When I first read Bolormaa Baasansuren’s My Little Round House (Groundwood, 2009) to my daughter, she was captivated.  What’s not to like, after all, about the story of a baby?  But Jilu, of course, is a special baby whose first of year of life is charted through the nomadic seasonal migrations of his Mongol parents.  Jilu is born in a ger – the “little round house” of the title of the book.  The ‘ger’ is a kind of a metaphor for the world from which Jilu emerges; it is comforting and warm like the womb, and it is the one constant in his family’s life of migration.

When my daughter and I read this book together, we got a good sense of the passage of time.   And of course, one year in the life of an infant is quite amazing!  The world of their consciousness  — from being held and suckled, to their first independent movements, to their growing perception of the world outside of themselves — is all contained in this wonderful book.  By the time one year passes, little Jilu is old enough to truly enjoy the season — summer — he was born in, outside of the ger.

Baasansuren’s illustrations are lovely and rich.  My Little Round House is a picture book of the first order and this is one of the reasons why it was selected for the Spirit of PaperTigers project.   Do read the PaperTigers interview with Baasansuren.   And of course, do seek out the book itself either at your local library or bookstore!

Chosen as one of the Spirit of PaperTigers 2010 Book Set, middle-reader Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beiing by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow (Barefoot Books, 2008) is an absolute gem of a book, which all of us (and our children) on the selection panel fell in love with. It also made a beautifully balanced pair with Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon: one with a boy as the main character, the other with a girl; both lovely to hold and richly illustrated; both with Chinese culture at their hearts, but each also weaving allegory and metaphor into their narrative.

Based on Guo Yue’s childhood, Little Leap Forward tells the story of the young, flute-playing Leap Forward’s love for a songbird he keeps in a cage and calls Little Cloud, set against the shadows of the looming Cultural Revolution in China. You can read a full review, including a synopsis, here. Beautifully illustrated with full-page color plates by Helen Cann, it certainly offers a pleasurable read to young, independent readers – but it also makes a lovely bedtime story for older children, who enjoy a sustained read over several evenings. The writing is lyrical and so lends itself to being read aloud; and, although the story itself follows universal themes of friendship, freedom and learning to let go of those we love, the book’s cultural setting may well give rise to questions and discussion. The end-notes provide historical facts about the Cultural Revolution, filling in details of what happened to Yue and his family. An added dimension for us reading the book together was that both my boys were really keen to know everything that was written here and enjoyed making comparisons with the story – yet I know that when they each read the book on their own, they read the captions to the photographs but didn’t really look at the text.

We were also fortunate enough to see the stage adaptation of Little Leap Forward last year (you can read my post about it here) and I have recently come across this “SoundCloud” from its opening sequence – so head on over and close your eyes for a few minutes, imagining Leap Forward and his friend Little-Little on the river bank, flying their kites high into a cloudess blue sky…

Pam Allyn’s recent article in the Huffington Post, Bedtime Reading: Children’s Stories to Inspire You In Your Sleep, lists her top recommendations for bedtime reading for all ages for the year 2010. Why did she make this list?

When the sun goes down, fears come up. The blessing of a transcendent story for any age is that it helps us to escape, to relate, to connect and to understand the perils and magic of our mortal universe. [...]

In the midst of the swirling clouds of conversations on recession, terrorism threats and environmental anxieties, our great authors, honoring the mysterious yet profound world of childhood, steer us toward peace and community, and the promise of hope in the morning.

Pam’s list is comprised of 8 books and includes Planting the Trees of Kenya and One Hen: two books which we chose for our Spirit of PaperTigers Book Set! Here is what Pam has to say about these two books and why they made her list:

Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maatthai by Claire Nivola. Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Prize in 2004 for her efforts to repair the environmental damage done to Kenya. She taught women and children to plant seeds and grow trees. Nivola shows the children restoring the health of a country. How this book will inspire: it’s not just Wangari who rallies us; it’s the tenderness of the children and their mothers, taking political action by planting gardens.

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes.  Kojo lives in a small Ashanti village. His life is changed when he is given a micro-loan by his village and he is able to buy a hen. His success after this impacts everyone in his community and beyond. Why we all should read this: When we try to figure out what to do to help in this year 2010, this book gives us a good model for how teaching a man to fish is more important than the fish itself.

Be sure to click here and read about the other books on Pam’s list.

Do you want a good book to read to your child for Chinese New Year’s?  How about Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon? Grace’s book was chosen as one of seven books in the Spirit of Paper Tigers Book Set.  It’s a delightful chapter book for middle readers that follows the adventures of a young girl Minli, who is determined to change the fortunes of her poor family.

This story was captivating on many levels; my daughter couldn’t get enough at our bedtime readings of it and was constantly begging for another chapter.  The hardback book is beautifully illustrated with nine full color plates which makes this a unique reading experience to savour as middle readers these days are not often this lavishly illustrated.  (If you read PaperTigers interview with Grace, you’ll see how this book was made possible.)

