PICK OF THE LITERATURE
— by Dr. Donna Phillips
O
nce upon a time there was
a little boy… but he was no
ordinary little boy. That lit-
tle boy was YOU! Yes, you were a little
boy with an imagination, and curiosity,
and cleverness, and talents and dreams!
At this time of year, we celebrate that
little boy who turned into a man. That
man may have a son or daughter with
whom he spends his time and attention,
often forgetting that he was once a child.
What kind of child were you? Do you
see yourself in your children and their
interests and talents? Do you ever see
yourself in the books they read or you
read to them? Have you ever looked for
books that may help them understand
what you were like when you were lit-
tle? Regardless of whether that answer
is yes or no, here are some books that
might speak to your inner child. Llama Loves to Read (Viking Publish-
ers, New York, 2018, $17.99), written by
Anna Dewdney and Reed Duncan and
illustrated by JT Morrow. Little Llama
is learning to read and he is working
hard at it. Almost every day his teach-
er teaches him more about how letters
make words, words make sentences, and
sentences make stories. He learns that
some words are hard and some are easy.
He learns about stories and songs and
how much fun libraries are. But most of
all he learns how stories and books can
bring family and friends together. This is
a great book to share with your children
who are learning how to read, and it is
the perfect time for you to share what
it was like for you, especially if you
struggled to be a reader. Your struggles
will not only give your children hope but
confidence, as well.
Were you a child who liked to read?
Did your family and teachers celebrate
your interests and abilities? Do you
encourage your children to be readers,
too? If so, then you will love Llama Were you the kind of child who
was an expert on everything… or at
least you thought you were? Max, in
Max Explains Everything – Grocery
Store Expert (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New
16 WNY Family June 2018
York, 2018, $16.99), written by Stacy
McAnulty and illustrated by Deborah
Hocking, is one of those kids. In fact,
he is an expert on just about everything!
In this case, it is grocery shopping. He
knows about how to get out of going,
but if you do go, how to select the best
cart, the most efficient way to shop, free
samples, how to behave to get the treats
you want, and pretty much all there is to
know about shopping and surviving the
experience. What is most telling about
Max is that he learned all of this by do-
ing it! Yes, Max is one of those kinds of
kids, perhaps much like you when you
were little. I have no doubt that this book
and others about Max will help you share
your childhood learning adventures with
your children… well… most of them!
Were you the child that marched to
the beat of a different drum? Were you
different and you did not really care?
Were you confident, and creative, and
non-conformist? If so, then One of a
Kind (Nancy Paulsen Books, New York,
2018, $17.99), written and illustrated by
Chris Gorman, is the book for you and
your children. Gorman was one of those
children who was always different in
the way he dressed, the music he liked,
and the way he expressed himself. He
liked being different but he sometimes
felt lonely. That was until he found oth-
ers who were a little different too — that
way they could be different together!
This book celebrates the courage and
creativity of children that are a little bit
different. The beauty of this is that be-
ing different when you are little can be a
great advantage when you grow up. This
would be a wonderful book to help your
children understand you, and perhaps
even better understand themselves. After
all, talent does run in families!