The Bee-Man of Orn by Frank R. Stockton

   

   This book is really interesting. The images are breathtaking and highly detailed. The story is an old folk tale about a bee-man who is told by a sorcerer that he has been changed into something from something else. The bee man sets out on a quest to discover his original form so as to have the sorcerer change him back. After his journeying he comes to the conclusion that he was changed into a bee-man from a baby. The sorcerer changes him back into a baby, but the man grows up to be a bee-man again. 

   I loved reading this book because the concept was so interesting. The bee-man traveled the world-looking at different people and creatures-both good and evil- trying to find his original form. This idea is so interesting to me because it directly parallels my own life. Man was originally a perfect being-without any bad qualities-up until the moment he sinned. When sin entered the world through Eve's disobedience and Adam's consent, everything changed. Death entered mankind. Originally, we were eternal beings-perfect in our ways and radiating with the glory of God- but after sin entered the world- we became spiritually dead, mortal beings. The bee man's quest to discover his original identity is much like my own quest to discover my true identity- my quest to understand who I was before sin entered the world-and who I am becoming now that all things have been restored. The most amazing part is that all things have been restored for every human being! To begin your own journey of discovering your original identity-before death, sickness and pain entered the world-you must only believe the good news of Jesus Christ! He was the atonement sacrifice- like the sorcerer's power that worked to transform the bee-man into a baby again-the blood of Christ is the power that removes sin so that we can have a bran new life-a fresh start and an eternal inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven! 

Especially Heroes by Virginia Kroll

  

  This is a great book for kids. It is longer and wordier than other books I've read and the artwork is somewhat bland, but the subject makes for a great discussion starter. After reading it a good classroom question might be "do you have any heroes?" or "is there something that you care about enough to die for?" These two questions are the main themes in the book about a young girl who discovers her own heroes are all around her- her father, mother and next door neighbor. The book takes a look at the inner thought process of a young girl as she wrestles with these two questions.  

    Reading this book also made me realize how much America has changed in such a short period of time. In the book, everyone in the school left early on tuesdays to go to church. I also learned a fact that around this same time period, the church bells would ring on sunday mornings and anyone not found in church could be put in prison! 

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo

   

  The artwork in this book is beautiful with it's stark contrasts of gold and dark purple. The story has a heartwarming Christmas theme and yet does not fall into the category of being cliche. It has an original undercurrent to it, as if the book had it's own heartbeat. The characters stand out-especially the little girl-as unique and interesting. I like the details the author includes in her writing-adding to the books liveliness. 

   The story is about a young girl who feels compassion for the man who plays music and sleeps on the street corner. Much to her mother's dismay, she invites him to her school pageant and his arrival at the pageant helps her remember her lines. This is a successful book- a good book to read during winter. Because of the colors the artist uses and the rich story line, reading it is almost like standing around a warm fire.

Up by Jim LaMarche

   

  The rich, honey colored pictures plus the interesting story line make this book worth reading. It tells the tale of a young boy who discovers he can elevate objects. He doesn't think his gift is that significant until he helps his family save a whale that has been beached near their home. It is a cute story about how strength is not just a matter of physical prowess, but a measure of heart and faith. This boy found strength in his persistent ability to believe the impossible. This reminds me of the parable of the persistent widow. It is always the more persistent one that wins the race and, in the case of the widow, the more persistent one who gets justice from her adversary. I am reminded from this story to persist in my faith-believing the impossible- and to not give up until I get a breakthrough.

Shota and the Star Quilt

   This was a cute story. The artwork reminded me of a patchwork quilt-fitting for the subject. The story had a good message about the power of love that overcomes the evils of greed and selfishness. It is cool that the book was written by multiple people-a collaborative projects about collaboration and friendship. The story, unfortunately did not flow like other stories I've read and seemed kind of predictable in how it was written. This book is riding on it's cool art work and a good idea, but great writing would take it farther.

