From Sea to Shining Sea

 Filled with a wonderful collection of stories and some of our favorite illustrators, this treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs is a necessary addition to any children's library.  The Dillons, Anita Lobel, Egielski, Cooney, and Trina Schart Hyman are just a few of the artists included.  Spanning centuries and across the country it's a sampling of Native American lore, Gospel songs, tall-tales, and historical stories.  The hilarious skit "Who's on First?" is even included!  It's one of those books that nice to pickup and read here and there.

From Sea to Shining Sea

compiled by Amy L. Cohn 1993

Switch on the Night

 

Switch on the Night

Ray Bradbury

pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon 1983

Wonderful book for a child afraid of the dark.  A little boy who doesn't like the Night is visited by the "Dark" in the form of a little girl.  In Bradbury's creative poetry she shows him that putting out the porch light is not "switching off the light.  No not at all!  It's simply switching on the Night."  And switching on the Night switches on the crickets and frogs and stars and even the moon.  Meanwhile the Dillon's pictures are a magical Night feast!

The People Could Fly

The People Could Fly

American Black Folktales

Virginia Hamilton

illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon 1993

 I can't think of a better pairing than Virginia Hamilton and Leo and Diane Dillon. Hamilton's collection of folktales are rich with dialect, clever animals, supernatural characters, exaggerated situations, and stories of freedom from slavery.   I really appreciated her notes at the end of each one, explaining the historical significance or language or expounding on the story. 

" Remember that these folktales were once a creative way for an oppressed people to express their fears and hopes to one another.  They lend themselves well to being read out loud, as they were told out loud so long ago....These tales were created out of sorrow.  But the hearts and minds of the black people who formed them, expanded them, and passed them on to us were full of love and hope.  We must look at the tales as a celebration of the human spirit."

Honey, I Love

Honey, I Love

Eloise Greenfield 1986 

pictures by Diane and Leo Dillon

Found this little hardback gem from a school discard pile.  Greenfield's poems are full of the everyday world seen through a child's eyes.  Riding the train, skipping rope, feeling the energy of music, she captures that simple wonderment and joy that children instinctually have.  As always, the Dillon's artwork is so beautiful.

(This one is for all those little sisters out there!)

Brother to the Wind

One of the joys of motherhood is watching what my children gravitate towards, watching them develop their own tastes and styles, their own interests.  Of course I expose them to all the things that I love (including specific books).  And I find particular pleasure when they form attachments to the same books that I do.  But they are their own person and it's such a marvel to see that.

In my own family my oldest daughter despises realistic fiction while my youngest daughter loves and is drawn to that genre.  My son was never a fan of the 19th-century fantasy I often read to him, but rather prefers non-fiction, especially books about nature and science.  I have one voracious reader, one who will only read if it particularly catches their fancy, and one who loves books, but is not a strong skilled reader.

I enjoy celebrating all of this!  It's become a mission finding the books that will interest my different kids (and swelling our library in the process!).  I get to learn from what they are reading,  become exposed to new books and authors through them.  And yes, sometimes I even have to let go and realize that there are books that I want them to adore, but they just don't.

Which brings me to this book by Mildred Pitts Walter.  Charlotte recently revealed that this was one of her favorites.  Although I adore anything illustrated by the Dillons, this book didn't grip me the way that it has apparently gripped Charlotte.  She often reads it aloud to me at night.  The story is told like an African folktale about a boy who wants to fly and the mystical advice he gets from Good Snake.  Though I wouldn't choose to read it multiple times, it's fun experiencing how much Charlotte loves it and enjoys it.

Brother to the Wind

Mildred Pitts Walter

pictures by Diane and Leo Dillon 1985