Best Loved Poems of the American People. Selected by Hazel Felleman
Best Loved Poems of the American People Selected by Hazel Felleman c1936 Doubleday & Company : New York
A Prayer
Lord, let me live like a Regular Man, With Regular friends and true; Let me play the game on a Regular plan And play it all the way through;
Let me win or lose with a Regular smile And never be known to whine, For that is a Regular Fellow's style And I want to make it mine!
from the poem by Berton Braley
This book is a collection of poems put together by Hazel Felleman, who edited the Queries and Answers page of the New York Times Book Review. Her boss, Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of the New York Times, liked poetry and he set Miss Felleman to work locating poems for readers who might remember only a line or theme of a poem and wrote in for help finding the rest.
Once upon a time Americans memorized poetry. It was thought that A Fully Furnished Mind should contain a few inspirational, sentimental, maybe even patriotic poems that could be recited or recalled at appropriate moments. Nobody had cell phones in their pockets to rely on. Today, a dead battery puts a serious cramp in the dinner table conversation where a useful quote or poetic phrase is called for. Back in the day it was not embarrassing for a poem to rhyme. Memorization is much easier with a little rhythm and rhyme going for you. Poems could say simple things like "A smile is better than a frown", and still get published. This book is a collection of poems that were popular in 1935. It is a bit of a time capsule, a pretty hefty time capsule at 670 pages. You may locate Over the Hill to the Poor-House or The Charge of the Light Brigade and allow a young person to sit up on a literary booster seat at Thanksgiving dinner all at once.
I left the bookmarks intact in the picture of this book. It was my mother's copy, and some of those mark her favorites. It was hard for me to realize that a large collection of Americans favorite poetry did not include anything by Robert Frost. No Stopping by Woods? Many of the poems are by authors unknown, but like old folk songs, they have a life beyond the latest new thing. These are poems loved by regular people with regular themes like love, friendship, faith, home, childhood, nature, beauty, and grief. This volume has a place on the family bookshelf. Learn a few of the poems and be prepared for power outages. A poetry outage is unthinkable.
At this moment in time, somebody, somewhere is probably writing a new story featuring a dragon. Dragons are out there, bumping into unicorns, hassling princesses, and causing havoc all over the place. Here are some old and newish stories about this popular and appealingly dangerous creature. Some have been known to be friendly….
George and the Dragon Written and illustrated by Chris Wormell c2002 Alfred A. Knopf / Random House : New York
George, a mouse, has just moved in to a new neighborhood. He has simple needs, a restoring cup of tea being one of them. Alas, he has yet to shop and supply himself with sugar. A request to the fearsome dragon next door sets off a surprising chain of events. This boldly illustrated picture book is completely satisfying for ages 4 and up.
The Knight and the Dragon Written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola c 1980 G.P. Putnam and Sons Books for Young Readers : New York
A knight and a dragon have never met each other in combat. Perhaps a visit to the library will provide some useful guidance. This book is just right for listeners ages 3-6. I always enjoy a plug for library usage skillfully incorporated into a story. Nicely done here, Mr. dePaola.
The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame Originally published short story included in Grahame’s Dream Days story collection. c1898 In this edition the story stands alone. c1938 by Holiday House Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard
This could be one of the first stories about a peace loving dragon. Mr. Grahame’s dragon prefers a desultory chat and poetry recitation with the “Boy” who befriends him to battling St. George, but the townsfolk will not be satisfied until they witness a good old-fashioned fight. E.H. Shepard’s illustrations are delightful, as always. What do you expect from the man who brought us the map of the Hundred Acre Wood and pictures of Toad, Ratty, Mole, Badger and friends?
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet c1948 Random House : New York Illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett
The story of Elmer Elevator, who upon hearing of a young dragon being held captive on Wild Island, heads off to the rescue with his trusty backpack full of useful items. This is a good first chapter book for readers not quite ready for hundreds of pages. It is also a wonderful read aloud choice. For more adventures with Elmer, two sequels: Elmer and the Dragon, and The Dragons of Blueland follow. This trio always appeared at book fairs.
