Who thought Six year old girls were so hard to buy a book for?

I just went shopping for little bit's birthday book to go in her package and realised that she had hit a "stage" that was a little difficult to select a book. The tadpole turned six. She's not a baby anymore but in her half day kindergarten she isn't reading independently yet so she isn't ready for a chapter book. She needed a picture book but not a babyish one. I searched my memory, the web and the local big box book store. I repeatedly phoned her mother with questions. (Has she read this? Does she have that?)

I had scored a hit more than a year ago with "Fancy Nancy" by Jane O'Connor and illustrated sweetly by Robyn Preiss Glasser. Nancy loves everything fancy and her unfancy family lovingly accommodates her. My miniature diva of a granddaughter thought this book was a manual for how to live your life. She even persuaded her mother to redecorate her room to look like Nancy's. "Fancy Nancy" has several sequels (Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy, Fancy Nancy's Favorite Fancy Words, and Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly) Now Nancy has spawned an industry and Nancy mania is in full force in that stores this holiday season. Our little fancy girl bought several of the sequels with her own money and since she doesn't read this blog I can let you know that I was overcome with Fancy Nancyness and bought her this Madam Alexander doll for Christmas. Her mother says that she has begun to outgrow Nancy but still likes her. I do recommend these highly for your 4-6 year old but I was still on the hunt. What book would make my six year old girl's heart happy?

I considered the popular and now a classic, "Angelina Ballerina", by Katherine Hobabird illustrated by Helen Craig. My little bit isn't a dancer but every girly girl thinks she is. Angelina is a little mouse that wants to be a ballet dancer more than anything else. She has many, many sequels. It's the 25th anniversary of "Angelina Ballerina" and a great read for little girls. A phone call to the Mom verified that the tadpole has read most of them at the library. (Drats those library going Mom's.)

I then considered "Toot and Puddle" by Holly Hobbie. If you were alive in the 1970's you could not escape seeing greeting cards, dolls, lunch pails, calenders, clothing and fabrics printed with images of this old fashioned little girl with the big sunbonnet and patchwork apron. In an article profiling Ms. Hobbie in Victoria magazine several years ago she said that she had been under contract to draw the old fashioned little Holly Hobbie girl long after it had stopped being fun. When her contracts expired she only painted for herself and raised her children. When her adult daughter fought a losing battle with cancer that left her bald, pink and referring to herself as "piggie", mom and daughter started sending little notes back and forth illustrated with little pink pigs. Out of these notes Ms. Hobbie created Toot, a pig that loves to travel the world, and Puddle, a pig that loves to stay at home. There are lots of Toot and Puddle books and this year marks the 10th anniversary of the original book. I love these pigs and they are great for preschoolers but they seemed a bit too young also. I was delighted to find a new book, "Fanny" by Holly Hobbie for written especially for girls. Fanny, for whom the book is named, is a delightfully drawn realistic girl (you have to love her tutu over her play clothes). Fanny wants a Connie doll but her Mother will not get her one. Fanny's mother doesn't like how Connie dolls look, (they look suspiciously like Brats dolls.) Fanny solves her problem very creatively. The new hardbound version comes with two precut paper dolls, one you get to color yourself. You'll be happy to know that little bit loved it (and so did her Mama.) I'll post more on this subject as this little kidlet has a cousin a year younger and we need to search for a Christmas book for her.

Series, Series, Series! The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

It's past time for me to offer my opinion on the "Twilight" series. You know - the teen vampire heart throb series that was written by a sweet BYU graduating, Relief Society going, stay at home mom that has pushed "Harry Potter" off the best seller list. It's been an endless source of fascination for the press that covers such things as best selling books that the author, Stephenie Meyer, is a practicing Mormon. It's been a big debate in LDS circles about whether her series is "wholesome and uplifting" or "Satan's ruination of our daughters". If Deseret Book caries the books, doesn't that mean that Sheri Dew, past General LDS Relief Society President, approves? All debate and irony aside, I'm giving it a thumbs up. This is for teens, maybe the "tween" (11, 12yr.) not for the grade school bunch. What's the fuss about?

