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CHILDREN’S NONFICTION
Editors Ivan and Mel Jones selected twelve
artists to each illustrate a different month of the
year. Throughout the book, the styles of art fit
together smoothly, lending diversity while still
giving the book continuity with their bright
colors and simple designs.
The poems tug at the imagination of children,
thus playful images of unicorns, fairies, and
monsters contrast with kittens, snowmen, and
bedtimes. Two days describe Jewish
celebrations. December has reference to Father
Christmas and Santa Claws (a poem about cats.)
Several poems may be controversial. April 8th
has a lighthearted poem called “The Laughing
Buddha.” A poem “Before the Beginning”
wonders about evolution, and Krishna’s
Birthday has the poem, “Krishna’s Friends.”
October 31st talks about the witch’s black cat
who had kittens. But there is nothing sinister in
the writings; most are whimsical or traditional
pieces of poetry.
Joanne M. Haffly, Homeschool Parent/Writer, Gig Harbor,
Washington
Barnyard prayers, by Laura Godwin;
illustrated by Brian Selznick. New York:
Hyperion Books for Children, 2000. HBB,
$14.99.
811’.54. Domestic animals--Poetry; Children’s poetry,
American; American poetry; Prayers. 32 p.
Elementary.
Laura Godwin has seen the publishing world
from both sides of the fence, both as an editor at
Henry Holt and as an author whose works on
bookstore and library shelves can be found not
only under her name, but also under the name
“Nola Buck” (the combining of her mother’s
and father’s names), and her work shows a sure
grasp of what will work for kids. Barnyard
Prayers, her first book of poems, is a collection
of short and simple poem prayers said by
various barnyard animals. In Godwin’s case,
though, simple does not mean childish. Her
poems have a lot going on in them and some
remind me of French poet Carmen B. De
Gasztold’s work in her book, Prayers from the
Ark, translated into English by Rumer Godden
in 1962 and now sadly out of print. My favorite
of Godwin’s, “The Sheep’s Prayer,” is only two
lines long:
I am just a woolly sheep.
Please help me count myself to sleep.
Brian Selznick’s illustrations add another
dimension to the book. He chose to make the
farm animals part of an urban child’s toy farm
set and, in the first few pages, the little boy is
playing with the toys in his room, beneath a
window that looks out over a city landscape. As
the book progresses, the toys become life size
animals—or does the boy shrink to become toy
size? It’s up to the reader to decide, as one
illustration after another shows the boy and his
animals romping on green grass fields, in hay
lofts, and around and in a big red barn. Then,
with the last poem, “The Farmer’s Benediction,”
the boy is in his bed under a layer of abandoned
farm toys, drifting off to sleep as his father peeks
in to check on him.
Betty Winslow, Bowling Green Christian Academy, Bowling Green,
Ohio
★
My dear Noel : the story of a letter from
Beatrix Potter, by Jane Johnson. LCCN
96011074. New York: Dial Books for
Young Readers, Penguin Putnam, 1999.
ISBN 0803720513, HBB, $15.99.
823’.912. Potter, Beatrix, 1866-1943--
Correspondence; Moore, Noel--Correspondence;
Authors, English--20th century--Correspondence;
Artists--Great Britain--Correspondence; Letters. unp.
Elementary.
Young Noel, the oldest of the four Moore
children jumps excitedly out of bed. This is the
day that his mother’s friend, Miss Potter is
coming for one of her visits. She arrives with
gifts for all, even Mother’s unborn baby, and
Noel gives her his gift of a freshly picked
flower. As she generally does, she entertains the
children with stories, jokes, and pictures. She
has also brought her pet bunny and mice to play
with the children. After lunch, she tells Noel
that she is going away to Scotland for a long
time but promises to write.
The morning after she is gone, the doctor is
called to tend to Noel, who is often ill.
Confinement to his bed makes Noel increasingly
bored and depressed. But one day a letter with
drawings arrives from his friend in which she
tells a fanciful tale about a rabbit named Peter.
Noel realizes that he is the model for Peter and
that his sisters and mother are the models for
Peter’s family. Noel’s spirits are lifted and he
begins to recover. He is well enough to be out
of bed by the time Miss Potter arrives in person
to visit him.
This is the true story of Noel, the little boy for
whom Beatrix Potter wrote her marvelous
stories. The author, Jane Johnson has not only
done a fine job of relating this appealing
footnote to the Peter Rabbit books but her
exquisite illustrations are skillfully done in the
style of Beatrix Potter. The endpapers are
copies of the actual illustrated letter that
contained the original Peter Rabbit story, which
Beatrix Potter later expanded upon and
published. Truly a lovely book.
Teresa O’Donley, Library Media Teacher, Scotts Valley, California
900’s—Geography, History, &
Biography
Scholastic atlas of the United States, by
David Rubel. LCCN 99026960. New
York: Scholastic Reference, Scholastic,
2000. ISBN 0590725629, HBB, $19.95.
912.73. United States--Maps for children; Children’s
atlases. 144 p. Elementary.
The Scholastic Atlas of the United States by
David Rubel provides a color map of each state.
Major interstates, rivers, and cities are
highlighted. Included on the page are facts
about the state such as population, motto, size,
highest and lowest points, state bird, animal, and
flower. Each state has several paragraphs about
the terrain, ethnic diversity, and major
industries. Color photographs are accompanied
by text, adding insight into each state. For
example on Washington’s page, there are
photographs of commuter ferries on Puget
Sound, Mount St. Helens, and the Grand Coulee
Dam.
Instead of being arranged alphabetically, the
states are presented by region: New England,
Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Great Plains,
Mountain, Southwest, and Pacific. Each region
is color coded, both on the content page and the
edge of the page within the atlas. A legend is
included on each page, making this easy for
children to use. Appendices are provided in the
back of the atlas illustrating U.S. possessions,
population density, major river systems,
geographic regions, and territorial expansions.
A glossary of important terms follows the
appendix. Statistics in the book are based on
information available from 1998 and 1999.
While not exhaustive, this atlas would be an
excellent resource for researching basic state
information.
Elizabeth Coleman, Freelance Writer, Tumwater, Washington
The amazing life of Benjamin Franklin, by
James Cross Giblin; illustrated by
Michael Dooling. LCCN 98044738. New
York: Scholastic, 2000. ISBN 0590485342,
HBB, $17.95.
921 (973.3’092). Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790;
Statesmen--United States--Biography; Scientists--
United States--Biography; Printers--United States--
Biography; Inventors--United States--Biography. 48
p. Elementary.
Born into a family of seventeen children in
1706, Benjamin Franklin only attended school
for two years before his father needed him to
work in his candle and soap making shop.
Benjamin did not like the work, and after two
years his father allowed him work in his
brother’s print shop. Even with little formal
education, Benjamin enjoyed reading and was
eager to learn new things. After his brother was
told he could no longer publish a newspaper, he
allowed Benjamin to be the editor. At eighteen,
Benjamin decided to leave Boston. Although he
arrived in Philadelphia with nothing, through
hard work Benjamin prospered. This would be
true many times in his life. The American
colonies were still under British rule at the time
and Benjamin was proud of this fact. He
worked hard to improve living conditions in
Philadelphia. A strong interest in science led to
many inventions still in use today. Becoming
unhappy with British rule, Benjamin began to
work for the independence of the American
colonies. He continued this work the rest of his
life.
The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin by
James Cross Giblin covers eighty-four
interesting years of an American founding
father. There is enough information to
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