Circles of Hope for Earth Day
20 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Ecology, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Spring stories Tags: Earth Day, Emily Arnold McCully, John Muir, Julie Dunlap, Karen Lynn Williams
Make Earth Day a hopeful one with rousing outdoor and indoor activities, complemented by a colorful mix of fiction and nonfiction. One of my favorite picture books for ages 6 to 8 is Karen Lynn Williams’s Circles of Hope, set in Haiti.
Williams, the author of many acclaimed multicultural picture books (Four Feet, Two Sandals, 2007; and Beatrice’s Dream, 2011), situates her simple tale of a boy’s struggle to keep a tree alive within the larger context of his homeland’s economic struggles. Facile decides to plant a mango tree for baby sister Lucia, but it turns out to be a difficult task. Goats eat the first sapling he plants … rain washes away the second … and a fire destroys the third. Then the observant boy realizes he can use stones to protect the tree, and hope blossoms. The illustrator, Saport, adeptly uses pastels of orange and yellow to depict Haiti’s sunny, dry hillsides and creates charming fat circles for the green trees, the rounded hills, and the stones surrounding more and more trees on the island. Williams closes her gentle story with “One year at a time, little circles of hope began to grow on the mountainsides of Haiti, and inside each circle grew a tree.” She supplies a fine teacher’s guide, as well, for her sensitive, positive story. Pair this with the nonfiction book This Tree Counts! to instill in children a greater appreciation for the importance of trees.
Older children (ages 8 to 10) adore the exciting and true story John Muir and Stickeen: An Icy Adventure with a No-Good Dog. John Muir initially feels a dog has no business on a treacherous expedition in Alaska. He changes his mind, though, when he and Stickeen become lost on a glacier during a storm, and the dog behaves courageously. Farnsworth’s splendid, realistic oil paintings heighten the reader’s awareness of the perilous, frozen landscape. This adventure tale provides children with a fabulous introduction to the remarkable American conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club. 
For another aspect of John Muir, try Emily Arnold McCully’s Squirrel and John Muir, featuring the possible relationship between the real-life rebellious Floy Hutchings, nicknamed Squirrel, and John Muir, who inspired her love of nature.
Looking for middle-school novels relating to respect for the Earth? See my post on One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, as well as novels by Carl Hiassen, such as Hoot.
Related articles
- Muir Woods National Monument (sheryllrea.wordpress.com)
Like this:
Simms Taback and His Bright Creations
01 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in Caldecott Award, Ecology, Folk and Fairy Tales, Picture Books, Winter stories Tags: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, multicultural literature, Simms Taback
Without Simms Taback’s books, the land of children’s literature would look less colorful, less lively, less creative. One of my favorite stories to tell young ones is the old Yiddish tale of “Something from Nothing,” in which a tailor takes his worn-out coat and makes a smaller garment out of it, and on and on until there’s nothing left (in my version) but a story, which can last forever!
After telling that story, I’d read the group Taback’s cheerful Caldecott-winning Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, holding up each page with its fun die-cut hole so the children could guess what Joseph would make next. This lively picture book, illustrated with watercolors, gouache, pencil, ink and collage, provides a banquet of buttons, bright scraps of fabric, petite photos of flowers, all popping out from the pages’ dark background. Listeners get to peep through smaller and smaller holes, as the items — a vest, a tie, etc. — diminish in size.
Based on the Yiddish song “Hob Ich Mir a Mantl,” or “I Had a Little Overcoat,” which Taback loved as a boy, this book belongs in EVERY child’s school or home library. Not only does it make for a rousing read-aloud, its evocation of Eastern European shtetls provides a link to a rich culture. And the message of making the most of whatever you have is a timely and important one for us all. Educators or parents can tap this little treasure for lessons in recycling, music, social studies, art, and reading, especially in teaching the skill of prediction. Taback includes the lyrics to the song that inspired the story.
Sadly, Simms Taback died of pancreatic cancer last Sunday. He has bequeathed us his bright, unforgettable books to share with children:
Related articles
- Simms Taback, Author of Wry Children’s Books, Dies at 79
(nytimes.com)
One Orange Tree That Binds a Community
02 Jun 2011 6 Comments
in Ecology, Friendship, middle grade, Novels, Summer Tags: Joanne Rocklin
Children crave a safe spot where they can gather to daydream, to share secrets, to savor summer’s sweet, long day
s. In her richly textured new novel One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, Joanne Rocklin takes readers to an empty lot in California, where a large Valencia orange tree provides the perfect meeting place for four friends who live on the same street.
Ali, Robert, Bunny, and Leandra love the tree, with its strong climbing branches, its cool shade, and its juicy oranges — the best in the world. They’ve been hanging out there for as long as they can remember. What they don’t realize is that their beloved orange tree is under threat. “It was a hot summer day on Orange Street, one of those days that seem ordinary until you look back on it,” begins the novel. This was the day the orange traffic cone arrived at the curb. It’s also the day a stranger arrived, with a mystery harking back decades and touching the whole community.
Rocklin captures the goofy imagination of ten year olds, with their fanciful clubs and their farfetched conjectures. She draws a lifelike portrait of each of the four, who share a deep need for friendship. Told from alternating perspectives of the children and their elderly neighbor Ms. Snoops, the novel reveals each character’s hopes and fears. Ali, for instance, has a little brother who has recently had brain tumor surgery. Bunny, whose mother travels frequently, tries to keep her anxiety and obsessiveness to herself. Leandra feels grumpy at the prospect of a new sibling, and Robert aspires to be a magician. Ms. Snoops (whose actual name is Ethel Finneymaker) is over 80 and remembers Orange Street when it was part of a grove of trees. When her memories fade — as they are doing — who will be left to share the neighborhood’s history?
In just a day and a half, these engaging folks come together in a confrontation that resolves both a new and an old mystery. Strengthened by friendship and love of nature, they manage to save the fragrant heart of their community. One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street is a refreshing and soul-nourishing novel for ages 8 to 12.
For younger children:
Try Molly Bang’s When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry and James Howe’s Horace and Morris But Mostly Dolores.
Related articles
- Citrus-Scented Friendship (literaryfriendships.wordpress.com)
