Children's Books

Children's literature has become a huge market and everyone is jumping on board. You no longer have to dedicate your life to authoring in a specific genre as did Margaret and H.A. Rey. They are the husband and wife team who are responsible for my all time favorite children's book:

It has become chic if you are a celebrity to write a children's book. The results have been mixed but there are certainly some celebrity authors who are doing a bang up job. Most notably are those authored by Jamie Lee Curtis, Madonna, Julie Andrews and as I recently discovered, Jason Alexander.

I found this out in our school library which is very well stocked and exquisitely run (thanks Sara!). I take my class there every Tuesday morning for a lesson on information technology and library skills. Afterwards the students browse the shelves and labeled book bins for interesting books. When they select their books they are free to sit on the small rocking chairs, low benches, rugs or large stuffed bears and read. It was during this time that I joined one of my students in reading a book she had chosen. I had no knowledge of this book so I became enraptured by the unfolding story. It is a tale of questioning and belief. The message is that we can choose to believe in magic and things we cannot see with our eyes or prove with tangible evidence. We have to ask ourselves if we are willing to trade our dreams for a prescribed reality. Perhaps we are in charge of creating our own reality (and not in an 'out of touch with reality' way but in a 'glass is half full' sort of way). I loved this book with its positive message and gorgeous illustrations.

Here is a description which I lifted from Amazon.com....

When Gaby overhears some older kids on the playground saying that the tooth fairy is just make-believe, he goes straight to his father to find out the truth. The enchanting tale his dad tells him of a time long ago when mysterious and magical creatures lived on the earth will delight and entertain children and adults alike. For any child who has ever wondered about the existence of the tooth fairy, this original and reassuring story will satisfy their curiosity and give them the power to believe magical things can happen!

On the back cover there is an authors note with information for ordering the Tooth Fairy Envelopes used by the characters in the story. A photo of one is shown on the left. The website for ordering and more information is www.toothfairyenvelopes.com. They are really beautiful and not too expensive, so perhaps it can become part of your family's tradition to place a baby tooth into this envelope for the tooth fairy as it has for Jason Alexander and his family. And perhaps when the time comes for you to explain about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, sandman or leprechauns you can hearken back to this tale and give your children the choice to believe with their hearts and not always with their heads. As the author states, "I believe that if you take care of the heart, the head will be just fine".