Dogger Storybook and CD

Kevin Whately (Reader). Red Fox 2009, Paperback, 32 pages, $6.67

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Dave’s favorite toy is a stuffed toy named Dogger.  He carries him everywhere and depends on him to help him go to sleep.  One morning, while out with his mother, meeting his older sister Bella at school, Dogger disappears.  When bedtime comes, Dogger is nowhere to be found, and although Bella loans him one of her teddies, he is very sad during the night.  In the morning at the school fair, Dave is too sad to have fun, and he wanders off from the rest of his family.  At one of the used-toy stands he is shocked to see Dogger for sale.  He runs to find his parents, but finds only Bella, who returns to the stand with him just in time to see another child walk away with Dogger.  Bella saves the day, trading her new teddy bear for the worn old Dogger.

This well-written story begins with concrete details and builds to a dramatic crisis and resolution that any child who’s had a “lovey” can identify with.  Hughes’ artwork is wonderfully rendered, with a particular eye to details that emphasize the warmth and closeness of this family.  Most importantly, Bella’s open-hearted self-sacrifice epitomizes the kindness that siblings ought to express toward one another.  Elder and younger siblings will appreciate this story for different reasons.

Thomas the Tank Engine Story Collection (Thomas and Friends) (The Railway Series)

Rev. W. Awdry. Random House Books for Young Readers 2005, Hardcover, 508 pages, $18.37

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Many parents’ first acquaintance with Thomas the Tank Engine has been through the huge amount of Thomas and Friends merchandise which was produced as a result of the popular Thomas and Friends television program.  This program was inspired by Reverend Awdry’s Railway Series, originally published in the 1940’s.

The original books are based on the real workings of a British rail yard, and they center around the activities of Thomas the Tank Engine, who is likable, hard-working and often cheeky.  He and his friends the other engines have distinct personalities, and many of their adventures and conflicts hinge on character flaws and lessons learned through mistakes.  Although sometimes heavy-handed, Awdry’s well-written stories illustrate the consequences of pride, self-importance and foolishness as well as the importance of friendship and respect.  The moral lessons in the stories do often focus on the engines’ performance and status in the train yard, with emphasis on dignity (or, in some cases, apparently sinful pride) and productivity (or the need to justify their place in the yard).  Christian parents of children who struggle with legalistic self-righteousness may want to pre-screen the stories before reading.

This volume brings together 14 of the 41 original Thomas stories in a beautiful (and heavy) gift edition, complete with a ribbon bookmark and brief biographies of the stories’ creators.  The chapters are short and easy to read, making it an excellent fit for transitional readers and young listeners moving into chapter books.  Because it is written in British English and has some railway terminology, it may be a slightly better read-aloud than read-alone.  While all children who like trains ought to enjoy them, these stories will probably have a special appeal to young boys.

Babe

Mary Rayner (Illustrator). Yearling 1995, Paperback, 128 pages, $0.99

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When the kind and taciturn Farmer Hoggett wins a piglet at the local fair, Mrs. Hoggett makes plans to fatten him for bacon and Christmas ham.  But Fly, the sheepdog, decides to foster the orphaned piglet, and when Fly’s puppies leave home Babe is left as her companion.  He imitates everything she does, determined to become a “sheep-pig,” and what he lacks in speed and intimidation he makes up for in friendly courtesy, winning the flock’s cooperation and loyalty.  He distinguishes himself by saving the flock from sheep-rustlers and marauding dogs, and finally wins first prize in the Grand Challenge Sheepdog Trials.  By this time, of course, his future is assured.

Children who have enjoyed Charlotte’s Web and James Herriot’s Treasury for Children will love this story, which is exceptionally well written with humor, pathos, and drama.  The characters are wonderfully drawn, and Babe exemplifies loyalty, courage, determination, and courtesy while Fly provides a compassionate motherly figure who provides him with the means to distinguish himself.  An outstanding read.

Saint George and the Dragon

Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 1984, Library Binding, 32 pages, $6.99

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

In this retelling of a segment from Spenser’s Faerie Queen, Saint George, the Red Cross Knight, is guided by the lady Una to her parents’ realm, where in a mighty battle he slays a dragon who has terrorized the land.  After thus proving himself, he and Una are married.

