The Library of Congress has designated 1991 as the Year of the Lifetime Reader, an effort chaired by First Lady Barbara Bush. I have for years believed in family reading as primary means to literacy, but when I moved this, books took on a new significance. We left friends and circumstances of twelve years to take residence in a place where we knew no one. My strongest fantasy about moving was to slow down our fast-paced existence, but I find that life flows ever so quickly in North Carolina. I was surprised at how many parents work full time and I now see books not only as a means to a literacy, but as a way busy families can immediately access both intimacy and meaningful communication.

Bring Closeness Into Your Family With Song

This year there have been released a whole new crop of books to sing. It's never too early to begin this family tradition. This year, Carol Jones has illustrated the much loved children's song This Old Man. Infants will respond to the rhyme, rhythm and cut-outs reveal clues older siblings will enjoy. Ages 0-5. (Houghton Mifflin, 1990)

Paul Zelinsky has this year designed one of the best illustrated, designed, fun pop-up books I've ever seen in his version of The Wheels on the Bus (Dial, 1990). Other new songbooks your family will enjoy together are Nancy Hellen's Old MacDonald Had a Farm (Orchard, 1990); Raffi's Baby Beluga, illustrated by Ashley Wolff (Crown, 1990); and photographer Bruce McMillan's Mary Had a Little Lamb (Scholastic, 1990)

Sharing Books That Invite Involvement

Long have I admired Vera Williams' beautiful artwork and respected her concerns about multiethnic representation in her books. It is never too early for babies to view stunning artwork or see many races represented. Ms. Williams must agree for now she has created a book for them called "More More More," Said the Baby. In the book we see views of three different babies being treasured and cuddled by the adults they belong to. Ms. Williams shows father-child; mother-child and even intergenerational relationship in bold bright emotive illustrations with a strongly rhythmic text.. Ages 1-4. (Greenwillow,1990)

Sue Williams' I Went Walking employs a question-answer format while detailing the travels of a young child who encounters a whole meangerie of animals. Illustrations by Julie Vivas hint at answers and Williams' language patterns support a young child's conclusions. Ages 1-5. (HBJ, 1990)

Rhyme and rhythm develop a sense for the sounds of language and build language expectations that set the framework for prose and poetry-relishing adults. Toddlers who value rhyme and rhythm will find great enjoyment with A Million Chameleons by James Young. Chameleons are portrayed with a hilarity that adds to the reading adventure. The book is formatted so that young verse lovers will be able to participate in telling the story and guessing at coming rhymes and colors from clues imbedded in the text. Ages 2-5. (Little Brown, 1990)

Tales to Talk About

A child of four to six looks for a book that has more of a story. A child of this age will very often want a good story repeated again and again, Jill Wright's The Old Woman and the Jar of Uums will satisfy both parent-reader and child. The story tells of an old woman who finds a betwitched jar. When one eats anything held by it, their language becomes lost in Uums. Wright has a very natural storytelling style and she shares her gift by writing so that the text turns any reader into a storyteller. She creates extraordinary characters such as bullying boy Jackie McPhee and the filthy, frightening Willy Nilly Man which are brought to life also by the illustrations of Glen Rounds. Ages 4-8. (Putnam, 1990)

Many parents think that when their children begin to read, it is time for them to stop reading picture books. There are many many stories that are created yearly for an older picture book audience. It's amazing what has been translated into the picture book medium and made accessible for children this year. Leontyne Price has collaborated with Leo and Diane Dillon to produce a pictorial retelling of Aida. Ages 6- adult. (HBJ, 1990) Even Boccacio's Decameron has been retold in William Wise's picture book, The Black Falcon. Ages 6-9. (Philomel, 1990) These older stories are filled with lots of themes that will inspire much conversation for holiday evenings.

William Hook's The Legend of Belle Dorcas, for example, is a book that is more appropriate for older children. It tells a tale of a young black woman born of a white master who would gives up her freedom to marry a black slave. Themes of slavery, magic, history, humor, and love would be lost on a younger child, but this book inspired hours of talk with my eight year old. Hooks is a superb story weaver and the etchings by Brian Pinkney add even more power to the story. Ages 6-9. (Knopf, 1990)

Nancy Willard's The High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake is family literature. The plot line is simple, a young girl wants to fulfill her mother's birthday wish by baking a special cake whose recipe has ben lost. Willard's blending of identifiable images and mysterious magic are even more glorious than the heroine's cake. To make an extraordinary book even more fantastical are illustrations by Richard Jesse Watson which translate text into a perfect pictorial representation of the essence of Ms. Willard's words. Ages 6- adult. (HBJ, 1990)