Bella Swan, new girl in school, falls in love with dreamy classmate, Edward Cullen. Bella finds a "best friend" in Jacob. Jacob loves Bella. Oh, Edward is a vampire and Jacob is a Native American werewolf. Double oh! The werewolves came into existence to protect the mortal population from the vampires and the family group of vampires Edward is part of have vowed to not feed only on animals, not people, so they are "good" vampires.

There are many vampire romance novels; most in paperback, and even many vampire love stories for teens. That this one captured the best seller lists is a bit unusual. You can't be a best seller with just teens, you need adults also. One reason this series is so popular may be that Stephenie Meyer's writing style puts the story first, much like the straight-forward style of Stephen King. The story flows quickly and once you start, you'll be in danger of staying up all night reading instead of getting the beauty sleep you need to work or study.

Originally marketed as a trilogy, the end of book three, "Eclipse", left me unhappy and fed up with Bella. Bella is engaged to Edward but still feeling connected to Jacob. (There's a lot of action and intrigue I've left out; let's say I'm not going to produce any spoilers.) I felt Bella had started the series emotionaly detached from her family and any mortal friend and by the end of book three "Eclipe" she hasn't grown or changed in any way. Edward, and his "family" of vampires all became vampires because of tragic circumstances and had no choice in the transformation. Bella's desire to give up mortal life and become a vampire seems to me to be a choice only an immature teen would make.

I even thought up my own ending: Edward, assisted by Jacob, would be destroyed (by the wicked Italian vampires) while heroically saving Bella. Jacob would step in to comfort Bella and in time Bella would recover from her grief and come to love Jacob, who has selflessly been just what Bella needs because he is "imprinted" (you'll have to read the series) on her. Bella grows, connects with the living, she and the ever patient Jacob marry, children appear and the natural order of life goes on.

The first weekend in August I was at the bookstore to pick up the first copies of the final volume, "Breaking Dawn". Stephenie's resolution of Bella, Edward and Jacob's tale let Bella grow, Edward survive, Jacob fulfilled and let me put the finished book down satisfied.

One last comment: If I had only one literary work for my child or myself to read this wouldn't be it! But to take to the lake, or hunker down on a snow day; it's great escape fantasy.

More Boys Books

No Talking


by Andrew Clements.

If you haven't discovered Andrew Clements your kids are missing out! Boys and girls can both identify with his stories of realistic modern day kids. I think he's the Beverly Cleary for the 21st century.

In No Talking, an incorrigible group of 5th graders takes the battle of the sexes to heart with the boys battling the girls to see who could talk the least. A big task for a group of students that had been known as the "unshushables" since kindergarten. I thought this would be perfect for my 5th grade Hunter's birthday book and any grade school student would love to see how Dave, a "certified loud mouth", decides to use Mahatama Ghandhi as an example. Teachers, the principal and the entire school are involved in this thoughtful and fun book aimed at age 8-12.

I had checked with Hunters mom to see what he had read and not read but on receiving this Hunter informed us that his teacher had read it to them. If I was a 5th grade teacher with a loud class this would be first on my list. I'm not sure that we should accuse Hunter of any sort of bad behavior but. . .

Hunter gave this book a big thumbs up.

I promise more reviews for Andrew Clements.

Inkheart

I just bought Inkspell by Cornelia Funke and can't wait to get to it. For all our groupies out there, the homestead is getting the master shower replaced so Handsome Hunk thinks that I should be caulking and taping wallboard instead of making a nest of pillows and reading until 2:00 am. (I'm the one that pushed us to replace the shower so this is a just punishment.) Inkspell is the sequel to Inkheart which is a book that has got rave reviews and I can only add my raves to theirs. I first encountered Cornelia Funke when The Thief Lord was published in the USA in 2002. Cornelia Funke was already a bestselling children's author in Germany and The Thief Lord was her first english publication. I wasn't that captivated by The Thief Lord. I thought that if Funke sold more childrens books in Germany than any any other author except J.K. Rollings and R.L. Stine then Germany must have pretty poor pickens for their larvel units to read. Inkheart won me over.