Tales from Moominvalley by Tove Jansson c1962 Illustrated by the author This editon c2010 Square Fish an imprint of Macmillan : New York
The Last Dragon in the World is a story from this collection of tales about creatures who frequent Moominvalley. Moomintroll and his best friend Snufkin and a tiny, fire breathing dragon are featured on the book cover. If you are looking for a story about true friendship to read to children, you will not find a more sympathetic one than this. Moomintroll finds a tiny dragon, perhaps the last one in the entire world, and wants to have it for a pet. The dragon, every tiny morsel of which is fierce and merciless, has other ideas. Here are the author’s words as Moomintroll prepares to tell his friend he has found a dragon:
“Snufkin gave him a sharp look and saw that Moomintroll was about to burst from delight and suspense. So he replied quite curtly: “I don’t believe it.”
“Possibly it would be no bigger than a matchbox even if it could spit fire all right,” Moomintroll continued with a yawn.
“Well, that’s pure fantasy, of course,” said Snufkin, who knew how surprises are prepared.
And then Moomintroll jumped to his feet and cried: “I’ve found it! I’ve found a real dragon of my own!”
While they walked up to the house, Snufkin went through the whole scale of disbelief, astonishment, and wonder. He was perfect.”
What if the dragon prefers another? True friendship hangs in the balance, find out how Snufkin proves he is true.
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde c2010 in Great Britian First US edition c2012 Houghton Mifflin : New York
Jennifer Strange is a teenager living in the Ununited Kingdom. She is in charge of Kazam Mystical Arts Management and her task is finding employment for Wizard Moobin, Lady Mawgon, and other out of work magicians. Her job is made difficult because magic is drying up, one could read about it in the Hereford Daily Eyestrain. Changes are in the air. Jennifer begins having dreams about dragons. Maltcassion, the last living dragon’s death is predicted, and once the Dragonlands are vacant, developers are poised to move in. The Last Dragonslayer will have to come up with a plan for the future, whoever she might be.
Jasper Fforde is a masterful funny writer. His alternative United Kingdom is full of cleverness, but also believable characters you will enjoy and really like. There are more books in this series, but The Last Dragonslayer is just fine on its own! For young adult to adult readers.
GPS will get you there, but maps show you why you want to go.
Maps by Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski c2012 US Edition c2013 Big Picture Press / Candlewick Press : Somerville
This book presents geography in a very BIG way. Its oversize pages open to double-page spreads featuring continents and countries of the world. Each country outline is filled with detailed images of cultural sites, physical features, foods, famous people, sports, and animals that make each region unique. You will find an image of a boy and girl in each country with names that they might be given. There are images of dwellings and the people who might live in them. Famous landmarks and cities are represented. Mountains, deserts, lakes, oceans and rivers are shown with creatures that can be found in and around them. Plants, trees, crops that are grown, all get attention here. Interesting facts and activities tell how people live and adapt to their environment. The map of the Netherlands shows how polders for farming are created by draining the water from areas that were once sea. Another image shows a flower market, and windmills, of course! This book, in a word, is fascinating, for any age.
Map key for Namibia
Noteworthy folk from the United Kingdom
Sweden
For teaching and having fun learning about geography, Maps is a gold mine. Instead of having your class write a report about Sweden, present this map and let each student select a topic. Somebody will want to write about a sport, someone else can cover what’s for dinner, another student can report on an animal found in Sweden. Link to the internet for recipes, instructions for games, or how to celebrate Midsummer’s Eve. So many possibilities present themselves in these colorful and informative pages. If you have a bored child on a rainy day, start a scavenger hunt through the book to find a type of penguin in Antarctica or the name of a portable home in Mongolia…hours may be happily spent browsing through the pages of this book. Maps has a sequel and the first edition has been updated to include more countries. There is also an activity book. Happy traveling!
Additional resource:
Find reasonably priced 16 x 20 inch outline maps at Map of the Month. They offer 89 different maps.
Rain Rain Rivers Written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz c1969 Farrar, Straus and Giroux : New York
Classic Picture Books Celebrating Rain
When rain begins in the city, a child imagines it falling in the hills, on ponds and streams, and rushing in rivers to the sea. This simple story builds appreciation for a day of gentle rain. What sights, sounds, and scents are to be experienced?
Rain Rain Rivers was named a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of the Year. Perfect for 4 to 8-year-olds.
Peter Spier’s Rain Illustrated by Peter Spier c1982 Doubleday : New York
A brother and sister have an adventure exploring their neighborhood in the pouring rain. This wordless picture book can be “read” by children ages 4 and up. Copies of this book are available from Thriftbooks and other used book vendors. It can also be accessed on Internet Archive. It is well worth scouting out a copy!
