Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke

I just had a conversation with a colleague about grandmother names. She told me I had to think about it now that I'm going to be one. Anna Hibiscus, the protagonist, nicknamed hers, "Granny Canada." I love it. I thought of "Granny Taipei" but that sounds like "Granny Type A" which is plain ole' weird. I'm open to suggestions. "Granny Dumpling?" "Granny Foo-Foo?" "Granny Ding-Dong?" Word choice doesn't seem to be my strong suit tonight - fightin' a cold. Ah well. Anna comes from a multicultural family with a mother who is Canadian and father who is African. Africa is Anna's home with so many extended family members she can't even count them. In a series of episodes, Anna learns some lessons in growing up and having parents from two different cultures. It is hard to find books for third world kids and its especially hard to find excellent transitional readers. You get both of that in this winner of a book.

Anna has twin baby brothers called, Double and Trouble who are oodles of work for her mom and dad, especially when they are "Awake and Angry." When Anna's parents decide to go on a vacation to the beach just by themselves, her mom is looking forward to some time alone. She grew up as an only child in Canada and finds the life on a family compound a bit overwhelming. When the babies wear everyone out, Anna's dad starts to bring his family members out to the beach house for extra hands and help. Anna's mom seems to have had a change of heart regarding being only with her family and welcomes the relatives with open arms. In the next episode the family worries about Auntie Comfort who is coming to visit from America. Will she have forgotten all their customs and traditions? Will she wear "tight-tight" jeans? The next chapter shows Anna learning about class structure and how poor those are around her family compound. In the last episodic chapter, she gets a letter from Granny Canada inviting her to visit. Anna writes back and asks if she can visit during the winter because "Snow you are so sweet-o."

Atinuke is a professional storyteller which makes her books great as read alouds given the terrific sentence rhythm and word choice. Her made-up snow song in the last chapter is precious. I would love to hear her speak. This type of writing is like poetry where it is always special to hear the author's own voice in the character of his or her creation. Anna is likable and means well even though she might not make the best choices or not realize the consequences.  The illustrations capture a young cheerful girl who has a life full of loving adults and relatives. My favorite page is Anna waiting for her letter to go and come back from Granny Canada. She has her fingers crossed as she watches a gecko and insects. She has her fingers crossed when her aunt braids her hair in corn rows and pony tails. My fingers are crossed that the students will like this book as well as I did.

Reading Level 3.6

4 Smileys

Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed

Life with ice. Black ice can mean doing a 360 with the car at a stop sign screaming with your daughter as it becomes a whirly-bird. Regular ice can mean your feet being swept out from underneath you levitating your body so that it is parallel to the ground before squashing you like a bug on the cold, hard asphalt. January ice can mean tossing a bucket of water in the air and watching it freeze before it hits the ground. That was in 1996 when temperatures were almost -60 degrees fahrenheit. February ice can mean stepping outside with damp hair that turns into icicle wind chimes. I felt like the ice goddess on those days. Medusa had snakes. I had ice shards. I'd show up at school and show off the latest Minnesota hair fashion. Ice can mean creating a toboggan run that goes down your backyard hill at speeds that frosts your breath onto your skin in a ghostly face mask. Ice is fun. Ice is hazardous. Ice is mysterious. Ellen Bryan Obed captures this magic in her 61 page book that focuses on the transformation of ice in the surrounding landscape. The nostalgia and beauty of Obed's writing makes for a beautiful piece that can be used in "writer's workshop" to teach small moments; a nice read aloud to show atmosphere, setting, and sensory details; or a warm snuggle with a magical book.

When fall comes the ice slowly transforms from a thin sheet on the top of an ice pail to a solid block freezing streams and lakes. When the narrator describes the transformation of the ice rink in the back yard I was transported to the past of skating in my purple parka with my 4 siblings. We didn't have shows like the author describes or pump music outside over a loudspeaker but they did do that at some of the city parks. We would break off icicles and lick them like ice pops. Of course we didn't think about what we were licking as we broke off the beautiful shapes that formed from condensation dripping down sun-warmed, slanty roofs. Yum - bug and tar flavored ice pops. Obed describes twelve stages of ice and ends with dream ice. This ending captures the magic of ice and the possibilities. As you can see I haven't talked much about the book because my own memories keep cropping into the sentences sidetracking me.

