Picture books to teach gratitude for kids

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and I don't know about you, but I feel like the big holiday season has tip toed up on me this year. Trying to be proactive, I looked for some books to help instill the idea of thankfulness at our local library. I also asked some of my friends for their favorite children's books that promote gratitude. There are plenty of books about the first thanksgiving, but I know my boys are getting the Pilgrim and Indian history at school. So it's also important to read books that celebrate the essence of our November holiday. Here's my short list (a literal short list, not a best of the best list) of books we've been reading this season to jump start conversations about thankfulness:


The Thanksgiving Door by Debby Atwell
Empty nesters Ed and Ann are set to eat a quiet Thanksgiving supper, until Ann accidentally burns the entire meal. Though Ann feels crushed by her mistake, Ed coaxes his wife out the door to see if they can find a restaurant that's open. When they inadvertently crash a large family's party, their Thanksgiving could become even worse... but I won't spoil the story. My 3-year-old, Rockam, really got a kick out of the conga line. You'll just have to read it to see it. This colorful holiday treat gives young readers an introduction to how Thanksgiving is celebrated by a Bulgarian immigrant family while also showing that the best part of the holiday is not the feast but the people with whom you eat it. The wording is simple enough for preschoolers, but the story is interesting enough for adults to enjoy too. Sadly, the hard copy of this book is out of print. But if you live where I do, you can pick it up at the library (after I return it ;)

Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman
We got our little copy of this book in a Chik-fil-A happy meal, and I'd been carrying it around in my purse as emergency distraction for the boys. In this installation of the Bear series, our learns to be genuinely grateful for his friends, even though he frets about not having anything to feed them as they arrive, one after another, at the door to his empty cave. My 1-year-old enjoys the soft illustrations of bear and his host of woodland friends. My 3-year-old also enjoys the story of Bear, who is poor in possessions, but is rich in generous friends who love him for who he is rather than what he has. My 6-year-old was distracted by the details, wanting to know how a mouse-sized pie could be split among so many animals. Either way, this book allowed me to talk about why Bear's friends were thankful for him even though he seemed to have nothing to give them.

Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell 
When I was growing up, Mutts was my favorite cartoon strip in the Chicago Tribune comics section. I'm so glad McDonnell branched out to create several whimsical children's books, such as Hug Time, which tells the story of a little kitten's journey to show his love for all the creatures of the world. Of these three books, this is the least overtly related to thanksgiving, though the idea of appreciation, from which thankfulness can stem, is prominent. I used the book to talk about how we can be thankful to God for his wonderful creation.



What are your favorite picture books for Thanksgiving or gratitude all year round?

Review of "Given" by Wendell Berry

In Animal Vegetable Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver wrote glowingly of her friend, Wendell Berry. When I learned that Berry is a Kentucky farmer, activist, novelist and poet... I knew I had to check him out for myself. My husband's cousin is pursuing her MFA in poetry this fall, but I haven't read much poetry since high school, so I thought I'd start culturing myself with this slim volume from my local library. "For those who believe that life and the world are gifts, this is an invaluable book," reads the Booklist quote on the cover of Given: Poems. I'm a fan of Ann Vosskamp's "One Thousand Gifts," so the recommendation sold me. The first half of the book is made up of  two chapters: "In a Country Once Forested" and "Further Words." These are mostly short poems observing nature's beauty and honoring his wife and other loved ones. In these poems, he lovingly paints a word portrait of his wife's white head in the fields.  In a series of Spring Haikus, Berry describes a wild plum tree as a bride dressed in white blossoms and a cluster of Mayapples as a crowd under little umbrellas. In "How to Be a Poet," Berry reminds himself to find a quiet place away from screens and electronic distractions and really listen for "what comes from silence." As I read and reread these gentle words, it seemed to provide instructions for more than just making good poetry. The third section is written as a play called "Sonata at Payne Hollow," and read like an enchanting dream. The fourth section, "Sabbaths 1998-2004" features poems written on his long Sunday walks around his farm. As the name implies, these poems often have a spiritual substance to them, pondering life, death, God and our purpose as reflected in nature. Poem VIII from 2004 spoke of our yearning for "the Word that calls the darkest dark/ Of this world to its lasting dawn," and describes people as "separate as fireflies or night windows," who piece together "a foredream of the gathered light." So beautiful.

