Each Little Bird That Sings

Have you ever wondered what it must be like to live in a funeral home? In Each Little Bird That Sings, by Deborah Wiles, we get a taste of that life through the eyes of Comfort Snowberger. Comfort's family runs the Snowberger Funeral Home in the town of Snapfinger, Mississippi. According to Comfort ". . . if your house is also the funeral home . . . you're always on call, just like the fire department is always on call. You never know for sure when calamity will strike." And it did. Two people that Comfort loved died: her great uncle Edisto, and her great aunt Florentine. In the midst of all this her best friend decides not to be her best friend anymore. Comfort could deal with all this better if she didn't have to put up with her irritating younger cousin Peach who shows up to make her life miserable. On the day of Great Aunt Florentine's funeral, Peach, Comfort, and Dismay (the family dog), are caught up in a storm that causes Snapfinger Creek to flood. They are swept downstream and fight for their lives. Comfort loses someone very important to her in the flood, but finds out what it means to have the love of family and friends.

This was a delightful realistic fiction book for children. I loved reading about the close relationships Comfort had with her parents and family. I chuckled at the "life notices" she wrote for the local paper and her descriptions of her cousin Peach. Snapfinger, the fictional town where the story is set, reminded me of the small town where I grew up. When there was a funeral everyone turned out with food, help, and hugs. Wiles totally captured the emotional trauma of a young girl going through the feeling that she has lost her best friend and others that she loves. She also does a great job of showing how these very normal experiences help her gain perspective on life and realize what's really important.

This is a heartwarming book and a great read. I recommend it for grades 4-6, but even older children and young adults will enjoy it.

Keywords associated with this book: funerals, funeral homes, morticians, death, dying, family relationships, love, pets, floods, best friends, friendships.

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko tells the story of a family who moves to Alcatraz Island where the father accepts a job as a prison guard. Set during the time period when Al Capone was actually incarcerated there, the story weaves facts with fiction. It is written from the perspective of Moose, the son of the family, who has a lot to deal with: a special needs sister (probably autistic, though we are never told this directly) and parents who are too busy and worried about their daughter to give him much attention. Moose isn't happy about moving to Alcatraz, but tries to make the best of it. He doesn't have much choice. He tries to make friends with the other kids who have parents working on the island. One of these is Piper, the warden's daughter. The problem with Piper is that she's always cooking up schemes that involve breaking the rules. One of her schemes almost gets Moose and his family kicked off the island. In the midst of all this, Moose has to face his parent's struggle as they try to get his sister into a special school and his mother's depression when that plan fails. As the "normal" child he carries a greater sense of responsibility than he should. Moose tries one more time to do something to help his sister, with a surprising result.

I found this book to be interesting, funny and sad all at the same time. It's interesting because it's based on facts: I never knew that families actually lived on Alcatraz Island. The fiction part was the funniest, especially when the warden's daughter comes up with the idea to get people to pay for having their shirts laundered by Al Capone (even though it is a fact that he actually did work in the prison laundry for a time). The sad part of this story was in how Moose was emotionally neglected by his parents who were over-focused on their daughter's needs (understandable, but still sad). Many young people with special needs siblings will relate and others will be able to empathize with Moose.

While the book touches on some difficult subjects, I would recommend it for 5th grade and up.

Keywords associated with this book: Alcatraz Island, Al Capone, prisons, prison guards, prisoners, autism, special needs children, special need schools.

The Minister's Daughter

The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn, tells the story of three girls living in England during the 1600's: a time when religion and superstition were both strong influences in people's daily lives. Two of the girls, Grace and Patience are daughters of the local Puritan minister. The other, Nell, is the granddaughter of the local healer and midwife, commonly called a "cunning woman". On the surface their lives appear to be at stark contrast to each other: the minister's daughters live a very strict, structured life under their father's religious authority. Nell is a "merrybegot", a child born from magic. The story begins to get complicated when Grace rebels against her father's dire warnings against "frolicking" and finds herself pregnant out of wedlock. In order to take the blame off of herself, she accuses Nell of placing a witch's spell on her. Her father, in order to protect his own reputation in the community, gets involved in the cover-up and calls in a witch finder to cleanse the town of what he considers to be the Devil's influence. His hypocrisy comes to light when we find out that he is hiding his own terrible secret. When the witch finder comes, the townspeople fall under his influence and try to kill Nell's grandmother. While her own life is at risk, Nell must face the most difficult decision of her life.

I thought the book was a good mix of history and fiction. It was well researched and well-written. The Salem Witch trials took place during that same century, so a lot of the beliefs about Satanism and witchcraft were very prevalent. The technique of alternating chapters between the third person telling of the story, and the first person account of Patience Madden gave me a better understanding of all sides of the story. At times, I found the book disturbing, but I think it gives a true picture of how "religion" can be misused and become as evil as the "evil" it claims to be opposing. The book did a good job of developing the characters as they could have been during that time period. Even so, some aspects of life in the book are the same as they are today, such as a teenager's rebellion against overly strict parents. Teens today can certainly relate to that.

I recommend this book for mature 7th graders and up. Some topics may not be suitable for very sensitive young adults under high school age. Some Christian and/or religious families may find this book offensive because it puts magic in a more positive light than Christianity.