I have noticed when I write book reviews I give 5 stars much more easily with fantasy than realistic books. I think the unbelievable factor makes me more forgiving of elements that aren't realistic in fantasy; whereas, I'm more critical if a book is "real." I also like fantasy as a genre most and must have an unconscious bias towards it. Guess I'm writing this because this could be a five star. I just thought there was a lull in some spots, but I'm such a jet pants I also like lots of action. This book requires more patience. That's my disclaimer anyway. I did enjoy the nostalgia of ice in this book and delicious writing. I confess as an adult I think now of how uncomfortable ice skates are, how many times I've frostbit my toes, and how hard it is shoveling mountains of wet snow. This is a good reminder of the joys of winter as a child. The magic of the ice rink, playing hockey with my brothers, pretending with my daughter we were Olympic ice figure skaters, racing across the ice and sliding on our seats, flipping into snowbanks going full speed, playing broom ball, and more. I need to keep that child alive inside me, and this book certainly does that well.

Reading Level: 4.6
4 Smileys

Five Children and It (Five Children #1) by E. Nesbit

Ever read a book that you know is supposed to be funny, but you didn't find it so? I chuckled once in awhile but for the most part I got tired of the children's adventures that inevitably went wrong. Nesbit does a nice job capturing the nature of these children. They are loyal to each other and squabble at the same time. Maybe it is because I'm an adult. Maybe I've read too many genie-in-a-bottle stories and its become clichéd for me. Or maybe the adult narrator with comments on being a child didn't charm me. Or maybe the lack of internal changes as the children keep making the same mistakes over and over got tedious. Yes, they learn to be careful for what they wish for in the end, but I don't think they gained any long-lasting wisdom. Or maybe I'm just exhausted from a ridiculously busy work week. Written around 1900, readers might find the stereotypes of Indians and servants offensive. Many have talked about the charm of Nesbit's books, but this one felt tarnished.

Five children are at a summer house outside London being watched by servants because their parents have been called away on urgent business. Mostly unsupervised, the children explore a gravel pit and uncover a Sand-fairy that will grant them a wish a day. They wish for beauty, money, wings, etc. Each wish materializes in an unexpected way resulting in missed meals and misunderstandings with adults. While the siblings quarrel quite a bit they also stick up for each other. They have a code of honor so that even when they steal some food they leave a note explaining why and that they didn't take any pudding. That was an instance where I should have laughed but didn't think it that funny. While there is plenty of imaginative play going on, I couldn't slip into the magic of the story. It is based in the real world and perhaps that explains why - I wanted an escape from the real world. There is no world building and it is basically the magic of the wishes that only the five can see and the adults can't. I kept waiting for more to happen and when it didn't I felt let down.

Sometimes the children accidentally make wishes that created some tangled situations, such as when they wish everyone would love the baby more than anyone else resulting in every person that saw their baby brother trying to kidnap him. The gypsies in that episode are stereotyped too which drained the humor out of the scene for me. The children make wishes that deal with wealth, looks, or fantasies like flying or sword fighting, but nothing comes out right. Honest, I really wanted to like the book. But I couldn't. Uff da!

3 Smileys

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz #1) by L. Frank Baum

It seems that the 1939 "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" film starring Judy Garland is more popular today than the book. Shown regularly on television, I know that I have watched it at least a dozen times over the decades. Now that my daughter is grown I haven't seen it in ten years. Now that I'm going to be a grandma, I'm sure it'll make a comeback in our family. The book is similar and different than the movie. While the book's prose is surprisingly simple, the appealing characters and well-constructed story make it a fun read for both children and adults. Baum doesn't write with great tension nor does he drag out episodes in too much detail. If anything, I kept thinking to myself, "she's already in munchkin land? ...the witch is already dead? ...I didn't know about the adventure in china town, although I just saw it in the newest Oz movie... and so on." The action is quick and the secondary characters keep the story from becoming so allegorical that they are unrelatable to the reader; their struggles with self-doubt is a universal emotion that humanizes them. Add to that the strong wizard theme that magic comes from within and not without in the real world and you can see why this story has survived since its first publication in 1900.

Dorothy is an orphan who lives in the gray world of Kansas when a tornado picks up her house and spins it into the alternative world of Oz. She finds herself in the land of munchkins and discovers her house has landed on the Wicked Witch of the East killing her. The witch's silver shoes (not red like the movie) are given to Dorothy who doesn't realize they have special powers. Nor does the Good Witch of the North know about their powers. In the book, Glinda, the Good Witch of the South doesn't show up until the end of the story with her knowledge of the shoes. Dorothy wants to get back to Kansas and is sent to the Wizard of Oz in Emerald City because she is told that Oz is the only person who can help her. Following the yellow brick road, she makes friends with a Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion who all have problems that they think the Wizard of Oz can fix.  When they meet Oz, he tells Dorothy to kill the Wicked Witch of the West and then he will help her get home.

