The President Who Loved Books

The election is over.  Whether or not the candidate of your choice won, it has ended.  The President will hopefully realize that his was not a landslide victory, and make the effort to work on behalf of those on all sides of the political spectrum.  (In my humble opinion, this is true even if a candidate does enjoy a “landslide victory.”)

Enough said on this subject.  I recently came across a marvelous book that I want to share with everyone.  (Presidents might do well to read it, too!)

Follow young Abe from his birth until his election to the Presidency.  With poetic language and beautiful illustrations, this book–which is more than a biography–describes the times, experiences, and emotions that shaped one of the most fascinating personalities on the American scene since this country’s inception.  Share it with a child in your life.  (For more details, check out my review at www.http://BookAndAGarden.com.

A child can have too many toys, but never enough books. –Jarrett Krosoczka

The Baked Apple, Round Two

Here we go again.  The temperatures are flying high once more.  There are many ways to beat the heat. Make friends with an air conditioner.  Nurse a bottle of water (a good idea in any case).  Park yourself under a shady tree (or, better yet, visit a botanical garden).  Go for a dip.  Spend time in a cool place (like a public library;  you can hang out there as long as you want and don’t have to buy anything!).

Or you can do what I do: wrap yourself up in a cool book.  It’s one pastime that can be enjoyed while partaking of any of the above pleasures.  (Although I don’t recommend reading while swimming.  Books and water don’t mix.)

Like a few suggestions to while away these summery days? Check these out.

Kiyo’s father came to California from Japan in the hopes of building a better life for himself.  He and his wife, together with their nine children, have worked to make their farm a success.  However, with the United States’ entry into World War II and the resultant anti-Japanese sentiment and government policy, the family’s endeavors may have been in vain.  A powerful memoir.

When two Cleveland teenagers envisioned a new comic-book superhero, little did they realize that their creation would become an icon and dramatically change the face of the genre.  Not only did Superman join the fight to protect the weak, he began to use his talents to stand up for what is right and to protest society’s (and the world’s) wrongs.

 

Hal is a wealthy boy who has everything he could ever desire–or at least his parents believe he does.  However, what he really wants is a dog.  But an animal would damage the furniture and carpets, so Hal’s father rents a canine companion on his son’s birthday.  When the boy discovers the dog is missing, and learns what his parents have done, he takes matters into his own hands.  A gem from a master storyteller, published after her passing.  Ages 9-12

One day in 1815, a young man notices that a girl does not joyfully–and noisily–run home from school like other children, and stops to discover the reason: she is deaf.  When he scratches two words in the ground with a stick and the nine-year-old grasps their meaning, a marvelous relationship develops between Thomas Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell.  Not only that, but a new career opens up for the young man: he opens the first school for the deaf in the United States and develops (with the help of a special friend) American Sign Language.  An inspiring story for middle-grade kids.

As always, check out http://bookandagarden.com for great reading ideas for the kids in your world.

It’s Completed!

After months of searching, evaluating, picking other librarians’ and educators’ brains, painful eliminating, and setting some aside “for future consideration,” they are complete–or as complete as they ever will be.  My annual book orders are now in the hands of the book vendor.  It only remains to be seen how this intense experience will bear fruit.

(An aside: I discovered what an efficient book vendor it is–within two weeks of sending off my first list, I arrived at work to discover several boxes with my name on them.  The timing could not have been more perfect, as their arrival coincided with the last day of school before vacation.  The second order, mailed on the final day before the break, might be waiting when I return.)

There are some gems that I am particularly excited about reading.

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu: a contemporary fantasy that should have kids enthralled.

The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister by Linda Ravin Lodding: a little girl whose life is overfull of activities would like some time to be a kid–and play.  Another winner from Flashlight Press.

Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein: family members of the beloved poet, who passed away in 1999, put together this collection of his poems and drawings.

Fire from the Rock by Sharon M. Draper: this novel powerfully describes the experiences and feelings of one of the first Black students to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School in 1957.

The Ogre of Oglefort by Eva Ibbotson: another delightfully unconventional fairy tale by a master, all the more wonderful since it’s one of Eva Ibbotson’s last.

Sugar Changed the World by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos: the story of our fascination with sugar, and how human craving for the sweet stuff has changed lives and societies from early history to the present day.

Those Rebels, John & Tom by Barbara Kerley: a lively biography of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two men who were very different, but who had some very important things in common: their concern for the American colonies and their belief that they should be independent from England.

A joyous and meaningful Passover to all!