Fun For Fact Lovers

Non-fiction lovers will again be delighted by Knopf's Eyewitness books. For older readers are Money; Insect;Fossil; Fish; Ancient Egypt; Ancient Rome; Car; Flying Machine. (Knopf, 1990) New in the Eyewitness Junior series are: Amazing Birds;Mammals;Snakes;Spiders; Cats; Frogs and Toads; Lizards and Poisonous Animals . (Knopf, 1990)

Non-fiction pro Joanna Cole creates another classic as the wild and wooly teacher, Ms. Frizzle and her kids become lost in space in The Magic Bus Lost in the Solar System. Humor abounds in Cole's writing and also in illustrations by Bruce Degens. The books are written with a fairly straight forward text and smaller detailing which give a wider amount of information. This creates a book that can be read at two different levels and the kids love them all! (Scholastic, 1990)

I'm Ready to Read

A new genre of books are developing for young readers who are ready for novels. Random House's Young Indiana Jones unites adventure, history and mystery with commercial appeal that entices new readers that are ready for novel length books. Their "step-up" classics translate The Time Machine and Treasure Island into readable material for second to fourth grade. Random also produces Stepping Stone books for a slightly less proficient reader. White Bird by Clyde Bulla, for example, is an emotion packed, historically correct intorduciton to good literature. All books for ages 7-10.

Jackie French Koller's The Dragonling feeds the developing taste of a science fiction buff in the story of a young boy who nurtures a small dragon, a species hated by his people. Feelings abound and the characterizations make both dragonling and hero very real. (Little Brown, 1990)

Middle Readers

Two of the best loved writers for this age have new books. Roald Dahl's Esio Trot is the story of an older man who loves a woman from afar. And the woman loves her tortoise. (Esio Trot is tortoise spelled backwards). How Dahl combines plotting, humor,and word play to get the man his true love will keep children page turning and giggling with Dahl's plot twists. Ages 7- 11. (Viking, 1990)

Judy Blume will please young readers with Fudge-A-Mania. Peter, in fifth grade now is still plagued by his five-year-old brother Fudge as well as all the other strange members of his family. Sheila ("the Great ") fans will be happy to see her cast in this story of two families sharing a small Maine cottage. Dialogue is snappy, situations slapsticky and recognizable to humor-loving 7-11. (Dial, 1990)

Pam Conrad's work is marked by a combination of unusual characters, different perspectives, and good writing. Stonewords is a suspensful story of two best friends, Zoe and Zoe Louise. At first, Zoe Louise appears to be Zoe's imaginary friend but as the reader is pulled deeper into the story, you learn that Zoe Louise is a time-traveling ghost who is in desperate need of help. Mystery, strong characterizations, and strong images make this a page turner for ages 9-12. (Harper and Row, 1990)

Young Adult Books-Books to Share!

Several years ago New York commuters turned to young adult fiction as a satisfying genre. Written for the hard-to-please teen market, they are filled with emotion, fast-paced plots, strong characters, and good writing. Many adults will enjoy these books as well as teens.

Two of my favorite writers have produced new sequels this year. Cynthia Voigt, probably most well-known for her Tillerman series, has added a second book to her historical fiction series. On Fortune's Wheel takes place two generations after its prequel, Jackaroo and tells the story of a strong female protagonist who by chance becomes involved in traveling adventures and a love relationship with a lord. The characterizations are splendid, the description transport the reader back to feudal times and the romance is well-balanced with the harsh realities of these severe times. Ages 11 and up. (Atheneum, 1990)

I discovered Mildred Taylor this year and gobbled up four of her novels in a week. The Logans are a black loving, self-respecting family growing in Mississippi in the troubled 1920's to 1940's. The series began with Newberry-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and this year Ms. Taylor published The Road to Memphis which finds heroine Cassie finishing her last year of high school, dreaming of college and discovering love and the horrors of racial violence and impending war. The drama of the stories is as strong as Ms. Taylor's writing. Ages 11 and up. (Dial, 1990)