Dorothy's character didn't interest me as much as the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion. Perhaps that's because she doesn't really change but just has to find the courage to get home. The secondary characters change more and their self-contradictions add depth to their personalities. The Scarecrow thinks he needs brains but on their ensuing adventures he is the planner or "brains of the operation." He is also thoughtful when dealing with others. He is the primary person who looks after Dorothy's well-being in terms of food and rest. The Tinman wants a heart so he can be more kind, but cries when he accidentally squashes a bug on the road and tries to not step on ants. He is the most emotional of the group and Dorothy is continually wiping tears off his face so he won't rust. The Lion wants courage not realizing that doing something dangerous to protect others even though he is afraid, is courage at its best. He does this several times when their lives are in danger. Dorothy must not give up in her quest to get home and must show courage when facing the Wicked Witch. I must say that I didn't particularly think the ending wrapped things up well. The movie actually frames the story better showing more growth in Dorothy's character than the book as she realizes that the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion are all people she knows in her life.

When the group seeks the the Wizard of Oz to answer their problems, they find an ordinary man who can't grant them the magic they thought he could. I like how they find him behind a curtain using ventriloquism and stage tricks to create the illusion of magic. This is what fantasy and fairy tales do... they transport the reader into a make-believe world where monkeys can fly and witches melt. When Dorothy and the three others encounter the harsh reality of their dreamlike world, it is as if the curtain has risen suddenly from the stage. The theater lights are on and it is back to real life. For me, Oz becomes a symbol of the entertainment industry in general, as well as, the concept of stories being a magical escape from reality. When Oz tells Dorothy's group that they have had the power within themselves all along to make their goals come true, it is a reminder that true character comes from within. A timeless message.

5 Smileys

Alice in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #1) by Lewis Carroll

I didn't get into this story until the goofy Queen of Hearts splashes the pages with her contemptuous shouting, "Off with her head!" I had a week at work that made me tempted to squawk the same thing. Not with the students, mind you, just the adults. What a hysterical character and witty satire on the history of British royalty. The Queen of Hearts uses her power to command heads be chopped off for any minor offense. She is humored by the self-important King and sycophant soldiers but heads aren't generally chopped off. The king pardons the offender or influences the Queen such as when she wants to cut off Alice's head by reminding the Queen that Alice is "just a child." Even the soldiers pretend to obey the Queen shooing away an offender once the Queen has turned her back. The Queen wouldn't have anyone to rule if the powers-that-be followed through on her constant beheading requests. She is the most fearful tyrant in the cast of the characters, but just another obstacle in Alice's quest to get to the beautiful garden. While I admire the writing, I didn't love this book. It sort of hurt my brain... especially the logical fallacies. Logic is not my strength. Nor my passion. The book is a quick read and I should really reread it, to do it justice. I will. Some day. I did like Carroll's satire and while I have no clue who many of the characters are that he alludes to since it was written in the 1800s, I did like their characteristics such as the Mock Turtle.

Alice falls down a rabbit hole and ends in the alternate world of Wonderland. She sees a luscious garden through a small door but can't pass through it because she is too large. She takes a potion to shrink, but gets too small. Then she eats a cake and grows too big. Frustrated by this jack-in-the-box growing and shrinking and never being the right size she eventually cries a river of tears down the hallway when she is giant-sized that later sweeps her away like a current when she shrinks to the size of a mouse. Several other animals get swept down the tear-produced river and end up with Alice on some bank. The Dodo bird decides to have a Caucus-race and the odd party runs in circles. Confused yet? I was. Carroll's creation of Alice's dreamlike world is discombobulating at times. However, I did chuckle at the image of a political caucus that bustles about for no reason like the animals running in circles with no ending.

Alice's adventures continue with meeting a caterpillar using a hookah (don'tcha love that word), a Duchess, a Mad Hatter, a Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and more. Of course I liked the Mock Turtle who has a conversation with Alice that is full of puns and misunderstandings. The Mock Turtle is "melancholy" because he wishes he was a real turtle like in the old days before he ended up with a cows head, tail, and back hooves. According to Kent David Kelly who wrote a reflection that came with the book, Carroll is poking fun at a popular Victorian dish called, mock turtle soup, that was made out of those parts of a cow. Alice tries to talk to Mock Turtle about her school, the institution, but he thinks she is talking about a school of fish. When she asks what course he took at school, Mock Turtle replies, "Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with... and then the different branches of Arithmetic - Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision." Ha! That captures my sentiments for math. Well maybe not "ambition" but definitely the last three. More puns come with Latin and Greek being "Laughing and Grief" which made me think of a Shakespeare comedy or tragedy. Then there is the classics master who is an old crab. You get the drift. Pretty funny.

The beauty of this book is its appeals to adults and children. This is one of those books that if I was a Victorian book reviewer, I would wonder if child readers would get all the adult references. Duh. Obviously they do. "Alice in Wonderland" is just as wildly popular today with adults and children as it was in 1865. When Alice takes a potion to shrink she has to stop it or she might go out "altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I shall be then?" The idea of shrinking captures the imagination of a kid while the adult might consider the concept of non-existence. Not that I came up with that idea on my own - no sirree- my friend, Mr. Kelly who does a nice job interpreting sections of the book pointed this out. He also said that this theme becomes even more important in book 2, "Through the Looking-Glass." 

The book is a warehouse of symbolism, homonyms, rhymes, word plays, mathematical references, puns, nonsense, and more nonsense that makes it impossible to write about it all in a short review. I find the nonsense most inspiring or cathartic. Let your brain choose its own stack of favorites - interpretations are numerous and varied. I have not come across a book quite like it except maybe "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland" - that author loves words like Carroll.  It is a marvel that Alice was created 150 years ago as Lewis Carroll spun the tale while rowing on a river with his friend's three children. I think I need to quit as its hard concentrating with stereo surround sound sports as my husband is blasting the Twins baseball game on the iPad in my left ear and the Gopher football game on the TV in my right. You try writing when the Minnesota Rouser is reverberating in your apartment. Where's the Queen of Hearts when you need her? "Off with their heads!"

5 Smileys

Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This story addresses the adult more than the child and shows the history of the late 1800's when children's literature was not its own separate entity. It was emerging but this is a good example of the lines being blurred for its message is for the greedy adult who needs redemption as contrasted by a pure and innocent child. Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden" and "A Little Princess" have more childlike aspects with imaginative play, friendships, and toys than this one, but it is still entertaining. Seven-year-old Cedric Errol is not your typical developmentally immature first grader although he does spell like one and has the wish-fulfillment of that age. Cedric can talk politics, is unselfish, and wise beyond his years. Or wise beyond belief depending your outlook. Not that it matters. He's more a symbol of a child's goodness. The result is the story grabbed me less than the other books because the character development concerns the grandfather and not the boy.

Cedric lives with his mother whom he calls, "Dearest," in a shabby house in New York. He is friends with a grocery store owner and shoeshiner. Cedric is so popular, well-loved, and sees the best in people that he's quite unreal. When he wins a foot race with some neighborhood boys he makes the loser feel like he won. When his mother is grieving for his father, he comforts her. When the adult neighbor comes to visit he makes a point to visit with her. When a lawyer shows up from England telling Cedric he has inherited a fortune and is now Lord Fauntleroy who can get anything he wants, he first help his friends not thinking of himself. The lawyer is charmed and Cedric and his mom go off to England to live with the grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt. A lonely curmudgeon, Cedric enchants the Earl and thinks only the best of him. Loving the novelty of being a "good" guy for once in his life, the Earl spends his money to help others. Cedric idolizes and adores him. When another son claims to be Lord Fauntleroy, Cedric must give up all his newfound wealth.

Cedric innocently thinks his grandfather is a benevolent man and that perception is never altered through the course of the novel. The grandfather learns through Cedric how to be compassionate and kind and is changed as a result of the child. Cedric unintentionally teaches the Earl that a noble heart comes through generosity; that a family is strong when they love and trust each other. The story does not have much action in the beginning and spends quite a bit of time telling the plot, not showing. It picks up once Cedric gets to England but many readers might find it slow. I did find it interesting how Cedric is always positive no matter what the situation. While the story didn't wow me, I was getting slammed with the ugly side of human nature at work and the reminder to stay positive was the shot in the arm I sorely needed.

3 Smileys

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This reads like a fairy tale with a flawless protagonist and a happily-ever-after ending, and even though there is no magic, the wish-fulfillment theme in Sara Crew's rags-to-riches story is quite similar to Cinderella's. Sara's childlike innocence is in stark contrast to the greedy and horrid Miss Minchin showing that a noble heart can overcome a cruel one. This romantic view came at a time when children's literature was becoming its own separate field moving away from the didactic 18th century juvenile texts. Written in 1905, A Little Princess, has the hallmarks of romanticism literature that produced children's books full of fantasy, adventure, fairy tales, and realism that are still popular today. Burnett's character, Sara Crewe, celebrates individualism, does not listen to authority in the likes of Miss Minchin, and follows her own conscience. Sara knows Miss Minchin only likes her for her money. She sees right through her and respectfully disagrees with her in front of others. When Sara's father dies suddenly and she falls out of favor with Miss Minchin, Sara uses her imagination to cope with the abuse of being overworked and starved. Sara uses the model of a princess as a way to bear the meanness of those around her and rise above her desperate poverty having faith that everything will turn out right. The singular "A" in the title reflects that anyone can be a princess if they have a good and kind heart. In today's world of children's literature and realism that reflects more the "knowing child" versus the "innocent child"; some might find this too sappy for their taste. I think the story works because it is rooted in the "childhood experience" and Burnett captures that nostalgia through imaginative play, doll playing, making friends, dealing with classmates, and having the courage to stand up for what is right.

Seven-year-old precocious Sara Crewe, who has grown up in India with her wealthy father, has arrived at a boarding school in London. Her mother died when she was young and her father is worried about Sara catching "jungle fever" or malaria because cases have increased as of late in India. Sara's father indulges her every whim but she is not spoiled by it. She is level-headed, kind, and generous making friends with classmates and servants. She's practically perfect - an ideal no one can achieve (maybe you can, but I can't); her character is a symbol of uncorrupted, childhood purity. When Sara arrives at the boarding school Miss Minchin is jealous of her cleverness and money, flattering Sara's father because his wealth brings credit to the boarding school. Sara knows this immediately and recognizes Miss Minchin's two-faced greediness. There is a scene where Miss Minchin asks Sara if she knows French but won't let Sara answer interrupting her in the middle of her sentence because it is taking Sara too long to explain. The French teacher comes in and finds Sara a fluent speaker causing Miss Minchin to unfairly scold Sara for not telling her. Adults oftentimes don't let children explain themselves because they are impatient or jump to wrong conclusions. It is easy for the reader to empathize with Sara who is not in control of her daily routine and is at the mercy of an abusive authority figure.

At school, Sara gets a doll, Emily, that helps her deal with homesickness. She talks to the doll and pretends it is her best friend. Sara fantasizes that Emily comes alive when she turns her back on Emily; prancing about the room and doing her own thing in secret. She says that dolls pretend they aren't alive because if people knew that, they would make them work. Sara is a great storyteller and it is through this gift that she makes friends with the other students at the school. Her stories help her cope with not giving into the misery of her situation or complaining. She keeps control of her attitude and anger. She is patient when teaching her friend who is slow at learning and helps the younger girl who misses her mother throwing temper tantrums. She embodies the ultimate goodness of humanity and innocence of a child. She doesn't have any flaws and is meant to point out the waywardness of Miss Minchin who at the novel's end takes stock of her nature by listening to her sister's diatribe as she expresses regret for not standing up to her cruelty. This book's audience shows how the lines were still blurry as Victorian authors wrote not only for children but for adults as well.

A Little Princess reflects the changing landscape of children leaving the work force and going to school as labor laws went into effect during the early 1900s. Sara Crewe's situation mirrors societal issues and outcries against child labor resulting from industrialism. Middle class was on the rise and the demand for safe conditions and removal of overworked children in industries where supervisors bullied children to work harder and assigned them to dangerous, exhausting or degrading jobs was one of many historical problems being addressed during Burnett's time. The premise that Sara was of privilege and deserved more is revealing in contrast to Becky, the scullery maid. While Becky deserves better conditions, she is never offered education. She is always a maid and the premise that it is up to nobility or an upper class to treat her well, shows a support of the existing class system that did not see education as a way out of poverty. Becky never thinks of not being a maid, but Sara can because she is rich. Becky ends up working for Sara in the end. The notion of education advancing a person's employment wasn't on Burnett's radar. The strange dichotomy of Burnett's support of the establishment; yet, challenge to the elite to deal with hunger and abuse with generosity and kindness made for a fascinating contrast. Add to that the imperialistic view of taking Africa's diamonds to gain wealth and the Indian servant Sara called, "a slave," and you have much discussion for a book club.

Hopefully I got the gist of romanticism and children's literature correct. These were my resources:
Norton's Anthology of Children's Literature
Keywords in Children's Literature by Philip Nel

4 Smileys