The Tree by Dana Lyons

"Trees are great teachers of unconditional giving." -from the forward

     This book is truly majestic- a book that every child should own. The artwork is stunning and the story reads like an ancient song-like the song that inspired the author to write the book. Dana Lyons was spending a weekend in the Olympic Rain Forest playing his guitar under an ancient Douglas fir tree when a complete song flowed out of his spirit. After playing the song, he looked up at the tree and said, "this must be your song!" Soon thereafter, at a Native American celebration-he played the song for the tribal chief. The chief listened intently and then declared that the song did come from the tree-he recognized the tune. The chief went on to say that "it is known in our tradition that each tree has it's own song. Our music comes from them. We show our respect for the great trees by singing their songs and playing them on the flute." 

   This book is a call to the hearts of every human being to return to the place of our origin- to return to the garden and our role as stewards of the earths many treasures, especially the trees- those ancient signposts- givers of the breath of life.

  

The Lotus Seed

  

  This book is beautiful. The images glow with a unique light and design that makes you feel like your in a dream. The text reads like a long poem, and is written in poem form too. It is a story about hope, family and discovering the sacred in the mundane. It is also, like so many of the stories I love, based on a true story. In the book, a mother's son steals her precious seed, a token of her past, and plants it. The mother is sorrowful until she sees the beautiful flowers that grow in the seeds staid. This book highlights the truth that just as a seed must die for it to bring forth much fruit, so we must die to the past, and the things we hold so dear, to embrace the future.

Albert by Donna Jo Napoli

  

    This story is perplexing at first and somewhat strange, but it's these characteristics that make it so interesting. It speaks of deep truths through simple language that children can understand. The story is about a young man, Albert, who is afraid to go outside because of the bad sounds. Albert spends his days doing meaningless tasks like cutting newspapers and writing post cards he never sends. One day this all changes when he sticks his hand out the window to check the whether. Just as he is about to pull his hand back through the window a robin plops a stick in his hand and starts to build her nest. Albert ends up holding the nest until the baby birds are hatched and ready to fly out of the nest. For a whole week, he sleeps standing up and gets his meals from the mother robin. 

    This experience completely changes Albert-reflecting the truth that no human can ever be happy or complete until they learn how to love-how to give and how to forget themselves. Albert found freedom when he realized his connection to all living things, discovering his ultimate destiny was to love and be loved. To love is to lay down one's life for the life of another. For Albert it was giving up sleep and comforts of food and daily life. Love will always cost you something, and true love is unconditional. Scripture says that there is no greater love than this, that a person lay down his/her life for the life of another. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of this love- "For God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker

 

 This book is beautiful. The message of the book is powerful. It tells the true story of China's sparrow war and the deadly aftermath. In 1958, farmers in China declared war on sparrows, blaming them for eating too much of their wheat crops, but this war resulted in many chinese dying from famine because there were no sparrows to eat the insects. It is so tragic how one man's foolishness, the leader in china at the time, could result in so many lives being lost.

  In this story, a little girl, the main character, ends up a hero because of her compassion. In the book, she saves seven birds lives. Although she doesn't think it was very successful at the time, these seven birds end up as China's salvation. Seven is a significant number. In scripture it is known as the number of perfect order. Through the wisdom and compassion of one little girl, perfect order is restored (signified by the seven birds) to the village-the natural order that God established when He created the earth. 

Number the Stars

   I chose to read this book because I recalled reading it when I was a child and distinctly remember it making an impact on my little heart. I think I even might have cried... The story is fascinating- and it's especially remarkable that most of the details are true! I love the part about humble King Christian X, the king of Denmark at the time of the Nazi takeover, who rode the streets of Denmark on his horse greeting his people. I wish I could have lived to see such a time, minus the war and terror from the Nazis. The story of the Dutch people is quite remarkable too. Their bravery and courage during the war is unmatched by any other group of people. I loved the true story about King Christian- that when a Nazis soldier asked a young boy where his body guards were (he would go out to greet the people alone), the young boy said that all of Denmark was his body guard. I wish I could have seen the guards face at such a remark!

