The Children's Bookshelf

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DR. SUE  ANN  MARTIN
Sue Ann Martin is a professor in the department of Communication and Dramatic Arts and is the founding and past Dean of the School of Communication and Fine Arts at Central Michigan University, first became interested in children’s literature when she wrote her Ph.D thesis on the oral characteristics of the Caldecott Award-winning children’s books. Her Ph.D is in Speech and Interpretation with a cognate in Early Childhood Education. She went on to review children’s books for The Detroit Free Press, write three popular resource books for teachers regarding children’s books and the creative process and reviewed newly- published books for Arts Almanac Specials. Her 2002 children’s books special for CMU Public Radio won a Merit Award in Special Interest Programming from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. QUOTE: Reading books aloud to young children is one of the most satisfying ways to introduce them to the beautiful sounds and lilts of the language, to the wonders of the world, to the excitement of suspense and to the pleasure of concentration while at the same time bonding with the child in a genuine, long lasting way. My mother did the same with me as she read hours and hours of Robert Louis Stevenson poems.

As one would expect from any Amelia Bedelia tale, Valentine’s Day cards are fraught with puzzling issues if one relates to the world in only literal ways as does Amelia.  When she sees a picture of a “broken” heart, Amelia’s answer is to put a band aid on it.  When another card says “sealed with a kiss”, it must have a picture of a seal on it—which she immediately adds.  And, when yet another refers to someone being a “cutie pie”…well one can just imagine what Amelia sees.  Amelia becomes thoroughly confused when her father tries to explain about love and “Cupid,”  since she knows that baby’s don’t have wings OR bows and arrows.  All of these issues continue to challenge Amelia during her school party; but as one also knows, Amelia Bedelia is able to make sense of the most confusing events in her own way.  Her loving nature and good heart  emerge in this younger version of Amelia Bedelia and readers will enjoy the innocence that is Amelia Bedelia.

The story of Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine’s Day celebration at school is full of the humor and silliness one would expect to find in any book about Amelia Bedelia and Lynne Avril’s illustrations of pencil and gouache extend the humor with color and clarity—which is always a fun twist for Amelia Bedelia tales.
Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine, written by Herman Parish and illustrated by Lynne Avril, is a playful introduction to the delightful character of Amelia Bedelia who has been a favorite of young readers for nearly half a century.  This creation is appropriate for ages 4 to 8.

Parish, Herman.  Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine.  Illustrated by Lynne Avril.  New York: Greenwillow Books, 2009.

Discussion Questions for Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine

THE LITTLE PRINCE Deluxe Pop Up Book written and illustrated by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry and translated from the French by Richard Howard is one of the most fascinating pop-up books on the market today. The charming and thoughtful story of the Little Prince and his visits to seven planets is ideally suited to the pop up format.  The Little Prince in three dimension with his golden hair curled about his face, his shiny black boots firmly planted and his cut away green and red coat caught open at the waist by his sword is a fuller and richer visual experience than he has ever been before.

Published in 1943, the classic story recounts the narrator-aviator’s meeting with the Little Prince when the pilot’s plane crashes in the Sahara Desert. The Little Prince is a gently- sad little fellow who leaves his small planet, Asteroid B 612, in search of people when his little flower begins to make him very unhappy.

He asks a great many questions of the characters he meets including a foolish businessman who thinks he owns all of the stars as long as he continually counts them and writes the mathematical total on a slip of paper and locks it in a box, a vain man who translates everything that he hears as praise of himself, a king whose absolute power is based on only giving commands that coincide with what people are already doing and a lamplighter who is eternally strapped to outdated work orders and a misshapen sense of duty.

 All along the narrator and the Little Prince seem to hold the same opinion about adults: namely, “that grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children to have to provide explanations over and over again.”  The Prince’s simple ideas about human nature are attractive, charming and universally true. His opinions about friendship, loneliness, power, love and what he calls “ serious work” are as captivating as they are idealistic. There is a lot to think about in this classic including the wisdom of the fox ------“ you become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed”.

THE LITTLE PRINCE has been translated into over 100 languages and transformed into various media creations including recordings, symphonies, musicals and television shows.

THE LITTLE PRINCE Deluxe Pop-Up Book written and illustrated by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry and translated by Richard Howard is ideal for older children 10 years of age and up (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009).

This is Sue Ann Martin for THE CHILDREN’S BOOKSHELF

Discussion Questions for The Little Prince