This book is obviously didactic, but it should be of some use to liberal-minded parents who want to encourage their kids to think about these issues. However, parents should be aware that although the cover says ages 10 and up, everything about the book, including the reading level and the cover illustration, would tend to make anyone over 11 find it babyish. I'd say the most effective age would be 8 to 10, possibly younger if they're strong readers with a philosophical bent. There's also a lengthy poetry section which is sure to be of zero interest to most kids, and I think the vocabulary in many of the poems is going to be beyond their capabilities. I was also really disappointed that the… Read more
"Get up, Little Elephant. This is your birthday! You are four years old." These are some of the first lines spoken in one of my childhood favorites, a Junior Elf picture book about a very special birthday. Little Elephant is woken by his mother, who informs him that it is his birthday and that they will be going on a birthday walk to see their friends. At the end of the walk, she promises, there will be a wonderful surprise. So Little Elephant and his mother set off, stopping to say hello to a giraffe, a hippopotamus, and a monkey. They all wish him a happy birthday, and the monkey gives him a banana. Finally, Little Elephant and his mother walk up a steep hill, and when they reach the top,… Read more
"On a farm, in a barnyard, just over the way, lived a pony named Alfred -- who couldn't say neigh." This is the opening line to one of my favorite childhood picture books, an adorable Whitman Tell-a-Tale about a little pony who is different from the others. As hard as he may try, Alfred simply can't make the sound that other ponies make. He can imitate the sounds of all the other animals in the barnyard, but when it comes to saying neigh, he's thrown for a loop. Although discouraged by his lack of neighing, Alfred perks up during a visit to the village fair, where, lo and behold, there's a contest that makes use of all his different abilities. No one even notices that he doesn't say neigh,… Read more
