Beloved Frances Books

"So H--," said I to our four-year-old son one day, "What are some of your favorite books?"

He only paused for a moment. "Frances," he replied.

My husband and I heartily concur. All six Frances books by Russell Hoban easily claim high ranking in our family favorites, and keep improving with better acquaintance. I liked them when I was a child; I love them as an adult! Bedtime, Baby Sister, Bread and Jam, Birthday, Best Friends, Bargain, and even Egg Thoughts (the little known collection of poems) are well-written and insightful. Frances is a believable child, dealing with realistic challenges that are very familiar in our family (extended bedtime, picky eating, sibling rivalry, etc). She is not perfect like present incarnations of Curious George, Clifford and Thomas the Tank Engine (more on that in another post), but her character develops throughout the books in ways that children can identify with. The parents are wise, involved, and have a good relationship with their children (and each other). The songs she invents are witty and open to any tune you want to make up. Many lines in the story are highly quotable. And if you want to plan a picnic, use one of the delightfully elaborate menus described in Bread and Jam or Best Friends! (Both Betsy and I have done this with our then-future spouses.)

There is also a good audio version that H has enjoyed from our library, and as these books have not yet grown tiresome in our house, it is a good option for quiet-time listening.

I highly recommend that you discover or rediscover Frances. You are in for a treat and will not be disappointed!

Karma Wilson again

I heartily concur with Betsy on the recommendation of Karma Wilson...yet perhaps for the first time on our blog, I differ on which of her books our family has loved.

Bear Snores On is truly delightful. I remember H getting teary-eyed when we expressively read how Bear was heartbroken over the party he had almost missed. Personally, I wasn't as impressed with the later stories about Bear and his friends, but this just shows that two hearty readers can disagree. I also really like Mortimer's Christmas (which apparently Betsy didn't), though I haven't read others about Mortimer yet. I do agree that Frog in a Bog is a gem, but Little Pip was not. I also liked Give Thanks to the Lord, an application of one of the Psalms to celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family. These are definitely worth finding at your library, and we have added several of our favorites to our family library.

A Northern Light: not enough Light

A Northern Light
Jennifer Donnelly, author
2004
Printz Honor Book

I love books that draw me into their setting, that showcase women's lives from different times and places. Therefore, I was immediately engrossed in 16-year-old Mattie's life, her motherless family, the 1906 North Woods, and the mysterious letters that fell into her lap. The book alternates between Mattie's memories of the previous spring and her current experience working at a big hotel near her home (the famous murder of Grace Brown is included--happening at Mattie's hotel).

Mattie is one of those word- and book-loving characters who must write. Reminiscent of Anne, Emily, Jo March, and all the other (great!) similar characters who've gone before her, Mattie struggles to find her "voice" and to get to college so that she can really learn how to write. Championed by her single teacher, Mattie has already progressed far beyond most of her peers in her education and is smart enough to get into college. Her best friend is a black boy named Weaver who has similar aspirations.

Her community is a poor, rural community in the North Woods (think, Adirondacks), and that, more than her identity as a woman, is what is holding her back from pursuing her dreams. However, the author doesn't make this point clear. While the poverty surrounding Mattie is undeniable, far more attention is given to what marriage and children will do to Mattie's chances of reading and writing in the future. Courted by a young man who has no interest in anything but farming, raised by a father who must work to survive, and with no older women who take an interest in her other than her school teacher (who is "fast" and not a respected member of the community), Mattie fears she will end up slaving away to serve others and never fulfilling her dreams....

But, in Scripture, aren't we commanded to serve others? I'll be the first to admit that finding time to read and write with young children in the home can be a challenge! And, I obviously have the means to write via a blog; Mattie didn't have enough money to buy paper and a pen, much less have the leisure time to pursue her dreams. But poverty is what was holding her back more than marriage/children/relationships. I found her decision to leave it all behind to pursue her dreams at the end to be a very predictable ending to this very feminist story.

Simply leaving it all to pursue dreams--isn't that what much young adult or coming-of-age fiction is all about? I might have been okay with it if it weren't for the fact that there isn't one single happy marriage portrayed in the book. If there was only one currently married woman who'd taken an interest in Mattie and shown the joy that can come from being a wife/mother. If there was one portrayal of sex (in or out of marriage) that didn't make the woman look like a victim and object of men. If there was one strong male character who wasn't a similar misfit like Mattie.

In short, while the issues in this book exist, there is hope. When God created the world and marriage, he made them good. The fall has polluted everything, but there are still evidences of God's goodness within his created order. The cultural mandate is not drudgery. If the main character is making a choice between relationship and vocation, then at least show us that she's making that choice because she is called to do so, not because she's escaping to the only place where a woman's life can have meaning.

Some Possible Things to Note/Discuss with your YA

• There is a somewhat brief sex scene; it is a very animalistic encounter viewed accidentally by the main character, so we see it through her shocked eyes and the result is disturbing. It does, however, illustrate that life is not like the movies and that extra marital affairs are devastating to the family.
  
• The famous murder in the story is related to a young woman's unplanned (out-of-wedlock) pregnancy. It might provide an interesting discussion jumping off point (this is an actual, historical story).
  
• Is Mattie's final choice defensible from Scripture? Why or why not? What would have made it better?
  
• What is the view of love and marriage in this book? Is it in accord with Scripture? Why or why not?
• Have you ever been, or do you know people personally who are, as poor as Mattie? How do you think that would affect your view of the world? How should we present the Gospel to that type of community?
• Should everyone have the right to get an education? Why or why not? What do you think our role as Christians should be regarding this issue?
  

