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Gladys Hunt on Pigs and Possibilities
Editor’s Note: Are there any animal lovers in the family? Gladys Hunt can recommend nine–count ’em, nine–recommendations for a classic story involving not one, but three, plucky porkers. You Can Do Anything With a Pig Originally published on the Tumblon website, July 19, 2009 I counted nine different versions of the story of The Three Little Pigs in print today. There may be more that I don’t know about. I’m not sure whether the story needs all this help or whether the artists and storytellers are bursting with creativity and know the basis of a good tale when they hear one. Or whether they are short on original plots The…
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Before Music: Where Instruments Come From by Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Madison Safer
Where does music come from and how many ways can you make it? Before Music broadens the reader’s horizons on the origin and creativity of people who can’t help delighting in making interesting sounds and music. Before Music: Where Instruments Come From by Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Madison Safer. Harry N. Abrams, 2022. 88 pages. Reading Level: Picture books, Ages 8-10, ages 10-12 Recommended For: Ages 8-10, ages 10-12 We all have some familiarity with music that comes from a piano, guitar, flute, violin, and numerous other instruments. We also have some sense about the ways music is produced (striking, strumming, blowing, and bowing). But have you ever wondered…
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*Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
A glorious story of heroism in which a mother’s deep love for her children shines brightly. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien. Aladdin, 1986. 240 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Recommended For: Ages 10-12 There are many famous mothers in literature: Mrs. Alcott, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Weasley, Ma Ingalls, and others. My favorite happens to be the tender, courageous Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with an ordinary concern for feeding her children and finding a way to move them out of danger’s path from their winter home into a safe place for spring. But her youngest son, Timothy, is too ill to be moved…
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2023 Geisel Award Winner: I Did It! by Michael Emberley
I Did It!, winner of this year’s Geisel Award for early readers, charmingly illustrates a common childhood experience: trying and failing. I Did It! by Michael Emberley. Holiday House (I Like to Read Comics), 2022, 40 pages. Reading Level: Easy Reader, ages 3-5 Recommended for: ages 4-6 Every child—and every adult, for that matter—knows the frustration of trying and failing. I Did It! follows a loveable creature of uncertain species through a series of mishaps, as he (assuming the gender) tries to participate in the fun activities of his friends. Said friends combine animal and mechanical characteristics, but all are cute and friendly and helpful as our hero tries to…
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Where We Belong by Sarah Bennett
A Fabulous New Series Where We Belong by Sarah Bennett is a delightful, contemporary novel and the first book in the Juniper Meadows series. Sarah Bennett once more has created a marvelous set of characters who are warm and welcoming. Juniper Meadows is owned by a family whose heritage goes back centuries. They employ many […]
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The Challengers by Grace Livingston Hill
Absolutely Charming The Challengers by Grace Livingston Hill is an absolutely charming Christian novel written in a bygone age. Grace Livingston Hill writes with great warmth and faith as we follow a family through the hard times of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. We witness the close-knit family unit who pull together, thinking only […]
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Socks by Beverly Clearly
For Cat Lovers Everywhere Socks by Beverly Clearly is a delightful children’s novel for ages five years and older. More confident readers will be able to read the book themselves. Younger children will enjoy listening to the story. The story is told from the point of view of Socks, a young kitten in need of […]
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Lions Of Judah by Kirby Lee Davis
See History Come Alive Lions Of Judah by Kirby Lee Davis is a fabulous Christian historical novel. It is the second book in The Jonah Cycle series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading book one first for maximum enjoyment. This book blends fact and fiction as its’ roots are in history. […]
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Comment on Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin by Janie
In reply to Alison Fairfield. I, too, think it’s great–such a unique angle. And this is history young people need to know.
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Comment on Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin by Alison Fairfield
FWIW, I picked up a copy of BSN at a thrift store and afterward visited a close friend who browsers my purchases. As the adoptive mother of two sons from Russia she borrowed BSN and metas time that night. She thought it was great and offered it to her teenage boys to read.