Where Do They Go When it Rains Written and illustrated by Gerda Muller c 2010, later editions 2021. Floris Books : Edinburgh
Have you ever wondered what butterflies do when it rains? Where do the baby ducklings go? Two young twins accompanied by an older friend explore their wet country world during a rainstorm. A simple text is wonderfully illustrated by Dutch artist Gerda Muller. She has illustrated over 100 books for children, and is well known for her detailed and beautiful depictions of the natural world. Many of her books are available from Floris Books. I featured some of her titles at every book fair.
A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman c1966 Published by Viking Press / Puffin Books
This Preschool to Kindergarten classic is always a hit at story time. The idea of having a rainbow to play with for a while is very appealing. How the boy in the story ends up with a rainbow of his own is a sweet surprise at the end. I always sent the children off with a rainbow picture to color.
Thunder Cake Written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco c1990 Philomel Books Paperback edition c1997 Puffin Books
I have reviewed this book in one of my early posts, but it belongs here as well. A young girl is afraid of the loud thunder heralding the approach of a storm. Her grandmother distracts her by getting her to help her assemble the ingredients and bake a genuine Thunder Cake. Getting busy is a wonderful cure for fears. The recipe is included in the book and there are amazing photos of Thunder cakes readers have made on the internet. A delicious story indeed!
A Drop of Water by Walter Wick c1997 Scholastic Press : New York
For those who might prefer a non-fiction title, A Drop Of Water is just the thing. Walter Wick is known for his clear and eye catching photographs. This 40 page book introduces readers aged 4-to-8 to the science of water in its various states. Simple experiments help students explore ice, steam, evaporation and other concepts. The photos definitely do steal the show.
It is not unusual for people who come to live in the Western states to acquire books about their new home. Fortunately there are many wonderful writers willing to interpret what it means to be part of this land and how to love it properly. The four books here are at the top of my stack. Their yellowing pages are crossed with underlining and their covers are creased and ragged, all signs of repeated readings. If you are meeting any of these writers for the first time, you youngish readers, I envy you your first acquaintance.
Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs : Living and Writing in the West by Wallace Stegner c1992
Frightening signs warning you of blinding dust storms and severe weather greet you on your first trip between Salt Lake City and Boise. There are few trees to seek shelter under out there beyond Rattlesnake Pass. The hills go on for miles and miles. It takes some time for an Easterner to learn to appreciate the openness. Here are the author’s words:
“You have to get over the color green; you have to quit associating beauty with gardens and lawns; you have to get used to an inhuman scale.”
From, “Thoughts in a Dry Land” included in Wallace Stegner’s collection of essays which make up “Where the Bluebird Sings..” The western landscape is not friendly, but people come from all over the world to walk around in it. They are not prepared for the heat or the lack of water. They frequently don’t take warnings from locals seriously. In some places that might cause inconvenience, out here, it can be deadly. Life is defined by the sparseness of water in the West. John Wesley Powell warned about it early on, but we don’t seem to be listening. Reading Wallace Stegner is going to help you get over the color green, and teach you indispensable truths.
The author’s words: “If there is such a thing as being conditioned by climate and geography, and I think there is, it is the West that has conditioned me. It has forms and lights and colors that I respond to in nature and in art. If there is a western speech, I speak it; if there is a western character or personality, I am some variant of it; if there is a western culture in the small-c, anthropological sense, I have not escaped it. It has to have shaped me.” It is these built in sensibilities that make Stegner’s the strong voice for thinking realistically about the West that his became.
There are personal stories of Stegner’s family, his “Letter, Much Too Late” to his mother is heart breaking and lovely. He writes about the western authors he admires. You will come away from this book with a longer reading list. If you want to learn about the real American West, Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs is a very good place to start.
The Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin. First Published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company c1903. This edition Warbler Press Classics c2020.
No introduction I can give will beacon you in to read this book better than the authors words in her prelude:
“The real heart and core of the country are not to be come at in a month’s vacation. One must summer and winter with the land and wait its occasions. Pine woods that take two and three seasons to the ripening of cones, roots that lie by in the sand seven years awaiting a growing rain, firs that grow fifty years before flowering,–these do not scrape acquaintance. But if ever you come beyond the borders as far as the town that lies in a hill dimple at the foot of Kearsarge, never leave it until you have knocked at the door of the brown house under the willow-tree at the end of the village street, and there you shall have such news of the land, of its trails and what is astir in them, as one lover of it can give another.”
