Another forgotten gem, the novel, set in colonial New England, tells the story of a boy kidnapped by an American Indian tribe as a young child, and raised by the tribe’s chief as his own son, who must be returned to his white parents as part of a peace agreement. The Light In The Forest, by Conrad Richter. A phenomenal introduction to poetry by one of the great American poets of the twentieth century, but also a great depiction of the character of a writer. But it’s vital to be attuned to what kind of writing will nourish the mind of a particular child.
We parents still want them to read, of course – both to be educated and, on a more practical level, to develop greater fluency. More particularly, natural readers – kids who gravitate to books – are very different from kids who are reluctant readers, or find reading difficult, or who are more easily engaged by tactile reality than by the world of words. Which goes to show that not all kids are made the same. I remember reacting negatively to The Phantom Tollbooth as a kid because of its didacticism, and I remember my son reacting negatively to, of all things, A Wrinkle In Time (which I loved as a kid) because the author clearly thought her protagonist kids were so darned special.Īs it happens that assertion of specialness was part of what I responded to positively as a kid. I’m always a little wary of children’s books that are a bit too didactic, as well as those that are a bit too eager to flatter their readers. So, below, find my own list of ten.Īctually, let me say a couple of words about the argument, and about some of the books on Gracy Olmstead’s list. I love these kinds of games, mostly because I love giving and receiving recommendations.
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