November/December 2009
— A poem traces the transition from pre-dawn silence through the first bird's call to full morning chorus as day breaks.
— A young boy in 1950s Chicago waits for Christmas morning when a reindeer mysteriously enters his bedroom, leaving him with a magical encounter he'll never forget.
— A nervous rider and her pony overcome a disastrous warm-up to deliver a near-perfect show jumping round, discovering their hidden connection in the process.
— White becomes a meditation on beauty and renewal through images of doves, snow, sails, and roses emerging from ashes.
— A young opera-goer finds transcendence not in the spectacle but in the music itself, which becomes a force that balances and sustains her between performances.
— Iron Jaw and Hummingbird, by Chris Roberson; Viking Children’s Books: New York, 2008; $19.99 What if the Chinese had taken over the whole eastern hemisphere when Christopher Columbus left Spain...
— A boy living in a North Carolina trailer park befriends a wealthy newcomer who moves into his childhood home, forcing him to confront his past and find belonging.
— A brother witnesses a newborn's first moments of consciousness, watching as the baby's eyes open to light and a world of new experiences.
— A girl walks through her empty childhood home one last time before moving, finding comfort in her old cat who shares her reluctance to leave.
— Little Audrey, by Ruth White; Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York, 2008; $16 I never imagined that people could live in a coal mining camp until I read Little Audrey....