Not for Babies Picture Books

Not for Babies Picture Books

These are beautifully illustrated picture books to be appreciated by those from age nine to ninety-nine.

The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg – a perfect example of irony…and so funny!

John, Paul, George and Ben by Lane Smith – as in Hancock, Revere, Washington and Franklin. Fractured tales about the founding fathers that are funny if you know the real story. Each real story is included in the book so that readers won’t leave with a fractured understanding. Very tongue in cheek for the cheeky reader.

Gift Horse: A Lakota Story by S.D. Nelson -A beautiful book of the transition and celebration of a young Sioux boy as he enters manhood. Great illustrations and a meaningful history.

Name That Dog! Puppy Poems from A-Z by Peggy Archer. OK, this one could very well be for younger children. But, if you’re a dog lover, you’re not too old to enjoy.

Chester by Melanie Watt….er Chester!

I had a cat named George who was very large in the life of my family. Physically, George was large. And, George had a way of impacting the script of daily life. If I was in a mad dash to get out of the house, sure enough, George would be padding down the hall in front of me at his slow and steady pace. For the life of me I could never charge past or over him without being tripped by a fat, purring cat. Because I've known George, I feel like I know Chester of the picture book Chester so very well. Melanie Watt, author and Chester's owner sets out to write a book about her cat when the big guy himself interrupts the entire book from the jacket cover, every page of text and credits with this fat red marker. This cat is equally full of himself, and there's a lot to be full of, and naughty in the funniest of ways. My six and nine year old children chortled all the way through this Virginia Reader's Choice nominee for 2010-2011 at the primary level.

Melanie Watt has written other great books for primary readers such as Scaredy Squirrel and Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend.

Have a laugh with fat cat and a fat cat lover – pick up Chester for fun reading.

Watt, M. Chester (2007) Tonawanda, NY: Kids Can Press

Mao and Me by Chen Jiang Hong

I cannot think of a time in the lives of American children when they will be expected to learn about modern day China. Yes, high school students are required to study world history and geography….but to understand the complexities of China during Mao's Cultural Revolution is not expected of American youths. Possibly, young people in college will learn about Mao if they take courses that specialize in modern Chinese history.

I know many Chinese American young people adopted into American families. Many of these young people have a natural curiosity about China's culture and history. Many do not. Many have parents that have a curiosity and interest in Chinese culture and history. Many do not. Many will travel to China on heritage tours….and many will not. However, in all of these cases, these young people will "meet" Mao in some way during their lives and be challenged to understand why he is important to China. As a parent, that does have an interest in Chinese culture and history; I find it difficult to explain Mao Tse Tung in simple terms. Hong's picture book, Mao and Me, is as good an explanation as I can give to young people from ages 8 to adult. I found this book in the Juvenile Biography section of my local library.

This book is two autobiographical stories in one. The first story is of how the author, born in 1963, enjoyed growing up as a typical kid in Shanghai…lots of illustrations show depictions of everyday life that I have seen in China from the architecture, style of clothing, living in an extended family, writing tablets in school, crowded buses and city streets, holiday traditions. However, the author is three years old when Mao's Cultural Revolution begins and it shapes his entire world from what he eats, or doesn't, how he is educated and programmed to become a part of Mao's revolution.

Throughout the weaving of both these stories, lines of the illustrations, colors and text all bear witness to a trying time of Chinese history. After my nine year old Chinese born daughter read the book her comment was: "This is so very sad". I'm ok with her reaction. I want her to know that there was a leader in China named Mao who was very famous when he was alive and still is after his death. Mao's leadership both inspired the people of China to strive toward greatness and was very difficult for his people to survive. In some important ways it was a sad time for China.

If a child is mature enough for Young Adult books (those written for an 8^th grade audience and up), I would pair this picture book with the outstanding YA novel: Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Yin Chang Compestine. Also autobiographical, this story is a gripping account of life as a teen during the days of the Cultural Revolution in Whuan, (Hubei Province) China. Revolution is Not a Dinner Party has won numerous awards including an ALA Best YA Book in 2008 as well as a 2008 Best Social Studies Trade Book Award. The combination of Compestine's in depth description of 1970's China as well as Hong's picture book would be an excellent launch into a true study of the time period for young and adult students of this period of Chinese history.

