2018 Fall Kansas Child

The Magical Richness of Books
For young children and their caregivers,
the world is increasingly rich, including
some delightful new
books. I went to our
library to visit with
the always helpful
librarians in search
of new books. I was
in heaven – could
have stayed there all
day and ignored closing time altogether!
Book or Bell
Book or Bell, written by Chris Barton
and illustrated by Ashley Spires, exactly
described my plight. Stop reading and exit
the library. It is time to move on, Alice.
I don’t want to. I want to be like Henry,
who finds a chapter book that so entrances
him, he simply stays put, no matter
what is happening at school, even lunch.
This book should be read with lots of
imaginative loud noises and time to look
at and describe the happenings on every
page. Adults will want to clone Henry,
who loves to read a good book more than
anything. The loudest bell in the world has
no effect. Only when Saturday comes does
Henry stop reading and go outdoors where
he can have fun and avoid chores.
The Other Ducks
Next, I was drawn to a book called
The Other Ducks, by Ellen Yeomans and
illustrated by Chris Sheban. Perhaps it
was because it made me think of my
5-year-old great-granddaughter Nadia.
She and her family just moved to a farm
where their first farm animals were 3
ducks. Or perhaps because it reminded
me of taking groups of preschool children
to duck ponds to feed ducks and to sing
Three Little Ducks That I Once Knew. In
the story, This Duck and That Duck are a
pair that discover the magic of swimming,
reflections and flying like birdy-birds.
They waddle into new adventures, migrate
out of their cold climate, then return to
raise a family.
The writing makes me smile: “And what
exactly is swimming?’ That Duck asked.
“This,” said This Duck. “It’s like waddling,
but in the water, I don’t think my feet are
touching bottom.” If I were a teacher,
I would want to have duck puppets for
every child.
Stick
Stick, by Irene Dickson, is the ultimate
book about sticks. I have taken pictures of
children playing with sticks everywhere I
have gone, even in Paris. The story begins
with “Find a stick, a very useful stick.” It
then shows all the things that a little boy
and his dog can do for hours with one of
nature’s favorite free toys. Throw it, write
with it, float it, balance it, etc. It makes
me want to grab my camera and go to
the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center,
where the playground is full of an endless
variety of sticks.
This month’s books encourage reading,
dialogue and creative play. Visit your local
library to find these and other wonderful
reads. One of the greatest riches of our
society is our local library. I celebrate all
of you who share a love of books with
children in your lives. It warms my heart
to think of you with children in your
laps, clustered in circles, lying in beds or
napping cots enjoying the amazing world
of stories; building literacy skills, nurturing
creativity, molding the next generation,
and celebrating relationships. n
22 Kansas Child A Publication of Child Care Aware ® of Kansas