Kneeknock Rise, by Natalie Babbit

Title: Kneeknock Rise
Author: Natalie Babbit
Publisher: Square Fish by Macmillan.
ISBN: 0312370091

I must admit, I think Kneeknock Rise is Babbit's weakest book. Yet in 1971 it won a Newbery Medal for outstanding Children's fiction. Tuck Everlasting is a vastly superior story, and The Search for Delicious, though not as good as Tuck, was my favorite book in childhood. All that being said, Knee Knock Rise is a thrilling adventure for any 3rd--5th grade reader. Its story is dulled by preaching, however, and in that lies my main critique.

The story centers on young boy visiting his Aunt and Uncle during the Instep Fair. Instep is a town at the foot of a Mountain, which is haunted by a strange and fickle being they call the Megramum. Whenever a storm approaches, the Megramum becomes terribly agitated, and makes howling and shrieking noises. The town folk of Instep, capitalizing on their monster in a yearly fair, are both afraid and proud of the Megramum--but never curious enough to go up and discover who or what it really is.

Let me give this story away for you, o Parent. The Megramum, as the boy and his uncle discover, is really just a sulfur spring inside a cave, which for some scientific reason I missed makes noises that echo on the hillside whenever a storm comes. If anyone had been bold enough to brave the fog and climb the mountain, they would have discovered this just as our curious hero and his seemingly crazy uncle discover.

Up until this point the story is a ripping good adventure, with moments of terror, and also charming familial touches that bring warmth to the characters. The townsfolk are a little silly in their superstitions about the Megramum, but they are not entirely ridiculous, and the howling certainly is scary. Meanwhile the boys natural curiosity is a good trait, and every reader cheers for him as he perseveres in his climb up the mountain.

As soon as we discover that there is a perfectly natural explanation for the Megramum, however, Babbit makes it clear who's side she is really on. By the end of the book we know that anyone who believes in something he does not investigate or understand is a fool. Curiosity and logic are the marks of the wise man (who looks foolish in the eyes of believers), and wise men are always treated as foolish by blind believers.

While there is nothing, technically, wrong with the premise that the wise are often perceived as fools, and that not all those who believe want to understand, I would never take it to the extreme that Babbit does. The only believers in her world believe in nonsense. The reader regards them as stubborn fools--the worst kind of fools, the ones who don't care that what they see is untrue. In reading this book as an adult, I see Babbitt playing the role of the Philosopher, descending back into the cave, revealing to us all that what we once believed but did not know is merely shadowplay and lies. All faith is false, because it fails to see the fullness of reality, and it fails to be logical, scientific, and reasonable. Worst of all, faith is not curious.

Augustine, dear St. Augustine, reminds us that true faith seeks understanding. If faith is not both curious, and grounded in reason, then it is truly foolish, but not all faith is so groundless. The townsfolk of Instep are indeed fools, for they idolize out of fear and pride, not out of wonder and curiosity. The Mergamum is indeed a golden calf--a precious lie they hold on to and treasure--but that does not mean that all who believe in something are fools.

I wouldn't mind so much if all this preaching hadn't gotten in the way of the story. I also don't think that one should censor this book; Babbit is a fine writer, and it is a fun story. Like all things you give to your child, you should read it yourself, and discuss it with them. I don't know a better way to introduce these perennial questions than with a story, even if its a faulty one.

The Paraclete Treasury of Angel Stories

Title: The Paraclete Treasury of Angel Stories
Author: Mary Joslin
Illustrator: Elena Temporin
Publisher: Paraclete Press, 2008
ISBN: 1557255725


Another week, another baby born. Actually, a couple weeks ago, there were three babies born, and I found out my dear friend was also having twins. It was a big day! So I have more excuses for finding good books as baptismal presents. For Gianna Marie, who was baptized yesterday, I picked up this beautiful "treasury" of angel stories.

Mary Joslin has long been a favorite. As far as I can tell she sticks primarily to religious subjects; I first discovered her illustrated life of Mary, Mother of Jesusin a little bookstore in Quebec City, and would have bought it on the spot were it not in French.