Hodges’ prose distills much action and color into a fairly brief text, sprinkled with quotes from the original work.  The adaptation retains a courtly eloquence but should be easily understood by older readers.  For younger listeners it will still be challenging, and it may be best to begin with a paraphrase of the story events, leaving time for questions, and gradually introduce the full text of the story with successive readings.  Hyman’s mesmerizing illustrations, augmented by lavish and intricate borders, make this book excellent for this kind of exercise, because the pictures do most of the work in capturing a child’s imagination.  This story of heroism and love is wonderful in its own right, but it should also whet the appetite and prepare the reader for a future experience of the full poem (original text of which is here, and audio is here).

Christopher Gonzalez (Age 4) and Jennifer Fairchild, July 2009

Old Woman Who Lived In a Vinegar Bottle

Margaret MacDonald. August House 1997, Hardcover, 32 pages, $8.99

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

This is a very different version of the fairy tale told by Rumer Godden about an old woman who lives in a vinegar bottle.  In this version, it is a fairy rather than a fish who offers the woman better and better gifts, until she finally asks for too much and is returned to her former condition.

While many of the plot elements are similar, this one is clearly intended for younger readers; there is some verbal repetition (“What a pity, pity, pity”) as opposed to the more lyrical style in Godden.  The artwork is brash and colorful, and the moral lesson is much less subtle.  If Godden’s version didn’t exist this one might make a good library checkout, but I’m afraid it might spoil readers for Godden’s most excellent story.

Petals in the Ashes

Mary Hooper. Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books 2006, Paperback, 192 pages, $3.52

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

In this sequel to At the Sign of the Sugared Plum, Hannah and her sister Sarah escape from quarantined London to Dorchester, bearing the orphaned child of a noble family who have died of the Bubonic Plague.  They deliver the child to her relatives and,after a sojourn at a local house of pestilence, remain at the estate until the Plague begins to abate in London.  Eventually the quarantine lifts, and after visiting their country home in Chertsey, Hannah returns with her younger sister Anne to re-open their confectionary shop in London.

The city is a different place after the ravages of the Plague, and white crosses are visible on many empty homes and businesses.  Hannah visits the shop of her sweetheart and learns from neighbors that he contracted the Plague and was taken to a burial pit.  She grieves, and then is mystified when a local conjurer’s assistant bears a strikingly resemblance to him.  She follows him to Bartholomew Fair to discover that he has not in fact died.  The budding romance is interrupted when fire breaks out, completely devastating the city.

The romantic story is a thin foil for the real action, which is the rebuilding of London and then the Great Fire.  Hooper builds upon the excellent historical foundation she laid in the original book, giving a sense of the period’s flavor by such scenes as the two sisters at confectionary-making and herb-gathering (recipes are included at the end of the book); the many sideshows at Bartholomew Fair (taken from historical accounts); and the detailed description of Hannah’s journey through the burning city, with all the landmarks that succumb to the fire, is nothing short of breathtaking.  As in the first book, excerpts from Pepys’ diary introduce each chapter.

The character development is again rather shallow and the love story leaves much to be desired.  Hannah continues to be self-absorbed and shallow.  Her beau never declares his intentions, but he gives her a keepsake locket and there are several romantic scenes that end in kissing.  This sentimental indulgence in the context of an undefined pseudo-courtship makes the book feel more like a modern teenage novel than a story from this time period.  Parents will have to judge for themselves whether the lame romance outweighs the historical benefit of this book.

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum

Mary Hooper. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 2003, Paperback, 176 pages, $3.01

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Hannah and Sarah are teenaged entrepreneurs, sisters running a shop in 1665 London wherein they make sugar-frosted rose petals and other sweetmeats for the nobility.  Hannah, who has recently joined her sister, is excited at the prospect of a big-city life and complacently dismisses rumors that the Bubonic Plague is reawakening in London.  By the time she realizes her optimism is unfounded, the city is quarantined and she watches in horror as neighbors succumb, one by one, to the mysterious sickness that no one knows how to prevent.  Gravediggers are overwhelmed, and death carts roam the streets awakening fear and grief as the dead are carried away.