I realalized that I needed to reread Inkheart so I could be in the proper frame of mind for the "rest of the story". I loved the intensity of this book. It's a gripping - can't put it down read but it's also a love poem to reading. Each chapter starts with a quote from a well known book. The main charactor is a twelve year old girl named Meggie who loves books. Her single father whom she has always called by his name, Mo, repairs and rebinds old and sometimes valuable books. When Meggie discovers a sinister man, Dustfinger, outside their home her father packs their van and flees to a book collecting crazed aunt's home in Italy (all the actioin takes place in Europe, mostly in Italy). Meggie's father is abducted from the aunts home by an unknown gang and she and her aunt must find a way to rescue him.

What they will find is that Mo has a powerful talent. What he reads out loud comes to life. He has "read" into existence a villan that wants to dominate our world and needs Mo's unusual reading abilities to accomplish it. Meggie must find a way to save her father, find what happened to her mother and keep herself alive.

Funke writes in a style called "magical realism", where real magic occurs to everyday people. She is also an author that never dumbs down things for children. Everything, especially magic, has consequences. Imagine that you, like Mo, could "read" things into life. With all the literature in the world available what, if anything, would you read out loud? Funke was a social worker in Germany before becoming a full time author and I think that is why she knows that the world is not always a safe and happy place but she writes hopeful and positive stories without resorting to emotional manipulation.

The craving to get to Inkspell has just gotten worse. I've found out that this is a trilogy! Inkdeath is the name of the third book and since her books are translated into english - IT's ALREADY IN PRINT IN GERMANY. There is also a movie version of Inkheart that looks like it will come out at the end 2008.

By the way, Cornelia Funke pronounces her name FOONK-eh. Various bios say that she now lives at least part of the time in Los Angeles and she likes how American children pronounce her name (we tend to pronounce it FUNKY).

More Board Books, or, What Baby Will Got For His 1st Birthday!

I'm in love with two author/illustrators that are new to me that do books for the very young that are currently in board book editions. My littlest (for now) desendendant turned one yesterday. Since he can't read this blog I can tell all what he got.

The first author I found for Will is Olivier Dunrea. I'm in love with his series for the very young about a group of barnyard goslings. Gossie is where I started. Will also got Ollie and Ollie the Stomper. In simplest form these charming books have drama, conflict and plot. This is literature refined!

I love how kind the goslings are to each other. Toddlers will recognize themselves. Dunrea is so loveable you'll have to also check out his books Gossie and Gertie, Peedie, and BooBoo that continue the gosling theme.

The other author is Mick Inkpen. His books on a little dog, Kipper have been turned into a TV series. Kipper is OK but I've never been over the moon over the books or the series, (I know - I' ve never been a dog person) but Inkpen has done another shorter series around a little pig. I know that Kipper is the TV star, but my heart belongs to Wibbly Pig. Each Wibbly Pig book asks a toddler appropriate question that is sure to stimulate deep thoughts with your little one. I found Wibbly Pig is Happy, in board book format but couldn't find It's Bedtime Wibbly Pig! as a board book. I got it in a larger format hardbound. Several of these books were listed as out of stock by both Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. I'm going to order Wibbly Pig likes Bananas from abebooks.com just because it reminds me when his father loved bannanas as a toddler.

Board Books - So you want to buy an infant a book?

