Book Review: 26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola (1999)

26 Fairmount Avenue was published in 1999, and it was awarded a Newbery Honor in 2000. Written by beloved children’s illustrator Tomie DePaola, this is a memoir about the year his family built and moved into their new house on Fairmount Avenue. In child-like voice, dePaola tells of his experiences surviving the 1938 hurricane and seeing Disney’s Snow White in the movie theater. He tells of his favorite actresses, Mae West and Shirley Temple, and his rejection of kindergarten after discovering he won’t learn to read until first grade. Most of all, he conveys his love for his extended family.

There are a few biographies at this reading level, but no other memoirs that I can think of, so this book is already a rare gem in that sense, and the writing makes it even more so. DePaola clearly remembers his childhood very well, and he is very good at reflecting upon it with an eye and an ear for what would appeal to today’s child reader. Though much of the information is filtered through an adult sensibility that knows how to organize and explain it, the entire book reads as though the reader is trading stories with another kid. The narrative voice is really perfect for the beginning chapter audience, but it is also written in an artistic style that is suitable for reading aloud.

On a personal note, I enjoyed this book’s authentic representation of growing up in a Catholic family. As with all other details about young Tomie and his family, their religious faith is simply presented as another fact of their lives. Though it does not seem that the religious content would turn off a non-religious reader, it is nice for young Catholic readers to see their beliefs represented in positive ways, and especially by an author they probably already know and love.

This book is a perfectly gentle introduction to 20th century history for the newest readers. The follow-up titles, of which there are seven, are also worthwhile reads.

Fumbling Through Fantasy: The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (1872)

Princess Irene is eight years old, and lives in a large castle-like house in the countryside with only her nurse, Lootie, for company. (Her father, the king, is often away, and her mother is dead.) Irene is very sheltered, because, although she is not aware of them, subterranean goblins lurk in the mountains outside of her home, lying in wait to exact revenge on the humans who have banished them. One rainy day, Irene goes exploring in the halls of the castle, and she comes upon a beautiful woman with a spinning wheel sitting in a tower room. The woman identifies herself as the princess's great-great-grandmother for whom  Irene was named. After this meeting, things change for Irene. The very next day, she convinces Lootie to keep her out much later than normal, and the two meet Curdie, the son of miners, who has the gift of driving away goblins by reciting verse. After Curdie recues Irene and Lootie from goblins on that night, he goes onto uncover a plan that endangers the princess. At the same time, Irene becomes better acquainted with her grandmother, who ultimately enables her to save Curdie as well.

Considering that this book was published in 1872, I was surprised to find that it made for fairly quick reading. This is helped significantly by the fact that the author addresses the reader directly at the start of the story, helping to ease the reader out of the real world and into the fantasy world he has created. (I am someone who usually has a hard time understanding any world which does not directly mirror the real one, so this sort of slow immersion in the princess's world was very helpful for me.) The descriptions, though somewhat old-fashioned in tone, paint beautiful pictures of the author's vision of Irene herself, her nursery, the mines where Curdie's family works, Irene's grandmother, and Curdie's own parents. It is also easy to conjure up grotesque images of what the goblins must look like, which adds just enough of a sense of fear to the reading experience to be fun without causing nightmares.

There is a ton of Christian imagery in this book, and though I knew to look for it, many of the references are so subtle, that I know I didn't grasp their full meaning on this first read-through. The theme of believing without seeing is the most overtly religious message in the book, but there are also hints at the importance of love, forgiveness, and keeping one's word that certainly support a Christian worldview. I don't think I enjoyed this much as I have enjoyed the Narnia or Lord of the Rings books, but I could certainly how it would have influenced Lewis and Tolkien in their own work, and I definitely think readers who enjoy Lewis and Tolkien will also love MacDonald.

In terms of sharing this book with kids, I would say it is appropriate for kids as young as four or five to hear as a read-aloud, but I would caution against having this be their only experience with the book. This is a story that has many layers and can be appreciated differently at different developmental levels.

I have some unanswered questions left after finishing this book, and I suspect it will probably be necessary for me to read the sequel, The Princess and Curdie, in order to find out their definitive answers.

