Even as a child, I loved stories about the environment, especially stories where children make difficult decisions to save an animal. So many books I've recently read fit the bill too--book club reads like the Bat series, Trunk Call for Ajju, and, in a very different way, At Least a Fish.Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis is about difficult decisions too. It is another beautiful book, one that I've been meaning to read for ages. It begins slowly, but draws you in, making the loch in which it is set come alive. When Callum and his friends discover Iona--practically an outcast--on Callum's farm, they chase her away. But Callum is uneasy. He meets Iona and thanks to her, he discovers that an osprey is nesting on their land. Callum and Iona know how important it is to keep the osprey secret because all too many people think of it as a game to steal osprey eggs.Yet, when circumstances change, … [Read more...]
Catching Up: MG and YA Books
So many wonderful, wonderful books and so little time! Here are a few middle-grade and young adult books I read in the last couple of months.Gorilla DawnI know a little about gorillas being endangered because I began to read up bits and pieces about it when I saw articles linking the fate of gorillas to the largescale use of palm oil. But even in the articles I read, I had no idea about coltan and its use in every electronic device we use. The threat that mining poses to gorilla habitat is real and frightening.(And so, first of all, all those who've been telling me I need to get a new phone, read this book.)I read Gill Lewis's White Dolphin years ago, but it stayed fresh in my mind because it is such a powerful story. I also had a fan girl moment recently when Gill Lewis retweeted a review I posted of Me and Mister P. Sky Hawk has been on my … [Read more...]
White Dolphin
Who does not like animal stories? As a child, I wanted to be an environmentalist and a vet. The problem was that I was afraid of biology and dissection, so I contented myself with animal stories, knowing no other option.Gill Lewis's White Dolphin filled my heart. It was a story that jumped out of the pages and touched me despite the fact that I knew nothing about the particular problems it addressed.White Dolphin is a story of humane humans and their attempts to be what human beings should be - kind, brave and generous. Questions remain unanswered even at the end of the book, but there is no feeling of dissatisfaction there. Because life is like that. There are no clues leading to all the most beautifully crafted answers. Sometimes, you have to move away from the question to reach another, more important question.During my last workshop, we spoke about how lovely stories are … [Read more...]