Each One Special. Written by Frieda Wishinsky; illustrated by Werner Zimmermann. Custer, WA, and Victoria, BC: Orca, 1998. ISBN 1-55143-122-X. Unpaged. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.Linda D. Labbo
Reviews Section Editor
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia, USA
Editor's Note: Tragic events reported almost daily in the news shed light on the fact that many children around the world are struggling under enormous pressures and stresses that they are ill-equipped to handle. Caring adults search out all the ways possible to equip children to cope with life's troubling situations, whether they take on the tragic dimensions of a news story or more closely resemble the bumps we all face as we grow and learn.
Children's literature can provide a tool for helping young readers gain insight into ways of dealing with life's difficulties. There's something powerful about reading or hearing a well-told story that invites you to step into the shoes of a character with whom you can identify. Alert adults will find that sharing books can provide many occasions for talking with children about how characters solve difficult problems described in key story events. Many of the stories reviewed in this column highlight situations that are common in young children's lives. Others deal with more unusual situations, but these have larger themes that can help young children gain new perspectives on aspects of their own lives. They are intended for a range of ages, from preschoolers to adolescents.
The books reviewed are as follows:
Where possible, links to authors' and publishers' websites are provided. Clickingon any of these links will open a new browser window.
A Difficult Day. Written and illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes. Toronto: Kids Can, 1999. ISBN 0-921103-17-4. Unpaged. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Melinda's difficult day actually begins the previous night in the middle of a bed filled with crumpled sheets, crumbs, and lumpy pillows. She's late for school, she and a friend end up punching each other, and then she falls in a puddle and has to take a bath as soon as she got home. As she soaks in the warm water, she pretends she is a noodle in a bowl of chicken soup. She's on the right track to learning how to relax, but her lessons for the day aren't over yet. When her mother innocently comments that her daughter looks like a wrinkled prune after her long, long bath, Melinda gets sent to her room for yelling in response. Using her imagination again, she hides under her bed and pretends she is in space, flying to the other side of the globe. When her mom joins her under the bed with a bowl of cookies and glasses of milk, Melinda comes to understand that she really is loved.
Adults and children who share this book will enjoy talking and drawing about ways they can use their imaginations to tame feelings about stressful situations.
Black Cat. Written and illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Scholastic, 1999. ISBN 0-590-03375-1. 40 pages. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
As Black Cat, a stray, goes about exploring his urban environment in his search for a home, he provides readers with a unique perspective on the world. Rhythmic poetry provides enchanting avenues for exploring feelings about home, neighborhood, and community. Black Cat is described as a “cousin to the concrete” who dances “to the banging beats of passing jeeps,” and walks “in the wake of Sunday night families spilling from blue neon churches.” Myers created the book's colorful, textured, and vibrant illustrations by combining photographs, collage, ink, and gouache in ways reminiscent of his artwork in the Caldecott Honor Book, Harlem. City children are likely to recognize many urban settings depicted in words and illustration, such as subway seats, bottles left on a wall, and “brick music falling from project windows.”
In response to the book, young readers might enjoy writing and illustrating poetry that demonstrates their own feelings about their homes, neighborhoods, and communities. Perhaps they could try their hands at creating collages in Christopher Myers's artistic style.
Each One Special. Written by Frieda Wishinsky; illustrated by Werner Zimmermann. Custer, WA, and Victoria, BC: Orca, 1998. ISBN 1-55143-122-X. Unpaged. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
How would you deal with the disappointment of being unable to do what you love to do? A little boy named Ben has to face this problem -- and more -- in this brilliantly written and illustrated book. His good friend Harry, an older gentleman with 35 years of experience as a baker, is known throughout the city as the most creative cake decorator around. Every day is an adventure for Harry and the people who buy his colorful cakes. Purple, orange, and yellow cakes are embellished with buttercream icing roses, daisies, and forget-me-nots. Marzipan twirling ballerinas, caramel trains, and cherry coconut clowns dance across round cakes, sheet cakes, and tiered cakes. But when the bakery is sold to new owners, Harry learns that he will now be required to make plain cakes very quickly.
Harry quits, but he has trouble finding a new job. He tries fishing, golf, bowling, and even stamp collecting to pass the time, but it is not until his young friend Ben presents him with a big ball of clay that he discovers a new outlet for his talents. Word soon spreads that Harry and Ben are sculptors extraordinaire! Each sculpture, and each sculptor, are special.
Each One Special describes an unusual situation, but this excellent book can serve as an effective springboard for discussion about how a child might go ahead exploring her or his unique talents and abilities. Readers will be interested to learn that the author based the story on the life of her own father, a pastry chef who became an artist. The illustrator was nominated for Canada's Governor General's Award in 1995 for Whatever You Do Don't Go Near That Canoe.
