Betty’s Books: Flotsam, Rules, and Red Butterfly

I’m going to use a book critic’s prerogative and bypass the usual monthly review of a children’s classic, in order to examine three astonishing books. All three were chosen in consultation with McLean & Eakin, the online book store that specializes in children’s books. Two are recipients of the recently announced Newbery and Caldecott Medals — the crème de la crème of children’s book honors presented by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).

The third is an enchanting tale that takes place in China. As the Chinese New Year comes at the beginning of February — the 7th to be exact — I think this would be the perfect stimulus for a grandparent-grandchild chat about such an extraordinary country and culture.

The Winner: Flotsam by David Wiesner (Clarion Press, 2006)

Let's start with one of the award-winners, Flotsam, the Caldecott Medal winner. The author, David Wiesner, already a two-time Caldecott winner, “writes” his books without words, conveying everything through glorious illustrations.

In this book, a young boy is walking the beach, examining any objects that have been washed up, when he discovers an old-fashioned camera. He removes the film and has it processed, only to find mysterious pictures that couldn’t possibly be taken by humans — rather bizarre deep-sea snapshots of whimsical underwater creatures, such as an octopus sitting in an armchair, reading to his children. But the last photo, and the most intriguing, is that of a girl holding a picture of a boy who is holding a picture of a girl who is holding a picture of a boy, holding… well, you get the picture (no pun intended). To add to the mystery, in the nesting of photos, the hair and clothing styles change as the pictures go back in time from the present to the turn of the twentieth century. The youngster understands his mission. He takes his own picture and tosses the camera back into the ocean, where it journeys onto another beach and another waiting child.

This is visual storytelling at its best. You can look through the book again and again and always find something new or intriguing. What a treat for your grandchild’s imagination!

The Stunning One: Rules by Cynthia Lord (Scholastic, 2006)

Rules, one of the Newbery Medal & Honor Books, is a story of the interaction between adolescence and autism. Twelve-year-old Catherine is constantly torn between wanting to protect her younger autistic brother, David, and shielding herself from the embarrassing things he does. So, she constructs “rules” for him: no toys in the fish tank; if someone says “hi,” you say “hi” back; and pantsless brothers are not Catherine's problem — all of which are as much for her benefit as for David’s.

Then Catherine meets two kids her own age: Kristi, her new neighbor whom Catherine considers very cool and desperately wants as a best friend; and at her brother’s therapy session, Jason, a paraplegic who can’t speak. But he can understand and communicate through a book of cards with pictures and words that he points to. But many of them are words only adults would use, not kids. So Catherine starts drawing him more cards, with words like “totally unfair,” “gross,” and “whatever.” Both of these new friendships will pose tough choices for Catherine, though it is Jason who helps her see that rules may sometimes just be excuses.

The author, herself a mother of an autistic child, examines how autism affects every member of the family but especially the siblings who feel alternately put upon and left out. It is sensitively written and sprinkled through with humor as Catherine herself narrates her story. There has been much in the news of late about the prevalence of autism — it now affects one out of 150 children — yet most of us know so little about it. This book examines not only the affliction itself but the responses to it and the need to understand and even embrace differences. Highly recommended for a reading and discussion time between a grandparent and a grandchild over 8.

The Beauty: Red Butterfly by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick, 2007)

“It is said that somewhere between A.D. 100 and 500, a Chinese princess married the king of Khotan, an oasis north of the Plain of Tibet,” explains the author’s note in Red Butterfly by Deborah Noyes.

This ancient anecdote sets the scene for a most unusual story and, without question, the most exquisite illustrations that one can imagine. If you have a grandchild who is a budding artist or future illustrator, you must see this book. Told in first-person, nearly-poetic narrative, the story of Red Butterfly’s sadness in leaving her kingdom of splendors — “All day long, ladies with careful eyebrows crisscross palace courtyards. Warlords and courtiers come and go in gleaming carriages” — triggers a secret but audacious act of defiance, one that, if discovered, is punishable by death.

The author begins by taking us through the rites and rituals of the young princess’s impending marriage — a wonderful peek inside China’s imperial court at the time — and then how she managed, with the help of her handmaiden, to smuggle some tiny silk worms and seeds from a mulberry tree in her elaborately coiffed hair, all done to ensure that her beloved China will be with her always.

If you have grandchildren age 8 and older, I would urge you to read this book together and then do some research with them about the Chinese New Year. So many rituals and tradition surround this, the most important holiday for the Chinese, including the wearing of something red to ward off evil spirits. The year 4706 is the Year of the Rat.