The Listeners, by Gloris Whelan, illustrated by Mike Benny, reviewed by Squirt

Slavery is a difficult subject to broach with very young children. You don't want to make any of it sound acceptable, but you don't want to give your six-year-old nightmares. Whelan and Benny together do a commendable job with a tricky subject.

Ella May and her fellow slave children have an extra job after their day's work is done. They listen underneath the windows of the master's house hoping to gain any sort of information they can share back at the slave quarters - news of a new overseer, the sale of a slave, or a new President whose coming may mean big changes for all of them.

Whelan's storytelling hints at the sadness of being separated from a parent without going too deep, and gives the general impression of the overseer and owners as being mean grown-ups, a concept most small children can grasp, without spelling out the cruelty that existed. Benny's darkly shaded drawings, contrasted by the brightness inside the house and towards the end of the book, do an excellent job of conveying the mood as well.

I would recommend this book for young children (5 or so) who have begun asking questions, on up to middle schoolers, possibly read as a lesson introduction. Copy received from Sleeping Bear for review consideration.

Waiting for the Owl's Call by Gloria Whelan, reviewed by Fegan

I have read quite a bit about children in countries such as Afghanistan who are basically sold into slavery, forced to work long hours making rugs that they never see the profit from. The most commonly known name in this area is Iqbal Masih, the young Pakistani boy who escaped such slavery and spoke all over the world, only to be assassinated back in his home village. There are several fantastic books about him for varying age groups, and at the end I will include links to some organizations that try to help children like him, many doing it in his name.

I had not, however, thought about those who live with their families, but perform the same work day after day, slowly becoming crippled and never getting to go to school or to just be kids. They aren't beaten or purposely mistreated, they are with their families, doing what must be done to keep everyone together and alive.

That is the story told in "Waiting for the Owl's Call". Without the work of Zulviya and her sisters, her family would likely not get by. Even the arthritic grandmother does her part in preparing the rugs they sell. They are very proud of the work they do, and their life is not without joy - yet, whispering together as they eat their meals, they can't help dreaming about what it would be like to be able to stop weaving and go to school.

Giving up an education to support one's family while very young is not a new issue, and it is not one that is likely to go away any time in the near future. Whelan's book, beautifully illustrated by Pascal Milelli, gives parents or teachers a gentle way to introduce this problem to children for whom attending school is a given. It is part of the Tales of the World series from Sleeping Bear Press, which provided a copy for our review.

Some organizations to look into:
RugMark, "working to end illlegal child labor in the carpet industry and to offer educational opportunities to children in South Asia."

Heifer International - just something as seemingly insignificant as a flock of chickens ($20 donation) can make the difference in whether a family can afford to send its children to school or not. Offspring of animals provided by Heifer are to be passed on to other families nearby, making entire communities self-sufficient.

Free the Children"empowers children in North America to take action to improve the lives of fellow children overseas." They currently also have a special link set up to help the children of Haiti.

Nonfiction Monday: K is for Kabuki, by Gloria Whelan and Jenny Nolan, reviewed by Freaky

We love Sleeping Bear's alphabet series here at the library, and it's just an added bonus that this one is written by one of our favorite authors:



If you are not familiar with these books, they encompass everything from states and countries to animals, the military, mothers, and sports. Usually each letter gets a two-page spread, taken up mostly by illustrations, then with one short paragraph of text (often rhyming) that you would read as part of the natural flow of the book, and additional background/history on the sides. The variety of authors and illustrators keeps this basic format from getting stale.

I enjoyed the text in this particular edition, particularly the combination of "old" Japan (emperors and origami), things we Westerners think are new (manga), and the fairly modern (bullet trains and hybrid cars). I was a little disappointed in the illustrations, by Oki Han. I liked her work on the Basho books, but these seemed somehow unfinished. The colors are gorgeous, but the faces in particular are nowhere near what we have come to expect from her. The manga page confused me, too: there is familiar manga in the background, but I couldn't tell if the characters standing around were supposed to be manga (in which the faces were all wrong), or just kids dressed in manga inspired costumes.

Overall, though, a good addition to a great series. These are very popular with kids researching states, for example, because they get a good variety of information in small, entertaining chunks. We also have several adults who make it a point to pick these up whenever they spot them on our new book shelves. I recommend school and public libraries at least purchase the geographically themed ones, and look forward to seeing what subjects will be tackled next!