Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Boys have always been attached to their dogs. And Great-Grandfather was attached to Three Names, so called because everyone in the family had a different name for him. Three Names by Patricia MacLachlan isn't so much about the relationship between Great-Grandfather and Three Names, as it is about Three Names being a part of Great-Grandfather's... Continue Reading →
Solveig, her older sister and younger brother, the crown prince, are trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between a narrow fjord and towering mountains. Their father sent them there, along with a band of fierce and restless warriors, to protect them during battle with his sworn enemy. But mysterious things are happening - food missing,... Continue Reading →
Author Arthur Geisert succeeded in writing an engaging picture book using just one word, and that one word is really a sound: oink. Oink is about a mama pig, her litter of piglets and their life on the farm. Geisert's near-black-&-white illustrations are beautifully delicate and detailed in telling the pigs' story. I can imagine... Continue Reading →
One of the great things about books is that they take readers to another time and place, and help us to see the world from a different perspective, whether historical, geographical, or ... I have read some great books which focus on children living with a disability - Follow My Leader, The Cay, The Door in... Continue Reading →
When we first started reading A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, my children and I were rather confused. Throughout the book, Park weaves together the stories of two children who grew up in Sudan. One story starts in 2008, the other starts in 1985. In 2008, Nya walks to the pond twice... Continue Reading →
Rendi has a problem - an attitude problem. In my childhood, a General Bad Attitude (GBA) was grounds for punishment. In Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin, Rendi has run away from home, so his parents aren't around to punish him. Instead, he's forced to work as a chore boy at an inn... Continue Reading →
Every time I read a book by Patricia MacLachlan, I am in awe of her gift of telling simple, yet heartfelt stories. White Fur Flying is no exception. Zoe's family rescues dogs. Not just any dogs, her mother rescues Great Pyrenees, "140 pounds of white fur." (To be honest, I'm not a dog lover, and... Continue Reading →
When I read this book aloud to my children, they were on the edge of their seats, begging me to keep reading. Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy tells the story of Buran, the daughter of a poor merchant in Baghdad. She has six other sisters, and her family despairs... Continue Reading →
I am convinced that no matter how many books are published about the Nazi occupation of Norway, none will be as good as my favorite, Snow Treasure. But many will come close - and The Klipfish Code by Mary Casanova does. At first, I didn't particularly like 12-year-old Marit, the novel's protagonist. At the beginning... Continue Reading →
I rarely read book reviews, but I happened to read one about My Father's Arms are a Boat by Stein Erik Lunde. It describes Lunde's book as "lyrical" - and I can't think of a better way to describe it. Many things are implied in the text - the young boy's anxiety, the father's sorrow,... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 