The desert region of which Mary Austin writes is the Owens Valley in California. It is surrounded by the Eastern Sierra Nevada and White Mountain Ranges. Death Valley and the Mojave Desert also make up the region. Her voice was one of the first to praise the beauty to be found in this desert, and to speak of the unusual animals and plants that manage to survive in such extreme aridity and heat. She includes stories about the human inhabitants, the Paiutes, Shoshones, Mexican and Chinese immigrants, miners, stagecoach drivers and others who eke out a precarious existence in this very dry land. Nobody else has described the desert who has had such a close and affectionate acquaintance with it. Her words are illuminating and poetic, old fashioned and painstakingly descriptive. You forget you are reading a work of non-fiction when you enter Mary Austin’s world.
The author’s words:
“The shape of a new mountain is roughly pyramidal, running out into long shark-finned ridges that interfere and merge into other thunder-splintered sierras. You get the saw-tooth effect from a distance, but the near-by granite bulk glitters with the terrible keen polish of old glacial ages. I say terrible; so it seems. When those glossy domes swim into the alpenglow, wet after rain, you perceive how long and imperturbable are the purposes of God.”
The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko c2013 Scribner / Simon and Schuster : New York
Here comes the “occasionally very wet” part of today’s story. In 1983 a massive snowpack in the Rockies melted too quickly and floodwaters threatened to take out the Glen Canyon Dam and drown everything downstream with the entire contents of Lake Powell. Plywood flashboards atop the dam were holding on, for the moment.. While federal officials were busy figuring out what to do next, three Grand Canyon river guides launched their wooden dory The Emerald Mile into the wildest ride imaginable down the ferociously churning waters of the Colorado River. There are Youtube videos of that river in 1983 showing where beaches used to be, and wreckage of river running boats that didn’t get out of the way in time.
Kevin Fedarko tells this true story with all the facts and all the excitement in a well paced tale of adventure and natural forces out of control. All the people involved have their moments, and the reader is taken along on a very, very wild ride. It is history and legend combined for people who remember and for the grandkids who ought to know this story.
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig c2006 Harcourt Books
As much as I usually don’t like the film versions of books I have loved, I can’t help saying that if anyone asked me, this would be THE book I would choose to make it to the big screen. Montana requires a big screen already. This is the story of a Marias Coulee, Montana homesteading family in 1909. The narrator Paul, his brothers Damon and Toby, and their father are living and housekeeping as best they can in the first year since their beloved wife and mother; Florence Milliron died. When the other students at their one-room school find out that Father has hired a housekeeper, name of Rose Llewellyn, to travel to Montana and take on the household chores, there is no end to the teasing and speculation about this new arrangement.
Ivan Doig creates characters so real and memorable you think you must have known them yourself. The main character Paul as an adult school superintendent is tasked with closing down the one-room schools in his territory. He looks back on his years in just such a school with fondness, humor, and a spot-on depiction of school age children in their training-up state. There are bullies and tattle-tale girls, fights, smart students, slow students, and a small girl who has to ride five miles to school with no companion but her horse. The Milliron household is about to change with the arrival of Rose Llewellyn and a few surprises. You do not need to be a fan of historical fiction to appreciate this book. Times change, but authors who can treat the human condition with understanding and clever storytelling never go out of style. This is one of Ivan Doig’s most loved novels. Join the fan club.
Today is Pioneer Day where I live. There is a grand parade with the theme: “Like, Learn, Love Pioneers”. The celebration is in honor of the Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young who arrived in the valley in 1847. Today’s post is dedicated to my elementary school teacher Rhea Guild, who grew up in Midway, Utah and came to New England where our paths crossed in my second grade classroom. Her family history included her pioneer Swiss ancestors who first settled in northern Utah. I remember her telling us stories of rain storms that began with enormous hailstones and I believe she introduced my class to today’s book.
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder Originally published in 1935, this edition illustrated by Garth Williams c1953. HarperTrophy Edition c1971.
The West That No Longer Exists might be the second title for today’s blog. Laura Ingalls Wilder understood that the world she knew as a child was already gone, and that future generations would not know what it was like to wrest a living from the land the hard way, clearing a place for crops, building your own simple house, keeping your family fed through long winters with no Safeway in sight. It is a bit startling to realize that Mrs. Wilder was still alive when the generation of baby boomers began to be born. Garth Williams met with Laura Ingalls Wilder when he began work on the illustration for the Little House Books.
