Read books with important messages

Children think about everything, have many questions and are eager to have answers. This is how a child grows and can gain some control over his or her world. If there isn't an adult to help answer questions, children will do their best to make up their own answers and solutions. Sometimes that works. Sometimes it doesn't.

Books can play an important role in this process. In some cases, answers to questions can be found in a book. In other cases, a book can be thought provoking and encourage children to look at things in a different way to find what they are seeking — and sometimes, discover something new they hadn't thought of. In all cases, a good book allows the child to expand and grow.

Read together with children every day and be the one they come to for answers and guidance. If that is what you experienced growing up, you know how important that is. If you didn't have an adult you could count on, you know the frustration, loneliness and consequences of being left to your own devices. All children deserve a caring adult — make the commitment to be that person.

Books to Borrow

The following book is available at many public libraries.

"The Three Questions" written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth, Scholastic Press, 32 pages

Read aloud: age 6 — 7 and older

Read yourself: age 8 and older

There once was a boy named Nikolai. He wanted to be a good person but didn't always know the right way to go about that. Nikolai felt that if he could find answers to his three questions, then he would always know what to do.

Nikolai's friends tried to help him answer his questions, giving their best advice, but Nikolai wasn't satisfied. Finally, he decided to ask Leo, a wise old turtle. "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Nikolai asked. Rather than answering Nikolai directly, Leo patiently waited for the answers to reveal themselves to the boy, and they did.

Based on a short story by Leo Tolstoy, "The Three Questions" is Jon J. Muth's adaptation for a younger audience, providing a powerful and important message about compassion, seeking the truth and having faith in yourself.

Librarian's Choice

Library: Sutter County Library, 750 Forbes Ave., Yuba City

Library Director: Roxanna Parker

Children's Librarian: Chalese Valdez

Choices this week: "John, Paul, George and Ben" by Lane Smith; "L is for Library" by Sonya Terry; "Mouse Paint" by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Books to Buy

The following books are available at your favorite bookstores.

"What If Everybody Did That?" by Ellen Javernick, illustrated by Colleen M. Madden, Marshall Cavendish, 2010, 32 pages, $12.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 3 — 4 and older

Read yourself: age 7 — 8

What if everybody raced their grocery carts through the store, or threw their soda cans out the window of the car, or talked during story time? Sometimes kids don't think that their one action is a big deal. But if everybody did the same, life could be chaotic, and this book encourages children to think about that and to follow the rules.

A clever book about actions and consequences, "What If Everybody Did That?" is well executed and a great teaching tool for kids.

"The Pirate of Kindergarten" by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Lynne Avril, Atheneum, 2010, 40 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 4 and older

Read yourself: age 7 — 8

Ginny loved reading circle at school. But reading was hard for Ginny. When Ginny looked at a letter, she saw two letters. When she looked at a word, she saw the same word twice. Everything Ginny looked at was doubled, but Ginny thought everyone saw things the way she did until vision screening day at school. That was when Ginny learned she had a problem with her eyesight — one that could be fixed with a cool pirate eye patch!

"The Pirate of Kindergarten" helps readers understand about vision problems in an upbeat, intelligent, fun way.

Kendal A. Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached at kendal@sunlink.net.