I enjoyed Given and read through the entire book twice, lingering on a few of my favorite poems longer. I also checked out Berry's "The Mad Farmer Poems," but couldn't quite get into them. Berry has written several novels, and I felt as though Mad Farmer poems were told in the voices of his characters, without the benefit of the back story to enlighten me. They have an angry, activist tone to them, which some readers might find more exciting than the contemplative tone of Given. If you, like I, enjoy staring out the window or listening to bird sing or contemplating how a river has shaped the terrain through which it runs, I think you'll enjoy the imagery in Given. If you feel that God cares for His creation beyond His initial act of speaking it into being, then I also think you'll enjoy Berry's words.

Stephen's Pick: Munching Machines

Stephen enjoyed another robot related book from our local library, Junkyard, by Mike Austin. He calls it "Munching Machines" because that's what the author calls the two bots who crush, crunch and munch their way through am unwieldy salvage yard before planting a garden, sculpting mountains and upcycling garbage into cool playground equipment. I recommend this richly illustrated picture book with fun rhyming text for young robot lovers and parents who like a subtle environmental slant. The story celebrates two hardworking, resourceful robots as they create beauty out of garbage.

Review of "Letters from a Skeptic"

I love brainy books from time to time, and Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity by theology professor turned megachurch pastor Greg Boyd fits the bill. Not only is the book a compilation of apologetic essays from a very smart person, but a dual between Boyd and his then agnostic father Edward Boyd as they exchanged correspondence over a period of three years back in the early 1990s, culminating with the senior Boyd's joyful conversion at age 70!

These 30 letters were a quick and interesting read as Edward Boyd raises some of the most common criticisms to the Christian faith, while also revealing deep-rooted hurts from his past, including the premature death of Greg's mother.

The father and son touch on issues that anyone seriously considering or contending for the Christian faith should chew on: reconciling unthinkable human violence with an all-powerful and loving God and understanding why God gave humans free will, the nature and occupants of hell, the sometimes odd and mythical nature of many Bible stories, and how and why Christ's death is God's acceptable propitiation for mankind's sin. I suppose some Christians might find places to nitpick with some of the responses. For example, the younger Boyd is slightly open ended about whether Hell is eternal conscious torture or whether those sent there will eventually cease to exist and cites verses that could validate either view. This might bother some Christians who feel the strength and quality of their faith relies on their level of certainty on all matters of theology. I'm not one of them, so I found Boyd's answers to be sensitive, intellectual and nuanced in a way that really invited and encouraged faith.

Overall, the author's thoughtful responses encouraged me to test the rational ground on which I base my own faith, and it was exciting to watch Edward Boyd's gradual salvation unfold. Also valuable is the way the younger Boyd models a loving, respectful, hopeful attitude as he witnesses to his father, who in early letters expresses his disbelief that his Yale and Princeton educated son would "buy into" Christian beliefs. Whether or not they agree on all the minutia of his answers, I think all Christians can learn from Pastor Boyd's example and be encourage by the result.

As with many of the books I review and reflect upon in this blog, you can find the hard copy of Letters from a Skeptic at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library... as soon as I return it!

6 Wordless Wonders

I've been meaning to post some fun wordless picture books for a while, but I keep finding more that I like! They work well for young readers/listeners a number of reasons-- firstly, with the bulk of the storytelling resting on the images, all the illustrations will immediately draw in little ones' attention. You don't have to worry about reading level, as you can add as many or as few words to the story as you like. You can even make your child "read" the story to you. Another option I've enjoyed with my five-year-old is having him tell the story on one page, then I'll tell the story on the next page. Most of these are from our local library.

