Knowledge is investment that pays off

BY Kendal Rautzhan

July 02, 2011 Last Updated: July 02, 2011 01:05 PM Community

'Postcards From Camp'

Benjamin Franklin once said “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

How very true that is. No matter what happens, the one thing that can't be taken from you is your mind. And the more you know, the better prepared you are to tackle the hurdles that life throws in your way.

The key to getting children turned-on to reading and therefore learning is to choose books that impart knowledge in a well written, fast-paced and engaging way.

Today's reviewed books are good examples of just that.

Whether the book is fiction that imparts life concepts such as relationships, situations, or emotional concerns to nonfiction books that provide interesting facts, reading both fiction and nonfiction is an essential avenue of building a child's store of knowledge.

Get children interested in reading, learning, raising their awareness and building wisdom. Planting that seed early in life will yield dividends so great they can't be counted.

The following book is available at many public libraries.“Chicken Sunday” written and illustrated in color by Patricia Polacco, Philomel Books, 32 pages; Read aloud: age 4 and older; read yourself: age 7 to 8 and older.Stewart and Winston were Patricia Polacco's neighbors when she was a girl. Her own grandmother had died, and so the boys shared their gramma with her — Eula Mae Walker. Sometimes on Sunday they would go to church together, and on the way home they would walk past Mr. Kodinski's hat shop so Miss Eula could admire the beautiful hats in the window. Then they'd all go back to Miss Eula's house for fried chicken dinner.One particular Sunday Miss Eula remarked that the Easter bonnet in Mr. Kodinski's window was the most beautiful she'd ever seen.Immediately the children decided they must get that hat for Miss Eula. Unforeseen obstacles were added to the mission of earning enough money to buy Miss Eula the hat, and through it all, the children learned valuable lessons in love, trust, and acceptance.A true story full of richness and strength, “Chicken Sunday” is a first-rate treasure on many levels.

Library: Zelienople Public Library, 227 S. High St., ZelienopleLibrary Director: Jan LawrenceChildren's Librarian: Kay HowardChoices this week: “It's OK to be Different” by Todd Parr; “Far North” by Will Hobbs; “Russian Girl: Life in an Old Russian Town” by Russ Kendall

The following books are available at favorite bookstores.“Postcards From Camp” written and illustrated by Simms Taback, Nancy Paulsen Books, 2011, 36 pages, $17.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 7 and older; read yourself: age 8 and older.Reluctantly, Michael went to sleep-away camp for the first time in his life. Once there, he began sending postcards to his father describing how much he HATED camp.Michael said his counselor was an alien, his bunkmates pulled pranks on him, and swimming was scary since the water was dark and there were probably deadly creatures lurking below the surface, ready to make a meal of him.Michael's father returned the correspondences, assuring his son that things would get better as time moved along and he made friends.At first, Michael didn't believe him. But his dad's subtle wisdom and great sense of humor helped buoy Michael, and before long, Michael found his initial impressions of camp had changed in more ways than one.Boasting funny illustrations and loads of envelopes with letters to pull out and read, award-winning author/illustrator Simms Taback has once again created a sensational, hilarious book for youngsters.“Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant” written and photographed by April Pulley Sayre, Beach Lane Books, 2011, 32 pages, $14.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 2 and older; read yourself: age 7.“Rah, rah, radishes! Red and white. Carrots are calling. Take a bite!”Master of awesome nonfiction for children, April Pulley Sayre takes readers on an exciting, rhyming trip to the farmers market to learn about and gather up all sorts of vegetable goodies.As delightful visually as it is a great learning tool that promotes the nutritional goodness of the season's fresh vegetables, this terrific book will command repeated readings.Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached at www.greatestbooksforkids.com.