Hong, C. (2008). Mao and Me. New York: Enchanted Lion Books

Compestine, Y. (2007). Dinner is Not a Revolution. New York: Square Fish Books

Lin Yi’s Lantern: A Moon Festival Tale

For all my friends that keep up with Chinese lore and tradition, there is a lovely new-ish (published in 2009) picture book to add to your collection. The story is of Lin Yi, who must go to the market to purchase items for the upcoming Moon Festival….however, money is tight and he might not be able to buy a lantern he has his heart set on. Lin Yi passes through the Moon Gate on the way to the market for good luck. At the market, a typical farmer's market of rural China, Lin Yi bargains his hardest and stops to look at lanterns. Sure enough, he doesn't have enough money for the lantern….however; there are special surprises that wait Yin Li at home for being such a good boy doing the family's marketing. The story is sweet but what I liked even more was an additional re-telling of the 'Moon Lady' tale as well as directions for how to make one's own Chinese lantern. The book is a picture book but very appropriate for children ages 8 and older. I found this gem at my local library.

Williams, B. and Lacombe, B. Lin Yi's Lantern (2009) Barefoot Books.

Picture Books that illustrate 6th Grade US-VA History

I had a fantastic opportunity to volunteer at Mayfield 6 this spring. Since the school was without a library for the second half of their year, Mayfield librarians found ways of bringing library to their students—a remarkable feat—but that is a story for another day.

One teacher asked me to bring books to read aloud to her students that fit with their 6^th grade Standards of Virginia Learning: The SOLs. Since Social Studies is my "thing," I found this assignment more than just a little fun.

All of the books below are picture books—a GREAT way for students of any age to learn about history. However, these books are especially helpful to reluctant readers/learners. If you have a fifth grader looking ahead to 6^th grade US History, give some of these books a look over the summer. All of these books were borrowed from the Prince William County Library.

Title	Author	Category	Description/Comment
The Escape of Oney Judge	Amy Arnold McCully	E = Easy Reader	Oney is Martha Custiss Washington's slave. George Washington frees his slaves upon his death…but Martha's family doesn't. Oney must escape to experience freedom. True story.
Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story	Janet Halfman	J=Juvenile	Robert is a slave that achieves the rank of ship's captain in the Confederacy until he escapes to the Union. Smalls goes on to greatness after. True story.
The Story of the H.L. Hunley and Queenie's Coin	Fran Hawk	J	The development of submarine warfare…astoundingly good and true story.
Daniel Boone's Great Escape	Michael Spradlin	J Bio	Exciting picture book biography of Daniel Boone. Kids LOVED it.
January's Sparrow	Patricia Polacco	J fic	We can teach facts about slavery and escaping to freedom but cannot give the feeling of it like Polacco can. Based on a true story
Pink and Say	Patricia Polacco	J fic	We can teach facts about fighting the Civil War but cannot give the feeling of it like Polacco can. Based on a true story.
Mississippi Mud: Three Prairie Journals	Ann Warren Turner	J	Poems of the journey west to Oregon from the points of view of 3 children in a family.
The Legend of Blue Jacket	Michael Spradlin	J	Incredible story of a young American's kidnapping and adoption into the Shawnee tribe….Blue Jacket's life is intertwined with Daniel Boone. Based on true stories.
Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek	Deborah Hopkinson	E	Not an SOL book….but oh, so much fun to read. Will have kids giggling and thinking about a different side of Abe Lincoln and his buddy.
Don't Know Much About the Pioneers	Kenneth C. Davis	J	Author of the fun "Don't Know Much" series…Davis presents lots of interesting facts about pioneer life. This one is not one that I got to read aloud…would of if I had the time.
Duel of the Ironclads: The Monitor vs. The Virginia	Patrick O'Brien	J	I left this book for the teacher to read aloud. It's a wonderful story about the making of the first ironclads—true story but reads like a fiction book with amazing illustrations.