Life’s Little Lessons

Children’s book reviews by Tacoma writer Rebecca Young appear monthly in The Spokesman-Review.

“Kids’ Crazy Concoctions: 50 Mysterious Mixtures for Art & Craft Fun” by Jill Frankel Hauser In January it gets dark early and the luster has worn off the new holiday toys. This treasure chest of a book will help pass the winter hours. It’s full of wonderful ideas for creating mixtures that, in turn, will spur children’s creativity. Learn how to make your own watercolors and egg tempera paints, paste, paper and many kinds of dough. The standards, such as ersatz Play-doh are here, plus imaginative new ideas. How about soap on a rope, or dried rose petals crumbled into basic dough, then formed into beads for a necklace? The instructions are clear, and ingredients and materials are inexpensive and easily located. At the end of the book is information to help parents and teachers use the recipes. Look for Williamson Publishing’s other excellent hands-on children’s books, such as “Kids Cook!” and “EcoArt!” (Williamson Publishing, ages 4 and up, 155 pgs., $12.95.)

“The Sugaring-Off Party” by Jonathan London Here’s another good book for the season. As a French-Canadian boy prepares to go to his first maple-sugaring, his Grand-mere tells him about her first sugaring, at which the guests arrived on skis and snowshoes. There is feasting, dancing and the fantastic treat of fresh maple syrup on snow. French phrases are sprinkled throughout this lively tale (a French glossary is included), and the colorful naive paintings of French-Canadian artist Gilles Pelletier are an authentic complement to the story. (Dutton, ages 4 and up, 32 pgs., $14.99.)

“The Edible Pyramid: Good Eating Everyday” by Loreen Leedy Doesn’t a book based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Guide Pyramid sound boring? Surprisingly, it’s quite entertaining, and it’s educational, too. Leedy has created a restaurant The Edible Pyramid run by, and patronized by a lively assortment of animals. The pyramid is explained on the various pages by a dapper cat waiter showing the amazing variety of foods served by the restaurant. There’s puffed rice, bulgur wheat, ravioli, fettuccine, beets, yams, cantaloupe, chick peas, pumpkin seeds, flounder, chicken soup and yogurt, all depicted deliciously. A useful book to teach children good eating habits. (Holiday House, ages 4-8, 32 pgs., $15.95.)

“The Man Who Knew Too Much: A Moral Tale from the Baila of Zambia” retold by Julius Lester I was glad I previewed this frightening and hopeless book before reading it to my children. Retold folk tales are hot in children’s publishing, and many are wonderful and uplifting. This one should have been left where it was found. A woman lays her baby beneath a tree while she works in the field. The baby cries and an eagle swoops down. The woman is terrified, but the eagle flies away and the baby is both unharmed and comforted. The same thing happens a second day, and that night the amazed woman tells her husband. The third day he watches the eagle land, but when he visualizes the harm that could be done by the predator’s sharp talons he lets an arrow fly. The arrow misses the eagle and kills the baby. The eagle curses the man: “Now is kindness among your people at an end because you have killed your child. Beginning now and forevermore, people shall kill one another.” The writer offers a long apologia at the end: “While some may think the story too gruesome … it is less so than the average Saturday morning cartoon …” He says the story is an allegory that represents how children feel when adults “kill” their sense of wonder. None of that justifies letting children experience a father killing his own baby. Lester has written other fine books, including the highly regarded retellings of the Uncle Remus stories, and “To Be a Slave,” a Newbery Honor Book. The publisher recommends this new book for ages 5-8. Parents and teachers can judge for themselves whether this is appropriate fare for youngsters of any age. I won’t be reading it to any children below voting age. (Clarion Books, ages 5-8, 32 pgs., $14.95.)

“So Much” by Trish Cooke Mama and baby are home alone, but pretty soon along comes Auntie Bibba with a big wide smile. “Oooooooh! … I want to squeeze the baby, I want to squeeze him SO MUCH!” Then come Uncle and Auntie and Gran-Gran and cousins, all of whom want to hug, kiss and love this baby SO MUCH! Written with a lively, rap-like rhythm, this is a great book for toddlers, an age group that sorely needs more story books of its own. The pictures are by masterful illustrator Helen Oxenbury. A bit reminiscent of Vera Williams’ wonderful “More, More, More, Said the Baby,” but with its own spark, “So Much” is a keeper. (Candlewick Press, ages 1-5, 32 pgs., $14.95.)

“The Librarian Who Measured the Earth” by Kathryn Lasky This tells the story of the Greek mathematician and librarian Eratosthenes, who discovered a simple geometrical method for calculating the circumference of the Earth. The story begins with his childhood: “More than two thousand years ago a very smart baby was born.” As a baby, he crawled across the floor to follow the path of ants, and when he could speak he asked endless questions. Children will learn many fascinating details about ancient Greek life, as well as information about early inventions, angles and measurement. The story offers the positive message that being smart is a good thing. Laskey is a marvelous writer of non-fiction for children. Another recent standout of hers is “Searching for Laura Ingalls Wilder.” Keven Hawkes’ lovely pictures complete this high-quality book. (Little, Brown, ages 5-9, 48 pgs., $16.95.)