“Ellray Jakes the Dragon Slayer”

The German philosopher Goethe once said, “What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has a genius power and magic in it.”

I like that a lot, and it's a good philosophy to adhere to, especially when faced with the difficulties life will toss our way.

Teaching kids to be bold isn't always easy. We want to protect our children but sometimes we can be overly protective and actually stunt their emotional growth.

We learn from our successes and we learn even more from our failures. If we're preoccupied with NOT allowing our children to fail, imagine how devastated and possibly paralyzed they will be when, years later, when you aren't there to “fix” things, they encounter their first obstacle, their first failure.

Give children the freedom to dream and to try. It's OK if it doesn't work out. Great lessons will be learned and there will be a greater chance of that “boldness” to try again.

Today's reviewed books address this in a variety of ways. Ask your librarian and bookseller for additional ideas. It's good stuff for kids and for adults, as well.

Books to BorrowThe following book is available at many public libraries.“The Conch Bearer” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Roaring Brook Press, 265 pages; read aloud: age 7 and older; read yourself: age 9 and older.This story offers adventure, magic, spirituality and fantasy, built around a fast trek from Kolkata, India, to a hidden paradise high in the Himalayas. Evil is dodged at every turn, and “The Conch Bearer” is everything the perfect myth should be, and more.For reasons unknown to him, 12-year-old Anand is visited by a mysterious stranger who asks Anand to conceal a sacred conch shell with mystical powers and deliver it to its rightful place in a secret valley in the Himalayas.The stranger promises to help him in his journey, and a young street girl, Nisha, joins their party. Ultimately, though, the success or failure of the task lies with Anand, and he and his helpers face great evil and danger in their quest.Wisdom, good versus evil, hardship and temptation are just some of the things readers will experience in this memorable book.

Library: North Trails Public Library, 1553 West Sunbury Road, West SunburyLibrary Director: Kathy KlineChoices this week: “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn; “Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp” by Syd Hoff; “Land of the Buffalo Bones” by Marion Dane Bauer<B>Books to Buy</B>The following books are available at favorite bookstores.“The Mighty Lalouche” by Matthew Olshan, illustrated by Sophie Blackwell, Schwartz & Wade, 2013, 36 pages, $18 hardcover; read aloud: age 4 and older; read yourself: age 7-8.A bit more than 100 years ago, a postman named Lalouche delivered mail in Paris. Lalouche was small and thin, but he was fast as lightning, his arms were strong, and he was very agile. One day Lalouche lost his job when the postal service decided to use a fleet of electric cars to deliver mail instead of postmen on foot.Lalouche was crestfallen, but much to his luck, he saw an advertisement from a boxing club that paid cash for sparring partners.When Lalouche presented himself to the manager of the club, the manager took one look at him and laughed. But Lalouche refused to be dissuaded, and as it turned out, Lalouche simply couldn't be beaten, not even by the biggest, toughest boxers anywhere.Outstanding illustrations are perfectly paired with this wonderful story full of humor and the important lesson that creativity and boldness outshine brute force.“Ellray Jakes the Dragon Slayer!” by Sally Warner, illustrated by Brian Biggs, Viking, 2013, 136 pages, $15 hardcover; read aloud: age 6 and older; read yourself: age 8-9.Ellray loves his little sister, Alfie. What he doesn't love is when he sees that Alfie is sad or upset. When that happens, Ellray knows the usual suspect is Alfie's preschool classmate, Suzette the bully.Alfie thinks Suzette is her friend, but Ellray is determined to protect his sister, and that is precisely what he does.A terrific story about courage, boldness, and love, this choice is first-rate.

“The Mighty Lalouche”