 Photo by Petr Simon, Kurile Lake in Kamchatka, Russia Stories can save our children's lives Once upon a time – just last February – in Nonna’s Guide to Reading Stories I shared with you why I believe good books are essential to a child’s happiness and health. To say that life has changed dramatically since that initial post would be an understatement. In light of the challenges our children face due to the pandemic, choosing to read excellent books which have the potential to shape a child's heart and mind has become even more critically important. To paraphrase Gaia Vince, stories can save our children's lives. Themes for the New Year As a former school principal and school librarian, I know the New Year doesn't begin January 1st -- the first day of school begins the New Year! And as principals and librarians know, monthly themes give a bit of structure to student community and learning. So, for this school year Stories Matter will host monthly themes -- the books reviewed will focus on a single subject or topic. Each week you can find a review of a children's picture book, an early or middle reader chapter book, and a young adult novel. September: Bears! We are kicking off the Stories Matter New Year with Bears! Bears, bears, bears! I never knew there were so many bear books in the world. Why bears? Why not back-to-school stories -- it's September!?! Even though the kiddos are headed back to structured learning, many are not headed back to a school building at the start of the school year. Reviewing a month of back-to-school stories or stories set in a school building with school friends might be a bit insensitive, don'tcha think? Okay, so why start off with bears? Bears have been a part of Western mythology, sacred texts, and literature since we began to tell stories. From the ancient cave paintings of bears at Chauvet to "exit pursued by a bear" stage directions in Shaksepeare's A Winter's Tale, the bear's strength, solitude and "rebirth" are pretty powerful metaphors. In stories, we think of bears as more human-like than any other animal. And who doesn't love a good bear story! Children's Picture Books
Early to Middle Reader Chapter Books
Young Adult Novels
I hope you will find these reviews helpful! |
