Wonder

Wonder is counted among the best novels I've ever read, not just the best middle-grade novels. This story is original, relevant, and gracefully told in a way that it transcends genre. I would, of course, recommend it for middle-grade students. I especially recommend it for teenagers. But I also recommend it for adults even if you ordinarily hate middle-grade novels. Try this one. My own children were so engrossed that we read the entire book aloud over 5 days during the summer. They never wanted me to put it down!

"I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks." ~ Auggie Pullman

August (Auggie) Pullman is born with facial deformities, among other problems, requiring him to have multiple surgeries as a young child and resulting in his being homeschooled for many years because of the numerous medical procedures and others reactions to his looks. At the beginning of Wonder, he is encouraged by his parents to try a brick-and-mortar school. As he eventually decides to give school a chance, the predictable varied development of relationships with classmates ensues. Wonder is told from several different points-of view, and the struggles of each character are thoughtfully and carefully refined.

What I did not expect from this novel was the sense of empathy invoked. I'm not easily given to strong emotions, but I found myself nearly in tears many times. Not just because of how a 5th grader with facial deformities is treated, but because of how Auggie's interests, thoughts, feelings, desires, and ambitions are truly like my own children's. I could see them in his voice and could hardly bear the thought that some unkind soul could possibly treat them the way Auggie was often treated. With so much talk of bullying in schools today, this is an invaluable resource to teach kindness and compassion for everyone.

**An excellent interview with the author is available on NPR's website.

Betsy-Tacy

For more than a year now, Elizabeth and I have been slowly reading through the Betsy-Tacy series, whenever we have a few minutes to read together. The book begins in the early 1900s when Betsy and Tacy are 5 years old. Elizabeth was 11 when we began reading the first book, and I feared that she might think the book about 5 year old friends too juvenile for her advanced 11 years. I needn't have worried. She and I both were immediately caught up in the delight of Betsy's and Tacy's world.

Hill Street came to regard them almost as one person. Betsy’s brown braids went with Tacy’s curls, Betsy’s plump legs with Tacy’s spindly ones, to school and from school, up hill and down, on errands and in play. So that when Tacy had the mumps and Betsy was obliged to journey alone, saucy boys would tease her: Where’s the cheese, apple pie?” Where’s the mush, milk?” As though she didn’t feel lonesome already! ~ Betsy-Tacy

The language is beautiful, full of colorful early-1900s phrases and descriptions, and the illustrations by Lois Lenski fit the characters perfectly. The entire Betsy-Tacy series reminds me of what the Little House books might have been if the Ingalls family lived in a town instead of on the prairie.

Now that we are on the 5th book in the series, I can really appreciate how Maud Hart Lovelace expands their world over the years, from just their homes and street at ages 5-6 to the neighborhood beyond theirs at age 8 to the high school with its expansion of friends and activities. I also appreciate that it gives me a gentle book to introduce my own fledgling teenage girl to the world of boys and relationships with the innocence of that time. When we read the line, "she tried to conceal her gratification at having a masculine escort", Elizabeth and I laughed and laughed. Some of the language and even the perspective of that time just sounds so foreign and humorous to us now.

We didn't begin reading with a nice vintage set like some of the photos I've seen, but after an inexpensive Kindle purchase for the first book, we bought the Betsy-Tacy Treasury for the next few books. Since then we've stuck with that printing of the series, although you can get the first book, which I would highly recommend as a read aloud for any boy or girl between the ages of 5-10, for a bargain at Amazon right now.

Along Came a Dog

As a rather recent fan of Meindert DeJong, I just finished his Along Came a Dog as a read-aloud to the kids. I was already planning to blog about this book, as we enjoyed it immensely, but when Philip decided to use it for a school assignment in which he had to dress as a book character and perform a commercial for that book, I thought I'd use his commercial as part of my post.

From the perspective of the farmer:

I am a farmer, and I own a chicken farm. One spring, when I came to the chicken coop to let them out, the little red hen’s toes froze off because it was so cold. All the other chickens started pecking at her and tried to kill her because she had no toes. I made her some rubber flippers to help her walk, but they didn’t work very well so I sewed them to my jacket to help her perch on my shoulder. Then one day a dog came to the farm. He looked like a wild dog so I took him to the woods and left him. Then a few days later, the dog came back. I took him even farther into the woods. The next day, the dog came back again. The rooster was dead and the little red hen disappeared so I thought the dog killed them. When I next saw the dog, I realized he was a hero. To find out how that happened, you’ll have to read, Along Came a Dog.

This book is nearly 200 pages, but only divided into 10 chapters so we read it rather quickly. I would recommend it for any child or family who is interested in farming or farm animals. The insight into the world of chicken farming was thorough and fascinating. The relationship between the dog trying to adopt the farm and the red hen is tender and protective. I would recommend this book for upper elementary school as the world of chicken farming can be fraught with danger and several of the chickens in this book fall into some peril. However, the book is very well written. The suspense surrounding the dog lasts until nearly the end of the book but is rewarding in its completion. We're ready to try another DeJong book as a family read-aloud very soon.

A Long Walk to Water

I read this book in one evening about two weeks before Christmas when I needed a break from the craziness. Short, at little more than 100 pages, it could be a good book for a reluctant reader. Although it isn't a long book, it is packed with action, and every chapter has another major event.

The book follows 2 parallel stories, both in Sudan, one in 2008, the other beginning in 1985, and is based on true events. Both of the main characters are inspiring and resilient in their respective walks. This book could certainly bring some much needed perspective to today's youth.

