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August 10, 2004
In this issue:
Teacher Featured Books (30% off)
Nostalgia and Golden Books
The Edge Chronicles
"Sweet Tooth" by Marge Palatini
"Jungle Drums" by Graeme Base
Kathryn Lasky's "Blood Secret"
"More Perfect Than the Moon"
It's Your Turn!
Greetings from Gaylene,
I have more new books here than I can shake a stick at, and it's hard to
narrow down the list for this newsletter! Since most of you are back at
school soon, I hope you can stay out of the heat and enjoy reading just a
little bit longer! Summer is always too short.
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A new title for our Book of the Week (since it is actually discounted for
two weeks) will be the Teacher Featured Book. This time you are in for a
double discount, because we are featuring companion books that will be
discounted at 30 percent off the regular price. They are also both on the
Fluency List for the schools under the antiphonal reading category. And the
titles are..."You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read
Together" by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Michael Emberley (Little
Brown and Company, ISBN 0316363502 $16.95 regular price, $11.87 with
discount) and its companion book, "You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very
Short Fairy Tales to Read Together" (by the same author/illustrator, and
publisher, ISBN: 0316146110). These books are recommended for ages 6-7 and
use familiar stories or fairy tales with a twist. They are written for two
voices, and the rhythm, alliteration and short sentences make them ideal for
children and adults to enjoy reading together!
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Half the fun of reading is sharing good books with one another. I will be
the first to confess that I have a particular weakness for Little Golden
Books, particularly the old ones. When I was little, my Mom bought us a
book at the grocery store instead of candy (Golden Books cost 10 cents then,
so I guess I'm giving away my age--well maybe those were the ones she bought
my big brother?) We had quite a collection of them. I bought them for my
own kids, as well (by then they were 89 cents) and to this day, some of
their favorite stories from childhood are from Little Golden Books.
Illustrators of many of those early Golden Books, like Eloise Wilkin, Garth
Williams and Richard Scarry, simply can't be beat. We've just received some
new Little Golden Books classics that are available in regular size, boxed
sets, and in large hardcover editions. Take a trip down memory lane and
enjoy a Golden Book again with your favorite small person! They aren't ten
cents anymore, but they are still a bargain and nice to own. The boxed set
includes "Good Night Little Bear", "The Good Humor Man", "The Little Red
Hen", "The Fire Engine", "Animal Orchestra" and "The Lion's Paw". New to
the oversized version of Little Golden Books is Richard Scarry's "The
Animals of Farmer Jones" and "The Golden Sleepy Book" (beautiful!) by
Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Garth Williams.
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A new series to captivate readers in the 9-11 year age range is "The Edge
Chronicles" by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. Originally published in
Great Britain in 1998, they are now available here and will be a favorite
with readers who enjoy fantasy. The Edge is where odd people and scarey
creatures live. In the first book of the series, "Beyond the Deep Woods"
(David Ficklin Books, ISBN 0385 75068 4, $12.95) the main character, Twig,
who has been raised by woodtrolls, realizes he is not actually one of them
and decides to set out to find himself. Along the way he strays from the
path, leading to adventures with bloodthirsty beasts and such.. Book two in
the series, "Stormchaser" (ISBN 0 385 750706) takes Twig into a world of sky
piracy. Fun for fantasy/adventure readers.
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Stewart is a kid I can relate to--he has a sweet tooth, a molar in the back
of his mouth that calls the shots. It is a very loud, very annoying sweet
tooth. Stewart doesn't stand a chance. Marge Palatini has teamed with
illustrator Jack E. Davis to give us one funny story about a little boy with
a "Sweet Tooth" (Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0689 85159 6, $15.95, ages 4-8).
You and your young readers/listeners will laugh as you meet "a tooth that
wants what it wants when it wants it...and lets everybody know it." But
Stewart finally is fed up with being a slave to this sweet tooth and fights
back. This story has a politically correct ending, where the vegetables win
out over the candy bars--not part of my reality, unfortunately, but I'm glad
for Stewart (and it's a better example for kids). After a post baseball
game snack of a carrot, instead of the goodies the tooth demanded, ol'
Mister Sweet Tooth is history and goes to live at Tooth Fairy Headquarters
for Rotten Teeth. A great read aloud book--lots of room for dramatic
interpretation! I plan to get one for my brother in law, the dentist, as
well.
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Little Ngiri is the Smallest warthog in Africa, and he's pretty tired of
being teased about his size. In Graeme Base's new book "Jungle Drums" Ngiri
is given a set of magic drums, sure that his dream of becoming bigger will
now come true. Everyone is in for a big surprise, as the story unfolds with
Base's wonderful illustrations surprising along the way. It's a book to be
read over and over. (Published by Harry N Abrams, ISBN 0-8109-5044-8 $18.95,
recommended for ages 5-6).
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"Blood Secret" by Newbery Honor winner Kathryn Lasky (ISBN 006000066x,
Harper Collins hard cover, $23.99,ages 12 and up) explores the fascinating
journey of Jerry, a girl who has been raised in Catholic orphanages since
her Mother abandoned her while camping in Colorado. Jerry has not spoken a
word aloud since this abandonment, but when she is finally taken to live
with her great, great aunt in New Mexico, a 94 year old who still runs a
bakery business using outdoor ovens, her life begins to change and unfold in
an unexpected direction. As she discovers her family background through
exploring a trunk in the cellar of her aunt's adobe house, the past and
present, reality and dreams become hard to separate. They lead her to the
gradual realization that she is descended from Spanish Jews who suffered
from and fled the Inquisition. After generations, some New Mexican
Catholics still incorporated Jewish traditions into their daily lives, often
not realizing the origin of those traditions, such as lighting candles on
Friday night and having a special meal or never mixing meat and milk
products in a meal. The blend of Indian (both Native American and Aztec)
Hispanic, and Jewish cultures reaching back as far as the 1300s is
encompassed in this story. It is intertwined in a girl's journey from a
world of self imposed silence to a life that embraces others, through her
relationship with her unforgettable aunt, her family's past and identity.
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If you are a fan of "Sarah, Plain and Tall", you will enjoy "More Perfect
Than the Moon" by Patricia MacLachlan, (Joanna Cotler Books ISBN 0060275588,
ages 8-10, $14.99) Cassie is exploring the world of becoming a writer with
her new journal, observing the world around her. What she observes in Mama
is that things are changing.... Mama is expecting a baby. Cassie was hoping
for a new lamb, not a new sister or brother. As she begrudgingly
anticipates the "terrible baby" that is coming, she discovers that her role
in the family is still important, and that the baby might actually be
something positive. A lovely story, especially for children expecting a
sibling.
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Now, enough of what I like. It's your turn! While I know you eagerly wait
to find out the latest in books, we all know there are some books that call
to us from a book shelf or feel like an old friend when we encounter them.
Maybe we like the book because it evokes a specific time or memory, maybe
it's just a great story or has wonderful illustrations. I like to receive
an e mail as much as I like to send one, so if you have time and are
inspired, drop me a note with the name of one of your all time favorite
children's books. I'd love to hear why you like it or what associations
make it special to you. It can be something you read as a child or
something you read to your children or students. Don't worry, this isn't an
assignment, it's just for fun!
I've run out of room and time....so many books, so little time! Enjoy
what's left of your summer and I hope to hear from you!
Until next time,
Gaylene
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