Do babies really like books? When I was a new and very enthusiastic mom I was going to gift my precious spawn with literary gifts as soon as she was released from the womb, or at least as soon as she could motor around and pay attention. I read her poems from Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verse while she took her bath. She was not impressed, or receptive. She only wanted to drink the bathwater, splash on Mommy and talk. Could that kid talk! I switched to Shel Silverstein. Who wouldn’t like “Are wild strawberries really wild”? She splashed, drank bathwater and talked. She had a peculiar reaction to books. If I held her and tried to read a story, she wanted to rip the book to pieces and chew (well “gum”) the pieces. She attacked every book she could find with ravenous intensity. I wondered if she lacked trace minerals or was suffering from pica. I couldn’t find many books that were sturdy enough for her to handle so since I owned a suck and seal appliance I started sealing magazine pictures in food storage bags. She was delighted. She apparently did not have to rip the pages to pieces to satisfy her cravings, just crumple and tear and stuff them in her mouth. It was a fun toy, but I couldn’t claim that she was getting an introduction to literature.

Since I’ve had a chance to practice on many, many other children since she was a larva I’ve gotten better at finding and picking books for the very young. Search “board books” and you’ll find over 1,350 titles listed at Barnes and Nobel. What is a board book? A board book is a format like hardbound, paperback, etc. The pages are hard cardboard that is supposed to be easier for a small child to hold and turn the pages. It also has the added benefit that your beloved toddler can chew or toss it without readily damaging the book. Often a board book is another edition of a popular picture book. Sometimes what is marketed as a board book is really a toy. The mother of this kind is Pat the Bunny, by Dorothy Kunhard. Pat the Bunny spawned lots of books that assume that a small child’s world is so devoid of texture that is we don’t give them some sandpaper and some fake fur to “touch” their brain will not evolve beyond the level of a blueberry. Great literature it’s not but Pat the Bunny is a perennial best seller and loved by many.

Following is my guidelines for books for the youngest set that you can find in board format.

The text should be short, rhythmic and simple enough for very young children. Rhymes are great and rug rats adore repetition. The text of the book has to hold the attention of a squirmy lap dweller. My litmus test – can you memorize the whole book? If you pick a winner the kid will have it memorized, but this may be just because you will have read it to them 100 million times. Read them the U. S. Constitution as often as you read their favorite book and they will be able to go on David Letterman as the youngest prodigy ever to recall the entire U. S. Constitution. You will be proud, your parents will weep, your state will award you the best parent in the word award. Silly Sally, written and illustrated by the wonderful Audrey Wood is a great example of good text. The words are more complex than some books for infants but even the littlest love the rhymes and rhythm. You’ll be chanting “Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards upside down . . .” at inappropriate times, so will your offspring but there will be no David Letterman, no awards. (Why is the world so unfair?) There are books that are just pictures or very few words. The theory is that if you can’t read you can get the story from the pictures. The Good Dog Carl by Alexander Day series is an example. I think there should be words but Carl may be an exception.

Great Pictures: This is a picture book format, which means the pictures are part of the story, not just an illustration. I like simple but beautiful pictures. I’m not fond of photos in this format. If you want baby to see a bunny, go find a bunny. They could even pat the bunny. Way more benefit than looking at a photo of a bunny. (This is just me being dictatorial.) Styles come and go and are very personal. I’m not fond of the illustrations in Goodnight Moon but I never see a tot that isn’t mesmerized by it.

What size should you look for? There isn’t a standard size but board books tend to be smaller than a normal picture book. I like the “medium” size, about seven by five inches, give or take a few because a toddler can hold it themselves. Board format books are easier to cut into shapes, so we can have a book shaped like a house, a daisy or cut around a pig. This can be fun but may not contribute anything. Some of my favorite board books are retelling of old rhymes and in one edition illustrated by Moria Kempthey you can get I'm A Little Teapot, Round and Round the Garden, and they have a built in handle. The edition without the handle is just as fun. There are bigger board books, sometimes called “lap books” or “giant format” books. I guess if you have triplets it’s easier for everyone to see if the book is bigger but I think it’s hard for a small child to handle. There are “miniature” books also (they are often the size of a post-it and often sold in sets) but they don’t have much room for words or pictures.

