The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

“They say he was born with his eyes open. Some of the mice pulled away from Despereaux in disgust, and others, thrill seekers, reached out to touch him with a whisker or a paw.”

Why is this sentence so memorable, why is it so powerful? I think two words are the strength of this section – thrill and whisker. All the writing in the Tale of Despereaux gives the sensation of words as jewels, sparkling on the page.

Here is another lovely example:

“The mouse father put Despereaux down on a bed made of blanket scraps. The April sun, weak but determined, shone through a castle window and from there squeezed itself through a small hole in the wall and placed one golden finger on the little mouse.”

And now we have the movie. I have such mixed feelings when a loved children’s book is made into a movie. I fear that the lovely words might be lost. I have not yet seen the movie of Despereaux by Kate Di Camillo because I wanted to re-read this beautifully written tale of heroism, mice, rats, princesses and soup. I was not disappointed by the book.

I have loved the writing of Kate DiCamillo for years since reading Because of Winn Dixie and The Tiger Rising. Both of these books are certainly in my top twenty all-time favourites list. The Tale of Despereaux is such a different genre from these two, but it is equally powerful and important.

My other fear about children’s books made into movies it that parents and children will not know there ever was a book in the first place. Many people do not know Dick King Smith wrote a simple little tale called The Sheep Pig but they have seen the movie Babe. Talking to some mums recently I discovered they were not aware Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg along with The Polar Express are also marvelous books.

Yet despite these fears I also avidly seek movies from books. Recently I saw I was a Rat by Phillip Pullman listed in a television guide and in Google videos I discovered a movie of The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey (see previous blog entry) which looks fabulous and another of Westlandia by Paul Fleischman.

One of my favourite cultural experiences in recent years is attending Little Big Shots, the film festival for children. It only runs for a few days but there are so many amazing films including many based on children’s books.

I will leave these blog musings with another quote from The Tale of Despereaux as an example of the fine language.

(The king bent over) to look more closely at Despereaux, one ear, two tears, three enormous king-sized tears fell with an audible plop onto Despereaux’s head and rolled down his back, washing away the white of the flour and revealing his own brown fur. ‘Sir. Most Very Honored Head Person, sir.’ said Despereaux as he wiped the kings tears out of his own, ‘She’s in the dungeon.’. 

If you are looking for other mouse or rat heroes you might try Poppy by Avi and all the great sequels and Time stops for no mouse by Michael Hoeye and the sequels these, like Despereaux, are books I would love to get into the hands of all children.

Time stops for no mouse

Whittington by Alan Armstrong

I am never sure if I like books where animals can talk like humans and can also talk to humans but I do like books that weave fairy tales and folk lore into their narrative so I came to the reading of Whittington by Alan Armstrong with mixed expectations.

As usual the presence of a Newbery sticker on the front cover was a great enticement to read this book. I won’t say it will make my top 10 list or even my top 100 list but I did enjoy this book. Armstrong takes the story of Dick Whittington and his cat and adds new details to the story so we can come to know this modern cat called Whittington who is an ancestor of the original (unnamed) cat.

While the story did catch my imagination I am puzzled why it was awarded a Newbery honor. The characters – human and animal are very thin and many of the events in the barn I found quite contrived.

If you like animals especially cats and ducks and have a little familiarity with the story of Dick Whittington and his cat this junior novel might appeal.

You can read more of the plot here.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Blurb: A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better — playing the piano — is impossible with her wounded hands.To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma — and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.

This week I have been seeking quotations to use in a library display and to add to my day planner to keep my spirits high in 2009. Searching on the internet for library quotes and quotes about books, research, information, reading etc I have found some really inspiring words. Last night I finished re-reading Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. Our hard back copy at school was lost last year by a Year 6 student and I wondered if we should purchase a new copy. Then I discovered I had a copy of my own so I took the time to read this wonderful novel in free verse. 

I remembered my powerful reaction to this tragedy and so I took my time with this reading, not want to confront Billie Jo’s pain all in one go. The link to all of this and my opening about quotations came as I completed my reading. 

Scholastic make editions of classic children’s books with bonus features. I mentioned this in my review of The Book Without Words by Avi. In Out of the Dust, there is a recipe for Apple Sauce, Karen Hesse's Newbery acceptance speech – more on that later, an interview with Karen, some historical details about dust storms in Colorado and the Great Depression and the struggles of farm life. 

 In the section “About the Author” Karen Hesse talks about working in a library and here is her lovely quote : 

  “Working in a library – well, I loved that the way 

I love chocolate pudding. It was truly that good.” 

I also found my self thinking of a lovely picture book Come on Rain with its lyrical language about rain and now I discover this special book is also by Karen Hesse. In Out of the Dust, Hesse totally captures the feel of those long awaited rain drops. She says: 

It started out as snow oh, big flakes floating softly, catching on my sweater lacy on the edges of my sleeves … until at last it slipped into rain light as mist it was the kindest kind of rain that fell soft then a little heavier helping along what had already fallen into the hard –pan earth until it rained, steady as a good friend who walks beside you not getting in your way staying with you through a hard time. 

