Over the other side of town,” answered Polly.

The wolf frowned.

“It ought to be “Through the wood.” he said “But perhaps town will do. How do you get there, Polly Riding Hood?”

“First I take a train and then I take a bus,” said Polly.

The wolf stamped his foot.

“No, no, no, no!” he shouted. “That’s all wrong. You can’t say that. You’ve got to say, ‘By the path winding through the trees,’ or something like that. You can’t go by trains and buses and things, It isn’t fair.”

“Well, I could say that,” said Polly, “but it wouldn’t be true.”

Polly and the wolf enjoy a long relationship, Polly getting older and wiser as the stories progress, the wolf going hungry, always. It helps if your young listeners know their folk tales before embarking on adventures with Polly!

Here are 4 seasonal books that have been popular with children at story time:

An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long  Published by Chronicle Books c2009

This team has produced a series of beautiful nature picture books.   An Egg is Quiet presents all sorts of eggs from birds, reptiles, insects, fish, even fossilized dinosaur eggs.  A short text in large print can be read to very young children, while blocks of smaller text contain more information.  A collection of eggs covers a two-page spread at the beginning of the book, and  similar double-pages at the end of the book show us the mature form of each creature that has hatched from those eggs. Illustrations are clearly labeled and notes indicate whether the drawing is smaller or larger than actual size. An ostrich egg is shown next to a nest full of hummingbird eggs. The texture, shape and markings that help camouflage eggs are also shown in the lovely and detailed artwork by Sylvia Long.  This book is a wonderful tool for exploring the natural world with children.  Other titles in the series include: A Seed is Sleepy,  A Butterfly is Patient, A Rock is Lively,  and coming in April, A Nest is Noisy.  You must read them all.

 

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Du Bose Heyward   Published by Houghton Mifflin

If I don’t have this on hand during the Spring book fair, grandparents who remember and love this book will frown.  Important Easter Bunny Lore must be passed on to the next generation!  Readers of this book will learn that there are actually 5 Easter Bunnies, and that a small, brown, country-girl rabbit can compete with very fast Jack Rabbits and large White Rabbits from town.

When the Country Bunny’s 21 rabbit babies grow big enough to take on household chores, she feels it is time to appear at the Palace of Easter Eggs where the five kindest, swiftest and wisest bunnies in the whole world are selected to work for the Grandfather Bunny delivering Easter eggs.

Hundreds of books about Easter Bunnies have been published since this one first appeared in 1939, but few have such devoted followers.

 

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrations by Leonard Weisgard.  Random House c1947

The large format (a BIG Little Golden Book) of this title makes it perfect for sharing with a group.  A baby bunny is curious about the sounds coming from an egg he finds, and performs various actions to try to speed along the hatching process. When the bunny tires and drops off to sleep,  the duck inside the egg hatches, finds the sleeping bunny and carries out the same actions until the bunny wakes up. When I read this to a group of preschool children,  they find the repeated actions hilarious and want to hear it again.  Try it and you’ll see!

Rechenka’s Eggs  written and illustrated  by Patricia Polacco       Published by Philomel Books, c1988

Old Babushka decorates eggs with intricate Ukrainian designs to sell at the Easter Festival in Moskva.  When an injured goose Babushka has rescued accidentally destroys the latest basket of eggs, an Easter miracle is needed.  All is fair in the universe when Patricia Polacco tells a story. Young listeners sigh with satisfaction when this one comes to a close.

 

 

 

 

“Naomi Conroy crouched uncomfortably at the end of the garden reading a book. As usual she had spent her Saturday morning at the town library, searching the too-familiar shelves for something new. On her left was the stack of books she had read since she returned, and on her right the pile she hadn’t opened yet. She kept her elbow leaning on that pile to guard them from her permanently book-hungry sisters. Even now she could feel herself being watched, and without looking up knew that Ruth was hovering close by, waiting for her to finish. By the law of the family, the book would become then common property, free for everyone to read” From “The Exiles” by Hilary McKay c1991.

The three books in this series about four book-hungry sisters has been reprinted with colorful, attractive cover art, which should help new readers to pick them up, for they are very worthy. Hilary McKay has produced many good books since she wrote about the Conroys, but these three titles are probably my favorites, the reading experiences of the characters were very similar to those of my family. We supported our village library with small, but regular donations in overdue book fines. Any borrowed book had a chance of being read by at least three of the five young readers in our house. They always made it back to the library, but not in a timely fashion. I still remember visiting that little library after the absence of several years ( I had moved on to the bigger library in the next town) and the lady at the desk immediately began to flip through her index of delinquent borrowers, she knew our clan well.

I carry a vivid picture of that little children’s room forever in my mind. I can see the book of New England Ghost Stories I borrowed frequently, the two or three shelves of picture books, and Mrs. Emilio, who read “Yertle the Turtle” and “Horton Hatches the Egg” aloud to us as we sat in child-sized wooden chairs. It was a place of extreme happiness.

