32 p., Little, Brown+, 19991. Resolution of grief can be a difficult journey. In this original fairy tale, when the queen dies, the king's grief is so vast that the entire land experiences years of drought. A legend says that finding the Heart of the World, which is in the Enchanted Wood, will allow a man to achieve his purpose, and the king realizes that ending the drought is just such a purpose. The two oldest princes, both full of arrogance, first seek the Heart of the World. The wise woman who guards the gates of the Enchanted Wood warns them to stay on on the path, but each is distracted - the oldest by his love of hunting, and the second by his love of fighting. The youngest prince, Galen, goes to the wood, with not only a passion to save his kingdom (and his brothers), but also, openness and humility. As a result of the latter attributes, he acquires the help of the gatekeeper's daughter, Rose, who accompanies him on his journey. Seeing his brothers struggling, Galen is sorely tempted to leave the path, but he's able to stay on it when Rose warns him that he'll become enchanted if he leaves it. When, with her help, he understands that he'd wanted to leave the path because he loves his brothers, yet he's staying true to his purpose of saving the kingdom, the forest becomes much less forbidding. They reach the Heart of the World, where there is a magical tree and a spring. Drinking from the spring, Galen wishes for a permanent end to the drought. It immediately begins to rain. The wood is no longer enchanted, freeing Rose's family from generations of guarding its gate. Galen's brothers greet him warmly and with new humility, and the king holds a great feast. When Galen becomes king, he and Rose rule the kingdom with wisdom and joy. Illustrated with beautifully atmospheric oil paintings, this story illustrates the roles of compassion and connection in recovery from grief. Ages 7-10
Showing posts with label European. Show all posts
Showing posts with label European. Show all posts
Mona: The Monster Girl by Moritz Petz
Translated by J. Alison James. Illustrated by Maja Dusíková. 32 p., North-South, 2004. When you're a monster, you might be afraid of the children that could be hiding under the bed. Such is the case for green, sharp-toothed, claw-footed Mona, who worries about going to sleep even though her mother reassures her that there's no such thing as children. But in fact, two children do show up in her attic after she's gone to bed. At first, Mona is terrifed of the children, and of course, they're terrifed of her. One child, Lenny, shoots Mona with a water pistol, and he and Maria chase Mona. But Maria realizes that Mona is crying, and the children apologize to her. And they make friends. They find that they envy each other's lives - Mona's mother doesn't like her to be clean or to pick up her room. They teach each other their favorite games. And they discover that the Mona's mother can't see the children, and the children's mother can't see Mona. When Mona finally goes back to bed, she dreams of friendly children who want to play. This isn't the first story of a monster who is afraid of children at bedtime (for example, see The Something by Natalie Babbitt, 1970, Clyde Monster by Robert L. Crowe, 1976, and the hilarious No Such Thing by Jackie Koller French, 1997) but this one is lovely and made me laugh. Illustrated with whimsical watercolor paintings, this story offers children humor and a new perspective to help dispel their fears. Ages 3-6
Willy and Max: A Holocaust Story by Amy Littlesugar
Illustrated by William Low. 40 p., Philomel, 2006. Friendship can transcend war. Willy (who would grow up to become the narrator's Grandpa Will) lived in Belgium, where his parents owned an antique store. A shy little boy, Will wishes he had a friend. His wish comes true when Professor Solomon and his son, Max, visit the store. While Professor Solomon buys a special paining called The Lady, Willy and Max discover that they both like to play hide-and-seek. From then on, the two boys are inseparable. Willy understands that because Max is Jewish, he is in danger from the Nazis. But they don't talk about that. They play in the park, and one Friday, Willy has Shabbos dinner at Max's home. When Max and his father have to leave Antwerp because of Nazi persecution, Willy's father hides The Lady for them. However the Nazi soldiers steal it from them. More than sixty years later, when grandpa Will lives in the United States, a museum calls him, saying they've found something that belongs to him. They had recovered The Lady. With it was a photograph of Willy and Max as boys. The curator has been unable to find Max, and Will asks him to try harder. Eventually, she finds out that Max had died recently, but has a family. There is a moving reunion of the two families at Shabbos dinner. With its warmly-colored mixed-media illustrations that have the feel of oil paintings, this story celebrates the strength of friendship, in spite of war. Ages 7-10
Nikolai, the Only Bear by Barbara M. Joosse
Illustrated by Renata Liwska 32 p., Philomel, 2005. Nikolai is the only bear in a Russian orphanage. Although he does what his caregivers ask, they don't realize this because they don't speak Bear. Eventually, a bearded man and a smooth-faced woman come to visit him. Nikolai seems to know instinctively that the "fur-faced" man is like him. The visitors seem to understand him too: instead of correcting Nikolai the way his caregivers do, they join him, growling in response to his growls, prowling on the floor with him, pawing the air when Nikolai does. Having found a family where he belongs, Nikolai goes home with them to America. This gently illustrated story celebrates the experience of belonging that comes with adoption. Ages 3-7
What Did You Do Today? The First Day of School by Toby Forward
Illustrated by Carol Thompson.32 p., Clarion, 2004.
