Esme's Favorite Books (continued)

The Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse by Ursula Moray Willliams (Kingfisher, 2005) A toy ventures out into the wide world to seek his fortune and to help the man who made him.  This book is a sleeper that keeps listeners wide awake; I have shared it out loud with over a hundred children, and it never failed to delight. 

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Yuyi Morales (Harcourt Trade Publishers, 2003) Though their crops may have withered, a seed was germinating in young Cesar Chavez, a child of migrants who would grow up to lead a 300-mile march for worker’s rights.  This is an extremely powerful book that underscores the bravery and resolve it takes to engage in non-violent protest, and rightly puts Chavez on the same scaffolding as Martin Luther King as a champion of peace.  Picture-book biographies like this one are a great way to get kids to find mentors outside of their own communities and experiences!

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng (Harper Collins Canada, 2004) It seems like Molly’s dreary world will never take an upward swing until she comes across a strange book in the library which introduces her to the mysterious and powerful world of hypnotism. She uses her power to do amazing things at a local talent show, and it seems like Molly will finally find the life she has been dreaming about. Little does Molly know that a criminal mastermind is hot on the trail of the precious volume that she holds in her hand. Fans of J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl will love the snarky humor and suspense, and animal lovers will adore her pug companion.

Other Authors: Don Brown, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Patricia Polacco, Loreen Leedy, Roald Dahl

Fourth Grade

Hint: Big kids have vistas that are expanding; give them historical fiction to imagine the past, and fantasy to imagine the future.

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Parin D’Aulaires (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 1992) The definitive guide to Greek mythology for children, these high-octane adventures are accentuated by full-page illustration.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Scholastic Press, 2007) If Hugo can repair the robot-like "automaton" rescued from a fire, he feels sure its metal hand will write a note from his departed father, conveying a plan to keep him safe.  Set in and out of the sewers of Paris, the cinematic quality of this novel reinvents the fiction genre for a generation of visually literate children.

City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2003) The generator that provides the life-force for the city has been running well for hundreds of years, creating a society that is ambivalent and content, few venturing into the darkness that envelopes the city's perimeter. But the flickering lights indicate that it may be time to generate some new ideas, and fast! A fantastic underground world is fully realized in this cliffhanging, heart-pumping sci-fi fantasy that even people who don't like sci-fi fantasy will enjoy, and serves as a great springboard into ecological discussion.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Laurel Leaf, 1998) The Danish Resistance helps a family escape capture by the Nazis, with children playing a major role even in the most terrible of situations. (For kids who still have questions, a strong follow-up is Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy, based on the author’s aunt’s experience of survival in the Lodz ghettos.)