The gorgeous illustrations and the compelling narrative in this book made it a shoo-in for the Spirit of PaperTigers Book set.  Minli is a delightful heroine and a good role model for young people to read about.   She gets into some truly interesting predicaments that test her mettle in many ways.  There is a lovely folk tale like quality about this book and of the seven books in the SPT book set, it is the only one of its kind represented.  It’s a good choice to read at any time of the year, but I encourage you to seek out a copy at this time if you’re looking for Chinese stories for kids.

The Storyteller’s Candle/ La velita de los cuentos Children’s Book Press, 2008) is one of the books selected for inclusion in the 2010 Spirit of PaperTigers Book Set, which is part of the Spirit of PaperTigers Project launched yesterday on our website. Set during the early years of the Great Depression (1929-1935), it tells the story of two children, cousins Hildamar and Santiago, who have moved with their families from Puerto Rico to New York and how their lives are transformed by coming into contact with librarian Pura Belpré, whose pioneering work revolutionised the roles of libraries within their communities.

This telling of Pura Belpré’s work through the eyes of children, written by Lucía Gonzalez, makes a very special readaloud, both to a group of children and cosily at home. As the whole Puerto Rican community of El Barrio joins together to put on a play at the library to celebrate el Día de los Reyes, Three Kings’ Day on the 6th January, the cold outside is forgotten and the library is filled with the warmth not only from the roaring fire, but also from people’s hearts. Then, at the end,

“Ms. Belpré concluded the show in her usual way. “Close your eyes and make a wish,” she whispered as she held the storyteller’s candle.

Lulu Delacre’s gorgeous illustrations (and you can see some of them in her PaperTigers Gallery) are particularly special because she has added collage details to every page using a newspaper from 6th January 1930. I think my favorite, wittily accompanying this illustration of the audience at the library, is a column of thank yous to theatre critics for rave reviews…

Of course, Pura Belpré’s work continues to be commemorated by grown-ups with the awarding of the Pura Belpré medal, whose 2010 winners were announced in January. The Storyteller’s Candle means that children can share in her wonderful story too – and enjoy her legacy of libraries as hubs in their communities.

Following our library’s recent refurbishment, I was excited to find several bilingual picture-books in the newly-revamped children’s section… I borrowed two and we will definitely be going back for more!

Yeh-Hsien: A Chinese Cinderella, retold by Dawn Casey and illustrated by Richard Holland, with a French translation by Annie Arnold (Mantra Lingua, 2006) is familiar but different – there’s no fairy godmother, instead Yeh-Hsien befriends a fish: “she nourished her fish with food and with love, and soon he grew to enormous size.” However, the wicked stepmother kills the fish, cooks it and eats it (this detail gives the story the frisson of horror that is sometimes missing from modern fairy-tale retellings…). The magic fish bones that are left allow Yeh-Hsien to make wishes come true – soon she has enough to eat; and then she is able to conjure up beautiful clothes to go to the Spring Festival… It’s great to have a feisty Cinderella, who has to think and do for herself – and who runs away from the party because her nightmarish step-mother frightens her, not because she forgot the time…

Grandma’s Saturday Soup by Sally Fraser and illustrated by Derek Brazell with a Cantonese translation by Sylvia Denham (Mantra Lingua, 2005) is a delightful book – Mimi takes young readers/listeners through her week during a British winter. Everything reminds her of some ingredient in the soup she will be having at Grandma’s house on Saturday (clouds like dumplings, shoots of new growth through the snow like spring onions); and everything also contrasts with the stories Grandma tells of life in Jamaica – (more…)

2010 is the Year of the Tiger so I have chosen a book that features a tiger in its telling.  White Tiger, Blue Serpent is an old Chinese tale from the Drung tribe in Yunnan.  Retold by Grace Tseng and illustrated by Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng (Lothrop, Lee and Shepherd, 1999), the story is about a young boy named Kai whose poor mother is a weaver of brocades.  Kai supports his mother in her work by fishing and collecting firewood.  The brocades his mother makes are sold in the market to buy food and silk supplies.  The two live frugally on the impoverished west bank of a great roaring river which divides it from the magical and mountainous east — a land guarded by a ferocious white tiger and monstrous blue serpent in the service of the jealous goddess Qin.

One day Kai asks his mother to make a special brocade just for him.  She knows that such a brocade will take a long time to weave — a thousand days — and will require Kai to work hard like a man and not a boy.  Kai is up to the challenge; he takes his mother’s latest brocade to market and sells it to buy an ox and rice seedlings.  He will become a farmer as well as a fisherman to support his mother’s grand endeavour.  After a thousand days, the brocade is ready.  It is so beautiful that the goddess Qin snatches it away from Kai with a gust of wind that transports the brocade into her highly guarded realm.  What will Kai do?  In order to get the brocade back, he must venture into the mountains and face the tiger and the serpent.

In this story, the tiger represents a fearsome obstacle and will be a test of Kai’s budding manhood.  The illustrations in the book by Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng make this more than amply clear!