Journey by Aaron Becker
A recent Caldecott Honor book, Journey is like an elaborate version of Harold and the purple crayon. I this story, the protagonist is a little girl, who after failing to gain the attention of her father, mother and older sister, draws a red door on her bedroom wall, opens it and disappears into an enchanted forest. As interesting as this alternate universe is, it seems the young heroine is still alone in her adventure as she must draw herself out of close encounters with a series of mysterious villains. But eventually, by showing kindness to another creature in distress, she finds a kindred spirit with a magic crayon of his own. After I read this one with Stephen, I decided to page through it again. The illustrations are truly magical.

Flotsam by David Wiesner
Another great library find, Flotsam, chronicles the mysteries of an underwater fantasy world through the snapshots-- presumably taken by sea creatures-- from a camera that washes up on shore into a little child's hands. Many of the scenes appear to depict the "normal" wonders of the ocean floor at first glance. But a closer observation reveals interesting antics and characters. Both my older boys are fond of the beach and sea creatures, so this was a hit with them.

The Secret Box by Barbara Lehman
Another wordless story based on mysterious photographs, The Secret Box transforms a box of old-timey snapshots hidden in an attic into a treasure hunt for the carefree fun of a carnival from another era. The friends that piece together the clues from the photos and memorabilia in the box eventually bring the story full circle, contributing their own images for another group of children to discover in the next generation. I enjoyed this the open-endedness of this cartoon-styled narrative, but the boys didn't get into it as much... perhaps the subtle twist at the end was lost on their five- and three-year-old minds.





The Adventures of Polo by Regis Faller
A wordless cartoon told in several chapters, Faller's picture book follows the whimsical dog, Polo, as he climbs strings to outer space, joins a band of monkeys in their tree-top soiree, sails to a deserted volcanic island and roasts his dinner over a lava flow, and slides down rabbit-holes to the middle of the earth where glowing pea-like beings march around luminary mushrooms. Polo makes plenty of silly friends and does many nonsensical things. There's not really a moralistic take-away here, but The Adventures of Polo is just plain fun. Stephen loves to narrate Polo, and this book has been great for long and far less adventurous drives from Kentucky to Illinois and Ohio.

The Chicken Thief by Beatrice Rodriguez (first installment to trilogy including Fox and Hen Together and Rooster's Revenge) A fox stakes out the home of some woodland friends, then bursts from the bushes and snatches up a chicken, much to Rooster, Bear and Rabbit's dismay. The chase is on, and Rodriguez tells the story through breathtaking panoramas over hills, into mountains and through valleys, owing much to the book's unusual 6 x 10-inch dimensions. **Spoiler Alert** At the end of this wordless tale, the foxy villain turns out to have had a change of heart (or perhaps purer intentions all along?) for taking Miss Hen, as the pair are eventually discovered sipping cocoa by a cottage fire and invite their "guests" in to join them. I'm ambivalent about the story's twist. Perhaps it is a testimony to the happiness many culturally-crossed couples find despite their families' best attempts to thwart the union? As the product of a mixed-race marriage myself, I'm hard-pressed to dislike this message. However, the fact that the chicken didn't seem to be aware of the romance before being whisked away kind of taints that interpretation. There's nothing cute about stalking, kidnapping and imprisoning your crush until she loves you back. I'm probably over-thinking this. Whether or not you take umbrage to the moral of the story, the beautiful illustrations are worth a look at this wordless book. And the fact that there's no words means you can interpret it however innocently as you please.


The Giant Seed by Arthur Geisert

While the premise of this book is really quite odd, Stephen really liked this and another porcine picture book by Geisert. In this tale, smaller-than-life pigs struggle to survive against the imminent danger of a sputtering volcano, which sends down ash and embers on their quaint village and sets their thatched roofs ablaze... what's not to like about that? The pigs escape the inferno by some crafty maneuvering and botanical knowledge. Like The Chicken Thief, The Giant Seed is part of the Stories Without Words series and features the lovely panoramic pages.