     The story is written in such a way that my attention is held throughout; it's a "I just have to know what happens next" kind of story. I find the fact about the hanky the fisherman carried in the book, that contained cocaine and rabbits blood to keep the German dog's from finding the run away Jews, especially interesting. It's these little surprise details that solve mysteries in the reader's mind that make the book so good, plus the noble characters.

Twenty-One Elephants by April Jones Prince

This book stands out for its awe-inspiring art work and interesting story. Unfortunately, it does not read as well as I'd hoped and the writing is sort of jerky in places and word choice predictable. It does not flow like a good story should. A good book should read like a rich piece of chocolate cake, with descriptions and poetic details that grab hold of you immediately and pull you into the rushing river of the story until your tossed up, exhilarated and possibly teary eyed on the beach by the end. It is written as if it should rhyme, and yet it does not rhyme, except in some places. I so wish the writing was more like Trinka Hakes Nobles work. 

  On a brighter note, I love the subject. It's a true story about how people did not think the Brooklyn bridge was safe so B.T. Barnum took 21 elephants across it to show the public it was indeed safe. These jumbo elephants weighed 10,000 pounds a piece! That's a lot of weight. And elephants are used to test surfaces because they will not walk across something that is not safe; they use their trunks and feet to determine safe surfaces somehow. 

Peppe the Lamplighter by Elisa Bartone

   This is a heartwarming story about the struggles of being an immigrant in young American and the power of the family to overcome these struggles. The pages glow with rich original paintings by Ted Lewin. The paintings stark contrasts of dark and light set the mood for the book- evening in the city where the lamps must be lit by hand. A painter myself, I would have loved to see a street lit with nothing but fire. I imagine it must have given off a much warmer glow, like little camp fires where friends gather to keep warm. It would have felt much more romantic and personal to experience this sort of light in a city, especially the city of Little Italy in New York. The artist himself has a deep love for Little Italy since he moved to New York and his pleasure is evident in the paintings. They are rich with detail and dark alleys where your imagination can dance along. There are also many places where, like in the big gray street, water has pooled creating flower looking shapes where the ink from the water color blurred out to the edges. This gives them a unique, unfinished look.

  The story is somewhat heartbreaking and yet redemptive at the same time. The father is verbally abusive to his son Peppe because he lights the lamps. His father makes him feel ashamed for doing such a lowly job, yet that is the only work he can find and his father cannot work. In the end his father has a change of heart, although it is somewhat abrupt and therefore difficult to believe possible. A little bit more detail in the writing part would have made this story even better, although it was quite enjoyable.

Toy Boat by Randall de Seve

  

  This book is fun. The images are larger than life and make a good couple with the humble story line. The story and the images are inseparable. I love how the illustrator, Loren Long, could take a pencil a cork and a can and make a boat look so alive, like a little dog or companion for the boy. The last painting is the most beautiful of the sunset and the boy with his toy boat.

  I also like thinking about the creative process the writer took part in when she came up with the book. From reading the authors note I found that the book, something so lovely and full, began out as a tiny toy boat on her desk, made with a toothpick, a can, a cork and white tape. These elements that make up the boat are sort of symbolic of the writing process. Creating new ideas is sort of like taking random objects that don't originally relate and connecting them together to form a new object or idea. 

  This book also draws up memories of being a kid and the excitement of making toy boats. It was like rush of pure energy through my nine year old body when I thought of the idea to make a boat. I was on a canoe trip with my dad and his friend, and we were spending the night on a sand island in the middle of the river. I wasn't interested in fishing with my dad so I gleefully set about to making a worthy vessel to watch it go down the river along the bank of the island. It was so fun having to come up with materials where choices were limited. I did succeed in my endeavors with a little help from my dad's fishing tackle box and the boat sailed down stream and out of site, hopefully to be discovered by some other child. I needed passengers for my boat so I put some ants on it that I came across while hunting for materials. They were my sailors.

Titanicat by Marty Crisp

Painting by Ken Marshall

    I find it interesting that I chose a book by a different author that is illustrated by the same Robert Papp, Trinka Noble's illustrator. I am finding that I usually choose the books that have historical subject matter and beautiful paintings on the covers. This is not to say that these are the only good books, it is just what I seem to find most attractive. I have chosen a few books not along these lines, and I will get to those later and find out what made them jump off the shelf. Often the newer books have cooler, more vibrant art work and this, along with an interesting subject, is usually what gets me.     

