In our complicated present, it's easy to see the world needs more love. There are many different kinds of love modeled in recent children's books. Perhaps with all this nurturing, explaining, and preparing, our children will grow up to actualize the caring world adults dream about.
Eloise Greenfield brings her poetic vision of family love to young children in Honey, I Love (HarperCollins, $7.95; ages 4-6). Written for new readers, the book is filled with specific evocative images like the way a cousin from the South talks so "every word he says just kind of slides out of his mouth." Greenfield supports young readers with a song-like rhythmic words, images they can relate too, and the background of nurturance that produces the ending thought, "I love a lot of things,/ a whole lot of things/ And honey,/ I love ME, too."
Dandelions by Eve Bunting (HBJ, $15.00; ages 7-10) shows a family moving west and the mother's sadness at missing the sense of community she left behind. While Zoe and her sister relish the adventure of moving west, their mother is lonely and misses signs of home, like roses and eastern songbirds. Zoe and her sister, aware of their mother's longing, surprise her by planting dandelions on their new soddie roof. Bunting gives an emotional, involving picture of the difficulties of moving west. Greg Shed's oil paintings make the history seem very close and real.
Jean Craighead George's There's an Owl in the Shower (HarperCollins, $13.95; ages 8-11) tells of a family that's struggling after the father has lost his logging job due to conflict over the spotted-owls. When Borden finds a small owlet hurt in the forest, he brings the creature home. It becomes a part of the family, loved especially by the father who is horrified to discover it's a spotted owl. Love amid times of difficulty and the complexity of ecological issues are both poignantly described.
Mary Watson's The Butterfly Seeds (Tambourine, $16.00; ages 7-10) tells the story of Jake who's saddened by the thoughts of immigration and leaving his beloved grandfather. Jake's grandfather has brought everyone a present and for Jake there's a tin box with seeds that he promises will bring hundreds of butterflies. The seeds comfort Jake across an oceanic voyage and then unify his new community who supports him in making a window box for his treasured seeds, which erupt in blossoms and butterflies that gladden the hearts of Jake and his entire neighborhood.
In Alan Schroeder's Carolina Shout (Dial, $14.99; ages 6 and up)we view the streets of Charleston, South Carolina in the pre-WWII years, through the eyes of Delia. Delia loves to dance and wherever she goes, can hear music, her favorite being the calls of the vendors who wander the streets of Charleston. Delia feels, smells and sees the poetry of life around her. She is exuberantly involved in her life, whether she's hop scotching in Zigzag Alley or shucking a slimy free oyster given her by the Oyster Man. Buried within the story are the emotional tones that surround her; the hard times that effect the chimney sweep and the joyful busy feeling of the vegetable market. Schroeder captures history through Delia's senses, never straying from her viewpoint. Why should he, she's a delightful tour guide. Delia has captured the illustrator's heart as well, as she prances along the streets, Fuchs' oils show faces and settings that bring Charleston alive.
Alice McLerran's The Ghost Dance (Clarion, $15.95; ages 9 to adult) is the magical kind of children's book that beautifully embraces the worlds of spirit and emotion and transcends all ages. The powerful poetic prose tells of the yet to be realized Paiute spiritual vision of a hundred years ago. Two leaders sparked unsuccessful movemnts hoping to restore sacred connection symbolized in a dance that would return the world to balance. The book ends with this hopeful plea, "Teach us to dance! The Time has surely come. For oh, the earth grows tired... maybe if we all dream. Maybe if we all sing. Maybe if we all dance." The text's power is completely matched by Paul Morin's exquisite collaged illustrations.
Take a big breath and plunge into Trish Cooke's So Much (Candlewick, $14.95; ages 3-5), an exuberant read that is filled with arrivals of auntie, uncle, grandmothers, and cousins who hug, squeeze, kiss, sing, play, and surround that baby with adoration. It isn't until the end of the book that you discover father's birthday is the reason for the get together. By then you'll be swept into the rhythms, repetitions and big heart of family that knows how to make a child feel loved.
Those who fell in love with Susan Meddaugh's Martha, the talking hound in Martha Speaks ( Houghton Mifflin, $13. 45; ages 5 and up) will welcome the sequel, 0395827418 Martha Calling (Houghton Mifflin, $14.95; ages 5 and up) with open hearts. Talented Martha, who catches a frisbee and talks with the same amount of ease, wins a phone contest that earns her family a wonderful weekend at a resort that doesn't allow dogs. Meddaugh's spirited writing is infectious, even her characters respond with playful good-humor and creatively handle the silly situations that arise. Hidden within this hilarious tale are messages about prejudice and family love so strong that it changes rules.
