Bittersweet Season End-Of-Summer Stories Will Hit Responsive Chord In Children Preparing To Go Back To School
“Summer’s End”
By Maribeth Boelts
Hate to be the one to bring this up, but another glorious summer is winding down. Time to stuff gravel-toughened feet into stiff new shoes, and get that scruffy mop of hair trimmed.
Here’s a picture book that perfectly captures the bittersweet feelings youngsters have as they head back to school.
“No more baseball, swimming lessons, sparklers, camping, sweet corn, fireflies, cousins visiting … and no more fun. I feel like a balloon with a slow leak.” That’s 7-year-old Jill speaking and she clearly enjoyed her summer. Her little sister is thrilled to be picking out pencils, and a new lunchbox, but Jill is in mourning.
As the story progresses, Jill works through her feelings (handled by Boelts in a gracefully uncontrived manner) and actually begins to be the tiniest bit excited about school. The softly colored, cheerful illustrations by Ellen Kandoian nicely complement this soothing tale. (Houghton Mifflin Co., ages 5-8, 32 pgs., $14.95.)
“Sand in My Shoes”
By Wendy Kesselman
This end-of-summer story doesn’t end on as upbeat a note, but it’s evocatively written and beautifully illustrated by Ronald Himler. This girl is leaving a beach house behind and returning to the gray, somber city. She sneaks out early to say good-bye to her beloved ocean. “Good-bye seagulls that wake me/ And faraway whales/ And blue buoys bouncing/ And ships with tall sails.” Himler’s watercolors are the best part of this book. They capture the light and color of the ocean and the wistful loveliness of the child. (Hyperion, ages 3-7, 32 pgs., $14.95.)
“The Summer Sands”
By Sherry Garland
Here’s a story that comes full circle, from one summer to the next, with plenty of drama, and nature education, in between. A brother and sister spend summer enjoying the dunes behind their grandfather’s house. They learn about the hardy plants that can survive on the dunes and watch ghost crabs and rabbits at night. Late that summer, a huge storm smashes the coast. The dunes are completely carried away by the wind and the sea. Sadly, the children wander along the flattened beach the next morning, picking up trash and seashells. Summer ends and school resumes. Eventually snow covers the city where the children lives. The drifts remind them of the dunes. After New Year’s Day, their parents surprise them with a trip to Grandpa’s house, their old Christmas tree tied to the car roof. At the beach, lots of other folks are carefully placing their old Christmas trees where the dunes were. The winter winds work, blowing sand up over the trees and forming new dunes. At the start of the next summer, the children can still spot tree tops poking through. By summer’s end, the dunes were themselves again. More nice beach watercolors are by the late Robert J. Lee. (Gulliver Green/ Harcourt Brace, ages 5 and up, 32 pgs., $15.)
“The Tale of Custard the Dragon”
By Ogden Nash
“Belinda lived in a little white house,/ With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,/ And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,/ And a realio, trulio little pet dragon.”
No one surpasses the late Ogden Nash when it comes to whimsical poetry. This is his classic tale of a cowardly dragon who becomes a hero when a dastardly pirate climbs in the window. Reissued with charming illustrations by Lynn Munsinger, this is as delightful for today’s children as it has been for several generations of youngsters. (Little, Brown, ages 4-8, 32 pgs., $14.95.)
“Cutters, Carvers & the Cathedral”
By George Ancona
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City has been under construction for more than 100 years. This is the fascinating story of this stone marvel. Clearly written and beautifully photographed by Ancona, readers will learn about the history, people and process behind this monument to faith. We see how the huge limestone blocks are unearthed and cut at an Indiana quarry mill, how a computer helps create templates to shape the blocks, and how the carvers create the intricate stone gargoyles and other decorations. The lighting and detail in the photographs are marvelous. Sadly, construction has stopped because of lack of funding. But despite the seemingly permanent scaffolding, the cathedral is used for services, festivals and social work. Read this book, then rent the documentary “The Stone Carvers” which depicts the work on the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., a similar 100-year building project. (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, ages 6 and up, 32 pgs., $15.)
“Ready … Set … Read - And Laugh!”
Compiled by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson
Beginning readers no longer have to struggle through such boring stuff as “Run Spot Run.” Current books for early readers are filled with humor, plot and interesting characters. This new treasury is no exception. It’s a wonderful jumble of funny stories, poems and riddles - the kind of stuff that 6- to 8-year-olds love. Many of the stories contained here appear on their own in book form. There are such favorite characters as Amelia Bedelia, and James Marshall’s Fox. The fine writers and illustrators include Arnold Lobel, Jack Prelutsky, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss and Melissa Sweet. Look also for an earlier volume compiled by Cole (of Magic School Bus fame) and Calmenson called “Ready … Set Read! The Beginning Reader’s Treasury.” (Doubleday, ages 5 and up, 144 pgs., $17.95.)
MEMO: Children’s book reviews by Tacoma writer Rebecca Young appear monthly in The Spokesman-Review.