Mrs. Wilder’s books became controversial in 2018, when the ALSC, a branch of the American Library Association removed her name from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, an award for lifetime achievement which was named after her and which was first presented to her in 1954. The ALSC said they were concerned about racist and stereotypical elements in the books. They couldn’t very well ban her books, since ALA sponsors Banned Books Week every fall. Little House on the Prairie is perhaps the worst offender in their eyes, since characters, including young Laura herself said, “The only good Indian is a dead Indian” several times. In another chapter Laura is surprised that the doctor who finds them and saves their lives when the whole family is taken ill is black.
Should you read or allow your children to become acquainted with these books? Is not an effective way to learn about attitudes and thinking of the past to read books written by contemporaries? There are statements in Little House on the Prairie that we would not say today. Today we are also not intending to vacate the former Indian Territories. Children deserve the whole story. Is the Pioneer experience not a part of the American Story?
In re-reading Little House on the Prairie, I found evidence of sympathy for and a will to understand a bit of the lives of the Osage people that were the Ingalls’ neighbors. When some of the settlers fear a massacre because they hear drums and war cries coming from the creek bottoms nearby at night, Pa is told by an Osage leader that his people were against attacking them and the tribes that disagreed were leaving the area. “No matter what Mr. Scott said, Pa did not believe that the only good Indian was a dead Indian.” Yes, Ma feared the Indians, but Pa takes Laura and Mary to see an abandoned Indian camp and shows them how food was cooked and interprets moccasin tracks in the sand. At the end of the book the Ingalls family watch a daylong passage of Osage stream by, heading west. Here again are the author’s words:
“It was dinner-time, and no one thought of dinner. Indian ponies were still going by, carrying bundles of skins and tent-poles and dangling baskets and cooking pots….Then the very last pony went by. But Pa and Ma and Laura and Mary still stayed in the doorway, looking, till that long line of Indians slowly pulled itself over the western edge of the world. And nothing was left but silence and emptiness. All the world seemed very quiet and lonely.” The end of an era was witnessed here and it leaves a quiet feeling of sadness with the reader.
There are many events young readers can appreciate in Little House on the Prairie. What would it feel like to make a dangerous river crossing with no other people along? If the Ingalls’ wagon had foundered nobody would ever have known what happened to them. Mr. Scott narrowly escapes death from gases that formed at the bottom of the well he was digging. Pa is surrounded by wolves while riding home, a bit different from being stuck in traffic today. Jack the valiant dog has a great part to play in the story, don’t want to give his big moment away! Do keep this book on your reading list, and give your readers credit for understanding that they are learning about the past. I think the author had that in mind.
The Collected Tales : Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand with illustrations by Edward Ardizzone c1964, collected tales c 2005 by Bloomsbury Publishing : New York and London
Mr. and Mrs. Brown had so many incorrigible children that they didn’t seem to know what to do. The Agency had already sent them a lot of nurses, nannies, and governesses, and all had fled because of the terribly, terribly naughty Brown children. There were so many of them that their parents thought of them in groups, from the Big Ones, to the Middling Ones, and on down to the Baby who spoke in its own language. The Tiny Baby was too young to be really naughty yet, so it did not get counted.
What were these naughty children up to? Here are the author’s words:
“Francesca had filled the Tiny Baby’s bottle with baby-food and was feeding the dogs with it.
Little Quentin had drawn flowers all up and down the walls and was watering them from the big, brown, nursery teapot.
Antony was filling up the nursery ink-wells with runny red jam
Sophie was shampooing Hernrietta’s hair with glue.
All the other children were doing simply dreadful things too.”
The Browns had been advised to find Nurse Matilda, but none of the Agencies they visited seemed to have her on their books. It was a surprise to arrive home and find her on the doorstep, ready to begin the lessons that would reform the Brown children. Nurse Matilda was not at all pretty. She had tiny, black eyes, a nose like two potatoes, and a frighteningly huge front TOOTH.
Nurse Matilda also had a big, black stick, and when she brought it down with a loud and firm thump, things began to happen. Magical things that no one could explain. The other thing no one could explain was how Nurse Matilda seemed to be less ugly as the children’s behavior improved. At times she looked almost attractive! There is one rule that governs Nurse Matilda’s time with the families she has helped. When the children don’t want her, she must stay, and if the time comes that they do want her, she must leave. The Brown children are without a doubt the naughtiest Nurse Matilda has encountered, so it looks as though she will be with them for a long while.
Learning to sit up straight in their chairs.
