The Cary Library children’s section has acquired two outstanding books for you.
“The Stranded Whale” story is set on the Maine coast, where such occurrences happen from time to time. The author, Jane Yolen, a popular writer for this age group, and newcomer Melanie Cataldo have the right formula for showing compassion with the excellent pictures and choice of words.
Three children spy a huge whale stranded on a beach with the tide ebbing. Desperately trying to keep the animal cool and wet, they dunk their sweaters into the water, wringing them out on the whale — a tiring and futile task. One boy uses the emergency phone to call police and then dozens of people and the Coast Guard show up to help.
But for all the elbow grease and brute strength they can muster, the whale cannot be saved with what the group has to work with. Then the afterthoughts of the children, especially the narrator, come into the story with a tenderness we find sometimes with a great storyteller addressed to children. Love this book.
The second book is a lighthearted story of a dad and his little girl on an autumn walk and their exchange of questions and answers: “Ask Me” by famous author Bernard Waber, with wildly colorful pages by Suzy Lee.
So, ask me my favorite animal, or why birds build nests in trees or maybe where is my favorite library? Almost every parent I know does grow weary sometimes of the never-ending questions: Why? What? When? How? Yet, let’s keep the conversations going until one day the child will grow up and “know it all.” Then we will miss those discussions and wonder if they were really so tedious after all.
This is a good source of curious questions to start you off on your own ‘ask me’ adventure!