Holiday Books To Enjoy Every Year

Every holiday there seems to appear timeless holiday stories that a family can add to a collection of books to share together every holiday season. Jan Brett's art has made her well-loved by adults and children alike. This year she writes an original story called The Wild Christmas Reindeer which tells of Santa's helper, Teeka who is asked to get the reindeer ready. Teeka learns that working in team work with warm hugs and gentle words produces a much better effect than strictness, bossing and yelling. As Teeka learns her lesson, Brett's boarders show the other helpers busily preparing for Christmas as the days count down. Ages 3-6. (Putnam, 1990)

Eric Kimmel tells a wonderful tale that families will love hearing again and again in The Chanukkah Guest. Bubba Brayna, at ninety some does not hear or see as well as she once did. She does however make the best potato latkes in the village. When a bear issues himself an invitation, he is mistaken for the rabbi, and Kimmel's fun and humor abound in the telling as well as the situation. Giora Carmi's illustrations extend and at the same time anchor the ridiculous story well with a realistic approach. (Holiday House, 1990)

I hopeful that this list provides you fuel which adds fire your 1991 Year of the Lifetime Reader and gives you suggestions for books to enjoy as a family for years to come.

Sidebar

This year Santa Barbara's children's book writers have published books for audiences from the very young to the young adult.

Babies love rhyme and rhythm and they seem to be born with an awe of our world. Wanting to keep alive both the love of words and the love of Mother Earth, this year Advocacy Press has published Mother Nature Nursery Rhymes. The poems are a blend of original verses and re-writes of traditional rhymes with avoidance of sexual stereotypes, violence and ecological thoughtlessness. The book abounds in colorful illustrations by Itoko Maeno whose love of the natural world is apparent in her work. The book ranges from repeatable verses to activity plays to suggestions for parents to bring ecology alive in their homes. Ages 0-8. Earlier this year, Advocacy published Penelope Paine's Time for Horatio, the London adventure of a small cat who finds a kinder world as his boy-owner Oliver learns about mean time and dreams about a world without mean actions. Ages 4-8.

Children love the bigness of the world but they also love small comfy areas. Everytime I see a blanketed dining room table, I am transported back to what it felt like to dwell in warm comforting child-constructed space. Hope Slaughter remembers well and bring her memories alive in A Cozy Place, so alive in fact that when I shared this book with my daughter, she dragged pillows and blankets from all over the house to build her own snug palace. Ms. Slaughter's book is more than a warm snuggly book, for this setting becomes the backdrop for a story of early friendship. Roberta is the young protagonist's best friend. They have built forts of every type imaginable and have filled these child havens with drawing, reading, food and fun. Until they argue over the best cozy place, part ways and then the young heroine finds that no place can be made cozy. Finally, Roberta reappears armed with makings for an all new fort and both girls discover that it is the friendship more than the actual place that makes them contented. Illustrator Susan Torrence is masterful at setting the environment. Pictures are filled with teddy-bears, books, cookies, and kittens--- all the things that make for warmth. Her choice of details will charm you back to your secret places and help you intiate this fun in your child's life. Ms. Torrence brings the relationship of the girls alive as well. With soft watercolors and recognizable images she captures a special time of childhood where one felt deeply the magic of cozy and the uneasiness when it was missing. Ages 3-8. (Red Hen Press, 1990)

It is never too early for a parent to begin addressing issues that arise in a child's life. One of the most difficult tasks of toddlers is balancing independence and reassurance. This is also one of the most difficult tasks for parents. In Audrey Wood's Oh My Baby Bear, protagonist Baby Bear learns with great enthusiasm and joy the arts of self-dressing, feeding, playing. He is transformed into Little Bear and yet, at night the Mama and Papa still tuck him in, read to him and kiss him because a young bear is never too old for that comforting family ritual. Ms. Wood's illustrations show her respect for the energy of young growing and the wisdom of parents who know how to support an emerging personality. (HBJ, 1990)

Francess Lantz's The Truth About Making Out is the story of Amanda and Leigh, two friends who have shared spy games and now wonder about games of the heart. They are twelve year olds, on the bottom rung of middle school, and want to know how to handle men skillfully like their older sisters. From kissing pillows to taking romance quizes, to spying at make-out locales, the girls repeat the trials and questioning young women have always faced as they confront their sexual awakening. Ms. Lantz's situations are as ridiculous as most young girls find themselves in and the final awarenesses are well-drawn. Neither Amanda or Leigh will be able to go through this period of their lives with grace and understanding (has any young teen?) for it is in fact the bumbling and stumbling that are the truth they are searching for. Francess Lantz has told the truth about the truth with humor and empathy. (Bantam, 1990)