Pennyworth Books

His name was Ted and he worked for Standard Oil for fifteen years. Few people know those facts about Theodor Seuss Geisel; they only know him for the Grinch, the Cat in the Hat, the Oobleck and Horton Hears a Who. Few people know that Ted Geisel went to Oxford and Dartmouth; they only know that Dr. Seuss wrote children’s books like no one else.
?br>The early years

Ted Geisel was editor of the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern, the college’s humor magazine. A party that Ted and his friends threw got him relieved of his editor duties, but he continued to write for the magazine signing off as simply Seuss. An alter ego was born.

Dr. Seuss, as he would eventually be known as, started his career as a cartoonist. He decided to pursue the artist route after hearing the suggestion from his first wife-to-be, Helen Palmer, an Oxford classmate. His first published cartoon was…

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Terra’s dream is to leave her small town for college and start anew, where the port wine stain on her face will not draw so much attention. Her verbally abusive father constantly tells her she can’t make it on her own in hopes of controlling her future. When Terra meets Jacob, a Goth Chinese teenager who doesn’t care to fit in, he begins to show her that she can take control of her life. What follows is an utterly compelling journey that’s both geographic and emotional. Best for grades 7 and up.

3Willows 3 Willows by Ann Brashares

Jo, Ama and Polly were inseparable in third grade, but that’s changed as they’ve grown up. During the summer before high school, each girl is tested – Jo discovers her parents are separating, Ama goes on a trip she didn’t choose and Polly learns some hard truths about…

As a special education specialist I have seen many books that children struggle with because the reading is too hard. Many books lack age appropriate reading. Let me tell you about a new children’s book authored by Patti Block, of Minnesota, titled Where’s My Hair? This book definitely has an age appropriate reading level and can be used for educational purposes.

Where’s my Hair is about the days of a young cancer patient. It starts off with the news that a young boys friend is sick. He talks about how his friend needs to go to the doctor a lot. How there will be good days and bad days. He tells how he feels about his friend. He waits for the day where they can play again. This book is a great reading book for the young reader. The style of writing by this author is simple. The author does not…

Reading with children is one of the most rewarding and valuable things you can do. Windows of opportunity exist to share important life lessons through literature. Children of all ages can respond and grow with very little prompting when a caring adult is willing to share a story. On my top reading book lists for the pre-schooler through second grade child is titled Frederick. This timeless book written by Leo Lionni stimulates a conversation about each person’s unique strengths.

Summary: Frederick is part of a mouse family. The family is preparing for winter and is complaining that Frederick is not helping. However, when winter comes, the mice discover how Frederick prepared for winter in a different way and Frederick shares his gift.

Reading Discussion prompts can be given at three different times during a story time.

The first prompt is designed to set the expectation of what the story is about. In this…

This book lets kids travel back in time to the 1930s with a young girl named Rose who lives on a farm in Kansas during the Great Depression. The pink pages of Rose’s journal take readers on a journey to see for themselves just what life was like from month to month on the farm. It also includes information about what was happening across the nation back then. Historical black and white photographs make this journal seem more real and help to give kids a glimpse of just how bleak life was for a girl like Rose.

Rose’s Journal is an enjoyable way for young readers to learn about one of the most fascinating periods in American history – when Amelia Earhart made her solo flight from Hawaii to California, yet times were so tough for most Americans that they lived by this motto for making do with what little they had:…

It wasn’t more than 20 years ago that the Muppets became the most popular TV show for children. And it seems that everything has now changed. Today, there are other cartoon characters that our kids are growing up with. Still, if you’d like to help re-live your childhood along with your own children, perhaps you’d like to buy a book that tells all about the Muppets.

If so, I know of a perfect children’s book for you, and one that you will also enjoy, not only because it will bring back memories but also because it is written almost like a documentary on the Muppets. The book is called;

“The Muppets Take Manhattan,” Starring Jim Hansen’s Muppets, a Movie Story Book; Published by Muppet Press and Random House, New York, NY; 1984. ISBN: 0-394-86386-0

This wonderful book has actual real life pictures of the Muppets on the set and in preparation prior to filming.…

The Horse Painters is a children’s book set long ago in the last Ice Age. It opens with Umalik and Aariak, brother and sister, making for a large cave where there are drawings on the walls of bison and deer and other animals too. Many of the pictures are drawn by the girl, Aariak, for she possesses magical powers, because the animals she draws are attracted to the cave, making them easier to hunt.

One night another youth, Uirngut, comes to their cave and cowardly slays the sister and in so doing takes the magical powers for himself. He flees across the frozen wastes, knowing that Umalik and his younger brother Aku, will not let the matter rest. Their semi tame wolf goes along too, eager and keen to share in the adventure; a timid creature apparently, though perhaps he is just waiting for a chance to show what he can…