Read to Me

Reaching the summit of Mount Everest...or getting a child to eat her vegetables. It's hard to say which is the tougher challenge. Fortunately, this month's column features inspiring books on both topics--and so much more. Read on!

I Will Never Not Ever Eat A Tomato
By Lauren Child.
(Candlewick Press, $15.99).
Convincing finicky eaters to eat anything other than a lump of bread or bit of cheese has been a problem probably since the first cave child. This book is a hilarious testament to the powers of creative persuasion, told from an older brother's point of view. Little sister Lola refuses to eat just about everything. But when older brother Charlie convinces her that carrots are actually "orange twiglets from Jupiter," and green peas are really "green drops from Greenland," and mashed potato is "cloud fluff from the top of Mt. Fuji"...well, the fun is just beginning. Child uses an ingenious array of materials, patterns and textures to make her collage illustrations. Those, paired with some very comical expressions within her line drawings, make this a fine read, indeed. Highly recommended--and then some.

This Plane
By Paul Collicutt.
(Farrar Straus Giroux, $15).
Paper airplanes. Jet airplanes. Planes that take off and land on water. Collicutt's simple text and bold, action-packed illustrations--depicting over 40 high fliers--will entrance plane-crazed toddlers...and their parents or grandparents. Illustrations in the inside covers depict some of the more interesting flight machines through history.

Cave
By Diane Siebert. Illustrated by Wayne McLoughlin.
(HarperCollins, $16.95).
I am the cave,
So cool and dark,
Where time, unending, leaves its mark
As natural forces build and hone
A crystal world from weeping stone.

Sure, Siebert simply could have written that caves are all cool and dark and sparkly inside. Instead, she opted for a more challenging text, one that rewards the reader with rich language and rolling rhythms. Paired nicely with McLoughlin's light-filled paintings--quite a task when you consider the subject--the author's poetic verse examines everything from a cave's earliest formation to some of its more surprising inhabitants.
The publisher rates this appropriate for "all ages." Although some might question that--you don't often come across the words like "stalamites" or "trogloxenes" in a book for newborns, after all--don't let that scare you or you child away.
Phrases like "As water follows fissured trails, and crystals form translucent veils," may add up to a longer reading session than your average ABC book, but Cave marks a prime opportunity to instill a love of language (and, of course, scientific knowledge) in your child. And, possibly, yourself. Besides, you can always turn to the handy glossary and pronunciation guide.

Firefighters A to Z
By Chris L. Demarest.
(Margaret K. McElderry Books, $16.95).

A is for Alarm that rings loud and clear.
B is for Boots stowed in our bunker gear.
C is for Chief, whose experience we trust.
D is for Dalmatian, a firehouse must.

The author/illustrator, a volunteer firefighter himself, covers Hoses and Hydrants, Ladders and Masks, and more. The brightly colored illustrations will rev up your junior firefighters. The final lines ("Y is for Yawning. We all did our best. Z is for Zip into bed for a rest") might convince them to slip into bed themselves.

Elephant Quest
By Ted and Betsy Lewin.
(HarperCollins, $15.95).
Want to take the kids to Africa without blowing their college fund? Have them huddle round a campfire, then read them this book out loud.
Granted, when it comes to exploring exotic locales, nothing is as good as being there. But Elephant Quest--capturing the authors' adventures while on safari in Botswana's Okavango Delta--comes oh-so close. Join them as they watch mongooses pop in an out of termite mounds like "little jack-in-the-boxes," or as they sample local cuisine--deep-fried, headless mopane worms.
The journal-style text, rich in detail, describes the authors' search for elephants during rainy season. Along the way, we come to know resident hippos and frisky warthogs, full-bellied lions and long-tongued giraffes. (A note to the squeamish: the Lewins record all facets of the food chain here, so be forewarned.) But it's Ted Lewin's exquisite watercolors that make Elephant Quest come alive. Highly recommended.

Inside Laura's Little House
By Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson. Illustrations by Garth Williams and Cathy Holly.
(HarperCollins, $19.95).
Here it is: the perfect gift for those fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of nine Little House books including the much-loved Little House on the Prairie.
This 104-page book is chock-full of tidbits and photographs of Laura's real life in the early 1900s. It includes recipes (Ma's Stewed Blackberries, Mr. Edwards' Christmas Sweet Potatoes, etc.), activities such as how to make Ma's Willow-Bough Broom or how to sew Mary and Laura's nightcaps, even songs that Pa himself might have played on his fiddle.
All in all, a very special treat for Little House fans.

Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash
By Sarah Weeks. Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.
(HarperFestival, $9.95).

The first day of spring,
Mrs. Nelly McNosh
Went out to her garden
And planted a squash.

Mrs. McNosh, last seen in the giggly "Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash," is back in another kid-pleasing romp by the same talented author-illustrator team.
This time around, ol' Nelly finds herself chasing her fast-growing squash as it rolls through the neighborhood--with hilarious results, of course:
It crashed through the clothesline
And smashed through the fence,
Scaring the pants off two elderly gents.
One can only wonder what Weeks and Westcott will come up with next. Perhaps "Mrs. McNosh Says 'Oh My Gosh!'"?

Mystery on Everest: A Photobiography of George Mallory
By Audrey Salkeld
(National Geographic Society, $17.95)
Triumph on Everest: A Photobiography of Sir Edmund Hillary
By Broughton Coburn.
(National Geographic, $17.95)

George Mallory--he of the famous "Because it's there" quote--was last seen on June 8, 1924, approaching the summit of Mt. Everest. No one knows if he, or his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, actually made it to the top. Mallory's body was found just last year, 75 years after his death. The mystery surrounding his death is nearly as fascinating as his life, one that was driven by persistence and daring.
Hillary, with partner Tenzing Norgay, is largely regarded as the man who conquered Everest. The New Zealand beekeeper accomplished that feat in 1953.
Together, these photobiographies make for a wonderful adventure set for the older child, who will learn to appreciate these pioneers of truly extreme sports. The old photographs are marvelous, allowing a glimpse into a world rarely seen. Turn off the TV, huddle around the fireplace, and read these out loud to the family.

The Night Worker
By Kate Banks. Illustrated by Georg Hallensleben.
(Farrar Straus Giroux, $16).
Books about construction and construction workers typically spotlight the machinery, going no deeper than the holes dug by the machines themselves. The Night Worker offers a refreshing twist: young Alex gets to accompany his engineer father to the busy construction site at night, turning the story into a warm and subtle tale of parent-child bonding.
The language is simple, yet evocative: "Clouds rise from the dust as a steel shovel pushes soil into a midnight mountain." Hallensleben's paintings glow with an almost otherworldly, yet entirely accurate, night light.

The Seven Silly Eaters
By Mary Ann Hoberman. Illustrated by Marla Frazee.
(Harcourt, $6 paperback).
Poor Mrs. Peters. She slaves all day trying to keep up with her seven fussy eaters. One will eat only applesauce, another homemade bread. It goes on and on. Fortunately for the reader, this experience isn't dreary; it's side-splitting. It's one of the funniest books out there, and ends with a wonderful twist. Don't miss this one.