The World through Children's Books by Stan Susan; Hearne Betsy;

Author:Stan, Susan; Hearne, Betsy;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Published: 2002-05-14T16:00:00+00:00

New Zealand

345. Boock, Paula. Dare Truth or Promise. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Originally published by Longacre Press in 1997. ISBN 0-395-97117-9. 180p. (14 up). Novel.

In this beautifully written love story, two teenagers overcome homophobia, both external and internal, and after much pain and turmoil, embrace their lesbian identities. In one remarkable scene, a priest advises one of them to not be concerned with literal interpretations of the Bible, adding, “I think love comes from God. And so, to turn away from love, real love, it could be argued, is to turn away from God” (p. 158). The Boston: Houghton Mifflin edition includes a Kiwi glossary. 1998 New Zealand Post Children’s Book of the Year; Esther Glen Award Shortlist, 1998. fd

346. Cowley, Joy. The Rusty, Trusty Tractor. Illustrated by Olivier Dunrea. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills, 1999. ISBN 1-56397-565-3. 34p. (7-9). Picture book.

Mr. Hill, the implement dealer, laughs at Granpappy’s old tractor and makes a bet with him that it won’t last through the next planting and harvesting seasons. Grandson Micah watches his Granpappy plow up his field: “The tractor crawled along, chugga, chugga, chugga, like an old fishing boat, brown waves curling up behind the plow.” When it’s time to bale the hay, Micah worries that the tractor isn’t big enough to pull the baler, but Granpappy talks to it like he would a favorite horse and the “rusty, trusty tractor shuddered across that field, dragging the big baling machine.” Granpappy not only wins the bet, but also delivers Mr. Hill’s comeuppance when he and his old tractor pull Mr. Hill’s car out of the mud. The watercolor illustrations accurately capture farming and farm machinery. chs

347. Cowley, Joy. Starbright and the Dream Eater. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. First published by New York: Viking Penguin (N.Z.) in 1998. ISBN 0-06-028419-6. 199p. (12 up). Novel.

An outbreak of spindle sickness (named after the spell in “Sleeping Beauty”) has mystified doctors and scientists alike. Some say it is a plan by aliens to take over the planet. It began in South America, has appeared in Africa and Australia, and now is in two neighboring small towns in Missouri. Each of the sites is connected: an Argentinian astronomer records an intergalactic warning sent in the language of an ancient indigenous group; an American journalist in South America on another assignment hears about it and investigates; the journalist has a twin, an obstetrics nurse, who delivers the child destined to thwart the plan. While the plot is hard to swallow, the character of the child, Starbright, and the circumstances of her birth are strong enough to pull the reader along. ss

348. Mahy, Margaret. A Summery Saturday Morning. Illustrated by Selina Young. New York: Viking, 1998. Originally published by Hamish Hamilton in 1998. ISBN 0-670-87943-6. 28p. (1-6). Picture book.

A rhyming text that begs to be read aloud describes all the unexpected adventures that ensue when the children take the dogs down the wiggly track on a summery Saturday morning. Lively watercolors follow as the children, dogs, cat, and geese interact along the beach.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.