THE LIST: Books I Like #6

Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke Illustrated by Kerstin Meyer

A simple story about a young pirate girl and her matriarchal pirate band and their encounter with an all male pirate crew. Silly, but a fun and empowering image of some bad-ass ladies.

Death of the Iron Horse by Paul Goble

I have mixed feelings about Goble's books. On the one hand, Goble writes beautifully about Native American folktales and history. On the other hand, I am uncomfortable with the fact that this is not his heritage, and being a white, British man, are they his stories to tell?

Death of the Iron Horse is the kind of kids' book I would like to see more of, as far as showing kids history from a perspective different than the one we normally hear in school and in the media. It tells the story of the derailment of a Union Pacific train by Cheyene people looking to defend their home from the encroachment of the white people who were stealing their land. Great book for opening discussion about history versus reality and the perceptions we have of Native American people.

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Illustrated by Henry Cole

The true story of two male penguins who get given an orphaned egg to hatch and raise as their own.

Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola

My two favorite things about this book are how it shows families caring for their elders, and how begins to address death. I think that death is one of the things that we harm ourselves by waiting until we are confronted with it to figure out how we want to talk about it. This book begins to talk about aging and loss in a way that would be easy to share with kids.

The Little Green Goose by Adele Sansone Illustrated by Anke Faust

Mr. Goose wants a baby to raise himself, but none of the chickens will give him an egg to raise. He goes to the woods and finds a green egg that he sits on until out pops a baby lizard. Mr. Goose raises the baby as his own, in a story about what really makes a parent and a family.

Super Cilantro Girl by Juan Felipe Herrera Illustrated by Honorio Robledo Tapia

A great bilingual story about a young girl who turns into a superhero to rescue her mother who has been detained at the border for not having a green card. This story addresses how immigration issues affect families, and creates a space to talk further about these things with children.