Karma Wilson's Bear Books

These are absolutely charming books for toddlers and preschoolers. My children love them. The text is sweet and gentle with a good read aloud rhythm. Topics addressed include fear, sickness, new friends, hibernation--all in the context of loyal friendship. The illustrations match the text nicely. If you're in need of a good toddler/preschool gift, try one of these. At the very least, check one out from your local library. Our first introduction was the book pictured: Bear Feels Scared. We've since read Bear Snores On, Bear Feels Sick, Bear Wants More, and Bear's New Friend. We like them all!

We've also tried some of Wilson's other books--we're not quite as crazy about her Mortimer or Pip books, but they're sweet reads. She's also written a cute story called The Frog in the Bog as well as several delightful interpretations of some Psalms. We've read Give Thanks to the Lord.

So, hurry to your library and get to know Karma Wilson's books! Jane Chapman is the illustrator for her bear books; Wilson's other books have varying illustrators. Remember, the more you check out books from your local library, the more likely they are to stay on the shelves. Librarians will be much less likely to cull frequent check outs the next time they must weed books out. :-)

Messy Books

I've been reading a lot of Young Adult (YA) fiction these days; a large chunk is for my YA class this summer. I'm sensing a definite theme in the selections: Printz Award winners (always edgy) and usually books which have been challenged or banned. Books get challenged for sex, violence, bad language--the usual suspects.

What should get a book challenged? I'd like to think it would relate more to worldview issues than the mere occurrence of a mild sex scene, but unfortunately, most parents readers don't look that deep.

I rate books with fellow Christian parents in mind. I want my children to grow up loving to read, able to read well and critically, and able to evaluate what they read by THE standard: the Word of God. And I'm okay with messy books. I don't want my children to read any ol' thing, nor do I want them wallowing in messy situations which provide no hope. But there are times when it is appropriate to read and discuss the messy issues in life. Our children will wrestle with the biggies whether we care to discuss it in our homes or not; I'd much rather guide my children than have them find out their answers somewhere else.

That means that on this blog, and in my book recommendations list, there will books with messy content: sex scenes, bad language, kids who drink and/or smoke, death, betrayal, deceit.... I look for redemption in the midst of those things--is this a book which glorifies these elements? Or is it a book that wrestles with these scenarios honestly and, in the end, redemptively? Simply put: is there hope? Even if the hope offered is not the ultimate hope we have in Christ, the mere option of hope provides a great jumping off point for discussion. If hope is not held out, is the lifestyle seen to be shallow, meaningless, vanity of vanities? If it is, then that, too, can be a good jumping off point for discussion (re: Ecclesiastes).

If you are troubled by the thought of your children reading books that might raise thorny questions and/or expose them to the more nefarious side of life, then I would like to give you a reading assignment: Genesis, one of the 4 gospels, and Revelation (in that order). Throughout Genesis, you see God's people breaking every single one of the 10 Commandments (granted, the Law has yet to be given God's people, but still). And, they break it in a BIG way: murder, incest, idolatry, lying, coveting, extra marital sex, .... And, in the midst of this sin, you see God creating the world, sustaining it, protecting and preserving his people (not because of their merit, that's for sure!), and promising a Redeemer. In the Gospels, you see that Redeemer incarnate: Jesus certainly deals with the messy side of life: prostitutes, tax collectors, the demon possessed, the outwardly religious and inwardly dark, idolatry in the temple, murderers, betrayal, poverty, death. He brings redemption in the midst of it and offers ultimate hope. And, finally, in Revelation, we see the final redemption of our world--not just our souls, but a new heaven and a new earth.

That, my friends, is why we can read books like Diary of Anne Frank, Speak, Looking for Alaska, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, .... because we know Who it is who provides ultimate hope, what the end of the world will result in, and how the troubles of this world are not insignificant but are temporary, nonetheless.

Rapunzel

Isn't every little girl fascinated by Rapunzel and her glorious hair? My 5-year-old daughter hasn't even seen Tangled but she totally knows that it exists and what story it tells. I think she has Rapunzel Radar. She's even got a Tangled nightgown (gift from a friend) and uses any excuse to make Rapunzels:

• drawing them
• making a Rapunzel salad person (a lunch time favorite in which we make "people" with our food; Rapunzel always gets LOTS of Ramen noodle hair...which then gets eaten)
• various crafts

And so forth.

If you aren't a Disney fan (or even if you are), seek out some traditional tellings of Rapunzel's story to read to your kids. Zelinsky's Rapunzel is a nice retelling, complete with a scary-but-not-too-scary witch and the ending in which Rapunzel and the prince are reunited and her tears heal his blindness. In this version, Rapunzel gives birth to twins! The illustrations are rather classical looking; in fact, this book is the Caldecott winner from 1998.

Rapunzel stories also appear in most fairy tale collections, like The Random House Book of Fairy Tales and others. Don't let Tangled be your child's only interpretation of this great story! Didn't we all want Rapunzel hair when we were little?!

The Gingerbread Boy (Paul Galdone)

My kids and I thoroughly enjoy Paul Galdone's fairy and folk tale retellings. One of our favorites of his is The Gingerbread Boy. Our infatuation with this experience *might* have had something to do with the fact that the library let me check out a big book!*

At any rate, I read this aloud hundreds of times during our 6-week relationship (of course, I renewed it). My children played games using the story concept and still talk about it months later. Highly recommended.

*a "big book" is just what it sounds like: a really big version of the book that librarians often use for story time. I think this one measured roughly 2 feet by 1 foot or so.