André Gide once wrote, “One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” That powerful statement can apply to endless things, including the central theme found in the books reviewed today — what and where is home. Young and old alike may occasionally imagine something that would be better than present reality.
Sometimes that is true, but not always. Help kids look at this idea from several sides of the coin. Read.
Books to borrow The following book is available at many public libraries. “The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas” by David Almond, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, Candlewick, 244 pages Read aloud: age 9 and older. Read yourself: age 10 – 11 and older.
Young Stanley Potts had a bit of a rough start. His parents had passed away, but Stan had come to love his Auntie Annie and his Uncle Ernie, with whom he lived. One day, however, Uncle Ernie went totally bonkers, canning fish in their house.
He set up a factory and had Stan helping him almost 24/7. The day Ernie went too far with it all, Stan knew what he had to do: he left. Stan soon took a job with a traveling carnival, first as a helper to Dostoyevsky and his plastic floating “Hook-a-Duck” stall, then as the “next in line” to legendary Pancho Pirelli — the man who swam with piranhas.
Stan trained hard, yet what he needed most was to believe in himself. An incredibly creative, intelligent blending of humor, doses of wisdom peppered throughout, and m.