    Titanicat is a great book. I learned so many interesting things from the book because the author did extensive research to create an authentic, realistic look at a true story. The book is about the Titanic and the cat that boarded that ship for a short period of time. The story follows the documented account of the Titanic cat that was custom for all ships at the time to keep as a way to control rodents and also for good luck. The cat, somehow foreseeing the danger as animals have amazing senses, got off the ship at it's only stop in Southampton, bringing her four kitten's with her. The superstitious young sailor, the main character in the book, who was given responsibility for the cat, got off with her. He didn't want to be on ship that had bad luck. I am fascinated by the Titanic and the stories that surround it so I included some below.     

    The book talks about how the Titanic was supposedly an "unsinkable ship..." Those people who believed the hype about the ship, since no ship is really unsinkable, did not realize the gravity of the situation until it was too late. Many of the lifeboats were not even full! The ship had only enough lifeboats for half the passengers, 1,100 people. Out of this number, only 705 people were actually in the lifeboats and therefore survived the sinking! (What were they thinking? Just read the next paragraph.)     

    Originally, the boat was so "unsinkable" that they only needed 20 lifeboats to "help rescue survivors of other sinking ships (this is what I read, no joke)." Before it's maiden voyage, Engineers said that even in the worst case scenario, (the Titanic colliding with another ship) it would take up to 2 to 3 days for the ship to sink! The Titanic sank in three hours after hitting the iceberg. The iceberg scraped the starboard side of the ships brow in six different slits. Those in charge thought it was only a minor collision. The ships fireman stated that the sound was like "the tearing of calico, nothing more." They were very very wrong...    

    One fact I read online that really horrified and amazed me was that even before the Titanic was really filling up with water, they put chains on the doors to the lower third class cabins so those below could not come up any higher. They blocked off these doors to prevent water from flooding into other parts of the ship. Other people in higher classes were actually told by those in authority to go back to their rooms, that everything was fine.     

    Even more interesting is the fact that the high-tech engineering of the Titanic actually added to it's downfall. The Body of the ship was divided into 16 different compartments that could be closed off to prevent flooding the whole ship. Sounds genius right? Because the front compartments were damaged by the iceberg and began to fill with water, and since this water was trapped in these enclosed compartments, the front part of the ship became increasingly heavier than the rear. This resulted in the ship's brow tilting forward until the stern broke off from the brow, bring a quit demise to this beauty of a boat. The front of the ship did a nose dive to the bottom of the ocean, while the back portion followed bit later. Both pieces of the boat were discovered years later to be more than 2 miles under the surface and 2,000 feet apart! If the ship's hull had not been divided up, the water would have distributed evenly and the ship, not breaking in two, would have sunk much slower. Enough time would have passed for all the passengers to be saved!

The Last Brother By Trinka Hakes Noble

    

    Just like the Scarlet Stocking's Spy, this book holds beautiful artwork by Robert Papp and a story revolving around the subject of War. This time it's the Civil War and instead of a young female hero it's a young boy, named Gabriel. I like this book because the main character is young and it is based on real life events. I loved reading Trinka Hakes Noble's books the Scarlet Stocking's Spy and The Last Brother because everything in these books comes from a unique mixture of family history and historical evidence and you learn so many interesting facts about the past. For instance, I had no idea that the Civil War was often called the boy's war because many of the soldiers who fought were young boys- between the ages of  ten and fourteen! I also had no idea what a Bugler was before reading this book. A bugler is someone who is in charge of mimicking the sergeant's orders by blowing a horn so the rest of the regiment can follow suit. 

       This specific book was based off of the battle at Picket's Charge, one of the bloodiest battle's in American History- with thousands of casualties in just fifty minutes. Reading about the battle on Wikipedia I found that: "Approximately 12,500 men in nine infantry brigades advanced over open fields for three quarters of a mile under heavy Union artillery and rifle fire." I can just imagine this... the horror of having to walk straight into a death trap, like walking the plank with a cloud of bullets all around you. As the Confederate army was falling like flies, the Union army was shielded behind a stone wall. 