Reading with Little Miss Muffet and Little Bo Peep: December 2015

Miss Muffet's ABCs

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Miss Muffet can recite the entire alphabet. She doesn't do it on demand, and she instantly stops if you catch her, but I often see her poring over an alphabet book, carefully saying the names of the letters. She does not yet associate the letter names with their shapes, but I suspect it won't be long. Some of her recent favorite alphabet books are:

• Jane Foster's ABC (our beloved review copy from Little Bee Books)
• Alpha by Isabelle Arsenault (an illustrated version of the NATO phonetic alphabet)
• My Best Ever: ABC Alphabet Book (a favorite from back in August)
• Winnie the Pooh Alphabet Book Bag (a birthday gift from Grandpa)

She is also really into the African Alphabet song from Sesame Street, which I used to sing to her a cappella, and which we now sometimes watch together on YouTube. She can sing almost the entire thing word for word, except that she calls the Zulu chief a "Zuzu chief."

Bo Peep's Taste in Books

Bo Peep is quickly approaching the end of that tricky newborn stage and showing much more of her personality. This, of course, includes the emergence of her taste in books. On a recent trip to the library, I parked her stroller in the board book area and just began showing her the covers of different books. Some made her fuss, or turn away, or squirm in disgust, but others caused her to smile and coo. The first one to get a real reaction was What? by Leo Lionni. Other books that make her smile so far are Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker and Big Bear Little Chair by Lizi Boyd. It seems that the simpler the color scheme and the cleaner the lines, the more Bo Peep enjoys it. Pages that are too busy or have too much detail overwhelm her and make her cry. I am so looking forward to reading to her more over the next few months.

Reading Together 

We have a couple of very simple Christmas board books hanging around the house right now, which I chose for Little Bo Peep, but which are just as interesting to Miss Muffet. After going through the books with me to make sure she can identify what is on each page, Miss Muffet likes to bring the books to Bo Peep and read them to her. Bo Peep thinks this is the greatest thing going and listens with rapt attention and a big baby smile on her face. There is nothing that warms my librarian heart more than having kids who read together!

Reading Through History: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (2011)

After the fall of Saigon, Ha, her mother, and older brothers flee their home in Vietnam and travel to the United States, where they do their best to settle into their new lives in Alabama. Ha not only struggles with the tricky rules of the English language, but also with the cruelty of her classmates and a strong sense of longing for her missing father.

This novel in verse is based on the author's own experiences following the Vietnam War. The story begins with the celebration of Tet at home in Vietnam, and concludes with the same celebration one year later in the US, showing along the way the many struggles - including a long voyage by ship with very little food or drink - that the family must endure. Though I sometimes question whether kids really read many novels in verse, I think this was the best way to tell this particular story, as the poetry makes the hardship, turmoil and emotional heaviness of the story easier to digest and understand. Lai's more recent novel, Listen, Slowly, is beautifully written, but also very dense and descriptive, and had this book been written in that same style it would have felt burdensome to slog through.

When I was in high school, we never made it past World War II in any history class, so I have always been partial to historical fiction set in the second half of the 20th Century, as it teaches me all the things I never studied. The 1970s are especially interesting to me, as this is when my mom was a teenager, and I grew up surrounded by a lot of 70s pop culture. Though this was not the typical kids' novel set in the 70s, it broadened my horizons significantly and I imagine it would do much the same for any reader, child or adult, who is unfamiliar with the Vietnam war and its aftermath.

Reading Through History: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski (1945)

In this, one of Lois Lenski’s many children’s novels featuring the people and culture of a specific American region, the reader meets Birdie Boyer, the daughter of a farmer who has just moved his family from North Carolina to Florida to grow strawberries. At first, Birdie and her family are friendly toward their new neighbors, the Slaters, but their overtures of friendship are met time and again with cruel suggestions that their strawberry crop is likely to fail, and they should go back to North Carolina. The rivalry escalates as time goes on, with alcoholic Mr. Slater becoming increasingly violent and belligerent until even his own family begins to suffer.

