DADS READ: “Hilda Series: Hilda and the Troll; Hilda and the Midnight Giant; and Hilda and the Bird Parade” by Luke Pearson

-




JER: “Hilda Series: Hilda and the Troll; Hilda and the Midnight Giant; and Hilda and the Bird Parade” by Luke Pearson plays with Nordic fantasy and the unexpected.  Is that a tree or “The Wood Man” who is “aware of too much in my own house to ever truly be comfortable in it” so he spends lots of time in Hilda’s house.  Is that a rock or a Troll?  Is that a mountain or a Giant who has been waiting for her friend? 

Most importantly, I love these three books (and look forward to getting the rest in the series) since they model adventure (without focusing on the fact that Hilda is a girl), they model empathy (you never know if that common looking crow could be a THUNDERBIRD), and they model navigating real life situations: making mistakes, moving to new places, relying on the kindness of others, learning who are your real friends, etcetera.  Many thanks to my friend @mshenriksen for introducing to this series.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DADS READ: "Who Has What" by author Robie H. Harris and illustrator Nadine Bernard Westcott

-
Image
Being a parent involves setting societal and cultural norms for your children.  When and where is it appropriate to eat, when and where is it appropriate to use electronic devices, when and where is it appropriate to sleep, when and where is it appropriate to urinate and defecate, etc.  That last one has an instructive, humorous story. One of my nephews had been on a long road trip to California, and something many people can relate to on long road trips, this nephew needed to urinate, but there wasn't an exit, a gas station, or any bathroom for miles in either direction.  His parents tried to explain to this nephew that in this circumstance, it was okay to urinate outdoors, on the side of the road, because there isn't any other alternative.  Great, no problem, many people have experienced needing to urinate outdoors when camping, traveling, or otherwise in a pinch.  Fast forward to after their road trip is over, they jad made it to Carlsbad, California, and...
Read more

DADS READ: "Lucia and the Light" by Phyllis Root & Mary GrandPré: how to save the world with backcountry skiing

-
Image
It's rare  that a book begins an adventure with backcountry skiing and ends with Trolls, but that is why  "Lucia and the Light"  by author  Phyllis Root  and illustrator  Mary GrandPr é   is one of my favorite  children's books.   One of my passions is  backcountry skiing/ski mountaineering , it has been a dormant passion for quite some time, but being with a few friends in mostly unoccupied wilderness, slowly ascending a narrow track on skis fitted with  climbing skins  is one of my favorite places to feel "a return to a genuine and simple way of life" and tap into  my inner Tao .  My love for the mountains, skiing, and being self-propelled all factor into my love for this book, but it also has another strong feminine role model my daughters can look up to.  The story of "Lucia and the Light" involves a mysterious loss of light, and a young girl's quest to set out on skis to climb to the top of the mountains...
Read more

DADS READ: “Where’s Spot?” by Eric Hill

-
Image
JER: “ Where’s Spot? ” by Eric Hill might be the most well “loved” book in our house.  It is so well “loved” that many of the distinctive flaps in this “lift-the-flap” book were “loved” off of their board-book-pages . . . But I am pretty proud of my make-shift replacement flaps.  A fun way to increase interaction with a toddler is to sign the name of the animal as they are revealed behind the flap. “Is Spot behind the door? ‘No’, says the snake” (accompanied by a hissing snake sign). The “Learn ASL App” is really great for learning basic sign language. 
Read more