Children are hard-wired to be imaginative
Feed their curiosity with today's titles
Youth is a beautiful state of mind that brims with imagination, vigor, a sense of courage and an appetite for adventure. But just because the body ages, our sense of wonder and imagination don't abandon us — we abandon them, and that's a dangerous place adults go, both for themselves and for their children.
When this happens, the adult loses touch with a child's imagination, and the danger for the child is to think that certain things they powerfully believe in are unacceptable in the adult world, which isolates the child.
Reading children's books together is an excellent way to foster a child's imagination while simultaneously reminding the adult what it is to have a child's imagination. That's what you'll find in the books mentioned below, and that's important stuff.
Books to Borrow
The following book is available at many public libraries.
"The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi, Orchard Books, 215 pages
Read aloud: age 7 — 8 and older
Read yourself: age 9 — 10 and older
In 1832, 13-year-old Charlotte Doyle had been warned by various strangers not to board the vessel Seahawk. Yet her father had left specific orders that she should sail on that ship from England to Providence, R.I., where she would be reunited with her father and family. As a proper young lady, she could not disobey those orders.
Not long after boarding, Charlotte was uneasy with the rough crewmen who seemed to resent her presence. As the only passenger, she felt quite alone. The ship's cook, Zachariah, suggested she might be in need of a friend and gave her a dagger for protection.
Horrified at first, Charlotte soon realized that she not only needed the dagger but that her initial perception of Captain Jaggery as a man of honor and integrity was not true; he was a murderous, evil man. The crew didn't seem to be any better, and rebellion was brewing, with Charlotte caught in the middle.
Readers will find themselves hanging on every word of this carefully crafted novel by master-author Avi. Full of precisely the right elements of mystery, intrigue and suspenseful adventure, this fast-paced selection will evoke imagery and imagination that will leave its mark long after the last page is read.
Librarian's Choice
Library: Sutter Branch Library, 2147 California St., Sutter
Library Director: Karen Crocker
Choices this week: "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein; "Holes" by Louis Sacher; "Dragon Rider" Cornelia Funke
Books to Buy
The following books are available at your favorite bookstores.
"Hans My Hedgehog: A Tale From the Brothers Grimm" retold by Kate Coombs, illustrated by John Nickle, Atheneum, 2012, 40 pages, $16.99 hardcover
Read aloud: age 4 — 5 and older
Read yourself: age 7 — 8
Born half human and half hedgehog, Hans the Hedgehog didn't fit in with the other children in his village. Saddened, he decided to make his own way in the world, left his parents and fled to the forest with his magical fiddle to perfect his music.
Assisting those who became lost in the forest, Hans the Hedgehog was promised a reward for helping them find their way home. Some people don't keep their promises, but some do, and when that happens, it is truly magical.
A wonderfully imaginative story of loneliness, courage and ultimately love, this selection is terrific.
"My Dad is Big and Strong, But ...: A Bedtime Story" by Coralie Saudo, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo, Enchanted Lion Books, 2012, 28 pages, $16.95 hardcover
Read aloud: age 4 — 5 and older
Read yourself: age 7 — 8
Every night it's the same old story for the boy — his dad doesn't want to go to bed! The boy tries to reason with Dad only to find Dad running about the house. Then the boy reads Dad not one but two stories, and still, Dad isn't quite ready for bed. As you can imagine, the boy finds all of this quite exhausting.
This charming and comical reversal of bedtime antics will have kids and adults chuckling on every page.
Kendal A. Rautzhan writes and lectures about children's literature. She can be reached at her website: greatestbooksforkids.com.
