The Story of Little Babaji

The Story of Little Babaji

by Helen Bannerman

illustrated by Fred Marcellino

This is a gorgeous picture book. The story is a retelling of the classic "Little Black Sambo" story. The story is virtually unchanged, but the characters are given more politically-correct names, and its setting is more transparently Indian. It's a great little story about a boy whose fine clothes are taken by tigers. He then gets them back while the tigers are preoccupied with fighting with one another. There are a few especially choice moments (and corresponding illustrations) when tigers are wearing shoes on their ears or tying umbrellas to their tails. The story is charming and the new illustrations are beautiful. I also really like the small square format of the book. I used this book for my preschool lesson on jungle animals and all the kids loved it and were captivated even though it is slightly longer than my usual picks for that age range.

Ender's Game

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

This is a book that I recently read after hearing people rave about it for years and years. I am not much of a Science Fiction girl, but I did enjoy this one. Card's writing is not spectacular, but his imaginativeness more than compensates. The story takes place in the future, mostly in battle training stations in outer space. Ender is a boy genius who is learning to protect mankind from alien threats. The descriptions of Ender's training exercises and battle simulations are captivating and immensely original. And of course there is the famous twist at the end. Unfortunately someone ruined that for me before I'd read it, but I will remain vague. The preface to the edition I read had an essay by Card about how this book has resonated with extremely gifted children since its publication. Certainly it would be an interesting way to start a discussion of giftedness.

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

by Gail Carson Levine

I read this book because I (embarassing confession) quite liked the movie. The movie bears only the most cursory resemblance to the book, which I also really enjoyed. It meets all my criteria for good YA fiction: good characters, good writing, and themes worth writing about. Most people are likely familiar with the plot, but it is a Cinderella spinoff. Ella is a girl who is unable to disobey thanks to a fairy's blessing/curse. This leads to all sorts of interesting situations and problems, especially once she winds up in the care of her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. The book is an interesting look at freedom and agency (something likely at the top of every preteen's list of concerns) and well worth reading for anyone in that age group, though probably not a fabulous enough book to merit a place on an adult's list of must-reads.

All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small

by James Herriot

This is one of the most wonderful books I have read in a long time. It is the memoir of a veterinarian beginning his practice in the late 1930s in the Yorkshire dales. It's wonderfully written and full of great stories and wonderful characters. Now, I am definitely not an animal person, but I suspect that someone who really loves animals would enjoy the book even more than I did.

Herriot continues his story in several sequels to this book: All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, and The Lord God Made Them All. All the books are excellent, though I think the first few are strongest. Still, it is fun to follow Herriot's life and family though several decades of growth, war, and scientific and social changes.

One small caveat: this is probably not a great book choice for a squeamish person. Veterinary procedures are described in some degree of detail. If you are uncomfortable with words like "vulva" and "intestinal torsion" this book is not for you.

Miss Rumphius

Miss Rumphius

by Barbara Cooney

This is a fabulous picture book and one of my childhood favorites. It is about a little girl who grows up, travels the world, and returns home to live by the sea and make the world more beautiful. The illustrations are lovely and the story is sweet, engaging, and uplifting. I noticed recently that this book is included in the Charlotte Mason homeschooling curriculum for first grade, which makes me want to homeschool even more than ever! Perhaps best of all, it's not too long and makes a great bedtime story.

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point

by Malcolm Gladwell

This is a very readable sociology book about how trends get started and how they spread from person to person. Gladwell explores trends ranging from Hush Puppies to smoking and has lots of interesting ideas. Parents will especially enjoy the chapter on the development of Sesame Street and Blues Clues. It's probably not very rigorous sociology, but it was an entertaining book full of ideas that were new to me.

I also read Gladwell's newer book, Blink, which I thought was also good, but not quite as interesting or well-written as Tipping Point.

Princess Academy

Princess Academy

by Shannon Hale

This is a fabulous YA book for teen and tween girls, though it could also be a good read-aloud chapter book for younger girls. It is nicely written and has an engaging story and good message. It's a fast read, yet explores deeper themes of education, social class, leadership, etc. that could make for good discussions. Quite a fun book, even for a grownup.

Update: I recently read another book by Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl, and loved that as well. I hear she just published yet another YA novel, and will review it as soon as my library catches up with me!

Harry Potter 7

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J. K. Rowling

I just had to start with this one. Of course I loved the final Harry Potter book. I couldn't put it down and finished it the day it was released. I don't want to do any plot spoilers, so I won't say too much, but I was quite pleased that many of my suspicions and theories from the previous books turned out to be correct. And I was about 90 percent satisfied with the ending. It was pretty dark, but still fine for young adults I think.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new book blog! I love to read and wanted a better way to share my favorite finds with friends and family. So I'll be posting suggestions for good reads in my blog from now on. I'll post ideas from a wide range of genres: expect fiction, nonfiction, young adult, and children's picture book suggestions. I plan to start out reviewing only books I actually like quite a bit (after all, this is mostly a site for my recommendations), though I may expand in the future.

Come back again soon!