Kid Lit Round-Up: May 15, 2010

There's nothing like books that add excitement to a genre, and kid-lit is no different than others. Donner The Western Dragon: A Hero's Tale is an exciting addition to children's literature. Both gentle and heroic, it is beautifully illustrated and lovingly presented.

Pork Chop brings us a hero of a different species, and lessons on how to be our very best.

Dreams of another kind are fulfilled in I Can't Wait to Meet You, a children's story that explains IVF in an approachable, non-icky way.

So many children’s stories are about problems that surface as part of everyday life; many deal with moral issues like truth-telling or greed. Children, through discussion with adults, can learn much about their responsibilities and what is expected of them through these stories.

 It’s refreshing to read an old-fashioned, heroic fairy tale reminiscent of Grimm or Andersen. Donner the Western Dragon is such a story. Perhaps the title suggests something about cowboys, since Donner is awestern dragon, but western dragons are fierce, fire-breathing beasts. Conversely, eastern dragons are peaceful and serene. Poor Donner is a frustration to his family because he seems more eastern than western.

Because he is different, Donner faces a number of obstacles. His father and brother think he is a disappointment and the other dragon kids make fun of him. Donner doesn’t play dragon games and breathe fire on everyone and everything; he’d prefer to enjoy quiet meadows and butterfly-gazing. While most dragons his age use up their fire on a daily basis, Donner barely breathes a spark.  His best friend is a sweet unicorn of similar temperament. They live in the mountains and enjoy their natural setting.

This is a story about a misfit, but a well-adjusted misfit. Donner doesn’t take it to heart when other dragons laugh at him; he thinks they waste their time and fire playing games. He enjoys things that others ignore, and he’s comfortable with that.

One day all of the young unicorns and dragons — except Donner — are playing together and decide to enter an enormous cave. They play hide-and-seek, and the dragons carve pictures in the walls with their fiery breath. They don’t notice how fast the time flies by, and as it gets late the dragons use up their fire. Just as they're ready to go home to their lairs, tragedy strikes.

An avalanche traps all the young unicorns and dragons inside the cave, and another avalanche is threatening. The unicorns beseech the dragons to burn their way out, but they can’t; they have no fire. When the adults learn of their fate they go to the caves, but the dragons can’t do much because they are old and used up their fire in their youth.

It’s up to one little misfit to save the day. Donner attempts a rescue, ever-mindful that another avalanche is imminent so he must proceed with caution. Will Donner be able to save the dragons and unicorns? Will he himself get hurt? Do you really want to know? Read the book!

 Donner the Western Dragon is an exciting story for children who will surely identify with the dragon who doesn’t quite fit in. It’s never too early to learn that it’s okay to be different, and that even if we are, we can still be accepted and appreciated.

Bottom Line: Would I buy Donner the Western Dragon? Yes, it’s a wonderful fantasy for kids.

Alliteration can be demanding; we’ve all learned that lesson by repeating a variety of phrases “five times fast.” Whether it’s “She sells seashells,” or Peter Piper picking a peck of pickled pumpkins (what kind of freak pickles pumpkins, anyway?), alliterative rhymes haunt our childhood. Alliteration is popular in character names as well; two of my favorites are Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Authors like using alliterative names for people and places, and (al)literally thousands of them can be found in literature.

Pork Chop, author David Edminister’s entry into juvenile fiction, is a story filled with alliteration. The author is thanked for not overdoing it — too much alliteration and we find ourselves stumbling over passages rather than enjoying the intellectual challenge they offer. There is more wordplay at work Pork Chop, as well, including puns and plays on words.

The story itself is simple; Porter, a little pig, becomes an adolescent pig, but as he grows up his favorite story (The Three Little Pigs) becomes the stuff of nightmares. Whereas he once reveled in his mother’s repeated readings of this book (her favorite is Pygmalion), later in life it became scary food for thought. What would he do if a big, bad wolf actually did come to his door and try to eat him and his mom?

Most children can identify with Porter’s fears. As they become more self-sufficient and responsible, they worry whether they can handle things that may come up. Can they live up to everyone’s expectations and — more importantly — their own?

Porter and his mother have a few amusing exchanges; one occurs when mom tells him he shouldn’t be pigging out and gaining weight because it’s not healthy. Porter complains that all his friends are porky, and their parents don’t complain, to which mom replies, “Porter, if all your friends rooted around in the mud, would you do it, too?”

Porter decides it would be in his best interest to be trim and healthy so that if the wolf ever does appear at the door, he’ll be able to take him on. He enrolls in a porcine martial arts academy and quickly gains skills and confidence.

The night before Porter is to try out for his black belt, he faces a true test of his abilities. When the wolf is attempting to break into the home of an elderly neighbor will Porter be able to come to her rescue? What do you think?

Pork Chop fosters moral concepts and encourages readers to be the very best they can be. Within its pages, its hero suffers self-doubts, devises a method to be better able to achieve his goals, and reaps the rewards of his efforts. Yes, it’s a simple story, but it deals with complex topics.

Illustrations by Patty Edminister are reminiscent of the crayon and colored pencil work young artists produce. Their bright colors and playful attitude enhance David Edminister’s words.

Bottom Line: Would I buy Pork Chop? Yes, especially for children who are taking martial arts classes or those who struggle with confidence issues.

How far do parents need to go in explaining the facts of life, or — more specifically — “where babies come from” to young children? I Can’t Wait to Meet You is a storybook for young children that explains in vitrofertilization (IVF).

Gone are the days when kids were satisfied with vague sperm and egg stories that uncomfortable parents shared in an effort to scare their children away from sex. Since few of us have seen storks lately, or live near cabbage patches, those stories won’t wash either.

When my oldest daughter, Buffy, was about four-years-old she explained to me where she and her sister, Jenna, came from. “I know where I came from,” she announced.

Shocked, I replied “You do?” Although Buffy and Sesame Street arrived at about the same time, I didn’t think she learned the info from Cookie Monster. “Where did you come from?” I asked naively.

With the casual confidence only a four-year-old can maintain, she replied, “The moon.” She went on and described what it was like there (a big playground), and how she and Jen played with all the other children. She and her sister came to earth together, which is pretty amazing since Jen was two years younger than she. That story got me off the hook for a few years.

Claudia Santorelli-Bates has another story to tell. She tried for years to conceive and finally succeeded through IVF. Santorelli-Bates’ story has become the story of Grace and Charlie, a couple who decided to start a family. “They tried and tried…” but no baby.

Grace and Charlie visit Dr. Nelson, who explains why sometimes it’s hard to have a baby and then gives a basic course on IVF without all the icky details about body parts and stuff like that. The story is as benign as Buffy’s story about the moon, and has just as happy an ending.

Santorelli-Bates wrote the book, available online, to explain to her daughter how much she was wanted, and published so that the many children who were conceived through the help of IVF would know how badly their parents wanted them.

Caleb Sawyer’s gentle illustrations add warmth to the story, and the happy little eggs, sperm, and embryos allow children to imagine the process without getting bogged down in things they are too young to understand.

Even grandparents who are still nauseated at the thought of their own parents “doing it” will approve of this tender rendition of “where you came from.” I still like the rose garden story, though.

Bottom Line: Would I buy I Can’t Wait to Meet You? Yes, as a shower or baby gift for someone who successfully underwent the procedure.