In this book she turns her attention to the different biblical stories concerning angels, as well as prayers and saying about angels, working with the incredibly talented Elena Temporin. The illustration above accompanies several "Night-time Angel" prayers, including:

Keep watch, dear God, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep
--St. Augustine

She doesn't use the biblical language, which is too bad, but the retodl stories are very lovely. She brings in more details of daily life for those biblical figures who met with angels. My particular favorite example of this concerns the shepherds on Christmas night:

"At last--I've got a flame going," said the second [shepherd. He stood up wearily. "We'll need it--see that snow blowing in."

He went to fetch another meagre bundle of firewood. Just as the fire sprang to life, a sharp gust of wind brought a scattering of snowflakes whirling through the air.

"Here comes the blizzard," he said. "I've never seen such snow. It's like the heavens have opened.

All at once, the crystal flakes were lit with gold. There in the middle of the dark winter night danced an angel, as merry and graceful as a flame of fire.

The beauty of Angel stories is that through the angels God protects us and guides us in all aspects of our daily life. Joslin's added details about the mundane things of life (getting more firewood, etc.) bring these stories to life. Paired with Temporin's graceful illustrations, this book really is a treasure.

Zoo in the Sky

Title: Zoo In The Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations
Author: Jacqueline Mitton
Illustrator: Christina Balit
Publisher: National Geographic Society
ISBN: 079227069X

There is only one thing to do after dark on a summer night. Watch the stars. Ok, it's true, with short nights, its a little hard for the kids to stay up late enough to go star gazing, but all the same--star gazing is wonderful wonderful thing to do, and you should start when the kids are young because stars are awesome!

One of these days (very soon!) I'm going to be doing a detailed post about my very favorite star gazing book, but today I want to share with you this lovely illustrated book about the animal constellations in the night sky. Published by the National Geographic Society (they have kids books?!), Zoo In The Skyfeatures elegant prose describing the different constellations (from Swan to hare to Dragon), and some of their more exemplar stars:

THE WHALE is the greatest of all living creature. He is one of the largest in the sky, too. A monstrous size, he is sometimes called the Sea Monster. On the Whale's back you find Mira, the marvelous star. See how red it glows by his fin. Mira keeps dimming till it disappears; then little by little it brightens once more. About a year later it's back, bright as ever, only to face again.

The end papers have lovely black and white sketches of the skies of the northern AND southern skies. (I love it when the add the southern sky--it has some remarkable constellations, and something to look forward to if we ever happen to venture to Australia.) Balit was raised in the near east, and she manages to weave her culture into her lively paintings.

Mitton has her PhD from Cambridge in Astronmomy, and has written 12 books for Children about astronomy. She is a true authority, and makes each constellation and star come alive. She gives just the right amount of details for a young child--this picture book is a wonderful introduction to some very faithful companions.There's plenty to get lost in in this beautiful book--but the best benefit of all is to get lost in the actual nighttime sky.

Bonus; there are sequels:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Title: The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Author: Elizabeth George Speare
Publisher: Laurel Leaf/Mass Market Paperback

I won't make excuses--but one of the reasons I have not been posting so often is that I have been busy reading chapter books instead of picture books. I'm rediscovering the favorites of my youth. (Though, I admit, I am doing this partly because I am procrastinating on my other reading project.) So, I picked up the popular historic novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond. I remembered nothing of this story, except the scene at the beginning where our heroine dives into the freezing river, and everyone says shes a witch because she can swim. And I remembered that I loved it.

It tells the story of a young girl, Kit, brought up in Barbados by her wise and gentle Grandfather, who travels to live in Connecticut with her Aunt when her grandfather dies. Her Aunt, Uncle, and cousins, the crippled and kind Mercy, and the sanguine Judith are all Puritans, and their hard days of work, followed by long Sundays spent in church are difficult for the wild and passionate Kit--everything in this world is foreign to her, and all her seemingly innocent actions fail.

Eventually Kit befriends "the Witch" of Blackbird Pond--though she's not a witch at all, but merely an old Quaker woman, Hannah, who teaches Kit to thrive and be at peace in her strange new home. Meanwhile, a nasty woman stirs up trouble trying to claim that Kit is a Witch herself, because she can swim.

There's a rough sketch of the story. I love it for two reasons: 1) The portrayal of the period and cultures is richly detailed and multi dimensional and 2) it not only speaks to the yearnings of a young girls heart, but it also provides a good antidote to the teenage girlish longing.

Compared to her Puritan cousins, Kit is passionate, willful, dreaming, and, in many ways a fish-out-of-water. Every action that seems natural to her is flamboyant or awkward, the same way her satin dresses are flashy and bad for doing chores. What young teenager doesn't feel in some way out of place? That's a huge part of growing up.

