Sometimes courage, friendship and perseverance can be separate qualities. Sometimes, though, those qualities can be connected. Helping kids understand this can be as easy as reading the right books, such as the ones reviewed today.
Give kids the advantage of untangling some of the more complex issues of what it is to be human: read.
Books to borrow
The following book is available at many public libraries.
“Thank You, Mr. Falker” written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco, Philomel, 40 pages.
Read aloud: age 6 and older.
Read yourself: age 8 and older.
Based on Polacco’s own childhood, this beautiful story shares the pain of having a learning disability and the joy of overcoming it.
At first, Trisha loved school, but when she realized she had great difficulty reading, she began to feel dumb. Letters and numbers looked like wiggling shapes, and her classmates made fun of her. Trisha not only felt stupid, but her self-image was very poor.
It wasn’t until fifth grade that help arrived. With gentle guidance and perseverance, her teacher worked with Trisha and helped her overcome her problem and in turn, helped her realize that she wasn’t at all dumb.
An outstanding story of courage, this is Polacco’s heartfelt thanks to the teacher who made her life whole, and a message of gratitude to all of the teachers who do the same for their students.
Librarian’s choice
Library: Hamburg Public Library, 35 N. Third St., Hamburg.
Library director: Daniel LaRue.
Children’s librarian: Rebecca Hartman.
Choices this week: “Lulu the Big Little Chick” by Paulette Bogan; “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White; “The Kindness Club: Chloe On the Bright Side” by Courtney Sheinmel.
Books to buy
The following books are available at favorite bookstores.
“The End of the World and Beyond” by Avi, Algonquin Young Readers, 2019, 328 pages, $16.95 hardcover.
Read aloud: ages 8-12.
Read yourself: ages 9-12.
In 1725, young Oliver Cromwell Pitts had been convicted as a thief and instead of being hanged was sentenced to leave England with other prisoners and transported to the American Colonies, where he would be purchased and enslaved as an indentured servant for seven years.
Oliver’s beloved older sister, Charity, was given the same sentence, but at the last minute the two were separated and put on different sailing vessels.
Oliver’s foremost goal was to be reunited with his sister, but with no knowledge where her ship was going, Oliver was faced with more immediate dire circumstances: survival. Conditions onboard were horrendous, and the voyage was met with dangerous storms threatening to sink the ship. Having finally crossed the ocean, Oliver thought the worst was over, but he was wrong.
Purchased by the filthy, cruel Fitzhugh, Oliver finds his new home on Fitzhugh’s tobacco plantation outside of Annapolis, Md. It was immediately made clear by Fitzhugh that if Oliver didn’t do exactly as he was told or tried to run away, Fitzhugh would kill him.
Oliver met the only other person on the plantation, the enslaved boy named Bara, and the two, unbeknownst to Fitzhugh, became friends. Their fervent wish was to escape. Oliver was desperate to find his sister, and Bara wanted to be united with the community of free black people supposedly living deep in the swamp beyond detection. It would take great courage to put their plan in motion and face the grave dangers that were before them, and a different kind of courage to part from one another.
The companion to the first Oliver Cromwell Pitts book, “The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts,” this choice is every bit as exciting and filled with nonstop action. A story of courage, friendship and perseverance, it is everything you’d expect and more from the masterful, award-winning author Avi.
“Love, Z” written and illustrated by Jessie Sima, Simon & Schuster, 2018, 42 pages, $17.99 hardcover.
Read aloud: ages 3-7.
Read yourself: age- 6-7.
Z was a young robot who loved going on adventures. One day while out exploring, Z found a half-buried bottle with a message in it, but the only part of the message that hadn’t been ruined by water were two words at the bottom: “Love, Beatrice.”
Z didn’t know what love meant and he didn’t know anyone named Beatrice. Still, Z felt those two words were important somehow. At home, Z asked the old, rusty robots what love was, but they all replied they didn’t know. Determined to discover the answer, Z decided the person who would definitely know what love meant was Beatrice, and he set out to find her and the answer.
What he discovered was far more than he anticipated.
A wonderful story of love and determination, “Love, Z” oozes with good stuff all around.
Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children’s literature. She can be reached at kendal@sunlink.net and kendal.rautzhan27@gmail.com.