This book is such an enjoyable read. Far from being a frivolous feel-good book about a girl and her strawberry patch, this is a story driven by the frustration, anger, and rivalry that arise from the competing priorities of farmers and ranchers. Lenski makes wonderful use of local color, writing all the dialogue in the dialect of the region. Reading the book aloud is a delight, and the language, though foreign at first, comes easily after just a chapter or two. The plot is exciting, and involves everything from fire to illness, but also includes the everyday details of events like a church picnic and a shopping trip.

Unfortunately, this otherwise excellent novel - which won the 1946 Newbery Medal - has a very disappointing ending. Mr. Slater is redeemed in a strange and contrived turn of events that does not match the rest of the book and shies away from the darker tone of the rest of the story. Perhaps Lenski felt this was necessary, given her audience, but it leaves the reader feeling somewhat deflated after such an enjoyable roller coaster ride of a story.

Book Review: Waiting by Kevin Henkes (2015)

Five friends - all figurines - stand on a windowsill, each waiting for something. While some of what comes along is predictable, there are also some surprises.

The pictures in this book are similar in style to Henkes’s other recent picture books like A Good Day, and not as much like his popular mouse books. Each picture depicts the different figurines reacting in subtle ways to what happens outside the window and on the windowsill itself. The text hints at many of the story’s events, but it is the illustrations - and specifically the characters’ facial expressions - that really convey the book’s beauty and emotion. The relationship between the text and images is very strong in a way that is really only possible when the author is also the illustrator.

The language in this book is really lovely, making it a pleasure to read aloud. It probably works best as a lap book since the illustrations are a bit small to be seen at a distance, but it might also work in a very intimate story time setting, especially if the theme is seasons, toys, or friendship. Because of the soothing nature of Henkes’s writing, it makes an ideal naptime or bedtime read-aloud.

Though very young children are unlikely to understand the depth of the text, they will still enjoy the book, as evidenced by my toddler’s repeated requests to hear it at naptime during the three weeks we had it from the library. There is really no child too young to appreciate something about it. I think it’s also a good book to share with much older kids, maybe even middle schoolers and high schoolers, as it provides opportunities to discuss symbolism and theme in a much less intimidating book than is typically assigned at that level.

Reading Through History: The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (1995)

Kenny Watson is the middle child of the "Weird Watson" family, between sweet younger sister Joetta and delinquent older brother Byron. As Byron's out-of-control behavior escalates, his parents decide the family will make a trip south to Birmingham where Byron will spend the summer - and perhaps longer - with his grandmother, learning how to behave properly and to better appreciate the problems he will face as a young black man. The plans for the trip and the trip itself are fun for Kenny, leaving him completely unprepared for the terrible thing he witnesses while in Alabama, and how deeply it affects him.

Christopher Paul Curtis is one of those authors who can be trusted to tell any story. If his name is on the cover of a book, I always know it is going to be a bittersweet story, filled with great humor, wonderful descriptions, important historical facts, and lots and lots of heart. This book is no exception. As in his other novels, specifically Elijah of Buxton and The Madman of Piney Woods, Curtis brings to life all the minor details of the characters' lives and the time period in which they live. Details of the kids' lives at school, their favorite records to listen to, their mother's obsession with making sure they are warm enough in the cold of winter - all of these build up a full picture in the reader's mind, not just of the historical event that provides the story's climax, but of what their own lives might have been like if they had been raised in Flint in the 1960s.

On its own, this book does not provide a complete study of the civil rights movement. Rather, because of its strong characters, many funny moments, and kid-friendly tone, it is a great jumping off point for beginning to understand the significance of the civil rights movement and of many of the great leaders whose names are so commonly mentioned in elementary school classrooms during this unit of study. The tragedy portrayed near the end of the story is upsetting, and many readers will react just as Kenny does, with great shock and sadness, but it is also an event on a small enough scale that readers can internalize the turbulence of this time period on an emotional level first, and then begin to work out the greater implications of the movement as a whole. And even without a specific lesson to back it up, this is just a great book that deserves to be read and enjoyed by as many kids as possible. (I really wish Christopher Paul Curtis would write some contemporary realistic fiction. I would eagerly read it all!)