What stories of tigers have you read and what emotion have they elicited in you as a reader?  Fear?  Awe?  Admiration?  Tell us about your favorite books about tigers!

It’s a cold, wintery New Year’s Day and an elderly couple must sell the wife’s heirloom wedding kimono to buy the rice cakes they need to eat for “good fortune to smile on us”. On his way to market, the old man passes six statues of Jizo, the protector of children. he carefully brushes the snow off them, telling them about the reasons for his journey as he does so. After a series of trading transactions, he finds himself at the end of the day not with the desired rice cakes but five bamboo hats.

He returns home and on his way, again passes the statues. He carefully ties the bamboo hats on the heads of the statues to protect them from the snow; and he ties his own hat under the chin of the sixth statue. Returning empty-handed to his wife, he apologises while telling her all that has happened: she replies that she is proud of him.

Later, after they have gone to bed, they hear a noise outside and discover an enormous rice cake at their door – and in the distance, the six Jizo statues walking away in single file… That New Year the celebrations were unforgettable!

This lovely story, Bamboo Hats and a Rice Cake (Crown Publishers, 1993), has been adapted from Japanese folklore by Ann Tompert, and gorgeously illustrated by Demi (who features in our current Gallery – do take a look if you haven’t already, her Q&A is fascinating). It is perfect for this time of year and is a lovely book to share – not just because of the beauty that shines from both the story and the pages of the book, but also because the English narrative incorporates Japanese characters for key words like kimono, rice-cake(s), bamboo hat(s) etc. The key extends down the side of the page and I can vouch for the delight of a small person inserting the correct word at the right moment, while the story is being read to them!

All in all, the book is a delight – Ann Tompert’s narrative is expressive and gentle and Demi has depicted lots of tiny vignettes to explore. Little Brother also loved the way the statues stood very statue-like but could move their eyes to watch the old man, and could smile. We have so much snow here at the moment, too, that this has been our perfect New Year book this year. What about you? What have you been reading with your children (at home, in class or at your library) to welcome in the New Year?

Tonight, in the northern hemisphere, is the longest night of the year. Especially in those places where winter has gripped the world, the light seems a long time coming – but this is the tipping point. From now on, the day-time will be imperceptibly longer. So Marion Dane Bauer and Ted Lewin’s evocation of a forest world longing for the sun, The Longest Night (Holiday House, 2009), is a perfect bedtime read to snuggle up with at this time of year – and would be a lovely way to introduce the notion of long, cold winter’s nights in those parts of the world that don’t see snow!

While some forest creatures sleep through the winter, those still roaming seek to bring back the sun. The “night-dark” crow, the “mighty” moose and the “clever” fox all believe they are the ones who can do it – but the wind knows otherwise and tells them, to their disgust, that the little chickadee is the only one who can. The chickadee herself finds it hard to believe but she does the only thing she knows how. She sings and sings and wakes the sun: and the longest night is over.

The writing is full of onomatopeia and pleasing wordplay so children will soon know the story off by heart and still want to listen to it again and again: and that will be just fine because the illustrations, as well as the gentle, lilting poetry, are simply stunning! There are wonderful close-ups of the animals, as well as chilly landscapes – the deep, dark blue of the sky reflected in the slightly blue tinge to the snow – then suddenly, at the end, the blaze of light through the trees. Ted Lewin has created an utter feast for the eyes – and I just want to put that cover illustration on my wall and drink it in!

Do read this conversation with Marion and Ted about the book’s creation; and this interview with Marion. KidsLit and TTLG have also reviewed The Longest Night - and TTLG also profiles a non-fiction book called The Winter Solstice that sounds interesting…

I only came across The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate recently but this true story has lost none of its power or, sadly, its relevance since 1993, when the events it tells about took place in the town of Billings in Montana, US. Written by Janice Cohn, who spoke to many of the people involved first-hand, and beautifully illustrated by Bill Farnsworth, The Christmas Menorahs was published two years later (by Albert Whitman). It’s an inspiring book to share with older children (it’s aimed at 9-12 year olds) and is bound to provoke discussion.

It was the third night of Hannukkah and young Isaac Schnitzer was doing his homework when there was a loud crash in his bedroom: someone had thrown a rock through the window at the menorah that had been shining out into the darkness.

Isaac was stunned when he found out that rock had been thrown because he was Jewish, one incident in a spate of racist and anti-semitic attacks in the town. At this point, this crime could simply have become another statistic, with Isaac and his family picking up the pieces and carrying on. This did indeed happen: Isaac’s parents talked to him about not allowing bullies to stop them celebrating their holiday and that is what they resolved to do. However, this event was also the catalyst for a community-wide reaction to the intolerance. A town meeting was held and a woman called Margaret MacDonald, inspired by the King of Denmark and others wearing the yellow star of David during the second world war so that the Nazis would not be able to distinguish who was Jewish quite so easily, suggested that everyone put a menorah in their window. (more…)