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This
holiday season, look to authors in and around the Capital
Region to please your little literati By Laura LeonWhen
Albanians—the kind that live right here, not in the Balkans—give
thanks for the reasons they love the area, they mention things
like its proximity to places like Manhattan, the Adirondacks,
Montreal, Boston or the Cape. They talk about the relatively
modest cost of living, and, due to its being the state capital,
the fairly steady local economy. But, still, they’ve left
out one of the best-kept secrets, which is that this region
has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to writers who
call the greater Capital Region home.
This year, when choosing books for the young ones in your
life, consider one of the many penned by local authors that
are listed below. Not only are they all excellent choices,
sure to please more than a few on your gift list, but they
provide that extra bang for the buck: inspiration. How wonderful
a thought is it for a young reader to know that this magical
book he or she is reading was written by somebody who lives
in the very next town, or who teaches at his or her very own
school!
Somewhat
reminiscent of the magic of Richard Scarry, Moove Over!
(by Karen Magnuson Beil, illustrated by Paul Meisel, Holiday
House, $16.95) is bound to delight youngsters beginning to
count. Vivid and colorful illustrations featuring all manner
of animals, including a duet of ducks, a herd of kids on a
class trip and an obnoxious cow with no sense of bus etiquette,
complement enjoyable verse that’s all about counting by twos.
It includes an endsheet with more counting-by-two fun.
One of this year’s true “must haves” is Your Favorite
Seuss (compiled by Janet Schulman and Cathy Goldsmith,
designed by Molly Leach, Random House, $34.95). This giant
book is a treasure featuring, as the subtitle says, 13 Seuss
classics. What’s especially nice is that some of those collected
are not so obvious, such as The Sneetches, McElligot’s
Pool and If I Ran the Zoo. This is a real “sharer”
book, as it includes grown-up friendly forwards to each story
by other renowned children’s-book authors and childhood experts,
such as Barbara Bader, John Lithgow, and Stan and Jan Berenstain,
on just why Theodore Geisel is important to them.
Make
Way for McCloskey: A Robert McCloskey Treasury (Viking,
$25) is another of this year’s “must haves,” celebrating some
of the most memorable characters and images in 20th-century
children’s books, all via the imagination of Robert McCloskey.
The book includes an in-depth look, by Leonard S. Marcus,
at the writer-artist himself, a notorious speller who “stumbled
upon an art form that allowed him to build on his natural
gifts as a storyteller, to experiment with composition and
design, and to have his artwork seen.” McCloskey was among
the first great children’s author-illustrators who did not
look down upon his subject audience, as is evidenced with
the great care and sly understatement of works such as Make
Way for Ducklings, One Morning in Maine, and lesser
known works such as Lentil and Burt Dow, Deep-Water
Man.
“The
skin I’m in will always be just a covering. . . . It cannot
tell my story.” Bell hooks and illustrator Chris Raschka,
the collaborators of Happy to be Nappy and Be Boy
Buzz, have come up with Skin Again (Jump
at the Sun Hyperion Books for Children, $16.99), an inspiring
story poem that celebrates all that makes us unique and different,
while acknowledging our shared hope and heart. This is a story
that’s even better read out loud, so share it.
Barbara Lehman’s fascination with maps is contagious in The
Red Book (Houghton Mifflin Company, $12.95), a charming
little book that tells the tale of two children, on opposite
sides of the equator, who find out about each other in an
ingenious way. Somewhat reminiscent of the classic One
Monday Morning in the way it evokes the magic of a child’s
imagination amid a bleak urban landscape, The Red Book
is that best kind of story: Its ending is really another beginning.
One of the best Hanukkah books to come around in years, A
Confused Hanukkah (by Jon Koons, illustrated by S.D.
Schindler, Dutton Children’s Books, $16.99) celebrates the
Festival of Lights with grace and humor. Told in the
manner of a classic fairy tale, it involves what happens when,
in the absence of their rabbi, the villagers of Chelm forget
how to observe the holiday, which results in a cross-cultural
mix-up that is funny without resorting to caricature.
Just when we were wondering what ever became of our old friend
Karen Pandell, whose works include the tot fave I Love
You Sun I Love You Moon, we noticed her Where’s
Stretch (illustrated by Jill McElmurry, Candlewick
Press, $9.99) a charming lift-the-flap book about a family’s
search for Stretch the dachshund on wash day. Little ones
will delight in trying to ascertain just where that pooch
could be.
A great book for beginner readers, 26 Big Things Small
Hands Do (by Coleen Paratore, illustrated by Mike
Reed, Free Spirit Publishing, $16.96) celebrates little people’s
abilities while it underscores the alphabet. Written by local
Coleen Paratore, this is a hope-
affirming story that avoids being precious by deft use of
a joyous combination of words, color and spirit.