Recess Mess. Written by Grace Maccarone; illustrated by Betsy Lewin. New York: Scholastic, 1996. ISBN 0-590-73878-X. Unpaged. Recommended for ages 3 to 6.
This easy-to-read text with few words and bold illustrations tells a simple story about Sam's problem at recess. Things begin easily enough: All of the children in the classroom gather their coats and head outside, where Sam and his friends enjoy running, sliding, crawling, and rolling, as Pam does in her wheelchair. Sam's playing comes to a stop when he has to go to the restroom. The problem is that he has never used the restrooms closest to the schoolyard, and he can't read the signs on the door. His practical solution is to wait at the door until someone comes out. Back in the classroom, Sam practices spelling the two new words he learned that day: b-o-y-s and g-i-r-l-s.
This book will allow young readers not only to practice with an easy-to-read text but to become engaged in a high interest story that reveals how a child can solve problems with humor, cleverness, and practicality.
The Ant Bully. Written and illustrated by John Nickle. New York: Scholastic, 1999. ISBN 0-590-39591-2. Unpaged. Recommended for ages 4 and up.
The main character in The Ant Bully, Lucas, has a fairly common problem: he is being tormented by the neighborhood bully. Illustrations on the first two pages show Sid, a large boy with a mean dog wearing a spiked collar, squirting a hose at Lucas, who is riding away as fast as he can on his bright yellow bike. Lucas, in turn, bullies ants -- creatures smaller than himself. The ants get fed up with his ill treatment and swarm all over Lucas. Then, with the sort of magic that occurs in many engaging children's stories, they stuff Lucas into their ant hole. There he meets the queen of the colony and, as punishment for disrupting the ants' life, the Ant Wizard shrinks him until he is as small as the insects. Lucas's arduous experiences help him understand the difficult life of the ants. In a plot development similar to something from Chris Van Allsburg's old favorite Two Bad Ants, the queen tells Lucas she will set him free if he brings her a piece of her favorite candy. Lucas succeeds after a terrifying adventure in his own kitchen, and is rewarded by being restored to full size. Of course, on awakening in the grass, Lucas's first sight is of Sid the bully. The ants come to his rescue by shrinking Sid down to size and placing him on Lucas's hand.
The illustrations, painted in acrylics, were created from a palette of vibrant primary colors and contribute to providing readers with a new perspective on the common problem of bullying. The clothing, houses, and even bicycles are rendered in an appealing 1950s style. Subtle messages about shrinking your difficulties down to a manageable size abound in this beautifully crafted book.
The Feet in the Gym. Written by Teri Daniels; illustrated by Travis Foster. Delray Beach, FL: Winslow, 1999. ISBN 1-890817-12-0. Unpaged. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Bob is a janitor in an elementary school whose frustrating mission in life seems to be keeping the gym floor clean. Written in a patterned rhyme, the text and accompanying watercolor and pen illustrations capture the rhythm of the custodian's daily work: “The children call me Handy Bob. My hands can handle any job. By far, the hardest job I do is wiping after every shoe... Western boot or wooden clog, sneaker from a morning job, slipper, sandal, soccer cleat -- all the shoes on all the feet!” He begins the day by mopping, but it isn't too long before kindergartners “shuffle by” as they return two by two from recess. Handy Bob mops up their dirty footprints just in time for the first grade Brownies, who run in for a cookie sale and leave a crumby trail. He mops yet again and enjoys his clean floor for a short time. But then the third grade soccer team appears, leaving tattered grass and cleat marks as they run across the gym. Before he can clean up the mess, a music and dance class, an art class, square dancers, and a rhythm band pass through. Rising to the challenge, Bob good naturedly cleans the floor again. As he leaves, full of pride at the job he's done, behind him on the floor are a trail of his own footprints.
Reading this book may help children who get frustrated at having to do a task more than once, showing them that some jobs are ongoing and require consistent effort. Children may also enjoy brainstorming creative ways that Handy Bob could enlist help to keep the gym floor clean.
The Strongest Man This Side of Cremona. Written and illustrated by Georgia Graham. Red Deer, AB: Northern Lights Books for Children, 1998. ISBN 0-88995-182-9. Unpaged. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Young Matthew is convinced that his dad, a dairy farmer, is one of the strongest men in the world. After all, he can easily lift Matthew over tall barbed-wire fences, and just one loud shout from him causes the dairy herd to jump. The boy happily believes that his father can do just about anything.
