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The Luckiest Leprechaun

I got this book for St. Patty’s Day and have read it several times since. This “tail-wagging tale of friendship” is a satisfying tale of two unlikely friends: a leprechaun and a dog. Written by Justine Korman, the leprechaun is, of course, small and constantly hiding from treasure hunters determined to find his gold. MacKenzie O’Shamrock outwits them every time though, as he proclaims to the reader with several uses of exclamation marks! He is a passionate character with a strong personality. The author portrays him in a humorous and sarcastic way, but Mac is serious all the time, even as he cobbles shoes for the fairies. On the other hand there is Lucky, a gentle and loving dog who unexpectedly destroys the roof to Macs house. Lucky is determined to make it up to Mac, who doesn’t want anything to do with the “mangy mortal.”

Without giving too much away, I can say that this is a fantastical story with a talking dog and fairies that show Mac what friendship is all about, and how lonely he didn’t know he was. Having the little prince on my mind, I can say that Lucky “tamed” Mac and took responsibility for taking care of him, even when his gold was in danger. The illustrations were done in paints and colored pencils using vivid colors. More than anything else, the strong color of Kelly green comes across throughout the book, very representative of Irish ties. This would be a wonderful read aloud for younger audiences, and would be made even better with an Irish accent.

The Little Prince

This is the story I read for my literary analysis, and now that I’m blogging about it, I’m wishing I could just cut and paste my paper into this new post! The Little Prince falls into the genre of fantasy for its talking animals and journey through space. It is also, however, a fable that can be read again and again. The little prince is actually a young boy who lives on Asteroid B-612. On his planer/asteroid/star (all used interchangeably throughout the story), the boy own three volcanoes, two of which are active, and a special flower. Unfortunately, he does not always appreciate the flower because of her outrageous demands to be loved and cared for all the time. The flower’s vanity is what initially causes the little prince to leave his home.

In traveling, the little prince comes across several characters that live alone on their own respective asteroids/stars/planets. Many are delighted to see the little prince (who has no name other than the little prince) but cannot offer much of a purpose beyond themselves to hold the little prince’s attention. Instead, the little prince drops in on Earth, where he meets a snake and a fox, and finally the pilot.

The summary on the back of the book chalks The Little Prince up to being one of those “stories that in some way, in some degree, change the world forever for their readers.” I’ve always enjoyed that description for its mystery and power, as well as its truth. The writing is poetic and philosophical, originally written in French by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and translated by Katherine Woods. There is a new translation available now by Richard Howard. I have not read it, but I am already partial to Katherine Woods’ version. It is a delicate story, but one told with humor and a sense of playfulness that nothing should be taken seriously unless it is a matter of consequences; and as the little prince learned from the fox, only “what is essential is visible to the heart”. If you haven’t read this book before, please do. It is a children’s story that needs to be read by all adults.

Also, this is just fascinating: Antoine de Sainte-Exupery

The Borning Room

I picked up this book in the library because of the familiar name: Paul Fleischman. It is the story of a family in Ohio, farmers who raise their children to love nature and fight for injustice. Set in the mid to late 19^th century, many historical references are made throughout the story, including slavery and women’s suffrage. Though labeled historical fiction because of these references, I can’t help but feel that this is just the story of people, a glimpse into a particular family over time as generations are born and die in the borning room. The broad subject of people seems to be Fleischman’s strong suit, or perhaps I only think that coming out of Seedfolks. Written from the point of view of a young girl (who grows up through the book), Fleishman has some surprising insights into farm life and the thoughts of a young girl. And yet, the story was not about the farm, or just the girl. The story was about the family; the grandfather who worshipped nature and running water on Sunday mornings, the mother who taught her children to love music and the written word, the father who worked hard for his family and adored his wife, and then all the children. There were so many children, it was hard to keep them straight! In the beginning, I got the impression that Georgina was the firstborn, due to the length of discussion around her birth. Georgina was not the firstborn, but a blessing considering the childbearing difficulties her mother had had before her. Georgina was not the last, either, though her mother died in childbirth many years later.

Fleischman’s ability to describe characters in such a brief amount of time amazes me. Throughout this particular story, many characters were introduced and I felt like I could have known any of them, like I’ve met them all before. And yet, as the title of the book suggests, the story is truly about the borning room, and all that it has seen through the years. In its deaths, it has seen the past; in its births, it has seen the future. Life is cyclical, as seen by the eyes of these wooden walls, built by Georgina’s grandfather and still used by her grandchildren. Even though the story is finished, I’m still impressed with the depth found in its few pages. In 100 pages, Fleischman gave me just enough to be satisfied and yet too little, so that I still want more.