      The above information is what I discovered doing my own research and this is exactly what happens in the book. The author has a knack for making history come to life- using details that are perfectly chosen for the scene. I like the image she paints of Davy, Gabe's older brother after he has come back in from the battlefield: "We fought the Rebs in the woods today," he said hoarsely, his eyes closed. It is a simple description but it stuck out to me because I can see it so vividly. The authors family history, research and experiences visiting  the actual battlefield make this story seem so real and alive. 

     Like the Scarlet Stocking's Spy, The Last Brother is a powerful book. Contrary to what one may think from first glancing at the image on the books cover of a boy in a blue Union uniform, this book is not just about war. It is about a young boy's devotion and love for his older brother and an unlikely friendship that develops between Gabe and the bugler fighting for the 'other' side. Because of their friendship and Gabriel's unflinching courage in the face of death, lives are saved on both sides of the battle line, making a story that isn't easy to forget. Even more fascinating, I read on Wikipedia that General Picket, when questioned later about why he believed the charge was unsuccessful stated "I've always thought the Yankee's had something to do with it." The Yankee's are those fighters who were formerly members of the Union but were fighting for the South. Although the author does not make a note about this, I will infer that even the part about Gabe and Orlee's friendship and the help they provided for each other is based on truth.

The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble

"Even the smallest of citizens can play the largest of parts when the birth of a nation if at stake...(for) the role of a patriot has nothing to do with age and everything to do with heart."

This book is powerful. It is the story of a young girl who helps Washington's army in the Revolutionary War by sending secret messages to her brother, a soldier in the army, via her inconspicuous, third-floor clothesline. It is a story of courage, sacrifice and devotion that is at times heart wrenching and other times wildly funny. Reading it was absorbingly enjoyable-like watching an old Turner Classic movie- I have so many favorite parts. One of my favorite parts is when her brother Jonathan comes dressed as an old widow in the middle of the night to check the clothesline status. The little girl and her brother have worked out an ingenious system where the clothesline is secret code for the ships in the harbor, wether they are dangerous and loaded with British weapons or harmlessly loaded with bread. Because the British are everywhere, he must wear a disguise and go by night. This time, he comes limping, with a cane and Maddy Rose is seriously concerned until he blows her away by doing a perfect handstand, balancing like an acrobat on top of the stick. Maddy Rose bursts out laughing of course.

        Because of the beautiful detail and heroic young girl, this story reads like the story of Ester from the Bible. It seems so real to me and from reading the authors note, it is not hard to understand why. Trinka Hakes Noble's own story mixes and intertwines with Maddy's. James Hakes, a direct ancestor of Trinka Hakes, served in the Revolutionary War. This is quite remarkable, but the author goes on to write that General Washington actually visited her great ancestors home when he was expecting a child and if it was a boy, the general requested that it be named in his honor. Soon thereafter, George Washington Hakes was born! Before writing the Scarlet Stocking's Spy, Trinka re-visited the land of her ancestors, walking the battlefield at Princeton, New Jersey, where her ancestors fought 227 years ago. Writing about her experiences she states: "I was deeply moved and felt not only immense gratitude and pride, but a strong connection to those who came before me, to the characters in the story, to my own cherished freedom, and to my own country." She considered it an honor to write the book and I am grateful to have discovered it.

Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott

  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this children's book. The paintings by Bethanne Anderson are beautiful and one can tell from reading it that the author really had a heart for the subject. The author chose to write about the important things like family history and big events in Louisa's life, but she also incorporated interesting details that many people may not know about her such as Louisa's favorite desert apple slump which she named her cottage in Concord after. It is these details and quotes by Louisa herself, along with the art work that make this book one I would love to own and pass on to my children. I love the graceful image of young Louisa hugging a larger than life white dog on the second page. It is a really beautiful work of art and the story that goes along with it is touching. It recounts how Louisa would go on adventures in the big city of Boston as a young girl. On one specific occasion she chose to lay her head down on the back of a big friendly dog and go to sleep instead of continue trying to find her way home. This story along with the rest of the book perfectly captures the life and spirit of Louisa May Alcott- the fearless Louisa who "runs in the wind." 

