I think I’ve mentioned, oh, maybe a kazillion times, that all of our kids just love reading books. (But it’s true!) Thank God too. I mean, to love reading is just, helpful, to get through the school years enjoyably. Because they love it so much, they are way above their grade level with that. So I started thinking they (the triplets; 6 years old) were probably quite ready for bigger chapter books. But….I really didn’t know, like, WHAT chapter books. Because the thing is, I am very particular about content of most anything where TV/videos/reading material goes. All I could really think of, was possibly some Magic Tree House books? Which turns out are pretty easy for them. But they do like the stories.
So one day not too long ago, I was at the children’s library with my girls. I am a fanatical person about really nice children’s illustrated books, as an illustrator of sorts myself. When I am looking through books, any books, I really do judge them by the cover. Especially if it’s a children’s book…..and has bad illustrated cover? I don’t even open it up. lol So I was flipping through and piling up a lot of ‘worthy’ books to have lined around our school window sills, for the kids to grab when they feel like it. I do this a lot. Even though…all 3 of the little ones just read them all in a matter of 30 minutes.
So sitting there on the library floor, ( I know…yuck….that’s what I was thinking at the time…), I started looking at the books on the shelf behind me, and saw this title: Nicholas – A Massachusetts Tale. Hmmm. That alone got my attention, so I grabbed it. One look at the cover, and I was sure it was a gem! ; ) I read the inside jacket of the front cover:
MEET NICHOLAS- a lively field mouse from
Massachusetts. He lives tucked under a
farmhouse outside Stockbridge until a flood
destroys the journal that contains his
family history. Faced with the loss of all
his family stories, Nicholas embarks on a
journey across the state to find his Uncle
William and a copy of the precious journal.
Early in his travels, Nicholas meets up with
a haughty chipmunk named Edward, and the
pair decides to head east together. Along
the way, they learn a great deal about their
home state-the animals that live there,
the geography, industries, and even about
the state’s history. West Tisbury is their
destination, but when they arrive there, will
they be able to find Uncle William, and will
he still have the remaining copy of
Nicholas’s family journal?
I was hooked already! I opened the book in the middle, and quickly read a few pages. It was passing my ‘appropriateness for 6 year olds test’ too. But dang…it was a big book! So I called {O} over, opened it to the first page, and told her to start reading to me. She did. Now, if you could hear this girl read anyway…she sounds like a little adult. I’m not kidding. Expression….use of punctuation….vocabulary and articulation…you’d probably chuckle. It’s just kind of funny. She almost sounds like a teacher or a librarian, reading to the children. So….it was cake for her. And I was EXCITED I found a great chapter book.
We checked it out, along with the ‘window sills’ pile, and {A’s} her own hefty pile, and headed home to meet the boys, who had been at a basketball clinic.
{O} got right to reading that book. After the first few chapters, she was telling me all about what happened. But you know…I couldn’t ask her any questions, because I hadn’t read it myself. So later when I got the chance, I read the first few chapters, just to check her com-pre-HEN-sion. (I just had to type that word out like that…because the kids love that word, and we always giggle when we say it. They also love…actual comprehension checks. Which works out great, because I love to put the little people on the spot, and they love to prove to me that I didn’t ‘get them’. We’re a very competitive family. lol)
Anyway, maybe a week or so later, {O} was done with the book. She had chatted excitedly every day, after reading a few chapters, about this little adventure Nicholas went on, or where she left off and she was wondering what would happen next. So when she was done….I grabbed the book, and read a few chapters a day myself, by the fire.
I am telling you…I am SMITTEN with this book. CHARMING. It really is. Now, I am sure, being a Massachusetts girl, it was all the more cooler. I grew up in western MA, and now our family resides on the south shore. So I was like “Hey! I know where that is!” As these little critters traveled across the state, meeting new friends along the way, and having quite the adventures, I learned quite a bit myself, about places I had always known, been, seen….throughout MA. Very interesting little bits I didn’t know. And having been to these places, it was all the more fun to read, and BE there. {A} had to grab it herself to read, and she enjoyed it as much.
Not only is the style of writing charming, but there are beautiful pencil sketches scattered throughout the chapters, from cover to cover.
When I was done, and with all of the chit-chat about the adventures of Nicholas, {S} decided he was going to read it too! He loved telling me what was going on, in between the chapters he read over those few days. It was nice to be able to have these conversations with him about the book, having already read it myself! When he was done….{J} decided he wasn’t letting it go back to the library before he read it too. (We’re a very competitive family.)
So basically….I guess we had a BOOK CLUB thing going on here. Only Daddy hasn’t read it. But hey…..he’s been busy reading the Bible cover to cover…and who am I to suggest interrupting THAT. He can just check this book back out later, if he feels left out. lol. (Because I am quite sure he won’t be done with his any time soon. That’s a bigger good book!)
So I have really just been eager to tell you about this great book, and I am glad I finally did. It’s great for any elementary kids….maybe even some middle school kids….to read. Especially if they are from Massachusetts….because it is loaded with history and geography. ALL good stuff. Just a great piece of children’s literature. It’s hard to find books this great these days! (Especially when you have to read them first, yourself, to find out if they are!) For picky me, there always seems to be parts that I deem inappropriate, unnecessary, or just a shame. Where, otherwise it would have been great. But this one is ALL good!! So I HIGHLY recommend it for your kids if they are at the right age or reading level. If not, than I highly recommend you cuddle up on the couch with your kiddos, and read it TO them! Huh, huh?? (Am I sounding pushy yet? lol) I looked it up at Amazon, and the (reading) age level for this book is 9-12 years old. As I said before, it’s 27 chapters, and 152 pages long. And did I mention it has great illustrations?
Once I was done reading the book, my attention/fascination turned to the author, Peter Arenstam. Wouldn’t you know…he’s a native of Massachusetts!….and lives very close to home. : ) I might go track him down very soon. Perhaps shake his hand. Maybe catch him off guard, freak him out a little, and hug him for a very long time? The illustrator is Karen Busch Holman. She and her pencils are very gifted. Together, they did one HECK of a job.
To our delight, there are TWO follow-ups, that we’ll be tracking down. (ETA:) Well, one is a follow-up (Nicholas-A Maine Tale), and the other looks like the beginning of a new series (Oliver’s Travels-An Ohio Adventure) , but I do not see a Book Two to it yet. AND….there is also a whole series on 2 other mice who go on state adventures, called Mitt & Minn. Same illustrator for those books, but a different author named Kathy-Jo Wargin. THAT series looks awesome too! I guess we’ll let you know~
Maine and Ohio! Here we come!!
(Oh gosh….I was so excited to blog about this book. I just knew I was going to blab on forever.)