William Steig, who specializes in showing the magic of families, gives us Zeke Pippin (HarperCollins, $15.00; ages 5 and up). Zeke finds a harmonica and practices endlessly, but when he performs for his family, they respond enthusiastically and then promptly fall asleep. When situation repeats itself, the insulted Zeke leaves home. Finally,y he learns the harmonica is enchanted and missing the warmth of family returns to its harmony.
Avi shows how complicated family love can become when tragedy strikes in The Barn (Orchard, $13.95; ages 10 and up). Ben, the hero, an extraordinary nine year old is sent from his 1855 farm to be educated so that he can fulfill the great promise his family see in him. When his father's paralyzed by a stroke, Ben returns home to begin another kind of learning. Devastated at first when he acknowledges the powerlessness of his stricken father, Ben becomes determined to master own feelings of helplessness, succeed at care taking, and finally to establish communication with a man who's imprisoned in his illness. This emotionally-packed book is simply written so that young adults who are not strong readers can be exposed to a thought-provoking literary adventure.
Another family loves under the duress in Graham Salisbury's Under the Blood-Red Sun (Delacorte, $15.95; ages 10 and up). Tomi is a baseball-loving, Japanese-American boy born in Hawaii, pre- World War II. Tomi has conflicted feelings about his heritage, is sometimes ashamed of his eccentric grandfather, and confused about the subtle prejudices that surround him. All these things intensify with the bombing of Pearl Harbor when Tomi's father's fishing boat is sunk and his grandfather and father are taken away. Tomi, with the support of his friends, finds new courage and strength within himself. He's able to care for his family and understand and take pride in his ancestry. Pearl Harbor comes late in the book, giving readers a time to truly sense Tomi's emerging sense of self and the environment surrounding the event in a way that reveals history in a very personal way.
Children Bring Love to Others
T. Obinkaram Echewa's The Ancestor Tree (Lodestar, $13.99; ages 6 and up) is a loving story with a strong folk tale flavor. Nna-nna is revered by all the children in his village because he regales them from dawn to dusk with stories, jokes, and his special way of seeing. Facing his death, he worries that he will not be remembered and wishes for an ancestor tree to be planted, but tradition forbids this as he does not leave any children behind. The devoted children courageously teach the adults to change custom to honor a noble man.
Leigh Casler's The Boy Who Dreamed of An Acorn (Philomel, $15.95; ages 5 and up) is also strong in lesson and story. A Native American boy's vision quest brings him confusion, for he dreams not of a powerful animal like bear or eagle, but of an acorn. The boy's journey into manhood is spent understanding, coming to peace with, and embracing his gift. He becomes a man "whose heart branched out wide like an oak tree, giving kindness and shelter to all who came his way." This is a great story to read aloud and discuss with children, or to give to an adult facing a difficult transition.
Children come into the world with a natural love for animals. Marni McGee celebrates and nurtures their sensitivities in Forest Child (Green Tiger Press, $15.00; ages 3 and up). A young boy enters a forest alone and realizing he's lost asks an owl to help him. The owl expresses distrust of humans who "come only to catch and kill us." The boy responds to a rabbit's cry for help, freeing the poor animal from a hunter's trap and liberating the animals from a history of fear and prejudice. The balance of the book shows how they turn to nurture. McGee writes with balance. Her poetic voice enriches the story without being intrusive and unlike many poets, she knows how important sense of story is to young children. Illustrator A. Scott Banfill, interprets McGee's lyrical vision with textural paintings that reflect the animals' caring and connection that evolves during the book. His sense of light gives voice to the spiritual quality of the words.
The issue of world hunger is successfully conveyed to children in Michael Rosen's The Greatest Table: A Banquet to Fight Against Hunger (HBJ, $18.95; ages 5 and up). Twelve award-winning artists add pictures to complete a poem that unfolds, accordian-like, to reveal an amazing artistic potluck. Words and pictures richly combine to reveal an inclusive table that spans countries, customs, and cultures communicating connectedness and caring that transcend boundaries.
Giving children who want to put more of themselves into their valentines can get help from two new kits. Felicia Bond provides them with rubber stamps, a pad, 25 note cards, ideas and a book in Make Your Own Valentines (HaperCollins, $9,95; ages 3-7). For a slightly older child, Diane Maurer-Matison provides instructions and interesting papers, doilies, and other exciting materials to Make Your Own Spectacular Valentines (Little Brown, $12.95; ages 6-10)