Stories about daring people with drive
It's a lot easier to be a follower than a leader. It's a lot easier to take the safe path than the more difficult one. Compared to years past, today's cultural climate seems to push us to toe the line, to follow orders and not disrupt the system, to be a sheep instead of a shepherd. All of that is too bad.
We need to encourage freedom of thought, boldness of action and determination to follow one's heart, dreams and convictions. Books can be useful in planting those seeds with children, and that's what today's reviewed books are all about. Take a look for yourself. Additional suggestions and comments are always welcome; please e-mail them to kendal@sunlink.net.
The following book is available at many public libraries.<B>"One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference"</B> by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes, Kids Can Press, 32 pages; read aloud: age 6 to 9; read yourself: age 8 to 9.In Kojo's poor village in Ghana, Africa, money and food are scarce. When Kojo is given a small loan, he has an idea. Kojo buys one brown hen so his family will have more to eat. Kojo saves a few of the precious eggs and sells them, repays his loan, and soon sells enough eggs to buy another hen. Eventually Kojo's one small loan changes the lives of his family, his community, his town and his country.Based on the true story of Kwabena Darko, "One Hen" demonstrates how change happens in the world: one person, one family, one community at a time. Filled with hope, courage, and determination, "One Hen" is thoroughly inspiring.
<B>Library:</B> Butler Public Library, 218 N. McKean St., Butler<B>Library Director:</B> Lori Campbell<B>Youth Services Librarian:</B> Cora FerraroChoices this week: <B>"Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms"</B> by Christine MacLean; "<B>The Tale of Despereaux"</B> by Kate DiCamillo; <B>"The Secret in the Old Attic"</B> by Carol Keene
The following books are available at favorite bookstores.<B>"Darwin: With Glimpses into His Private Journal & Letters"</B> by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Mary Azarian, Houghton Mifflin, 2009, 48 pages, $18 hardcover; read aloud: age 7 to 8 and older; read yourself: age 9 and older.From the time he was young until long after his beard grew white, Charles Darwin loved to collect things. After a five-year sailing voyage around the world where Charles explored, collected specimens, and made endless notes on his observations, he returned home to England in 1836. What he had seen and experienced astonished him and other scientists.Darwin began a secret notebook filled with his observations, questions and theories — theories that in many ways might be construed as blasphemous. He persevered, and finally, in 1859, Darwin published "The Origin of the Species." While there were attacks that he was speaking out against the church, his book was received with great acclaim. His next book on evolution, "The Descent of Man" was received in a similar manner.Whether he was praised or criticized, when he faltered or felt certain he was right, Charles wrote, "I have worked as hard and as well as I could, and no man can do more than this."An extraordinary book on every level, "Darwin" inspires readers — both with Darwin's own story and the underlying message that nudges everyone to expand their minds and to pursue their own calling.<B>"The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing"</B> by Suzanne Jurmain, photographs various credits, Houghton Mifflin, 2009, 104 pages, $19 hardcover; read aloud: age 10 and older; read yourself: age 10 11 and older.First there is a bone-freezing chill, a crushing headache, and a stomach twisted in pain. This is quickly followed by a boiling hot fever, skin and the whites of the eyes that turn yellow. Streams of vomit black with digested clots of blood occur over and over. The victim of this terrible disease called yellow fever will, in all likelihood, be dead in days.The trail of misery and death had been occurring for a long time. "The fever struck the rich. It struck the poor. It killed the humble, and it humbled the important." It was widely known that yellow fever killed, but doctors and scientists were unable to combat the disease because they didn't know what caused it.Here is the true story of how four Americans and one Cuban tracked down one of the world's most vicious killers — yellow fever. Expertly researched and written, this astonishing story is a must-read.Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached via e-mail: kendal@sunlink.net.