Elephant & Piggie: Great books for wiggly readers

When I go to the library with the kids, I typically let them play computer games while I rush around grabbing picture and chapter books that I think might interest them. I'm always happy to get some Mo Willems books because his humor appeals to kids and adults.

 

Though it's probably too early to tell, I think Rocky is our kinesthetic learner. He usually can't sit still when I read to him. Unlike his big bro Steve, for whom books have always been captivating, Rocky rarely makes it through an entire book without forcing its premature conclusion by slamming the cover shut and declaring, "The End!!"

 

As you can see from the serene photo above, the Elephant and Piggie series of beginner's readers has been a big hit with Stephen (5) and Rockam (2). It probably helps that I read them with a high-pitched cutesy voice for Piggie and a low, snobbish voice for Gerald the elephant-- but even without special theatrics, these books read like a really catchy tune. After reading the repetitive conversation in "Let's Go For a Drive" to Stephen only one time, he was able to "read" it back to Rockam almost verbatim. And the familiar refrain "Drive! Drive! Drivey-Drive Drive!" is something that Rocky still occasionally shouts out for no particular reason when he's in a good mood.

Another reason to love these books: Mo Willems' illustrations have that muppety quality and melodramatic expressions that make Rockam giggle, even after we've read the book three times in a row. These books are great fun for the bookworm and the reluctant reader alike.

 

Children's books that promote simplicity in a materialistic world

Recently, I stumbled upon a study conducted by a University of Vermont student who analyzed how 30 award-winning and best-selling children's picture books promote materialism to young readers. It got me thinking about the books that I've been reading to my own children, aged 5 and 2.5. It's true that a good many books focus on "stuff," and how great it is to obtain more stuff. So I wanted to highlight just a couple of books we've read in the last few months that present a different message:

The Biggest House in the World

by Leo Lionni

I'm a big fan of Leo Lionni. My mom read him to me when I was little... and I've bought just about every title for my three boys. Lionni's illustrations are always captivating. The storylines are always simple. And the messages are usually just the sort of lesson I want to teach my kids. In this case, a little snail longs for a bigger, better house until he hears the fable of an older, wiser snail about a snail who spent his all to create an outlandishly huge and beautiful shell. The house was big and beautiful enough to draw the attention of other garden creatures, but the snail was unable to move and eventually the snail was "left behind, and with nothing to eat he slowly faded away. Nothing remained but the house. And that too, little by little, crumbled, until nothing remained at all." After hearing the tragic end, the little snail proclaims he'll keep his own shell light and spend his life exploring the world. I think this message of valuing adventures more than things helps combat materialism by showing how the quest for more stuff keeps us from truly enjoying life.

Blackout

by John Rocco

I discovered this book at our local library. The dramatic cover drew me in, and it doesn't hurt that it sports a Caldecott Honor medal on the front. The illustrations and text are set up almost comic book style, telling the story of a typical urban family of four in frames. A little child-- I can't quite tell if the kid is a boy or girl-- seeks partners to play a board game, only to find that Dad is busy cooking, Sister is on the phone, and Mom is clacking away at the computer. Suddenly, the lights go out in their apartment building and across the city. The summer heat drives the family to the roof of their building and eventually to the streets, which have become vibrant with candlelit conversations, communion and celebration of the simple pleasures of the city at night. Eventually the lights come back on and everyone returns to their original occupations, but the little child turns out the lights and the family happily comes together to play the board game. This book is valuable because it shows a situation to which most families can relate. Technology and busyness keep us from connecting with the ones we love... and sometimes an imposed "fast" from these distractions is all it takes to regain the joy of spending quality time together. My boys also enjoyed the story and requested it a few nights in a row.