Good Books

by Sarah SivrightWhat are “good books?”There are classics, which by their longevity in the “beloved” category are clearly Good Books. Folk/fairly tales and nursery rhymes were the classic staple in our grandparents' era. Now there is a huge collection of books written specifically for young children. But, like the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead, some are very good, and some are very, very bad.* What I’ve recommended are personal choices, as all books must be. My choices are partially guided by the belief that young children are routinely under-estimated. “Big messages” are delivered in a heavy-handed, preachy manner, with little or no subtlety. (In that category, Thunder Cake comes the closest to that failing, but has other good qualities.) Also, humor is over-done, like a slapstick comedy. Some books are fun in that way, but are not usually the ones requested over and over, one of the marks of a Good Book.And poorly illustrated books are just off my list.Promoting a child’s love of books involves several key pieces:• Being read to from an early age• Watching the people in their lives enjoy reading• Being exposed to books with text that speaks in some thoughtful, creative way to the child’s mind and illustrations that are beautiful, creative or charmingA note about the illustrations—the Newberry Award is given by the American Library Association to the author of the most distinguished American children’s book, and the Caldecott is given to the artist of the best picture book, so the “experts” put a high value on both story and illustrations.[I was going to include some examples of Bad Books, but that didn’t seem very nice.]Some of my favorites…Big messageFire Cat—Esther Averill (a very big exception to my illustration standard!)Crow Boy—YashimaMr. Gumpy’s Outing—BurninghamOwl Babies—WaddellThunder Cake—PolaccoExtra Yarn—BarnettAnything by Leo LionniDrama (just scary enough for preschoolers)Three Robbers--UngererEdward and the Pirates—McPhailAbiyoyo—Seeger and HaysTough Boris—Mem FoxHumorThe Mitten--TresseltBoo and Baa series—LandstromAnything by Jon KlassenChapter BooksFrog and Toad series—LobelLittle Bear—SendakJenny and the Cat Club--AverillSeasonal/NatureGilberto and the Wind—EtsAny nature books by Jim Arnosky—nature info with enough of a story to engage young childrenAnd the Are you a Bee/Butterfly/Spider series by Allen and HumphriesOwl Moon—YolenPeter Rabbit—PotterLullaby booksHush! Minfong HoLittle Fur Family—Margaret Wise BrownGrandmas and grandpasNana Upstiars and Nana Downstairs & Now One Foot, Now the Other—both by dePaolaMy Little Grandmother Often Forgets—LindberghWilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge—Mem FoxMiss Rumphius--CooneyMy Grandson Lew—Charlotte ZolotowThe Two of Them--AlikiNursery rhymes/Mother GooseThere has been a lack of exposure these days, partly because of the increase in good children’s lit, but don’t neglect this important part of every child’s education!*See “There was a little girl…”Multicultural  (The beauty of these books is that there is no Big Message. These are books about children and families just being themselves—many colors, many styles.)Jamaica series—Havilll. These are simple stories about family, friends, school, where the main character just happens to be African-AmericanLouie & Peter’s Chair—both by Keats.  A series about Peter and his friends--multicultural children just being childrenSam—Ann Herbert Scott (try reading this one without crying)Fancy Nancy series—O’Connor/Glasser—individualism of family members, especially Nancy, is supported.Mrs. Katz and Tush - Polacco - Such a story!Happy reading!