Christmas Books

Here are a few of my favorite picture books to read to my young children at Christmastime:

Room for a Little One
Author: Martin Waddell
Illustrator: Jason Cockcroft

Night Tree
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Ted Rand

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Author: Susan Wojciechowski
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch

The Polar Express
Author & Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Great Joy
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline

Stories from Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury


For older children and adults, I would recommend:

The Gift of the Magi
Author: O. Henry
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch

A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens

"The Ruins of Gorlan" by John Flanagan

I chose to review this book because this series has been so popular recently.

The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1)
Author: John Flanagan
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 11-15 years

When Will is left on the steps of Castle Redmont as an infant, he is adopted as a ward of Baron Arald. He has grown up believing his father was a great warrior who died a hero's death. More than anything, Will wants to go to Battleschool and follow in his father's footsteps. Now Will is turning fifteen and it is Choosing Day. When Will discovers that he will not go to Battleschool as he had hoped, but has instead been apprenticed to the mysterious ranger, Halt, he is devastated. However, as he slowly becomes acquainted with Halt and the ways of a ranger, he realizes that he has an important role to play. And when the evil Morgorath sends the terrifying kalkara out on a killing mission, Will's new skills are put to the test.

Readers ought to know that this book is primarily a coming-of-age story. I predict that it may be a bit too slow for some boys, as the action and suspense don't pick up until close to the end of the book. The focus is on Will's character development as he gradually realizes that he doesn't have to be a knight to be a hero. As he matures, he learns more about his personal history and comes to understand and respect his mentor. Due to this focus on character development, there isn't much action/adventure for most of the book.

I also felt that the coming-of-age storyline was at times a bit too self-conscious and the characters a bit too stereotypical. While these shortcomings most likely will not trouble the targeted audience, I fear that it means this book will not become an enduring classic; a fantasy that both adults and youth can enjoy and appreciate.

Having said all that, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to readers, particularly boys, in the targeted age range. Mr. Flanagan has created an enjoyable world with an interesting premise, especially for those who like rangers. I also appreciated that the adults in his novel were positive figures; role models to respect and emulate.

ABC Books

There are hundreds of ABC books. Here are a few titles that my preschooler has enjoyed reading:

Animalia
Author/Illustrator: Graeme Base
Find animals and objects beginning with one of the letters of the alphabet on every page. And don't forget to look for the author himself.

Creature ABC
Author/Photographer: Andrew Zuckerman
The wonderful photographs of animals makes this book worth checking out.

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
Author: Joseph Slate
Illustrator: Ashley Wolff
My preschooler loves this book! A cute way to introduce the letters, some animals, and reassure children who have fears about going to school.

Alphabet Soup
Author/Illustrator: Scott Gustafson
Otter invites his animal friends to bring their favorite ingredients for an alphabet soup house-warming party.

G is for Goat
Author/Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
An ABC book all about goats.

Paddington's A B C
Author: Michael Bond
Illustrator: John Lobban
In order to emphasize the letter sounds, I read this one using the following pattern: A says [a] as in [a] [a] apple.

"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

I chose to review this book because this series has been so popular recently.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 10-14 years

By all outward appearances, Percy Jackson is a troubled youth. He has ADHD, dyslexia, and he is about to be expelled from his sixth school. After a series of disconcerting events, he discovers that he is a half-blood (his father is a Greek god) and he lands at a summer camp for children in similar circumstances. Just when he is starting to finally feel at home, he is given a special sign and is assigned a dangerous quest. Can Percy succeed in his quest and save the world from another terrible war?

This is an exciting and fast-paced adventure that I am sure most kids would find entertaining. I enjoyed it despite the almost shameless similarities to the Harry Potter series. The author has used the same successful formula implemented by J.K. Rowling. Some obvious parallels include, but are certainly  not limited to: (1) the main characters are children who have special powers who must go to a school (summer camp in this instance) to learn how to hone their skills, (2) the supporting characters include a smart girl and a somewhat awkward boy, (3) the children are divided into houses - those of one house being very antagonistic toward the main character.