 I am really glad I took the time to read this wonderful book once again and yes I will buy a new copy for my school library. As Hesse said in her Newbery speech “Reading historical fiction gives us perspective. It gives us respite from the tempest of our present-day lives. It gives us a safe place in which we can grow, transform, transcend. It helps us understand that sometimes the questions are too hard, that sometimes there are no answers, that sometimes there is only forgiveness.” 

Here is the Kirkus review.

Here a couple of other quotation gems I have found to use this year: 

One sure window into a person's soul is his reading list. Mary B. W. Tabor 

I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking something up and finding something else on the way. Franklin P. Adams 

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends: they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers. Charles W. Eliot 

At the moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold, that magic threshold into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better. Barack Obama 

I read because one life isn't enough. Richard Peck 

Knowledge is free at the library. Just bring your own container. Unknown 

My two favourite things in life are libraries and bicycles. They both move people forward without wasting anything. The perfect day: riding a bike to the library. Pete Golkin, Arlington, Virginia

How amazing to find a quote about libraries by Barack Obama.

Read only on the days you eat - seen in a school library in Canada and part of all my library communication - this is my slogan.

Read more about Out of the Dust.

I edited this post in June 2022 and can now add another splendid verse novel as a companion read:

May B, A novel

Pete and Roland by Bob Graham

Books with emotional narratives really appeal to me. Bob Graham has created a masterpiece in this little gem. Pete finds a small, blue budgie in his yard very early one morning. You can feel his quiet wonder, excitement and anticipation as the bird flops onto his hand and he takes it to show his sleepy parents. 

When they put Roland, as they now call him, into a cage the emotions change to shock and sadness. This little wild bird should not be caged. But do not fear Bob Graham quickly solves this by having Pete leave the cage door open so Roland can fly around this wonderful old-fashioned house with its wallpaper, picture rails, lamps and mirrors. We laugh when Roland “accidentally bites Peter’s Aunty quite badly on the finger” and are thoroughly enjoying the antics of this little bundle of feathers when Bob Graham packs another emotional punch telling us Roland is gone. Looking into the illustration you can clearly see what has happened, someone has left the window open.

I always stop at this point in the story and talk about the decisions authors make. Bob Graham could end this story here on a very sad note but he doesn’t. We don’t need the fairy tale ending that Pete and Roland live happily ever after, just a little hope that both can be happy. The last two pages of this book are the real masterpieces of this writing and illustrating. You need to look very carefully at the final illustration to see what has happened.

I am very sad to say this book, like so many others in my blog, is now out of print. I own a copy which I found in an old school reading storeroom and I always include it in my reading program with children in Years 1 and 2. Perhaps one day a publisher will rediscover Pete and Roland it will be published again hopefully in a larger format. 

Tree of Cranes by Allen Say

It is wonderful to find a Christmas story with a totally different perspective. Christmas is not a part of Japanese religious culture and has only recently taken any prominence due to commercial pressures. Incredible as it may seem to an Australian child, the boy in this story has no idea about Christmas.

We see a young boy doing familiar things in an unfamiliar setting. Even his bath looks different. The boy watches, puzzled, as his mother transforms a small pine tree from the garden into a Christmas tree. She adds paper cranes and candles before explaining why she has done this.

I especially like books where you can ‘hear’ the voices of the characters and this is true for Tree of Cranes. You can hear the mother scolding the boy gently as she worries about him catching a chill, you can hear the boy as he feels left out when he is sent to his room and then his excitement as his mother tells the story of her childhood Western Christmas celebrations.

In the week before Christmas I read this book to a group of Year 4 students and it was great to see them settle down, relax and just enjoy and absorb this lovely story.

For more details about Allen Say check out his web site.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

Sometimes you need patience to truly enjoy the silences of a story and this is certainly true for this Christmas gem. A young boy and his mother visit the local wood carver and ask him to make a nativity set to replace one they have lost. During each subsequent visit we are given small insights into the hardships of Jonathan and as each piece of his story is revealed the reader sees an easing of his pain.

The repetition and predictable conversations only add to the lovely pace of this book. I am lucky enough to have a version on CD narrated by James Earl Jones. His voice is perfect for this laconic and emotional story.

The illustrations by PJ Lynch compliment this story especially in the scenes where we are given a close view of Jonathan Toomey’s hands working on his carving. The ending brings promise for a new family and of joy not sorrow.

My Library Thing

I have just created My Library Thing page with the first titles for my Hidden 100 - the undiscovered treasures of your school library.

I am limiting this list to marvellous picture books for all ages and a few special junior novels such as O'diddy which I wish would come back into print.

Take a look at http://www.librarything.com/home/momotimetoread

I had a lot of fun making my Library Thing list and adding the covers etc. Perhaps I will get time to put reviews of some of these great books. In the meantime keep watching this Blog I am using this as a great way to record book reviews.