Even when children and parents are apart during the day, they're connected not only by thinking about each other, but by the similar elements in their days. In this story, it's a little boy's first day of preschool. The day starts with packing lunches - one for him, one for his mother. At school, the little boy hugs his mother and watches her as she disappears, and soon he's so busy that he forgets about missing her. On facing pages, we see the child's and the mother's similar experiences: greeting classmates (or colleagues), eating snacks and lunch, writing, even feeling sleepy. We see the mother thinking about the little boy on most of the pages, and the little boy thinking about his mother at lunchtime and when it's time to get ready to go home. They reunite joyfully, ready to hear about each other's day. With its warm, happy watercolor illustrations, this story offers reassurance and connection.
Ages 2-5
Even when children and parents are apart during the day, they're connected not only by thinking about each other, but by the similar elements in their days. In this story, it's a little boy's first day of preschool. The day starts with packing lunches - one for him, one for his mother. At school, the little boy hugs his mother and watches her as she disappears, and soon he's so busy that he forgets about missing her. On facing pages, we see the child's and the mother's similar experiences: greeting classmates (or colleagues), eating snacks and lunch, writing, even feeling sleepy. We see the mother thinking about the little boy on most of the pages, and the little boy thinking about his mother at lunchtime and when it's time to get ready to go home. They reunite joyfully, ready to hear about each other's day. With its warm, happy watercolor illustrations, this story offers reassurance and connection.
Ages 2-5
The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke
Translated by Anthea Bell. Illustrated by Kerstin Meyer. 32 p., Scholastic/Chicken House, 2001.
Restrictive cultural ideas can't keep a princess down in this story. A widowed king decides to teach his daughter, Violetta, the same things he is teaching her three older brothers - riding, fighting, and arrogance. Violetta is small, and her brothers tease her as she struggles to keep up with them. But she's very determined, and she goes out at night and quietly practices her skills. As a result, when she jousts with her brothers, she's so quick that they can't hit her with their swords. When Violetta is turning 16, the king announces a jousting tournament, with her hand in marriage going to the winner. Deeply offended, Violetta enters the tournament herself as Sir No-Name, and to her father's amazement, she wins. She decides to choose her own prize: "no one will ever win Princess Violetta's hand in marriage without first defeating Sir No-Name." No one ever challenges her again.The illustrations are very expressive of both Violetta's smallness and her toughness. The strength of Violetta's self-determination will be an inspiration to girls.
Ages 5-8
Restrictive cultural ideas can't keep a princess down in this story. A widowed king decides to teach his daughter, Violetta, the same things he is teaching her three older brothers - riding, fighting, and arrogance. Violetta is small, and her brothers tease her as she struggles to keep up with them. But she's very determined, and she goes out at night and quietly practices her skills. As a result, when she jousts with her brothers, she's so quick that they can't hit her with their swords. When Violetta is turning 16, the king announces a jousting tournament, with her hand in marriage going to the winner. Deeply offended, Violetta enters the tournament herself as Sir No-Name, and to her father's amazement, she wins. She decides to choose her own prize: "no one will ever win Princess Violetta's hand in marriage without first defeating Sir No-Name." No one ever challenges her again.The illustrations are very expressive of both Violetta's smallness and her toughness. The strength of Violetta's self-determination will be an inspiration to girls.
Ages 5-8
Jam Day by Barbara M. Joosse
Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. 28 p., Harper & Row, 1987.
Sometimes our assumptions about the kind of family we have can limit our perceptions. Ben lives in a quiet two-person household with his Mama, and wishes for a big, noisy family. He and Mama, along with Ben's aunt, uncle, and two cousins, visit Grandmam and Grandpap for an annual family tradition: Jam Day. On Jam Day, everyone in the family picks strawberries and helps make jam. In the midst of a delicious abundance of homemade jam and biscuits, Ben realizes that he is really part of exactly the kind of family he'd wished for. This story will help children to discover the otherwise invisible strengths of different kinds of families.
Ages 4-8
Sometimes our assumptions about the kind of family we have can limit our perceptions. Ben lives in a quiet two-person household with his Mama, and wishes for a big, noisy family. He and Mama, along with Ben's aunt, uncle, and two cousins, visit Grandmam and Grandpap for an annual family tradition: Jam Day. On Jam Day, everyone in the family picks strawberries and helps make jam. In the midst of a delicious abundance of homemade jam and biscuits, Ben realizes that he is really part of exactly the kind of family he'd wished for. This story will help children to discover the otherwise invisible strengths of different kinds of families.
Ages 4-8