This is a delightful family story set in the possible future. Dewey Mariss is in the middle of a crunch. Dewey along with his sister, immediately younger brother and pre-school twins have been left at home while his parents are stuck with an empty gas tank up north. The country is experiencing its first gas shortage and the future is looking rather grim.
For visitors to New York City who have spent any time in Central Park, this story will have special relevance. In March 1855 an article in the New York Daily Times warned citizens the city would be taking over a large area to make a park. Much of the area was swampy and rocky and occupied by the lowest dregs of the city. Also included was a little settlement called BLACK VILLAGE.
Charlie is Ryan’s twin and at age three he was diagnosed with Autism. This book presents a very positive look at the life of the twins and their personal achievements. I was especially taken with the page that started; “Charlie has autism. But autism doesn’t have Charlie. If you ever get to meet my brother, you’ll feel lucky to be his friend.”
In this book we follow one day’s adventure for two Palestinian children on a curfew free day as they travel from their home in Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Thirteen year old Hayaat and her best friend, Samy, are on a mission. Hayaat is convinced if she could get some soil from her grandmother Sitti’s ancestral home it would save her life.
A story of twins born in a bi-racial marriage. Kiera is born black like her mother; Minerva (Minni) white like her father. Through the intercession of their maternal grandmother Johnson the girls are entered in the Miss Black Pearl Princess of America Program. The girls spend ten days in the south participating in the program activities.
Carole Weatherford has built a free verse poem quoting from the Beatitudes to delineate the highlights of the struggle African American faced from slavery up to modern times ending dramatically with these words: “Even now I am with the downtrodden and with those who seek uplift. I am holy water in the stream of humanity, Drink, bathe, and be free.”
Ben, a slave in Charleston, taught himself to read. At one point his master was a tailor who sent Ben on errands around the city. By politely asking white men if he was in the correct spot he learned his way about at the same time he was learning to read street and other signs. As the Civil War neared Charleston, Ben’s master fled but not before he put Ben in a prison to await sale after things settled down.
One of the most special books I have seen recently is from the Pop-Up category. This is identified as “A hands-on guide to our amazing planet.” The book is loosely based on a series of questions young readers might ask. For example the first question is “What on earth happened?”And answers “astronomers think that 13.7 billion years ago the whole universe emerged from a tiny invisible dot.” (The Big Bang Theory) This leads to information about the planets, the sun, asteroids and comets.
It is never too early to introduce young readers to the world of mythology. Many later stories and allusions are based on mythology. So I heartily endorse and recommend an “irreverent retelling of the myth of Zeus”.
HOT ROD HAMSTER by Cynthia Lord, pictures by Derek Anderson (Scholastic Press, 2010, $16.99) is an interactive picture book in which a hamster builds a hot rod. The young readers work with him in refurbishing a small green car. As each item is added the author ends the page with ,” Which would you choose?” [...]