Then one day an unexpected and violent tornado strikes, and Matthew starts to question his beliefs. His father can't hold back the destructive winds; he can't stop the tornado from scattering pieces of the new milking barn across the countryside. When friends and neighbors rally around to help rebuild the barn, Matthew has time to reconsider what it means to be strong. Feelings of security surround the young boy as he begins to realize that his father's strength offers him a safe haven in a violent world. After all, his dad found shelter to keep the family safe during the storm, he found friends to help clean up and rebuild, and he gave Matthew a much needed hug in a time of trouble.
The situation of this story, so beautifully expressed in elegant, crisp paintings and well crafted narrative, will resonate with all youngsters who are coming to realize that the adults in their lives cannot stop all bad things from happening. An underlying theme of the story -- that the power to overcome violent events lies in pulling together as a family and as a community -- may provide comfort for children who have experienced violence in their own lives. Georgia Graham, the author and illustrator, may have drawn on her own experience of living on a cattle farm on the Canadian prairies to add the rich details of farm life to the story and illustrations.
When Addie Was Scared. Written by Linda Bailey; illustrated by Wendy Bailey. Toronto: Kids Can, 1999. ISBN 1-55074-431-3. 32 pages. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
“Addie was scared of almost everything. There were plenty of things to be scared of, out there in the bush where she lived....” Thus begins the engaging tale of a young girl who finds much to be afraid of on the farm where she lives. Addie tries to deal with her fears: on her way to bring in the cows, she sings loudly so she won't have to listen to the sounds of unknown creatures in the thicket; she snuggles under the covers when she hears the cry of a wolf at night; and she walks an extra mile out of her way to avoid a penned-up bull.
One afternoon at her grandmother's house, things change. When the chickens in the yard are threatened by a swooping hawk, Addie reaches down deep inside of herself and finds a core of courage that allows her to offer protection. The storytellers inform the reader that, although Addie continues to be scared about many small things, she knows she has found “a place inside herself where she was as strong as any bull and as fierce as any hawk. When she needed it, it would be there.”
This beautifully crafted book, assembled lovingly from three sisters' memories, combines softly shaded watercolors with straightforward text. It is a perfect springboard for inviting children to discuss how they handle their fears of things in their own environments.
When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry... Written and illustrated by Molly Bang. New York: Blue Sky, 1999. ISBN 0-590-18979-4. Unpaged. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Young readers and their adult caregivers who read this book are in for a real literary and visual treat! Molly Bang, talented author and illustrator of over 20 books for young children, has won various awards including Caldecott Honor Book recognition, Horn Book accolades, and School Library Journal Best Book awards. She recently won the Giverny Book Award for the best children's science picture book published in the last five years for Common Ground: The Water, Earth and Air We Share (1997). Ms. Bang dedicates When Sophie Gets Angry, her most recent book, “to all children, and to all moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles and friends, who ever get angry -- even once.”
At the outset of the story, Sophie has trouble handling her anger when her sister attempts to take away a toy she is playing with. After a vigorous tug of war, Sophie falls down, and her anger builds to understandable but outrageous proportions. The exuberant illustrations breathe life into the story and sweep the reader along with Sophie's emotionally bumpy experience. For example, there is little doubt about how Sophie is feeling in one illustration of her angry face, pigtails sticking straight out, on a background done in red fingerpaints. In another illustration, readers can see Sophie's bright red shadow against a purple wall as she kicks, screams, and “wants to smack the world to smithereens.” Dragon-like fiery roars, volcanic eruptions, and slamming doors humorously depict how deeply Sophie feels her anger.
After running and then crying, she goes walking in the woods. Calmer now, Sophie becomes aware of her surroundings. Climbing a tree gives her a new perspective on the world and she finds comfort. Back home, her emotions are calm and she joins her family to put together a jigsaw. The puzzle serves as a gentle metaphor of Sophie putting together the pieces of her emotions.
Children may enjoy fingerpainting their own representations of anger. Perhaps they associate something from nature, like Sophie's volcanic outpourings, with their emotions -- a fire roaring in the fireplace, a stinging wasp, or a bolt of lightning. Perhaps their ways of dealing with anger are more related to objects -- punching a soft pillow, throwing a ball outside, or finding a quiet corner in a bedroom. This book will serve as an excellent vehicle for discussing different ways children can manage their feelings.
Reflections from a Mud Puddle: Helping Children Cope and Grow. Compiled by Marcella Fisher Anderson; illustrated by Christopher Wray. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 1998. ISBN 1-56397-606-4. 96 pages. Recommended for ages 11 and up.