This book is very episodic, particularly in the middle part when the three main characters are on their way across the US and confront one monster after another. I also thought the ending was rather anticlimactic. Neither did I care for the voice. Written from 12-year-old Percy's perspective, the pre-teen jargon was overwhelming and I grew weary of it quite quickly. However, I have to admit that this is the first children's book I have read in a while that interested me enough to be willing to read the other books in the series. The bottom line is this is a fun book that young readers will enjoy, but it is not fantastic literature.

"Caddie Woodlawn" by Carol Ryrie Brink

Here is yet another review in my series on the Newberry Award.

Caddie Woodlawn
Author: Carol Ryrie Brink
Age Level: 9-12 years
Newberry Award: 1936

Carol Ryrie Brink used to love sitting at her grandmother's knee listening to stories of her pioneer childhood in Wisconsin. She enjoyed the stories so much that she decided to compile them into this historical fiction about Caddie Woodlawn. The first paragraph of the novel provides a good summary:

"In 1864 Caddie Woodlawn was eleven, and as wild a little tomboy as ever ran the woods of western Wisconsin. She was the despair of her mother and of her elder sister, Clara. But her father watched her with a little shine of pride in his eyes, and her brothers accepted her as one of themselves without a question. Indeed, Tom, who was two years older, and Warren, who was two years younger than Caddie, needed Caddie to link them together into an inseparable trio. Together they got in and out of more scrapes and adventures than any one of them could have imagined alone. And in those pioneer days, Wisconsin offered plenty of opportunities for adventure to three wide-eyed, red-headed youngsters."

This book was one of my personal favorites as a child. I was curious to read it again to see if I enjoyed it as much as an adult. It did not disappoint. Reminiscent of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, it records the adventures of Caddie and her brothers over the course of one year. Ms. Brink portrays Caddie as a young girl who gradually matures and comes to recognize the honor of a "woman with a wise and understanding heart, healthy in body and honest in mind." The novel contains a satisfying blend of descriptive and contemplative passages interwoven with exciting adventures and plenty of humor. Although the protagonist is a girl, I suspect that both boys and girls would enjoy this read. I would highly recommend it.

Maj Lindman

Swedish author and illustrator, Maj Lindman, wrote a series of books telling stories about the triplet sisters Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka as well as several books about triplet brothers Snipp, Snapp, and Snurr. These are sweet stories for young children with simple messages about doing the right thing. Readers will enjoy the brightly colored illustrations and realistic adventures of these youths. I would encourage you to check these out:

Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the New Dotted Dresses
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Three Kittens
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Strawberries
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka Bake a Cake
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Little Dog
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and the Big Red Hen
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Friend
Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Their New Skates

Snipp, Snapp, Snurr Learn to Swim
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Yellow Sled
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Red Shoes
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr, and the Gingerbread
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Reindeer

"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead

This is my second review in a series on the Newberry Award books. (See previous post for introduction to series.) I began with an older book and have now selected a very recent award recipient.

When You Reach Me
Author: Rebecca Stead
Age Level: 11-14 years
Newberry Award: 2010

It is 1978 in New York City and sixth-grader, Miranda, is grappling with common childhood issues such as negotiating friendships, growing independence, and socioeconomic concerns. In the midst of it all, she receives a series of mysterious notes by someone claiming that he or she is coming to save her friend's life. Miranda is more than a little perplexed, particularly when it becomes apparent that the author of these notes knows things that no one could possibly know...because they haven't happened yet. Can Miranda fit the pieces of the puzzle together?

I was surprised that this book had won the Newberry Award. I thought it was a good, but not a great, book. I had a difficult time identifying why this book left me feeling flat and decided to skim through it a second time in an attempt to glean more from it, to no avail. I had two primary criticisms of this novel. First, it seemed the author couldn't decide if she wanted to write a coming-of-age story or a science fiction mystery. The result was that, on the one hand, several of the subplots, on which a significant amount of time was spent, did not add much to the central storyline. On the other hand, while there were clever elements of the mystery/time travel aspect of the story, it wasn't very well calculated and the resolution felt anticlimactic. Second, although the various characters were realistic, they were not well-developed enough to explain some puzzling behavior from several of them.

In the end, When You Reach Me was not a bad book, just not as interesting as it promised to be. If you do decide to read it, I would suggest reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle first since there are several allusions to this story throughout the novel.