Kendal Rautzhan, Columnist

This Christmas, make sure to include the gift of a book, such as the selections reviewed below. It’s the only present a child can open again and again and again!

For many years now, a reader in Reading, Pennsylvania has e-mailed on occasion to thank me for a specific book review which he feels will help inspire children to expand their understanding of what “makes us tick.” This reader then takes further action by purchasing seven copies of that book and gifts one copy to each of the seven elementary school libraries in his school district.

With budgets being squeezed, little money is left to purchase additional reading materials for school and public libraries. This reader takes a proactive stand by gifting books. His reason “Books are the very source of learning that enables kids to think, analyze and understand new material. ... I vividly recall the biographies and riveting ‘boy stories’ that I read fifty years ago. From these I learned about character traits, models of personal success, goals and how to pursue my dreams. Where would I be today had someone not chosen those books for my school library”

If everyone gave the gift of one book (average price: $17) just once a year to one school or local library, imagine how many wonderful books children could be exposed to. It’s an outstanding way to touch the lives of countless children in so many positive ways!

Books to Borrow

The following book is available at many public libraries.

• “Winter’s Gift” written and illustrated by Jane Monroe Donovan, Sleeping Bear Press, 32 pages

Read aloud: ages 4-5 and older.

Read yourself: ages 7-8 and older.

An old man lived on a small farm in the woods. It was Dec. 24, and a blizzard had covered everything in white. This year was different, for the man’s wife had died months ago, and he no longer had any hope in his heart.

As he prepared his dinner, he heard a sound outside and went to investigate, finding a mare lying in the snow. He gently helped her to her feet and led her to his barn where he warmed her and gave her food and drink. Exhausted, he fell asleep in the hay. When he woke on Christmas morning, he found a very special gift, and for the first time in a long while, he found himself looking forward to the next day.

An outstanding book in every way, this selection resounds with compassion and joy.

• “Bunny Cakes” written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells, Dial Books, 24 pages

Read aloud: ages 18 months to 3 years.

Read yourself: age 7.

The well-loved picture book bunnies, Max and Ruby, are up to their light-hearted funny business again, and this time it revolves around Grandma’s birthday.

Max wants to bake Grandma an earthworm birthday cake. Ruby says, “No, Max,” and sends him off to the store with her neatly written list to buy the ingredients for the cake she wants to bake. But Max decides he will bake Grandma that earthworm cake anyway. Max needs Red-Hot Marshmallow Squirters to put on the top of his cake, but Max can’t write as well as Ruby. How can Max make the grocer understand what he has “written”

A wonderfully funny story about the thrill of learning to communicate on paper, this delicious adventure story is one that children will want to read again and again.

Books to Buy

The following books are available at favorite bookstores.

• “Hans Brinker” retold by Bruce Coville, illustrated by Laurel Long, Dial, 2007, 32 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: ages 5-6 and older.

Read yourself: ages 8-10.

Hans Brinker and his sister, Gretel, want to compete in the upcoming skating race. The prize is a pair of silver ice skates — one for the girls and one for the boys. But Hans and Gretel can’t race on their old wooden skates. When Hans has an opportunity to make a little money, he buys a decent pair of skates for his sister. Then Hans offers what money he has left to a doctor, asking him to help cure his very sick father. It is this selfless act of love that sets into motion a series of miracles.

Beautifully retold and lavishly illustrated, this dramatic and enchanting story excels.

• “Rabbit’s Gift” by George Shannon, illustrated by Laura Dronzek, Harcourt, 2007, 32 pages, $16 hardcover

Read aloud: ages 3-7.

Read yourself: ages 7-8.

Rabbit knew it was going to snow soon, so he hurried to find some food. At last he found two turnips and quickly rolled them home. As he nibbled on one turnip, he thought about Donkey and wondered if she had enough to eat. Rabbit took his extra turnip to Donkey, and when Donkey wasn’t there, he left it by her door. Rabbit’s generosity is repeated over and over from one forest animal to another.

A fresh retelling of a very old folktale, this powerful little book is loaded with good stuff.

• “Dear Mermaid” by Alan Durant, illustrated by Vanessa Cabban, Candlewick, 2007, 28 pages, $12.99 hardcover

Read aloud: ages 5-8.

Read yourself: age 8.

Holly is vacationing at the beach with her family when she finds a mermaid’s purse in the sand. She decides she must give the purse back to the mermaid, so Holly writes a note in the sand and leaves the purse there. To her surprise and delight, the next day the purse is there with a note from the mermaid — a mermaid princess named Kora!

Over and over the two friends exchange notes and other treasures until at last Holly’s vacation ends. Their friendship, however, is sealed with a special gift from Princess Kora to Holly — a sea horse charm that readers will have for themselves on the last page!

A charming story that boasts numerous envelopes to open, letters to read and other enclosures, this book is certain to ignite a child’s imagination.   

• “Little Klein” by Anne Ylvisaker, Candlewick, 2007, 186 pages, $15.99 hardcover

Read aloud: ages 9-10 and older.

Read yourself: age 10 and older.

Little Klein was born too small, and no matter how many years passed, he was always tinier than everyone his age, and compared to his three older brothers, he was the runt. Doted on by his mother and protected by his big brothers, Little Klein struggled to be heard and recognized. But when a stray dog named LeRoy answers Little Klein’s whistle, the two become inseparable friends, sharing life’s adventures together.

At 9 years old, Little Klein is finally given the chance of a lifetime — to go rafting with his big brothers who have promised their mother to keep a close eye on Little Klein. As events unfold, it is Little Klein who loses sight of his brothers and must find a way to rescue them and LeRoy amid a terrifying storm that threatens everything in its path.

Colorful characters grace this adventure novel that brims with love, family, and finding one’s place in the world.

• “The Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: A Tale of Picky Eating” by A.W. Flaherty, illustrated by Scott Magoon, Houghton Mifflin, 2007, 36 pages, $16.00 hardcover

Read aloud: age 4 and older.

Read yourself: age 8 and older.

Young Katerina-Elizabeth was traveling alone on an ocean liner from America to Scotland to visit her grandmother. Her parents had carefully planned everything, insisting that she be fed oatmeal every morning. Oatmeal was Katerina-Elizabeth’s least favorite food, so every morning, she tossed it overboard. It didn’t go to waste, though, for a tiny sea worm gobbled up the first helping of oatmeal, followed the ship, and proceeded to grow bigger and bigger with each daily helping, and by the time it reached Scotland and Loch Ness, the worm had grown into a monster, and fortunately a friendly, healthy one!

A funny tale of a picky eater and a not-so-pickey eater, this selection is a real winner.

Librarians’ Choices

North Bend Public Library, 1800 Sherman Ave., North Bend

Library Director: Gary Sharp. Children’s Librarian: Sara B. Simpkins

Choices this week: “Lost” by Paul Brett Johnson; “What Pete Ate from A to Z” by Maira Kalman; “Catwings” by Ursula LeGuin

Coquille Public Library, 105 N. Birch St., Coquille

Library Director: Anne Conner. Children’s Librarian: Sherri Erwin

Choices this week: “Cowboy Sam and those Confounded Secrets” by Kitty Griffin and Kathy Combs; “Slop Goes the Soup” by Pamela Duncan Edwards; “Weslandia” by Paul Felischman