My Father's Dragon

Read this book! Written by Ruth Stiles Gannett (stepdaughter to the illustrator Ruth Chrisman Gannett in 1948, this story is fantastical and unlike anything I’ve read before. Perhaps it’s the style of writing, or the age of the writing, but I felt drawn to this book. The story is told from a third person perspective, a young boy or girl is writing about his/her father, Elmer Elevator, and his adventures on the Island of Tangerina and Wild Island. Like many fantasy books, this one begins with a map of the new islands, but also offers commentary from the author.

Now, Elmer Elevator has some pretty strange things happen to him. In the course of his daily routine, he comes upon a talking cat. Though the cat only talks to him, Elmer and the cat plan a fantastical trip to Wild Island, where they must rescue a captured dragon. This dragon has been captured by the creatures on the island to serve as a bridge. The cat, being the traveler that he is, has seen this and strongly urges Elmer to right this injustice. So together they go about packing unusual things for this unusual venture.

A fast paced 87 pages, this is a Newberry Honor book that is a lot of fun. The chapters are great for repetition, as they are almost all framed similarly. It is also great for predicting and pulling out main ideas. I got to use this book with 4^th and 5^th graders last summer, and they really seemed to enjoy this story, with the odd animal characters and the child protagonist who is close to their age. There are two sequels to this story, but I have not read either. They are called Elmer and the Dragon, and The Dragons of Blueland.

The Cricket in Times Square

I had a hard time with this book. I was initially excited about reading it, especially since it is a Newbery Honor Book, but I honestly struggled to get through it. With only 151 pages, I spent over a week picking it up and putting it down again. My roommate told me she had tried to read it with her third graders, and they just weren’t interested so they put it down too. Then in class last Wednesday, we discussed putting down books that just aren’t that great and moving on. I really have a tough time with that. On one hand, there are so many books in the world that I want to read that I don’t need to waste time on one that’s not holding my attention. On the other hand, I don’t feel like I’ve really given the book a chance until I get to the end. Many books have taken some time and devotion before I absolutely loved them. When I was in high school I read 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez – I was 100 pages into that book and hated it before something clicked and I was hooked. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read and he is one of my favorite authors. In fact, many of my favorite books/authors were “not so great” at first. Part of me feels like I can’t make an educated decision about a book until I’ve finished it, given the author a chance to say what he/she wants to say. And yet, in the past week I’ve started and stopped many, many books, searching for an interesting read for historical fiction. Ah, so many books, so little time. What’s a girl to do?

As for The Cricket in Times Square, I guess my official decision is that it was “okay”. I wasn’t amazed but I wasn’t flat-out horrified either. The cricket’s name is Chester, and he befriends a cat (Harry) and a mouse (Tucker) in the New York subway station after he is mistakenly carried onto a train from Connecticut in a picnic basket. For some reason, I kept thinking the mouse’s name was Chester and the cricket was Tucker. On that note, I had to remind myself several times what I was reading about and who they were. Published in 1960, I also wonder about the cultural sensitivity to the Chinese characters in the book. The written accents weren’t great and it just seemed like there could be so much more. Some of the language was definitely interesting and a sign of the times. Selden writes of “the by-gone times” and “skin-flints”, a skinflint being defined as a selfish person who is unwilling to spend or give. I looked up reviews on Amazon.com and found that most of the reviews were written by students who truly loved this book, calling it the “best adventurest book” they’d ever read. Wow. Would I have loved this book as a kid? Maybe? Because I don’t love it now, would that keep me from reading it to a classroom of kids who would potentially love it? Maybe? I would have to fake enthusiasm, and there are just so many other good books…

I’m torn.

Grandfather's Journey

Grandfather’s Journey, written and illustrated by Allen Say, is a short but powerful story of a man’s heart torn between a love of two countries. As a young man, grandfather travels to the United States from Japan and discovers that he loves California – its landscape, weather, and overall environment. He traveled back to Japan to marry and bring his young bride back to the US. Eventually, grandfather goes back to Japan and has a grandson who admires him and wants to follow in his footsteps. The grandfather is a strong man who instilled his love of countries in his grandson. By literally walking miles in his grandfather’s shoes, the grandson comes to deeply understand his grandfather’s dual love, and finds that he knows his grandfather through his own actions.

I remember this story being on Reading Rainbow. I can even picture LeVar Burton reading it aloud, but I cannot remember what he actually said about the story. Searching on Amazon.com, I found that this story is actually autobiographical for Allen Say, and that this is actually a photo album of his family. Each illustration is more of a portrait. Many of the characters are often drawn head-on as if posing for the picture. One comment on Amazon.com mentioned that the illustrations were painted from actual photographs. What a neat idea! The illustrations capture the tone of the characters, often somber but with a caring look, creating an album of family portraits. In some of the illustrations, brush marks are evident in the watercolors; in others, there are almost none (p.8 – “deserts with rocks like enormous sculptures amazed him”).

In this short story, the space is mostly taken by pictures, not words. However, the second to last page is only words, emphasizing the isolation and the homesickness in the words. “The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.” (p.31). What picture should be drawn? He loves both places.