This year’s choice of gift for all newborns and soon-to-be-borns,
Baby Goose (by Kate McMullan, pictures by Pascal
Lamaitre, Hyperion, $15.99) is a lovely collection of nursery
rhymes and baby poems whose quirky illustrations belie the
sweet good nature of the collection. Featuring poems for morning
time, travel, bath or water play and, of course, night night.
Why not get the kids in your life started with cooking by
treating them to Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30-Minute
Meals for Kids (Lake Isle Press, $16.95), Ray’s infectious,
easy-to-use reference on, well, fast cooking with kids. With
kid-friendly titles such as “micro-way-cool green beans and
bacon,” “blanket in a pig,” and “fish in a sack,” there’s
got to something to please even the pickiest eater, let alone
junior chef. Ray separates the book into age groups sections
that highlight the importance, at times, of a GH (grown-up
helper), and includes helpful insight such as “Keep your cool!”
and “Why cooking rocks!”
In My Penguin Osbert (by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel,
illustrated by H.B. Lewis, Candlewick Press, $16.99), Little
Joe has come to realize that, in writing to Santa, he needs
to be very specific; last year, when he asked for the race
car of his dreams, he got one that matched in nearly every
description, except for the fact that it was 3 inches long.
So when he decides upon a penguin, he is particular, so much
so that Mr. Claus has no choice but to deliver. But how long
can a kid deal with a new friend’s penchant for cold, icy
baths, and, perhaps worst of all, creamed herring for breakfast?
Kimmel’s sly humor permeates this delightful new classic.
Looking at the price on Egyptology: Search for the Tomb
of Osiris (written and illustrated by Joanna Sutherland,
Candlewick Press, $19.99), this treasure trove of Egyptology,
mapping, history, art, exploration and mystery, you’re bound
to think you’ve stumbled onto some hidden bounty—either that,
or the sales clerk really messed up. But no, this rich and
imaginative tome by Joanna Sutherland is surprisingly affordable
considering its ornate visuals. Sutherland tells the tale
of auntie Emily Sands, long lost while exploring the ancient
tombs of Egypt. This is perfect for the kid (or family) who
loves exploring new worlds.
“Autumn
used to be my favorite time of year. . . . Foolish to think
I could be enough to make Ma want to stay if the leaves
couldn’t.” And so begins From the Lighthouse (Dutton
Children’s Books, $16.99), a poignant coming-of-age story
by Liz Chipman (full disclosure: She is my children’s museum-room
teacher at TOAST). As seen through the eyes of 13-year-old
Weezie Bloom, life on the Hudson reflects the seasons and
the constant ebb and flow of the water itself. From the
Lighthouse has the lush, evocative narrative of books
from another time, back when language meant so much more than
just plain old words.
Following in the steps of Time Stops for No Mouse and
The Sands of Time, No Time Like Show Time
(by Michael Hoeye, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $14.99) returns
mouse watchmaker and detective Hermux Tantamoq to the, well,
spotlight, as he is enlisted by impresario Fluster Varmint
to solve a mystery. Flush with an array of dazzling characters,
with equally notable names (Brinx Lotelle! Linka Perflinger!),
No Time is one of those bedtime tales that has kids
begging for just one more, and then another, chapter.
Juxtaposing current school-budget cuts and coming-of-age angst,
The Last Holiday Concert (by Andrew Clements,
Simon & Schuster, $15.95) is a lovely story about what
happens when a town decides it shouldn’t spend taxpayer dollars
on music and art teachers, and a sixth grader has to step
into the void. Out of utter chaos, infighting, compromise,
idealism and finally, a fragile peace, the sixth-grade concert
comes to fruition; but hanging in the balance is the question,
will there be anymore? Clements blends a fine storyline with
underlying questions about the tension between popularity
and leadership.
E-mails and instant messaging have hit the youth-lit. circuit,
which isn’t a bad thing if you consider Lauren Myracle’s creative,
goofy ttyl (Amulet Books, $15.95), about a trio
of 10th-grade girls who find out that wrestling with typical
teenage monsters like style faux pas, math, junk-food cravings
and, of course, boys, can take a lot of friendships. Told
entirely in instant messages, this just might be the first
bedtime story that your precocious youngster reads to you!
Janell Cannon has transformed “uncuddly” critters such as
bats (Stellaluna), snakes (Verdi) and yaus (Little
Yau: A Fuzzhead Tale) into creatures whose uniqueness
even the youngest reader can appreciate and even admire. Unlike
some writers whose continuation on a theme gets boring and
formulaic, Cannon has somehow found new inspirations with
each outing, none more so than in Pinduli (Harcourt,
Inc., $16), in which she transforms a hyena into something
far different than what we remember in The Lion King.
This marvelous story examines the power of words, and the
ability to turn something into an advantage, making for an
empowering, enchanting book.
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