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February 2002 Vol.3 Issue 2
This
month's book reviews
A
kids' biography of a famous Missourian who has been receiving
lots of media attention
Most kids growing
up in Missouri know a little bit about Mark Twain. They certainly
have heard about him in school and there's a good chance they've
been to Hannibal. There have been enough versions of "Tom
Sawyer" on television that they have probably seen at
least one of them. They are likely to know that Mark Twain
is not a real name but one based on something to do with riverboats.
This book, "Mark
Twain, America's Humorist, Dreamer, Prophet," written
by Clinton Cox and published by Scholastic in 1995, is a serious
and fairly encompassing biography, even if written and published
for kids. The reading level reported by the publisher is sixth
grade level and the author provides an extensive bibliography
and an index. This little 254 page paperback can serve as
a more detailed treatment of Twain's life than most people
will ever read, or it can serve as the departure point for
a serious term paper on some aspect of Twain or his writing.
As a reviewer,
I would add that I read the book before I was aware of the
Ken Burn's treatment of Mark Twain's life on public television.
After viewing all four hours of the special, I was impressed
at how many of the same insights presented in the TV treatment
were contained in this 1995 publication for children. Furthermore,
they were available for a young reader in an inexpensive and
attractive paperback format.
How
much do you know
about Laura Engalls Wilder?
There's a good
chance that adults have read at least some of Laura Engalls
Wilders' books while in school. Possibly, if they were lucky,
a teacher in the classroom read the books aloud to them. There's
also a good chance that adults who grew up in Missouri heard
quite a bit about Laura Engalls Wilder while they were in
middle grades. There is even a better chance that adults watched
segments of "Little House on the Prairie" when it
was a top-rated TV series', starring Michael Landon. Perhaps
they knew the TV scripts were based on the original writings
of a Missouri farmwife who became a prize-winning children's
author. Perhaps not.
"Laura Engalls
Wilder, Young Pioneer," is another recent addition to
the Childhood of Young Americans, a series of paperbacks published
by Aladdin Books, a subsidiary of Simon and Schuster. This
biography contains several dividends for the parents who encourage
their daughter (or their son) to read it. The kids might be
stimulated to read the entire series of "Little House"
books if they read the biography. Kids who have read some
of Wilder's stories already will want to read more about her
life. Laura Engalls Wilder was an avid reader herself and
had always aspired to be a writer. She wrote about what she
knew and she did it without substantially changing her day-to-day
life. She went on to become a national celebrity. Hey, how
motivating can a kids' book get?
Amelia
Earhart presented as
a role model for modern girls
A recent addition
to the Childhood of Famous Americans series is the Aladdin
paperback, authored by Beatrice Gormley and published by Simon
and Schuster, titled "Amelia Earhart, Young Aviator."
A 271-page biography, the line drawing illustrated book is
directed to readers in the 8-12 year range. As with books
in this particular series, considerable attention is paid
to the childhood of the subject and to background and motivation
that lead to the subject's actual accomplishments. Earhart's
marriage, her aviation successes as an adult, and her mysterious
loss on the record seeking around the world flight in 1937
are not slighted in the book, however.
The author of
the biography clearly is seeking to underscore the point that
Amelia Earhart's pioneering accomplishments in aviation provided
a breakthrough for women throughout the world. In addition,
the author makes the point that Earhart remained a sensitive
and attractive female even as she made her mark in a field
that was dominated by men.
An
award-winning novel for kids by a
British author labeled a "magic realist"
"Kit's Wilderness'
by David Almond. Published in the U.S. in 2000, has cleaned
up on awards given for children's books. It's An ALA Notable
Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a School Library
Journal Best Book of the Year, a Booklist Editor's Choice,
and a Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year.
It deals in fantasy but does it in a way that puts it light
years ahead of a book like "Harry Potter." Of course,
it requires a much more sophisticated reader than does Harry
Potter, to understand the role that healthy fantasy - reality-based
fantasy - plays in helping humans understand their humanness.
From a readability
formula standpoint, "Kit's Wilderness" is fairly
easy reading. However, to appreciate the full nuances of the
book, a fairly sophisticated teen-age reader is called for.
Even then, a reading of "Kit's Wilderness" with
full appreciation calls for participation in a discussion
group led by a knowledgeable mentor. If you buy it for your
teen-ager to read, it would be a good idea if you read it
and were prepared to engage in some long discussions about
its many implications. Remember, it didn't sell millions of
copies like Harry Potter, but it drew accolades from a lot
of reviewers and critics of children's books. It's a book
that a reader - child or adult - will not quickly forget.
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