Trust your gut. If you love it you’ll want to read it to the larva. Your enthusiasm may rub off. I'll be posting my favorites (in addition to those listed here) later.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

A few years ago Handsome Hunk and I wanted to haul the brood over miles and miles of pavement so we could commune with another of our offspring. I love a road trip! Cramming a college Freshman, one high school coed and baby boy (2nd grade), into a car for 10 hours with their parental units is my reason for living. In order to prevent bloodshead, I shopped for snacks and then Eureka! I decided we needed a Book-On-Tape. We would eat squeezy cheese and be amused and enlighted while Handsome Hunk piloted us in style. I don't know if it was divine intuition, dumb luck or my uncanny ability to assertain the best books by speed reading them standing up in my local warehouse-o-books; but I scored! I bought Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. We listened. (I know that people add music to their blogs - I don't know how so you should now imagine heavenly choirs singing) Note all the wonders that flowed from this inspired act (and about 20 bucks US):

1. Peace and harmony prevailed the entire trip.

2. Handsome Hunk became converted to the whole Book-on-Tape concept. Every road trip taken by the brood must be accompied by a Book-on-Tape ( or now a CD). Our family may well be the reason this industry is florishing or that it still survives.

3. The 2nd grader is now Big Man On Campus (High School Senior) and a volunteer at the grade school (be still my heart). His first assignment - read to the kiddlets. He chose Hatchet. The big football lug got misty eyed about sharing the best book ever with short people.

4. Former college freshman is now a College Graduate. (I'm sure because he was exposed to fine literature).

5. Friends of the brood, broodlets (aka grandchildren) have played the tapes until the cover is tattered. I've got my +$20 worth.

6. Many book reports were written. Good grades received. ACT scores were raised.

If you haven't discovered Gary Paulsen, he's the award winning author of numerous books for kids. Hatchet may be his most famous book. If you've got a male child who's a reluctant middle grade reader - Hatchet is one of the best books to lure him in with. If your male offspring love to read - he'll still like it. Girls and Moms like Hatchet. Note that this was a tale that rivited the whole brood.

In real life the author, Paulsen, is a perfect guys guy. Racing dogsleds in the Artic, sailing around the world, living in the woods with only a hatchet and his brains are just a few of his real life accomplishments, so his numerous books are full of tough guys that do the same. But, he's a tough guy that WRITES CHILDREN'S BOOKS! It boggles the mind.

In Hatchet, 13 year old Brian becomes stranded in the Canadian woods with only his clothing and a small hatchet his mother had given him. His parents are divorcing and Brian has been sent via a small plane to visit his father. Everyone's worst fear is played out. The pilot suffers a heart attack, the plane crashes and this city boy is on his own in the wilderness. Brian has to learn how to survive. My favorite part is when Brian realizes that worrying, crying or being depressed are reactions that don't help. It's not that this is bad or evil, but it doesn't feed you, or keep you warm and safe. I preach and preach at my brood to not whine, but Brian does it so much better. The Brood and Handsome Hunk liked it because Paulsen packs this with heart-in-your mouth action and suspense.
Hatchet was so beloved Paulsen gave us sequels. In Hatchet Brian is saved after almost 3 months, but Brian's Winter is a retelling of the story with the premise that he wasn't saved and he has to survive in the woods through a Canadian winter. In The River Brian, now 15 is asked to return to the same wilderness to help researchers learn about the psychology of survival. Brian's Return and The Hunt continue his adventures in the outdoors.

Warnings and disclaimers:

I didn't have any problem with a larva as young as 7 or 8 reading (or being read) this story but when I recommended it to my sister for her son she was concerned about the story line of Brian's parent's divorce. She's a mental health specialist and more sensitive to a larval human's inner feelings than myself, your beloved critic.

If your kid liked this book they may like:

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Another survival in the wilderness story but written in 1959. Also a Newberry book. This one also has spawned sequels.

Anything by Gary Paulsen or Jean Craighead George