Both stories are incredibly difficult, although one is definitely fraught with more anguish, hardship, and death than the other. The end is redeeming and ties the stories together nicely leaving an inspiring taste in one's mouth. Although I highly recommend this book for middle-to-high school aged children, I probably wouldn't recommend this for the under-12 set unless you have a particularly mature child. The action can be intense and difficult at times.

favorite Christmas books

Last week I shared several of our favorite Nativity books, and this week, I thought I'd share several of our favorite more general Christmas books. Most of these have felt the love in our house for many years and still stand the test of time (and older children).

Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury is Finn's very favorite book from our Christmas book basket. He loves several of these stories and we read them over and over every year. This book also include a few of her more general winter stories, so we leave this book out through the whole winter. Of the Christmas stories, Christmas Trolls and The Wild Christmas Reindeer are his favorites. I did an entire post on this book a few years ago, if you'd like to read more about it.

Of course, what Christmas book basket would be complete without dear old Charlie Brown. We acquired this version of the Charlie Brown Christmas story at Kohl's several years ago, although a quick search on Amazon shows there are many to choose from.

One Snowy Night is one of the few remaining board books in our house. I asked Finn this year if he was ready to part with it. NO! With a hedgehog, which we love, and cold winter's days, a snuggly warm hat, and very sweet gift-giving among friends, this remains a well-loved Christmas book.

Great Joy, by Kate DiCamillo, one of my favorite authors, is a tender-hearted tale of a girl discovering the true meaning of Christmas. It does have Nativity references, but the story is one of love, peace, and goodwill toward men, which is why I included it here. Bagram Ibatoulline, who also illustrated DiCamillo's Edward Tulane, does a fantastic job with the illustrations here as well.

The Tomtes' Christmas Porridge has only been in our collection for a couple of years. My kids love stories about elves, tomtes, gnomes, and other such creatures. This story, about the traditional Christmas porridge that tomtes are supposed to receive for helping on the farm, doesn't fail to delight. Sven Nordqvist has great attention to detail in his illustration, which my kids love to ponder and search.

Findus at Christmas, from Nordqvist's more popular Findus and Pettson series, is another favorite here. The story flows so smoothly from the mishap at the beginning, to the hijinks that ensue, to the ending full of neighborly love and Christmas spirit. As always, we laugh raucously at the detailed and hilarious illustrations.

And last, but certainly not least, Christmas in Noisy Village. If I had to pick one favorite book of Finn's childhood so far, that all of the kids have enjoyed at some point, it would be Children of Noisy Village. A chapter book of a group of children in Sweden is sweet, but not saccharin, and simple, but not dull. Christmas in Noisy Village is essentially an illustrated book of the Christmas section from Children of Noisy Village. I wrote more about all of the Noisy Village books here.

What are your favorite Christmas books?

favorite Nativity books

Our Christmas book basket has grown quite full over the years, and I am often asked for recommendations for good Christmas books. I thought I might resurrect this blog starting with a series of Christmas book posts. To begin, I have a list of our favorite Nativity books.

Room for a Little One has been a favorite for several years. I love the soft illustrations and the gentle interaction between the animals; animals that generally do not behave kindly toward one another. The pinnacle in which the animals are able to witness the birth of Christ is quite sweet.

The Christmas Bird is a newer (to us) favorite. Although out of print, you can find plenty of used copies for a reasonable price. Bernadette Watts has been a favorite illustrator of mine for years, and she does not disappoint in this book. The story of Katya taking her favorite toy, a wooden bird whistle, to the baby King, makes it easy for children to identify with Katya and understand her frustration when the predictable mishaps appear along the journey.

Margaret Wise Brown's Christmas In the Barn is more suited to the younger set. My own children have largely outgrown it. I include it here because the story is sweet, the text simple, and the illustrations plenteous, perfect for keeping the attention of toddlers and preschoolers.

The Christmas Star is probably Finn's favorite in the stack. The silver and gold foil pictures appearing on every page definitely captures a child's attention. The watercolor illustrations are quite lovely as well. This book appears to only be available in board book right now, but numerous used copies of the hardback are available.

The next 2 in the stack are favorites purely on their artistic merit. Both use the Scriptures as their text. I can't say that any of my children would choose them if I asked them to pick a Nativity book from the stack. The stained glass illustrations in Bethlehem are exquisite. And the Scripture chosen to accompany each one is perfect.

Juan Wijngaard's The Nativity, also narrated with Scripture, reminds me of the Russian and Greek icons I bought in Rome many years ago. Each illustration a work of art in its own right, I've found it to be the perfect read for Christmas Eve.

Lastly, a favorite of nearly all my children at varying times is Away in a Manger. The all seemed to connect to the illustration of a beloved Christmas carol. I have to sing my way through this book, of course, instead of reading it. In the evening, around the Christmas tree, it creates a lovely end to the day.

The Jazz Fly

Our household was first introduced to The Jazz Fly shortly after Elizabeth started kindergarten 6 years ago.  She came home raving about a book that her teacher had been reading.  We found the title and she begged that we buy it because she really wanted her brothers to hear the scat-singing fly.

I found this book to be a bit of a challenge to read aloud initially, so fortunately the book comes with a cd to help you navigate all of the "ZA-baza, BOO-zaba, ZEE-zah RO-ni" and other phrases.  Once you practice a few times, the book is really a joy to read aloud.  

I really appreciate the introduction to jazz music and rhythm here.  The fly's scat singing, as well as the pictures of the Jazz Bugs and their snazzy outfits, really makes for a lovely inauguration into jazz for little ones.