With this week's edition of THE SUNDAY EVENING POST I have decided to jump ahead a few years and introduce a few young adult novels that deal with social justice. It is simply a coincidence that all 3 books take place in Southern Asia and focus heavily on the rise of the Taliban regime and the impact on the area.

The Breadwinner
by Deborah Ellis

Written by Canadian author, Deborah Ellis, this book tells the story of a young Afghan girl who had to disguise herself as a boy in order to get food for her family. Ellis, travelled to refugee camps in 1997 where she started gathering interview data that would eventually turn into this award winning book. This children's novel would be appropriate for grade 5 students but cold also be used for struggling high school readers. The issues raised in the book would initiate lively literature discussions at home and at school. This book is the first in a trilogy, so if your young reader enjoys this book, look for Parvana's Journey and Mud City as well.

I Am Malala
by Malala Yousafzai

The subtitle for this book reads: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. I think this subtitle is quite graphic and grabs the attention of the readers. Many western youth may have trouble understanding the value and desire for education because in Canada it is a right that is taken for granted. Some children would love not to HAVE to go to school. In Pakistan, education is not a right for girl's and, in Malala's case her desire to learn and go to school led to her being shot by the Taliban, hospitalized and eventually leading a global movement to promote education for girls. She has won several awards for her work and is the youngest person ever nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

http://www.malala.org

The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini

This is my favourite book....ever! It is the only book that has made me cry but then had me laughing on the next page. It is an emotional journey that deals with many issues ranging from family relations, aggression, guilt, violence and friendship. Although I read this book as an adult, I have a friend who used it in her grade 12 English classes to help her students explore these social issues. I am told that the discussions were heated and controversial. Isn't that what we want in our youth so they will eventually stand up for injustices in their own communities?

THE SUNDAY EVENING POST comes to you while there is a winter storm raging outside. Is there anything better to do on a stormy Sunday than curl up with a good book......or even a magazine. This week's theme is magazines for children. Recent research has suggested that the most popular reading material for both boys and girls is magazines.

Highlights

Next year will mark the 70th anniversary of the first printing of Highlights! Longevity has merit in the quality of a publication of this type. I remember getting Highlights as a child and the excitement of receiving mail was enormous. That excitement continued when I was finally able to open the pages and dive into the reading, games and activities found inside. Let's hope that the printing will continue for anther 70 years and not be lost in the digital world.

http://www.highlightskids.com

Chirp/ChickaDEE/Owl

The Owl Kids series has magazines for children from ages 3-13 and will meet the needs of many families and classrooms. Like all children, my boys get excited when mail arrives but they also look forward to "graduating" to the next level of magazine. These colourful magazines are filled with puzzles, stories, experiments, crafts and animal facts to entertain kids though reading and to foster a love of lifelong reading.

http://www.owlkids.com/magazines/

OKAPI

This French magazine was recommended to me by a classmate in my Literature for Children and Youth class which I am taking as part of my Master of Education degree. It is aimed at children ages 10-15 and like most youth magazines is colourful, fun and educational.

Ce magazine français m'a été recommandé par un camarade de ma de Littérature pour les Enfants et les Jeunes de classse qui, j'en ai tenant dans le cadre de ma maîtrise en éducation. Elle set destinée à des enfants âges 10-15 et comme la plupart des magazines pour les jeunes est colorée, amusante et pédagogique.

http://www.okapi.fr

Welcome to the SUNDAY EVENING POST! This week's theme is nonfiction books. Children love to soak up new information so don't forget to include lots of interesting nonfiction books in your classroom or home. Depending on the age of the child I have found that they may not read the entire page or book but they look at the pictures, read the captions and have interesting discussions with their friends and classmates.

National Geographic: Angry Birds
by Mel White

Who could have imagined that the Angry Bird App would turn into a worldwide phenomenon that would include things like clothes, cartoons, board games and books? This book combines fictional personality descriptions of the Angry Bird characters with facts, pictures and explanations of real life angry birds. I am not a huge fan of video game type apps but it is nice to see how a menial pastime can be turned into a learning opportunity. Your children and students will love the action shot pictures and the fascinating rap sheets of each bird. It's entertainment and education all wrapped up in one angry book.

https://www.angrybirds.com/read

Owen & Mzee:
The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff
and Dr, Paula Kahumba

This heartwarming story is about how a baby hippo and a 130-year-old Aldabra tortoise, called Mzee, became friends after the tragic tsunami in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. The book is written by a father/daughter pair in conjunction with the veterinarian who was part of the rescue effort for Owen, the baby hippo. The photographs that support the text show the care and concern of the people who found Owen stranded on a reef near Malindi, Kenya. The photographer was also able to capture the budding friendship and "love" between these two unlikely companions.

As a teaching tool, this book could be used for geography, science or literacy lessons but also a child could learn about acceptance, friendship and determination from the story.

http://www.owenandmzee.com/omweb/

Time for Kids: Super Science Book
By Lynette Brent Sandvold

My boys love science and love science experiments even more! We often have Science Experiment Night (instead of movie night or games night) where the kitchen gets very messy and gooey. In this book you will find experiments that can be done on the spur of the moment with supplies in your own home as well as others that may need a little planning. The experiments are broken down into 3 scientific categories and each experiment has background information as well as an explanation of the science behind the experiment. There is a combination of actual photographs and step by step drawings and instructions to help even the youngest scientist be successful. So, why are you sitting there? Get some baking soda and vinegar and get going! Have fun!!

It seems as if I have time to post new books and Sunday evenings. So, Welcome to the SUNDAY EVENING POST! This week I have chosen to share books that are favourites of my 3 boys (2 children and 1 husband). Please keep in mind that children's favourites change all the time and if I had asked this question last week I'm sure I would have received a completely different answer. Also, their choices may not reflect the best quality of literature but they love these books and love to read them.

Garfield by Jim Davis

Garfield comics have become very popular in our home. The boys love to read them, in English or French, because "they are so funny." Both boys will sit for hours reading and giggling to themselves. They have even started writing their own comics and enjoy making others laugh.




http://garfield.com

Dinosaur Cove series by Rex Stone

Both of my children love this series but my oldest son especially enjoys reading the Dinosaur Cove books by Rex Stone. This adventurous series is about 2 boys who discover a cave that takes them back to the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Along the way they meet Wanna, a dinosaur from the Campanian age, who appears in each novel. This little dinosaur guides them on each adventure as they travel through time and meet dinosaurs from various periods. Although this is obviously a fictional series, each story has nonfictional elements that help the children learn about dinosaurs.

http://www.dinosaurcove.co.uk

And to Think That I Saw It on
Mulberry Street
by Dr. Seuss

"Who doesn't love a parade?" This is what my husband said when I asked him why he likes this book. He also enjoys the fantasy, rhyme and nonsense that is typical and essential to a Dr. Seuss creation.  He likes the journey through the neighbourhood which reminds him of his own neighbourhood growing up in Toronto (although there were no marching elephants on his street). Perhaps, for him, this is a trip down memory lane.



http://www.seussville.com