The Nurse Matilda stories were written by Christianna Brand, a successful author of mystery books, and illustrated by her cousin, Edward Ardizzone. Brand and Ardizzone spent lots of time together as children, and heard the first Nurse Matilda stories which were invented and told to them by Edward’s grandmother. Lots of creativity in that family! One of the things to notice about the stories is the number of children. I found the number in an article about the books, but I leave it to readers to discover on their own. The Collected Tales include: Nurse Matilda, Nurse Matilda Goes to Town, and Nurse Matilda Goes to Hospital. I found the three individual books in a bookshop on a trip to York, UK, some years ago, and regret not buying them. Each was bound in a small volume with gilded edges and a sewn-in bookmark. Very attractive to the children’s book collector I turned out to be. The collected tales are currently also available in paperback.
The American Spirit by David McCullough c2017 Simon and Schuster : New York
Who better to turn to on this American anniversary than our esteemed historian and eloquent speaker; David McCullough. In this collection of his speeches, Mr. McCullough reminds us of the stories that made us, and the qualities we should strive to keep and encourage in our children, the future of America. Here is an excerpt from a commencement speech at Union College in Schenectady, New York :
“John Adams read everything—Shakespeare and the Bible over and over, and the Psalms especially. He read poetry, fiction, history. Always carry a book with you on your travels he advised his son John Quincy. “You will never be alone with a poem in your pocket.”
“Read. Read. Read! read the classics of American literature that you’ve never opened. Read your country’s history. How can we profess to love our country and take no interest in its history? Read into the history of Greece and Rome. Read about the great turning points in the history of science and medicine and ideas.
Read for pleasure, to be sure….But take seriously-read closely-books that have stood the test of time. Study a masterpiece, take it apart, study its architecture its vocabulary, its intent. Underline, make notes in the margins, and after a few years, go back and read it again.
Make use of the public libraries. Start your own personal library and see it grow. Talk about the books you’re reading. Ask others what they are reading. You’ll learn a lot.”
This advice is lovely to hear if you think our continued liberty depends on our being literate and informed Americans. The speeches in this book include stories about presidents, members of congress, and individuals like the Marquis de Lafayette, Abigail Adams, John Trumbull whose painting of the signing of The Declaration of Independence is familiar to most of us. Meet Benjamin Rush, Charles Sumner, Reverend Manasseh Cutler and many other Americans who all made contributions to building a better life for people then and now. Do consider this book for any recent college grad of your acquaintance.
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman Illustrated by Keven Hawkes c2002 Candlewick Press
Some children spend summer vacation at soccer camp or on a family trip, but Wesley has a plan. Why not create your own civilization? Instead of hanging around with the schoolmates who torment him, Wesley tends a new crop of strange plants from which he creates special ink for writing a new language, uses the fibers to create cool and comfortable clothing, builds himself a shelter, and names his world Weslandia. New and challenging games are to be invented and creative possibilities present themselves each day. No boredom can exist for long in this fascinating and colorful neighborhood.
Wesley assesses the growth of his flourishing plants.
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson Originally published by Macmillan Children’s Books : London c2001
Orphan Maia never dreamed she would be leaving her comfortable London boarding school to live with relatives in Brazil. When her relatives who live on a rubber plantation turn out to be unpleasant and unkind and have no interest in learning about the world of the Amazon river that surrounds them, Maia is very unhappy. Sometimes those who have courage and strength during difficulties are rewarded. New friends and a boat journey on the largest river system in the world bring Maia in touch with new possibilities. Eva Ibbotson takes her readers on an unforgettable trip.
Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry c1940 Currently available from Simon & Schuster
Teenager Mafatu has always been afraid of the sea. He has been teased and made to feel an outsider by the people on his South Pacific island of Hikueru. In order to redeem himself and make his father, the chief, less ashamed, Mafatu sets out to sea on a small boat with his dog as his only companion. He hopes to conquer his fear once and for all.
This is not a long book, but the story is one of those that lives long in the hearts of readers. It is perfect for ages 9 to 12 and it is an excellent choice to read aloud at home or at school.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown Young readers edition c 2015 by Viking Books for Young Readers also available from Puffin Books
The true story of the team that rowed to victory for America at the 1936 Olympics. No one expected that a crew of young men from Washington State would outperform the Ivy League teams from the Eastern US, let alone win at the Olympics. The story of how they got there is inspiring and uplifting and belongs on any list of books for students. I played the footage of the actual boat crossing the finish line for my classes when I book talked this at book fairs. It is always a winner!