Keywords associated with this book: witches, magic, spells, Satan, Satanism, Devil, ministers, Puritans, fairies, pixies, parent child relationships, teen-aged pregnancy, England, Salem Witch Trials.

Cinderella

Cinderella, illustrated by K.Y. Craft is a version which was adapted from the Arthur Rackham Fairy Book and Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Books. The story is very similar to most of the Cinderella stories we grew up with but has a few added elements that are not contained in all the stories. In this version, Cinderella meets the prince in the woods before the ball, where he sees her in her everyday clothes and is already interested. Also, she attends the ball two nights in a row, instead of just the one night most people remember. The second night, she almost forgets about the midnight deadline and this is when she rushes out of the ballroom, leaving her glass slipper behind. As in other versions, the prince searches for the owner of the slipper, finds Cinderella is the one, and marries her. As in most versions the ending is a "happily ever after" one.

The beautiful oil over watercolor illustrations depict the time period of the 17th to 18th century. They are exquisitely detailed works of art.

Cinderella was always a favorite fairy tale for me and I loved reading this version. The illustrations made me feel as if I'd gone back in time. I felt envious of Cinderella's gown. Even though her character is unrealistically good and doesn't change much, I'm glad to see that her wicked stepsisters have a change of heart. The element of forgiveness may be as unrealistic as pumpkins turning into coaches for some people. I see it as an ideal to strive for, even if it can't be totally attained. This is a great example of a traditional fantasy/fairy tale

I recommend this version of Cinderella for Pre-K to 4th grade.

Keywords associated with this book: Cinderella, fairy tales, Andrew Lang, Arthur Rackham, fairy godmothers, magic spells

The Ugly Duckling

The Ugly Duckling, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, is adapted from the original Hans Christian Andersen version. It tells the story of a mother duck who is waiting for her six eggs to hatch. Five of them were small and normal looking but one looked larger and was shaped differently. When the eggs hatched, the duckling from the large egg looked different. Even though his mother loved him, he was considered ugly by all the other ducks in the pond. They teased and taunted him until he finally had to leave. He went through a series of experiences: being chased by hunters and a dog, and living with an old woman, her cat and a hen. Eventually, his desire to return to the water is too strong, and he feels compelled to go back. This is where he meets with a very unfortunate experience: he becomes frozen in the water. He is rescued and eventually returns to the water, very discouraged and ready to give up. What he finds there completely changes his life for the better and helps him to finally accept himself.

Although I read this story as a child, I had never read Pinkney's version. The delightful, colorful illustrations brought new life to this old tale. There are lessons to be learned for young and old alike. The main one is the old adage that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Most children can relate to feeling different at times and this story teaches that being different may bring problems, but these problems can be overcome and everyone can find a place of belonging.

I would recommend this Caldecott Honor Book for Pre-K to 4th grade.

Keywords associated with this book: ducks, ducklings, eggs, swans, fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo is the story of a china rabbit that lives a very privileged life with a girl named Abilene. Abilene loves him, but Edward is too self-absorbed to know how to return her love. One day Edward is tossed into the ocean by two boys on a ship and he thinks that his life is over. He is rescued (after a long time to think) and goes through a series of owners who finally teach him about love. In this modern fantasy, Edward is transformed emotionally. In the end, he experiences a miracle, but not before he pays his dues.

Although I am not normally a great fan of modern fantasy, this book really engaged me. I read it through in one straight sitting. I normally enjoy books that are more realistic in nature and even though this story does have some elements of fantasy, it is the kind that I can enjoy. Edward is so human-like and even endearing at times (after he starts to mature and his character begins to feel the emotions of love and compassion). The story becomes a real tear jerker at the point when Sarah Ruth, a young girl who loves Edward dies. Even though the subjects of poverty, abuse and death are a part of the story, they are presented in a way that isn't too shocking. Most older children should be able to handle these elements and they do give the story a more realistic tone.

I found this Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards winner to be a heartwarmingly easy read. I would recommend it for children in the 4th to 6th grades, unless they are overly sensitive to issues of separation, illness and death.

Keywords associated with this book: rabbits, dolls, fantasy, modern fantasy, animal fantasy.

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble is the story of a young native American girl whose life was changed by the animals she loved. While her people had many horses and used them to carry supplies and hunt buffalo, the girl had a special love and understanding of them. It was her desire to spend so much time with them that led her to become lost from her people for a long time. Her people searched for her, not knowing that she was safe and being protected by the creatures she loved, especially by one special horse, a beautiful spotted stallion. Eventually she is found by her people. After returning to her her village, her people wisely acknowledge that the girl's true happiness lies beyond what they can provide for her.

This beautifully illustrated (by the author) book is free from any type of negative racial or cultural stereotypes. At the same time, the illustrations give a picture of the dress and lifestyle of native Americans. The main emphasis of the story is on a young girl who has a great love for her animal friends. The native American culture is filled with such stories and horses have always been an important part of their culture.

Paul Goble has done a beautiful job with this book. The young girl could be any young girl in any culture who has a dream. I think most children can identify with the young girl, especially if they have ever had a pet.

This book is a winner of the Caldecott Medal. I would recommend it for children in Kindergarten through grade 3.

Keywords associated with this book: horses, native Americans, Indians of North America, buffalo, fairy tales.