STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY by Grace Lin Rendi has stowed away in a merchant’s cart and left home. As soon as he’s discovered, he’s made to work in service to Master Chao, the owner of a humble inn located in the Village of Clear Sky. Rendi sneers at the shabby inn and the broken down homes… Read more »
Book Room
Mean Words and a Garden of Forgiveness
THE FORGIVENESS GARDEN by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Christy Hale Recently, I read that Desmond Tutu, when asked who should serve on the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of South Africa, said it should be those who were victims, those whose lives had been torn apart. But key to their selection, those chosen must be ones who… Read more »
Dreaming Up
DREAMING UP: A Celebration of Building by Christy Hale (Lee and Low, 2012) Buildings from around the world, designed by men and women of diverse backgrounds, find their way into Hale’s newest book, DREAMING UP – a collection of concrete poems, recognizable structures from around the world, and the interesting constructions that spring from children’s… Read more »
Jimmy the Greatest
Jimmy the Greatest, picture book by Jairo Buitrago, author; Rafael Yockteng, illustrator. (Groundwood Books, 2012) The simplicity of this charming book is deceptive. The story sneaks up on you. Jimmy is a young boy who lives in a Spartan village on a Caribbean island. What’s a boy with big ideas to do, other than fish… Read more »
The Comfort of Books
Never have the children in our country needed the comfort of books more than now. The comfort of books in which the children are protected or safe, with happy endings and familiar characters to whom good things happen; or books in which children or animals face great danger with courage and determination; or even the… Read more »
A List of Lists: All the Best Children’s Books of 2012
All month, the ReaderkidZ have been picking our favorite books for the holidays. Funny enough, many other esteemed organizations are doing the same thing. Below are several excellent lists of the best children’s books of 2012 that we thought you might like to check out. Happy reading and happy holidays! Horn Book Fanfare Our Choices… Read more »
Required Reading for the Season
THE CHRISTMAS QUIET BOOK by Deborah Underwood Illustrated by Renata Liwska (Houghton Mifflin, 2012) The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood and illustrator Renata Liwska is more of a good thing from the team that brought us The Quiet Book and The Loud Book. The whole idea of getting young children to even think about quiet, especially… Read more »
