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Young Reading: Favorite memories on Dad's day
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Published: June 15, 2008
My favorite memories with my father were of summer days spent on our boat exploring the Mobile Bay Delta, skiing into the mouths of the seven rivers -- and by the mouths of the alligators! I asked my girls what they love doing with their dad, my sweet husband who has to endure living with more estrogen than he knew could exist under one roof.
Marlee likes to cheer on the University of Florida Gators with her dad while eating nachos or popcorn. Kilby said that she likes it when the two of them man the grill together. And Hannah echoed my own sentiments. Her favorite times are when her dad takes us all out on the boat -- our biggest memories made in the smallest space we own.
PAPA AND ME. By Arthur Dorros. HarperCollins. Ages 4-8. $16.99.
Rich illustrations by Rudy Gutierrez make this bilingual book about a father and his son a beautiful read. The vivid colors and use of realistic portraits combined with surreal settings make each page a visual feast. The book explores a close relationship between the boy and his papa through ordinary events such as making pancakes, walking through the park and going to see grandparents. Beautiful in its simplicity and educational with the use of Spanish and English, this is a wonderful book to read to celebrate Father's Day.
A DAY WITH DAD. By Bo R. Holmberg. Candlewick. Ages 4-8. $15.99.
Splitting time with parents can be tough on children, both young and old. A Day With Dad explores how one young boy cherishes his special day with his father. Tim tells everyone he sees that today is his day with his father as they explore the city together. Finally their day draws to an end, and Tim and his father are sad to part. However, Tim knows that "The train will come back with Dad. And Tim will spend another day with Dad."
This simple book not only makes an ordinary day special but provides a nice way to discuss how divorce rearranges family life.
GRANDFATHER'S DANCE. By Patricia MacLachlan. HarperCollins. Ages 8-10. 84 pages. $5.99.
The last book in the series that began with the Newbery-winning book Sarah Plain and Tall, Grandfather's Dance is a poignant snapshot of a close-knit family celebrating a wedding. Cassie's worries about her grandfather's health cloud her joy. She fears that he won't be at her wedding someday. He reassures her by staging a mock wedding between Cassie and her dog, a humorous but sensitive antidote to assuage Cassie's concern. Read with tissues close by at the end …
HOW I SAVED MY FATHER'S LIFE (AND RUINED EVERYTHING ELSE). By Ann Hood. Scholastic. Ages 10-14. 218 pages. $16.99.
This may seem an odd pick for Father's Day. When 12-year-old Madeline wakes up from a scary dream involving her father's being lost in an avalanche, she slips out of bed and goes to church to pray unceasingly for his safety. Upon returning home, she discovers that his trip to write about skiing did go awry and he was trapped by an avalanche, but survived miraculously. Madeline is convinced that her prayers saved him and she is destined to become a Catholic saint (she isn't even Catholic).
Unfortunately, her father's miraculous recovery causes him to recognize his "true" priorities; and he divorces Madeline's mother to marry a glamorous celebrity pastry chef, Ava Pomme.
Madeline elevates her father in her mind and blames everything that went wrong on her mother. She holds her in complete contempt until they spend part of their summer in Italy. In a different country, Madeline begins to rediscover her mother. Her father, Ava and their new baby Zoë come to Italy as well. Madeline realizes that Ava is more selfish than glamorous and that her father and Ava saw each other long before the avalanche. Madeline's discovery, while painful, allows her to see her loved ones with a more realistic viewpoint.
Tender and funny as it explores many of the elements that make growing up tough, this book entertains while providing the opening for family dialogue.
THE TRIALS OF KATE HOPE. By Wick Downing. Houghton Mifflin. Ages 12 and up. 329 pages. $16.
What a great book! In 1973 in Denver, Colo., the main character, Kate Hope, is a 14-year-old phenomenon who has become a full-fledged attorney by passing the bar exam without attending law school.
Tutored by her eccentric, knowledgeable curmudgeon of a grandfather, Kate learns the law by hands-on research and trial experience. She fills the void that her father and brother left behind when their car plunged over an icy cliff four years earlier. Kate's father and grandfather practiced together and were champions of the poor and downtrodden.
Written by a retired attorney, The Trials of Kate Hope is like Grisham for kids. With mystery and courtroom drama combined with the close relationship between Kate and her grandfather, this book must plead guilty as one that can't be put down until the last page is read.
■ Monica Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com.
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