Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look and illustrated by Meilo So tells the story of Wu Daozi, one of China's greatest painters. As with all historical great figures, his story has been enlarged and exaggerated, although his artistic ability was not. Look writes a fictional account of Daozi's life, based upon references in Chinese... Continue Reading →
The friendship between General George Washington & the Marquis de Lafayette is legendary. Author Selene Castrovilla tells the story of their first meeting in Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. She starts at the moment Lafayette is in City Tavern in Philadelphia, ready to meet his hero, George Washington. She then... Continue Reading →
I so thoroughly enjoyed The Cay by Theodore Taylor that when I discovered Timothy of the Cay, I pounced on it. "Kids, look!" I cried. "Remember The Cay? Here's a prequel-sequel." "What does that mean?" they asked. Good question, I thought. What is a prequel-sequel? It's a masterfully-written story, telling Timothy's story before he ended... Continue Reading →
Imagine growing up in the wilderness, with no adults to care for you, feed you or clothe you. Imagine sleeping outside all the time - winter and summer - not knowing any other human being or knowing how to talk. In 1797 in southern France, mountain villagers returned home with what sounded like a crazy... Continue Reading →
Unspoken, A Story from the Underground Railroad, a picture book by Henry Cole, is an unusual book. First, Cole illustrated it with graphite illustrations - no color on the page, except the ocher yellow of the paper itself. While a tad plain, Cole's drawings are striking - full of detail and emotion which draw the... 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 →
Like every other 12-year-old, Jim Davis longs for thrills and adventures. And unwittingly, he finds it when he comes across a ring of pirates. These pirates aren't friendly, swash-buckling type. They are serious smugglers. At first, Jim finds them to be friendly and interesting. But his 'friend' Marah turns out to be more dangerous than... Continue Reading →
Eastern legends tell the story of Princess Shahrazad, who told the sultan a story every night for a 1,000 nights to prevent the Sultan from killing a new wife every night. What stories did she tell? Where did she find her stories? These questions are explored in Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher. Marjan catches Shahrazad's... 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 →
Anna Comnena grew up in the palace. Her parents, and her grandmother, groomed her to succeed her father as emperor. She was very secure in her position - until her brother was born. At first, his brith meant nothing. Her father, as emperor, could choose his successor, and he had chosen her. But as her... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 