The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes

     I am really glad I chose to read this children's novel. Philip Pullman describes the book well when he writes: "a classic is something utterly strange and original, and yet as deeply familiar and necessary as your own hands." This book is gripping from the very first pages and kept me up later than I had planned so as to finish it in one sitting. Ted Hughes is a master of detail and this novel reads much like a long poem. I love how he describes the coming of dawn- the darkness grew blue and the shapes of the rocks separated from each other, two sea gulls flew crying over the rocks. This is such a perfect image and is a unique way of describing such a common thing as a sunrise. 

   The plot of the story is also extremely gripping and interesting. The story, like Philip Pullman writes, harkens to something ancient and lays hold of deep truths without being cliche. The black angel from outer space automatically makes me think of Lucifer or Satan and his fall from heaven. The black angel makes music, and Lucifer, before he fell, was God's highest angel and the leader of worship in heaven. The black angel, like Satan, ends up defeated because of his only weakness- pride. In the story, the Iron Giant who originally ate up people's lively hoods (their machinery), became the hero and the one who defeated the black angel. It is truly a strange story and I am interested to read more into different interpretations and what Ted Hughes was thinking when he wrote it. Great read!

Rose Blanch by Roberto Innocenti

       This book is powerful. I chose it because of the captivating image of a blue eyed girl on the cover surrounded by wounded soldiers. The book is about a young german girl's experience of war as it relates to the authors own childhood experience. In the book, the young girl is leading a relatively normal life until one day she decides to follow one of the trucks that regularly passes through her town. She follows the tracks of the truck until she discoveres a barbed wire fence and prisoners held behind this wire. It is then that she realized something terrible was happening and it changed how she lived her life. From then on, she would take food out to these hungry prisoners and risk her life to help them. 

         Part of the books power is that it flows from the authors own childhood experiences. Innocenti writes in the forward of the book about how he was young boy in war torn Germany and similarly did not know how bad the situation was until two German soldiers appeared on his doorstep begging his father to hide them. At the same time this was happening Innocenti witnessed a truck taking a family away, including a mother and child. It must have made a big impression on the young boy because he remembers even the color of the blanket the baby was rapped in (pink) and chose to write a book about it later on in life. 

        I loved this book because the artwork is amazing and it opened the door into a world of the past; a world that reminds me to stay awake to what is happening in our time. We live in the age of media, a world bombarded by images and visual language, which can at times be overwhelming, but it is also a medium for great change. Just as the movie Invisible Children stands as an example, stopping injustice always begins by uncovering what is hidden in darkness to those who are shrouded in ignorance. This book helps shed some light on that darkness.

The Little Match Girl

The reason I wanted to read this book is because two people I love dearly have mentioned the name in conversation and so the book has been sort of logged in the back of my mind. After reading it, I realized that it is the artwork that makes this book stand out from other books. The paintings are done by Jerry Pinkney and are truly captivating and beautiful. There isn't a single face in the story book that isn't what I would call 'perfect' and fitting. The images of the family on the first page are my favorite. The apathetic and harassing father towering over the children as they bundle flowers, the dutiful older sister, pestering younger brother and gracious little match girl all paint such a real picture of the time. Jerry Pinkney writes on the  dedication page of the book that photographs from the early 20th century of children peddling flowers were the catalyst for his art. He states that "their faces stayed with me and haunt my visual memory." It was as if the children in those images were beckoning him to be heard, knowing he had the talent to tell their story well. The images of the little match girl are truly haunting, but I like what Jerry Pinkney did with these images. He took something terrible and infused it with hope. The little girl died, but she went to a place far better than anyplace in this world. Even if the rich people in the story were too busy to notice the dying girl, God did not overlook her, the One who executes justice for the oppressed (Psalm 146:7).