“Loon Baby”

Growing up is not an easy business. There are countless times of insecurity; times when a child worries about being lost, not fitting in and concerns of finding one's place in the world.

Today's reviewed books address these kinds of anxieties and fears in a variety of ways. Ask your local librarian to direct you to others. Reading books together on this subject can often help assure children that they are not alone in their struggles, and in that process another valuable idea is imparted — when we need answers, we can often find those answers through the words of others, both written and oral.

The following book is available at many public libraries.<B>“Thunder from the Sea” </B>by Joan Hiatt Harlow, McElderry Books, 256 pages; read aloud: age 8 and older; read yourself: age 9 to 10 and older.In 1929, 13-year-old Tom Campbell had lived the last ten years of his life at an orphanage in Newfoundland. When fisherman Enoch Murray and his wife, Fiona, ask the orphanage for a boy to come live with them on Back o' the Moon Island and work with Enoch, the orphanage sends Tom.Tom has always wanted a family and a dog, and Enoch and Fiona are very kind and good to Tom. Tom thinks maybe he has found the family he has longed for, and adding to his good fortune, Tom rescues a Newfoundland dog from the sea, names him Thunder, and the two become the best of friends. But when Fiona becomes pregnant and word comes that Thunder's owner has been found, Tom is crestfallen. Will the Murray's still want Tom once their baby is born, and will Thunder be taken away from him as well?Beautifully written, “Thunder from the Sea” strongly echoes what it means to be a family and what it is to love and be loved in return.

<B>Library:</B> Mars Public Library, 107 Grand Ave., Mars<B>Library Director:</B> Mary Jo Simons<B>Choices this week: “Ready or Not, Dawdle Duckling”</B> by Toni Buzzeo; <B>“When I'm Big” </B>by Tim Drury; <B>“Chocolate Island”</B> by Karen Dolby

The following books are available at favorite bookstores.<B>“Small Saul” </B>written and illustrated by Ashley Spires, Kids Can Press, 2011, 32 pages, $16.95 hardcover; read aloud: age 5 and older; read yourself: age 7 to 8.Ever since Small Saul was a child, he loved the ocean and dreamed of a life at sea. When he was old enough, he tried to join the Navy but they wouldn't have him; he was too short. Enrolling in Pirate College, and even though there were some courses he wasn't very good at, eventually Small Saul received his Pirate Diploma.Small Saul finally found a pirate ship that took him on board. But the captain and other crew members quickly realized that there was something different about Small Saul, who preferred to redecorate the cabins and create delicious meals rather than engage in battle and brandish his sword. At last, the captain had had enough, and he pushed Small Saul overboard.Not long thereafter, the captain and crew had a new realization: “Small Saul may not have been your average pirate, but he tried his best. He had made their ship a home. Just like treasure, Small Saul was rare.” Now the only thing they needed to do was find Small Saul…A very amusing story, “Small Saul” also delivers important messages about acceptance, compassion and making room for others, including those different from ourselves.<B>“Loon Baby”</B> by Molly Beth Griffin, illustrated by Anne Hunter, Houghton Mifflin, 2011, 32 pages, $16.99 hardcover; read aloud: age 2 to 3; read yourself: age 6 to 7.A baby loon lived with his mother in a warm nest by a small lake in the great north woods. One day they left the nest, swam out to the middle of the lake, and Mama Loon dove deep under the rippling waves to find dinner for Loon Baby.Loon Baby waited and floated and paddled. But after a long time, Loon Baby began to worry. Mama Loon had never been gone so long before. Loon Baby was tired and hungry and lonely and lost. Would Mama Loon ever return?A perfect rendering in both text and illustration of what it is to feel lost and then found, “Loon Baby” excels in every way.Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached at her website: www.greatestbooksforkids.com.

?Small Saul?