Endurance by Alfred Lansing c1959 by McGraw-Hill Book Company : New York
The story for which the word EPIC was invented! Most junior high readers can enjoy this true tale of survival under extreme conditions during a Polar expedition to the Antarctic in 1914. That 28 men could live through the loss of their ship without any of the modern technologies we know today is one of the most remarkable survival stories of all time, and a testament to the difference good leadership can make. Expedition leader Ernest Shackleton made the men get rid of most of their possessions when they prepared to take to the ice as their ship began to be crushed, but he kept the banjo. He knew his crew would need every possible help to take their minds off the dire situation they were in. He also knew that in the days leading up to WWI, nobody was going to be interested in coming to their rescue. They had to save themselves. This is the story of how they did it. If your teenagers do not know this story, why not get them acquainted with Shackleton and his brave companions?
The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden c2006 by HarperCollins
A classic How-To book that covers building a treehouse, skimming stones, the five knots every boy should know, identifying fossils, basic fishing skills, and more ideas for enjoying life outside. There are also many useful lists and documents such as baseball’s most valuable players, a Navajo code talkers dictionary, The Declaration of Independence, and the Ten Commandments, least we forget a few. This book will help your young lads adventure well this summer.
Lost on a Mountain in Maine by Don Fendler and Joseph Egan Original c1939. Republished in 2013 by Harper Collins
Another true survival story. When he was twelve years old, Don Fendler became lost during a hike on rugged Mount Katahdin and managed to survive alone until he was found on day nine. Mount Katahdin is famous for being the northern endpoint of the Appalachian Trail. It is a strenuous and difficult hike with extreme weather changes, not a good place to lose your way. This book is a good companion to the Dangerous Book for Boys. Be prepared, as the scouts say.
The River by Gary Paulsen c1991 Dell Publishing / Random House Children’s Books
The first sequel to Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Brian returns to the wilderness with a psychologist to teach survival skills, but must navigate a raft downriver after his companion is injured in a storm. Gary Paulsen is THE young person’s wilderness adventure writer. The Hatchet series is probably the best known of his books, but there are shelves more to be enjoyed. I have given his book Winterdance : The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod to outdoor fans in my family. Mr. Paulsen ran the Iditarod twice, and his tale of that experience as a rookie is enlightening, and a bit crazy.
Mrs.McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks with illustrations by Nadine Bernard Westcott c1998 Harper Collins
Here are a few books that four and five-year-old children enjoyed at story time. Most of them are suitable for younger children as well. My story programs with the four-year-old group lasted for 20 minutes and usually included some attention building nursery rhymes that might be sung or had accompanying actions. Today’s titles will appear on a longer reading list as a page soon, but with just the titles and authors, which should make it easy to print the list should anyone wish to. Picture books for older children will have their own lists, so stick around!
Mrs. McNosh does a big wash every Monday morning. Here are the author’s words:
“It takes her all morning, and when the sun’s high, she hangs what she’s washed on the clothesline to dry.”
Once Mrs. McNosh gets going there is no stopping her. All sorts of things besides laundry begin to appear. The dog, with his dish takes his place on the line, then a lamp, next two bats, which get hung upside-down. This brief, rhyming story will probably need to be read again because your audience will want more.
Wow! Said the Owl written and illustrated by Tim Hopgood c2009 Farrar, Straus and Giroux : New York
When a little owl decides to stay awake during the day, she experiences awe as colorful butterflies, green leaves, blue skies, and fluffy white clouds appear. The double page spreads in this book provide luscious expanses of bright color which just might elicit a “wow!” from viewers. Follow it up with a discussion of colors your audience has noticed indoors and out, and some paper and crayons.
Minerva Louise written and illustrated by Janet Morgan Stoeke c1988 Penguin Young Readers : New York
Minerva Louise is a curious chicken. The house with the red curtains attracts her, so when a window is left open she decides to investigate. Since she is a creature of the farmyard, she is confused by some of the things found in a house. Could logs laid for a fire in the fireplace be a cozy nest? A tricycle looks like a tractor to Minerva Louise, and a flowered bedspread must be a meadow of flowers, that cat sleeping on the sofa could only be a cow…The large, simple pictures and brief text make this suitable for very young children. There are more stories featuring the adventures of Minerva Louise, and they are all just as funny and full of charm.
