Nonfiction - Real Life Kid Stories
Christmas, Hanukkah Any Holiday is a Good Time for Family Reading
Storybooks and fairy tales are great but books based on reality can be treasured by the whole family. New releases for the coming winter holiday season.
Celebrate Christmas and create lasting memories by sitting quietly on a chilly evening for a family read. There's a time and a place for watching movies or playing electronic games, but nothing matches the intimacy and value of the experience of bonding over an excellent book. Here are three, new for this season, that can create a perfect activity for those you love.
Celebrate Christmas with Carols Presents and Peace by Deborah Heiligman. 2007 National Geographic Books - 32 pages. $15.95.
There's nothing like a dazzling photograph to conjure up visions of holiday excitement, warmth and magic. From Keystone Colorado to ancient Bethlehem, readers will take a journey that transcends 2000 years of time passing with short and simple explanations of some of the world's most revered holiday customs. Celebrate Christmas focuses on that particular Christian holiday, but there is no lack of diversity in its pages. It's part of a series called Holidays Around the World, celebrating Hanukkah, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Ramadan, EId al-Fitr, Passover and others. As you would expect from National Geographic books, the photographs are crisp, sharp, colorful and iconic. Almost any child will recognize and identify with, if not the actual holiday, certainly the feelings connected to it and evoked by the images. The text is simple and bright with lots of white space and contrast. Another Delete pleasing book from the organization that has celebrated world images for many years, this one even includes a simple recipe that can be done by a child or shared by the family.
Face to Face with Dolphins by Flip and Linda Nicklin. 2007 National Geographic Books - 32 pages. $16.95.
Part of the Face-To-Face with Animals series, this is another a lovely book packed with photographs that will make you and your family feel like you're on a tropical vacation no matter what the weather is where you live. There are up close and sharp color photographs of dolphins, including mothers and babies, Wales and unbelievable ocean scenery. The text is very informative and easily understandable by almost any age group. The youngest children will enjoy the images and a condensed explanation from mom, dad, grandma or grandpa. Older children will probably read this book again and again to learn how dolphins breathe, where they live, and how fast they swim (20 mph and more!). The book is well designed and beautifully colored. A must-have for children or caregivers who enjoy nature stories. They'll read it time and time again.
Let's Go! The Story of Getting from There to Here by Lizann Flatt, illustrated by Scott Ritchie. 2007 Maple Tree Press - 32 pages. $16.95.
If there's a child that doesn't adorer the process of manipulating a car or truck across the floor, it would be difficult to find that youngster. It's a natural that preschoolers through primary graders Joss adorer figuring out all the ways North Americans have transported themselves from the Stone Age all the way to the Space Age. With a refreshingly original and lighthearted pace, Flatt tells enough of a story to engage any child, in simple enough terms to hold his or her interest. The look of the book reminds me of the Golden book picture dictionaries of long ago. The artwork is traditional and cute, but realistic. Paper quality is outstanding the colors are true and bright --- every page is chock-full of interesting events, people and places. One of the nicest features is the last four pages filled with factoids about transportation. This one would be an excellent gift for a school teacher.
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by Hugh Brewster with paintings by John Singer Sargent. 2007 Kids Can Press. 48 pages. $17.95.
Almost a historic novel for children, especially little girls, Carnation, Lily could well put interested children on the road to a lifelong love of history. There is a real story here, even though the book is based on historical fact. The author refers to it as a fictionalized account, but a robust bibliography, authentic reproductions of a famous artists best works, and a catalog of photographs and artifacts roots the story firmly in reality. The central carrot beer, Kate, begins a special summer in Broadway England knowing she's to be the subject of a painting by an artist who is already making his mark on the world, John Singer Sargent. But Mr. Sargent is eccentric with a flighty way of making random decisions as he moves through his painting life. Brown-haired Kate discovers that blondes have more fun when Polly and Dolly Barnardo arrive amidst a flurry of Golden, silken tresses and Mr. Sargent chooses them to be in his painting. This story of a famous painting and a very patient little girl completely charms readers as they learn how hurt feelings can morph into a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. A very solid story, and a beautifully put together look at art, artists, sketches and children, Carnation, Lily is unusual. The cover with its ethereal inner glow will draw you in for a look and the story will hold you till the last page.