This collection for the intermediate and middle school grades explores critical themes, such as overcoming a disabling injury, dealing with success and failure, challenging racial intolerance, living with chronic illness, being overweight, understanding sibling rivalry, and more. Adults who work with younger children will find many selections that are appropriate for reading aloud and discussing in a group. Adults who work with older children and teens may be able to recommend particular stories or poems to students who are experiencing particular emotional crises and difficult situations. However, as compiler Marcella Anderson notes, sometimes it isn't necessary that a child be provided with a story that reflects exactly their current emotional condition or situation:
Included at the end of the book is a list of suggested readings for children in grades K to 6, along with a subject index. What follows is a brief overview of the contents of the book's sections and a summary of at least one selection from each.
Changes in the Family. Among the two short stories and four poems in this section is “The Foster Child,” by Heather Klassen. The first-person narrative allows readers to gain the perspective of Sarah, a 12-year-old whose parents decide to share their home with a foster child. Initial unease, snap judgments, and not a little distrust are set aside when the two girls discover that they enjoy reading the same books and share a favorite author. This short story opens up opportunities to discuss how important it is to develop empathy for another's situation.
Loss Is Hard. This section consists of two short stories and four poems about loss of family, friends, or home. Monica Gunning's poem “When Connie Died” describes how a youngster honors the memory of her best friend by befriending a new girl who is an outcast at school.
Respect and Self-Respect. Included among this section's three short stories and three poems is “Gabe the Great,” written by Barbara Briggs Ward. This story recounts the experience of Gabe, an overweight boy who, as the hockey team's extra goalie, has sat on the bench all year. Even though his teammates have teased him constantly about his weight, he is determined to give his all when injuries to other goalies in the final game of the year force him to tend goal for the final shoot-out. His opponent, a painfully thin youngster, somehow misses, and his team wins. Over the shouts of triumph, Gabe hears others teasing the skinny boy. Experiencing a stab of empathy, Gabe stops the celebrating to congratulate his opponent for a valiant try. This story goes to the heart of self-respect and respect for others.
Alone -- and Sometimes Lonely. This section consists of two short stories and four poems. “Joey and the Fourth-of-July Duck,” written by Diane Burns, is a charming story about a very wise little boy who has been labeled by teachers and family members as a slow learner. Joey sits on a pier on the lake during a 4th of July celebration, sharing his popcorn with a small duck. When his brother comes to get him for the drive home, Joey asks for his popcorn, too. His brother is upset when Joey tosses the popcorn into the water. Joey wisely understands that his brother is too impatient to wait for an explanation, but he is content in knowing that his new duck friend will have a little more to eat.
One Day at a Time. “Bad Joke,” by Sara Holbrook, is one of the selections in this section consisting of three short stories and three poems about dealing with things that can't be changed. The poem delivers a humorous glimpse of an awkward time in a boy's life when he must cope with new braces and glasses. After reading from this section, children may enjoy writing their own humorous poems about difficulties they encounter.
You Can Do It. This section includes two short stories and four poems that offer encouragement for difficult situations. “Riding the Wind” by Regina Hanson is a short story that deals with how a friend's father helps a young accident victim recapture the joy of sailing. Though she is confined to a wheelchair after a bicycle accident, Meg learns that having a disability doesn't mean she is unable to enjoy a favorite sport -- just that she can learn to enjoy it in a new way. Questions at the end of the selection may foster thoughtful discussion: Have you ever been discouraged like Meg? Can you think of a time when you helped a friend reach a goal? Is it important to keep doing things that make you feel happy?
I Did It! This section consists of two short stories and four poems. David Harrison's poem “I Did It” celebrates a child's first time reading a book. Overcoming shyness, changing a habit, and passing a test are some of the victories experienced by characters in this section.
That's What Friends Are For. In this section, two short stories and four poems talk about the role friends can play in a healthy life. Experiences range from to a first meeting with someone who becomes a friend to advice on how to be a friend. Asking students to coauthor a poem with a friend about the ups and downs of friendship might be an appropriate response activity.
Finding Peace -- Or Making It. This section consists of two short stories and four poems. “Neighbors from Cucumbers,” written by Marcella Fisher Anderson, addresses overcoming cultural barriers. When some migrant farmers move into the neighborhood, nobody offers a helping hand or even a welcome. Living in relative isolation, the Hispanic newcomers suffer a loss when someone vandalizes their garden. After young Will picks up a rake and tries to repair the damage on his own, others in the neighborhood join him. Will also makes a new friend in Juan, the young neighbor who is his age, when they go bike riding together. This is a thought-provoking story that can prompt discussion about intolerance and neighborliness.
Tomorrow Will Be Better. The selections in this section of three short stories and three poems are perhaps best summarized in a few lines from “Hope” by Marcella Fisher Anderson: