Readers can change world
If I could give every child just four gifts, the first would be unconditional love.
The second would be a library card.
The third: a commitment from a caring adult to take that child to the library every week.
And the fourth, the gift of reading aloud to that child every day. If every child had just those four gifts, we could change the world.
Children who are loved unconditionally have greater self-worth and confidence. Children who are interested readers are interested learners, and when a person likes to learn, they are better able to handle what comes their way in life, both in good times and bad.
Help a child discover their potential. Give them your unconditional love, a library card, a weekly visit to the library and the promise to read together every day. Then watch how they soar.
The following book is available at many public libraries.<B>"Shredderman: Secret Identity" </B>by Wendelin Van Draanen; illustrated by Brian Biggs; Alfred A. Knopf; 138 pages; read aloud: age 8 and older; read yourself: age 9 and older.Bubba Bixby is a bully, prone to using his fists, name-calling, intimidating other kids, stealing other kid's stuff and causing nonstop trouble. Nolan Byrd is half Bubba's size, a math genius and known as Nerd. Both are in Mr. Green's fifth-grade class.When Mr. Green announces the new assignment for the month, Nolan hatches a daring plan for his project that might make Bubba stop being a bully. He knows his plan is risky, and to pull it off will take more of a superhero than a Nolan Byrd, but maybe Nolan is more courageous than he realizes. If so, Bubba better watch out.Filled with humor, truth, and peppered with wisdom, this book is excellent in more ways than one.
<B>Library:</B> Mars Area Public Library, 107 Grand Ave., Mars<B>Library Director:</B> Heather Love<B>Children's Librarian:</B> Joyce Pappert<B>Choices this week:</B> <B>"I Am America"</B> by Charles R. Smith Jr., <B>"The Man Who Walked Between the Towers"</B> by Mordicai Gerstein; <B>"You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator!"</B> by John Malam
The following books are available at favorite bookstores.<B>"On the Night You Were Born"</B> written and illustrated by Nancy Tillman; Feiwel & Friends/Holtzbrinck, 2006; 36 pages; $16.95 hardcover; read aloud: age 2 and older; read yourself: age 7 and older."On the night you were born," the moon smiled and the wind and the rain whispered your wonderful name across the world, until every living thing knew of the one and only you, and they rejoiced because they knew that life would never be the same.A magical celebration of the importance of each individual and how one person changes the world forever, this exceptional book reminds children of how wonderful they really are.<B>"Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda"</B> by Margaret Atwood; illustrated by Dusan Petricic; Bloomsbury, 2006; 32 pages; $17.95 hardcover; read aloud: age 6 to 7 and older; read yourself: age 8 and older.Bob was only a baby when his mother forgot about him in his baby basket. Raised by a pack of dogs, Bob was a bashful boy and preferred the company of dogs to humans.Dorinda's parents had disappeared after a dreadful disaster while she was still in diapers. Forced to live a dreadful life with distant relatives, Dorinda was so doleful she ran away.When Bob and Dorinda met, they became quick friends and their self-confidence grew. When a bewildered buffalo threatened the town, Bob and Dorinda were brave and daring as they disarmed the disaster, saved the buffalo and the town, and ultimately were reunited with their parents.Written primarily with words that begin with the letters "b" and "d," "Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda" takes readers on a wild and humorous ride of verbal wit, making this selection a word lovers delight.Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached via e-mail: kendal@sunlink.net.