This is a nice bit of historical fiction, capturing pretty vividly a significant period of European history.  The specific symptoms of the Plague, as well as the many ineffective attempts at prevention and containment, are described in some detail.  While there are some gruesome scenes, the details are presented sparingly enough that the 8-12 audience should not be overwhelmed by the horror of the situation.  The book is well researched, with a passage from Pepys’ diary opening each chapter, and an afterword giving historical explanation and additional resources.    There are also some recipes for confections made during that time.

One could wish the heroine were a bit more admirable — she is flighty, vain, and contemplates often her dying friend’s admonition not to die unkissed.  Her sweetheart is tentative and not forthcoming about his intentions in pursuing her, although he comes close to kissing her and risks his life to help her escape from the city.  Overall, the characters and relationships portrayed in this story aren’t very remarkable, but the historical description — the smell of the city, the neat pile of hand-ground sugar in the girls’ kitchen, the inside view of the theatre, the streetside view of nobility leaving town in carriages, curtains drawn, as quarantine falls — all these kinds of details combine to form a vivid depiction of the period in which this terrible Plague wreaked such destruction.

The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set

Pauline Baynes (Illustrator). HarperCollins 2000, Paperback, 0 pages, $23.95

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is one of the definitive works of children’s fantasy literature that still influences the imagination of our present culture.  Lewis, one of the great Christian thinkers of the past century, was a contemporary of J.R.R. Tolkien and together they formed a literary discussion group called The Inklings, meeting at the University of Oxford, England in the 1930’s to 1940’s.

This superlative fantasy begins when the Pevensies, a family of British children, stumble upon the doorway to a magical world called Narnia, wherein they are called upon to oppose evil forces.  The world is populated with dryads, unicorns, and large talking Beasts as well as humans, and the ruler of this world is Aslan, the great lion.  The interaction of Narnia with our world is developed throughout the series as more magical doors open for the Pevensies and other children, just when they are needed most.

The series is an allegory of the Christian Gospel, wherein Aslan represents Jesus.  However, it has become a classic in its own right because of its excellent writing and outstanding imaginative qualities.  Narnia has had a resounding impact on the fantasy of today, and there is still a lively discussion among scholars and other thinkers about the profound themes of Lewis’s vision (one interesting example of the ongoing discussion is here).

While the books are worthwhile simply for the experience of reading the stories, there are a number of resources to help readers interact with their literary, religious and cultural themes.  Elisabeth Wilson in Books Children Love recommends Paul Ford’s Companion to Narnia to assist in this process.

The series is available as a boxed set (which I recommend for ease of reading), but also as a nice single-volume edition with original illustrations.  There are also several audio versions including the unabridged read-aloud, a dramatized audio version, and a radio theatre version.

Alfie Wins a Prize

Shirley Hughes. Red Fox 2007, Paperback, 32 pages, $8.95

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Alfie and his family are at the community fair, where he meets many of his friends.  He has entered a drawing in a children’s art contest.  When he wins a prize, he notices that another child is disappointed to have received the consolation prize, a sorry-looking plush toy.  After asking his father, he offers to trade his prize for hers, thus extending child-size compassion both for the other child and for the unwanted toy, which becomes “part of the family.”  In the process, he gains a new friend, and the girl invites him over to play with her later.

This book, like Hughes’ other books, is warmly illustrated with attention to realistic human details.  The fair takes place in the context of a community in which neighbors know each other and relate cordially, and Alfie’s parents are both kind and courteous, providing a nurturing environment for Alfie and his sister.  I love the way Alfie exemplifies the virtues of generosity and compassion in a way that small children can relate to.  This makes a very nice addition to any small child’s library.

Alfie’s 1 2 3

Shirley Hughes. William Morrow & Company 2000, Hardcover, 32 pages, $6.22

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A very nice counting book, with illustrations and text just in line with the age of a child who can begin learning to count this high.  Many of the illustrations are taken from familiar Alfie books, and the numbers are repeated with different scenarios.  A very nice touch is that next to each letter in the corner of the page are the number of dots that correspond to the letter.  Very methodical, but so nicely presented that it doesn’t quite feel like a teaching tool.