“The Exiles” is about the summer sisters Naomi, Ruth, Phoebe, and Rachel are sent to stay with “Big Grandma” while renovations are made to their home. Big Grandma’s house seems to be entirely empty of books, and she expects the girls to help with household chores, and to take nice, long healthy walks outdoors. The only reading material to be found are a few cookbooks. This is not a situation the sisters care for. Will rebellion break out and will Big Grandma pay a price for withholding literature? Hilary McKay’s characters are real, funny, and memorable. After you meet them, you will want more, fortunately “The Exiles at Home” and “The Exiles in Love” are ready for you.

It’s early August.  It will be hot, the hummingbirds are looking for fresh sugar-water and the geraniums are drooping.  Those are not backpacks and school supply ads in the paper, you do not hear a chorus of late summer crickets in the evenings. Just sit back, gather the kids, pick up one of these picture books and relive June…

Flashlight by Lizi Boyd.   c2014 Chronicle Books

Non-readers can peruse this  wordless book at bedtime.  A child goes out to explore a summer night by flashlight.  Many nocturnal creatures and activities are revealed in the bright beam of light.   Children will enjoy the action when the animals turn the flashlight beam back on the explorer. There is so much going on in each picture, many return viewings will be needed.

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee.  c2011 Beach Lane Books/Simon and Schuster

This large format picture book suits the topic.  Stars can be found everywhere if you know where to look.  Tiny star flowers turn into strawberries, gold, silver, and blue stars show up on tooth-brushing charts.  Sheriffs wear a star, and a special paper star can be kept in a pocket. Sometimes you can’t see the stars, but they are always there.  Take your star-gazers out and search for shooting star showers this month.  The Perseid Meteor Showers peak August 12-13.  An eclipse is not the only astronomical wonder on the horizon.

King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently,  illustrated by Helen Oxenbury   c2011 Dial Books for Young Readers.

Friends Jack, Zach, and baby Caspar have built a fort in the backyard.   All day long they have defended it from dragons and other fierce beasts, but as the trio settle down to spend the night, some friendly giants seem to be getting the upper hand.

The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry with illustrations by Maurice Sendak.  c1959

This Caldecott Honor book is the perfect evocation of a summer evening and the games that develop spontaneously among children allowed to play outside after dark. “We climb the tree just to be in a tree at night. And we make a little camp and pretend we’re on an island for the night.  We make up songs, and poems, and we turn somersaults all over the grass.”  The parents can be seen reading in the house as the children play, and eventually Mother calls the children in to retire in a room where “The bed is white and cool and the pillow as soft as the night.”   Playing outside after dinner in the summer is better than Disneyland.

At Night by Jonathan Bean  c2007  Farrar Straus & Giroux

In a city apartment, a little girl can’t sleep. She can hear everyone else in the family peacefully breathing. A breeze from the window invites her to carry pillows and bedding to the rooftop.  Finally, surrounded by drying laundry and tomato plants, the girl drifts off to sleep.  In the last picture we see the bathrobe-clad mother sitting beside her daughter with a steaming cup in her hand.  The illustrations show details of family life, parents looking in to whisper goodnight to children, views of other rooftops and gardens, and the moon looking down over all.  This is a sweet, cozy bedtime book.

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

When thunder rolls in at Grandmother’s farm, a girl becomes anxious.  Grandmother gets the child busy gathering things to make a genuine “Thunder Cake” with eggs from the chickens, milk from the cow, flour and sugar from the dry shed, and a secret ingredient from the garden.  While the storm comes closer, the cake is in the oven and the little girl has learned that a good way to dispel fear is to get to work.  This story is based on the author’s childhood in the Midwest.

Mud Pies and Other Recipes  by Marjorie Winslow  c1961  A New York Review of Books Children’s Book.  Illustrations by Erik Blegvad

From the introduction: “This is a cookbook for dolls. It is written for kind climates and summertime. It is an outdoor cookbook, because dolls dote on mud, when properly prepared.  They love the crunch of pine needle and the sweet feel of seaweed on the tongue. The market place, then, will be a forest or a sand dune or your own backyard.”

This cookbook suggests many delectable doll meals, from wood chip dip to pine needle upside-down cake.  Doll chefs are reminded not to taste for seasoning.  Master of detail, Erik Blegvad provides the illustrations for this treasure.  Bon Appetit!

The Fairy House Handbook  by Liza Gardner Walsh. c2012 Down East Books

Another reason to get outside to gather natural materials and make stuff.  The first tiny houses were built to shelter fairies.  This book is brimming with photographs and suggestions that will inspire young builders.  The fairies are waiting for new homes lovingly furnished, get out there and get creating.