This unique story shows a child thinking: Sarah has outgrown her boots and, after a struggle to stretch them, realizes that growing up is natural, happy and irreversible.
Sarah's wonderful old rain boots wouldn't fit her feet. Nothing she tried made them bigger. The dog pulled on them, she filled them with rocks, and she planted them in the ground. Mathew inherited them, to Sarah's annoyance, and her mother bought her new ones. When Mathew worried her boots would shrink for him too, what would Sarah say? The illustrations show Sarah's thought processes and her appropriate, emotional, reactions delightfully.
A Japanese woman's interest in The Holocaust becomes a passionate pursuit for truth about the life of Auschwitz intern, Hana Brady, which poignantly reveals the value of every child to us all.
Young Fumiko Ishioka was astounded by the horror of the Holocaust. With the arrival of a battered suitcase from the Auschwitz museum, Fumiko's determination became personal and unrelenting. It was a child's suitcase, simply labeled "Hana Brady", Who was Hana"? What happened to her? Hana's Suitcase tells children, sensitively, of wrenching injustice. Yet its stunning surprises teach us of the humanity possible to Men. Through Hana, Fumiko shows us how special a life is. You will thank Goodness for Hana, and for Fumiko!
Dying of boredom in his retirement pasture, Charlie, a spirited Clydesdale, rediscovers his joie de vivre by setting the entire village "on schedule" for his favorite daily event.
The sorriest sort of creature is the one without a purpose. Marguerite Henry has captured this gravely important principle in a way that children can understand, and has done so by using a draft horse as her main character. One can still be active and important during retirement and Charlie delightfully ensures he is both.
Bright humorous writing helps even young children understand the Emperor Penguin's extraordinary effort at laying and caring for a single egg, and then chick, through an Antarctic winter.
Imagine sitting for two months without food, in driving snow, high winds, -40C temperatures, and you have to keep an egg on top of your feet! Jenkins writes, "... I'd be very, very miserable. Luckily the penguins don't seem to mind too much. They have thick feathers and lots of fat..." In this way kids can enjoy learning the amazing way Emperor Penguins care for their young. Even the well executed illustrations are informative.
Hilariously, a five year old is confused by convincing 'evidence' that his body is disassembling, like a cheap doll.
The pop-eyed characters of Parts completely complement the crazy fear the main character experiences. More importantly, Arnold shows children how true facts can be misconstrued. Laugh with your children. Then, see if you can find real world examples to show older children that the logic error in Parts is horrifically common, even among information specialists such as journalists & academics.
A mongoose battles two devious and deadly Cobras, that are bent on destroying a human family that had saved him from drowning.
One of the all time great children's stories, Rikki Tikki Tavi tells of an Indian mongoose rescued by a British family. He overhears two Cobras planning to make the walled family garden safe for their hatchlings —by killing his benefactors! Rikki, in justice & loyalty to the family, determines to defeat the deadly cobras. For a children's story, the war of wits & agility that ensues is remarkable and compelling.
There are great things to do, but you must work towards them even in the midst of failure... "There's fun to be done!"
The Geisel's offer the best advice anyone can give a child facing the world: use your free will, take charge of your own direction, enjoy the ups and wrestle through the downs, but never stop. Rather than penning a nonsense story in rhyme, the Geisel's have used their considerable talent to provide readers of all ages with the ultimate 'life' pep-talk: One can always choose a direction, and go, You should choose this book for your kids.
Franklin faces surgery and learns that bravery means acting properly in spite of one's fears.
Franklin's shell is cracked. Dr. Bear has to put a pin in it, and that means surgery and being anesthetized. Everyone tells Franklin that he is brave, but really he is scared. When he tells Dr. Bear, he learns why he really is brave. This. 'must have' Franklin story is useful to children who face medical or dental work, but it shows any reader the true nature of courage.
Kids enjoy this anthology of intelligent poems, answering such questions as why popcorn pops –it's terrific.
"Would clouds feel fluffy,/ Soft and grand,/ If I could touch them/ With my hand?" Amy Koss takes children's minds seriously, without losing sight of the beauty and magic of discovery. Her 14 factual poems are both entertaining and fascinating to children without ever being silly. Even the adult reader will likely learn something from Where Fish Go in Winter. It is an extraordinary work.
A bright and introspective hawklet experiments and explores to discover abilities, places and companions, always with the intention of making the most of his life.
Rufous is sure he knows the 'whole' world: his mother, a blue roof, and a nest of sticks. Then a shock! His mother must be going somewhere else to get food! Quietly commanding, she won't let her "handful of dandelion fluff" try flying. Over 18 months we see Rufous proudly grow into the world, and we follow his introspective efforts to understand it. The parallel with human intellectual development is inescapable, and adeptly achieved.
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