No One Owns the Sky

Kids in many places and of many ages remember fondly their favorite Dr. Seuss book (as an organizer, mine is Horton Hears a Who). Theodor Geisel, the author of these books, died in September 1991. He will be remembered for the insightful social and political interpretation he provided, as well as for his wit and humor.

As per our custom, we offer in the December UnderReview section a look at some of the children's books currently receiving attention. All titles were released during 1991, and all are geared to a 3-to-6-year-old audience unless otherwise indicated.

No One Owns the Sky

As the multiculturalism debate rages within adult culture, it is encouraging and heartwarming to find children's books that move through, and in some cases beyond, that polemic. The best of 1991's offerings in this regard is Tree of Cranes by Allen Say (Houghton Mifflin Company, $16.95, cloth). The realistic watercolors give life to this story of the intersection of two cultures.

Tree of Cranes provides that uncommon opportunity to see our own cultural customs through the eyes of another culture. Set in Japan, the mother of the family remembers her youthful days celebrating Christmas in California. She shares these memories by creating a simple festival for her son, so he might have memories of his own some day.

While the story won't please everyone since the cultural and not the religious aspects of Christmas are presented, it does provide a strong portrayal of the importance of tradition and culture. For those desiring to teach their children about bringing together people of differing backgrounds on what is a continually shrinking planet, this book offers a direction.

Using an adaptation of Chief Seattle's memorable and oft-quoted speech at the signing away of territory to the U.S. government in the mid-19th century, Brother Eagle, Sister Sky (Dial Books, $14.95, cloth) presents snapshots of the life of some of America's indigenous people. Artist Susan Jeffers' introduction offsets the dangers of "whitewashing" U.S. history or portraying American Indians as historical artifacts in such books. But the introduction thus becomes essential to the text for children old enough to understand the message it promotes.

Of course, with its unpopular, though accurate, description of the consequences of westward expansion and its environmental themes, this work is sure to be rejected as too "politically correct" by many reviewers. Nonetheless, this has the potential to be a very good book for children, if parents use it well. And in our ravenously consumption-oriented times, Chief Seattle's words to the Bureau of Indian Affairs negotiators are still opportune: "How can you buy the sky? How can you own the rain and the wind?"

One work not up to the quality of the two previous books is The Dwarf Giant (Holiday House, $14.95, cloth). Written and illustrated by Anita Lobel, this book presents the story of a Japanese prince whose search for fun and excitement -- he seems to be in a mid-life crisis -- eventually requires his princess-wife to save him from a "dwarf"-turned-giant. She finds a "farmer and his wife" to aid in attacking this size-changing intruder.

The art is not at the usual Anita Lobel standard. Though the "dwarf" can change size, he seems not to change emotion or position throughout the story's pages. And with modern sensitivities to stature and culture, this book seems out of place in today's market.

For Parents and Kids

Two other new books, though not brilliant, could be helpful for children as they learn a new-found independence and the need to co-exist with other children. The Way Home (MacMillan Children's Books, $13.95, cloth) relates through simple text and textured artwork (what the illustrator calls "fabric relief") the story of a mother elephant trying to encourage her young son to leave a beach.

The story is one any parent can relate to if they have ever tried to coax their child into leaving a park, playground, or other area loved by their child. The gentle resolution of the impasse is one that in my pre-parenting days would have seemed manipulative of the child. But for real-world parents, this story might provide the opportunity to talk with their kids about acceptable departure scenarios. Salley Mavor produced the impressive graphic illustrations and Judith Benet Richardson wrote the text.

That's Mine, That's Yours (Viking, $12.95, cloth) by Angie Sage and Chris Sage is not at first glance an impressive work. But the more I thought about it, the more I imagined its value as a book that could be read to two small children together if they are separated in age by only a few years.

The older sibling wants to have some control over her possessions, but at the same time hopes to work out ways to share, even without the imposing arm of a parent encouraging it. Children will see creative problem-solving between the two young characters in the story.

This book is designed to be used with children of varying levels of development. Each page carries the story graphically for the older kids. And for very young children, each page also has special frames at the bottom to introduce new words with pictures.

Home in Fantasy and Memory

In the fanciful offering The Wing Shop (Holiday House, $14.95, cloth), author Elvira Woodruff and illustrator Stephen Gammell tell the story of a boy who misses the house he recently moved from. In his zeal to go "home," he comes across a store with an assorted collection of wings. He tests these wings -- sea gull, bat, airplane, and bee -- in an effort to glimpse his old house. After a series of misadventures, he is able to see that his new house is more like his memories than is the reality of his old house. Besides the fantasy world created by the lustrous pastels, this story reminds parent and child alike of the wonders of home.

Good Books finished its four-part series of books on the seasons by Elaine W. Good, with illustrations by Susie Shenk Wenger. White Wonderful Winter ($12.95, cloth) offers the stories of growing up in a rural area and watching the seasons change. While not in the least a book of fantasy, the world shown conjures up the sights and smells of home for anyone with rural roots.

In The Potato Man (Orchard Books, $14.95, cloth), Megan McDonald enjoys the same commitment to real happenings, creating a yarn from a grandfather's recollections of the mysterious man who sold potatoes from his cart. The children in this story learn that first impressions can sometimes be wrong. Professional wrestler Ted Lewin's romantic watercolors create a Norman Rockwell feel that adds depth to the story.

Molly Bang's warm and bright pastels combine with her rhyming prose to provide a "homey" side to her newest book, Yellow Ball (Morrow Junior Books, $12.95, cloth). As always, Bang is sensitive to inclusivity with her characters as she leads us on the trip of a yellow ball forgotten and lost to the waves, and then the thrill of discovery by another child. With this book, Bang remains my daughter's (and my) favorite author, even though this one is best suited for 1- to 3-year-olds.

The Cost of Literacy

I only wish the publishers could keep the costs of these books down so that families could afford to keep their children reading. But with sales of most other lines of books off these days, the children's market has become a mainstay of the industry. Even with the expense, it isn't hard to imagine how any of these books would make good Christmas presents.

And imagination is the point. Stay tuned.

Bob Hulteen was Under Review editor for Sojourners when this article appeared.