Books To Share
Children’s book reviews by Tacoma writer Rebecca Young appear monthly on the Families page.
“The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays” by Malka Drucker - Hanukkah books for children abound. But when it comes to other Jewish holidays, many of them more important than Hanukkah, the field of books becomes sparse to nonexistent. This book takes care of that problem in one volume about Jewish holy days. Drucker has put together a wonderful compendium of facts, stories, songs, recipes and activities from around the world. Her descriptions of the history and traditions of the holidays are clear and interesting.
Writings are included by other authors, such as Barbara Cohen, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Amy Schwartz and Anne Frank. Children can put on a Purim play, make a Simhat Torah flag, and build a Sukkah (with adult help). Lively, well-researched illustrations by Nancy Patz complete the package. (Little, Brown, all ages, 180 pgs., $21.95.)
“Zoom” by Istvan Banyai - This is a visually fascinating, mindexpanding wordless picture book in which nothing is what it first appears. On Page 1 is a red, specked abstract shape. Zoom back and it becomes a rooster’s comb. Zoom a few more times to see that two children are watching the rooster on a farm. But wait, zoom again to discover that the farm and the children are toys being played with by a girl. Zoom. It’s not a real girl, but a photo in a catalog being perused by a boy on a cruise ship. And it continues into infinity. Because there are no words, this is terrifically interesting for children to study on their own. Watch them. It’s fun to see the “aha” moments. (Viking, all ages, 64 pgs., $13.99.)
“The Bear & Mr. Bear” by Frances Thomas - The old man who lives on the hill never speaks and is never friendly. He must have had another name, but, because of his grumbly personality, everyone in the village calls him Mr. Bear. One day a carnival comes to town. (The setting is probably medieval times in England.) There is a red-haired man with a stick and a chain. Attached to the chain is a bedraggled bear who is forced to dance while his master beats him with a stick. The audience, except for Mr. Bear, laughs and cheers. Mr. Bear goes home, but he can’t stop thinking about the sad, scared look in the bear’s eyes. The next day he tracked down the bear and keeper on the road out of town. He gives the greedy man a substantial number of gold pieces to purchase the bear. He takes the bear back to his property, gives him a sleeping potion and cuts away the shackles. By the time Mr. Bear has burned the cage, and the bear has had some good food and a swim in the cold stream, both are beginning not to feel quite so cross and frightened. This is a sweet, thoughtful story that is written with just the right touch - not the least heavy-handed or preachy. Ruth Brown’s paintings are beautiful. (Dutton, ages 5-9, 32 pgs., $14.99)
“Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes” by Chris Crutcher - Just out in paperback, this highly praised young-adult novel by Spokane’s Chris Crutcher is a gripping, sensitive story of friendship between two wounded high school seniors. Sarah was burned on her face when she was 3, leaving her horribly disfigured. Her mother left her with her sinister father. Her friend Eric can empathize. His whole body is disfigured - with fat. Schoolmates call him “Moby.” But his fat begins to disappear from his grueling workouts on his high school swim team. He begins to stuff himself out of fear that, no longer disfigured, he will lose Sarah’s friendship. The story begins when Sarah is institutionalized, apparently catatonic, but really pretending so that she can get out of her father’s house. Eric tries to help her, as the terrible secret emerges about how she was really burned.
The reader grows to care deeply about these two brave kids, and also about a whole cast of wonderfully well-drawn characters, including students, parents and Eric’s swim coach and teacher, Mrs. Lemry. The main issue is child abuse, but in the context of Lemry’s class, “Contemporary American Thought,” other difficult issues, such as abortion and religion, are dealt with in a compelling manner. This is for mature readers. (Bantam Doubleday Dell, ages 12 and up, 216 pgs., $3.99.)
“Bat: Night Fliers” by Betsy Maestro - Today’s children are fortunate to have such a wide variety of excellent non-fiction available to them. This book, illustrated by Giulo Maestro, is another high-quality offering from the team that produced “A Sea Full of Sharks” and “Take a Look at Snakes.” Dispelling common perceptions that bats are scary and harmful, the Maestros depict a mammal that is interesting, attractive and intelligent. Did you know that Texas has more bats than any other state? That ghost bats are white and roost on the undersides of leaves? That most bats are small enough to fit in a human hand? This is clearly written, and colorfully illustrated in watercolor and colored pencil. (Scholastic, ages 4-8, 32 pgs., $14.95.)
“Guests” by Michael Dorris - The writing is nearly poetry in this perceptive middle-grade novel about Moss, a Native American boy, and his pre-adolescent angst. The story is set in the past, but the boy’s growing pains are timeless. He is frustrated with his parents about guests that have been invited to the village’s special harvest meal. The guests are strangers. There are hints that they might be white people. But that turns out to be a small part of the story. In his frustration, Moss runs off into the woods. He spends lots of time thinking and meets up with a girl from a neighboring village, who has more serious reasons for being mad at her parents. Before he finds his way back home, Moss has grown up a bit. (Hyperion, ages 8 and up, 119 pgs., $13.95.)
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