Listening/Interest Level: All/
Reading Level: Early Elementary (E)
Here is a collection of books for sharing that will not only interest the widest possible range of listeners, but are easy enough so that early readers can join in the fun.
Kings and 42 Elephants
PICTURE BOOK
AUTHOR: Margaret Mahy • ILLUSTRATOR: Patricia MacCarthy
HC: Dial THEMES: elephants; journeys; kings; jungles; math; rhythm
A magical collaboration, one that is an example of the best kind of picturebook storytelling. Mahy's evocative poetry, telling of a journey full of mystery, is complemented by MacCarthy's beautiful batik paintings; together they make a masterpiece. This story raises more questions than it answers. Where are the kings going? Where are they from? What do seventeen kings need with forty-two elephants, anyway? There is plenty of opportunity for discussion long after the reading ends.
All the Way to Lhasa: A
Listening/Interest Level: All/
Reading Level: Early Elementary (E)
Here is a collection of books for sharing that will not only interest the widest possible range of listeners, but are easy enough so that early readers can join in the fun.
Kings and 42 Elephants
PICTURE BOOK
AUTHOR: Margaret Mahy • ILLUSTRATOR: Patricia MacCarthy
HC: Dial THEMES: elephants; journeys; kings; jungles; math; rhythm
A magical collaboration, one that is an example of the best kind of picturebook storytelling. Mahy's evocative poetry, telling of a journey full of mystery, is complemented by MacCarthy's beautiful batik paintings; together they make a masterpiece. This story raises more questions than it answers. Where are the kings going? Where are they from? What do seventeen kings need with forty-two elephants, anyway? There is plenty of opportunity for discussion long after the reading ends.
All the Way to Lhasa: A Tale From Tibet
PICTURE BOOK
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Barbara Helen Berger
HC: Philomel
THEMES: Tibet; parables; goals; perseverance; triumph; journeys; folklore
"One foot in front of the other ... " a small boy and his yak persevere along the difficult way to the holy city of Lhasa, succeeding where others failed. Berger's soft pictures and lyrical prose make this "tortoise and hare"-style story one the entire family will enjoy.
Annie Bananie
PICTURE BOOK
AUTHOR: Leah Komaiko • ILLUSTRATOR: Laura Cornell
HC/PB: HarperCollins
THEMES: friendship; moving; loss
Anyone who has had a best friend move away will understand Annie Bananie. Komaiko, who has a talent for rhythm and for understanding true friendship, has captured the feelings in her words. Cornell has echoed the feelings in her art.
Anno's Journey
PICTURE BOOK
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Mitsumasa Anno
PB: Paperstar
THEMES: wordless; Europe; geography; social studies; journeys
Float invisibly from one perspective to another in this wordless journey through northern Europe. Anno's stunning watercolors offer details as an antidote to geography-shy readers.
Continues...
Excerpted from Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children by Lewis, Valerie V. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.