But, as the story progresses, Kit learns to control her self (to grow up) and act prudently, without ever diminishing her passion for life, her dedication to her family, or her compassion for those less fortunate than her. She is a fiercely loyal friend. Plus there is a healthy dose of innocent love.

I think one would be hard pressed to find a 12 or 13 year old girl who doesn't see some of herself in Kit. And I'll bet any 12 or 13 year old girl would find a lot to learn from and delight in Kit's story.

Quote of the Day: Pinky Pye, by Eleanor Estes

Uncle Bennie began to suck his thumb. Everynight he tried to not suck his thumb, but every night there was a reason for him to have to suck his thumb--robbers of kittens, broken ankles, wind, something. He had Managed to give up pulling on Bubbah, his old piece of blanket that he liked to tickle his nose with while he was sucking his thumb. He had given Bubbah to his littlest bear for keeps. But he had decided one thing at a time, and he still sucked his thumb.

--Concening Uncle Bennie's 4th Birthday Resolution to stop sucking his thumb, from Pinky Pyeby Eleanor Estes.

John, Paul, George, and Ben

Title: John, Paul, George, and Ben
Author and Illustrator: Lane Smith
Publisher: Hyperion, 2006
ISBN: 9780786848935

(I should have posted this on Saturday; you know I meant to.)

John, Paul, George, and Ben is really one of the silliest history picture books--and that's why it is so great. A BCCB Blue Ribbon award winner, and one of the New York Times Best Illustrated books for 2006, this tongue in cheek story of the boyhood adventures of our founding fathers John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin (And Thomas Jefferson) is one of the best American history picture books around. It is not terribly profound, nor is it always factual. But it is awfully fun.

(Also, just to be safe, there is a true/false section in the back of the book. That way you know whether Paul Revere really was a bell ringer, and if “before fun was invented, people joined bell-ringing clubs.”)

Cheaper by the Dozen

Title: Cheaper by the Dozen
Author: Frank Gilbreth Jr, and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Publisher: Harper Collins

As I said yesterday, I've been making a fool of myself while riding the metro. I sit straight, dignified and business-like, in my suit and heels, hold my book up, and immerse myself in it. And within minutes all dignity is lost as a wide grin spreads across my face and then I burst, laughing out loud. What was I reading that brought such delight and wasn't spoilt by the hot crowded train? Cheaper by the Dozenof course.

I don't actually know if I have read this before. I can't imagine that I skipped it, but my only strong memories of this story are from the play adaption that our middle school performed. I was the maid, and I hated every moment I was on stage, but I loved the rush of excitement of the show. The oldest daughter, Anne, was played by Anna Hatke, and she was perfect--perhaps partly because she was going through the same fights for makeup and clothing and music at the time with her own parents. In Anne, we both found comfort and courage--not that our rebellions, or hers, were all that bad in the grand scheme of things.

I won't pretend that a family of 12, with a rotund and energetic efficiency engineer (say that five times fast) for a father is like any other family, but I will say that this story endures because it is, in some ways, universal. I have no idea what it would be like to live with 11 siblings, but I do remember pretending not to like being kissed by aunts and uncles, and being most mischevious when I should have been on my best behavior. Frank and Ernestine (#5 and #2 respectively) have the perfect tone in their storytelling; they are always honest and happy.

Of course, Mr. Gilbreth is the centerpiece of the story as he was of the family. And Mr. Gilbreth is singular--I don't think there was another man on earth like him. He's bold, willful, hot tempered and strict, but he also adores children, his children especially, and is over the top in love with his wife, Lillian. He wanted his children to learn all the time (morse code painted on the walls, language records while washing in the morning.) But he was willing, always, to learn from and listen to his children. No one enjoyed a joke more, but, he was often the butt of his children's jokes too. I think more than anything I love the why his children remember him. In this over-therapized everything-thats-wrong-with-someone-can-be-traced-back-to-a-bad-parent it is so refreshing to see a father who was genuinely loved and respected, faults and all.

The stories are hilarious read aloud, but it is also a good book for a 4/5th grader to read on his own. If I ever was lucky enough to be a parent, I think I'd memorize this book. The fact is, adults should read this book as much and children. You just might find yourself laughing out-loud on the metro.