Two Great Books, not just for Children

TWO GREAT BOOKS
These could be used as “kids” books. But they are a thrill for parents to read aloud, and even if you have no kids around in the house, they are great read to your partner aloud books.

You do that, don’t you, read a chapter and then your partner reads a chapter?

You can do this with kids books or adult books. I once read a good deal of War and Peace with a partner, as well as Shogun. With exciting adult books the temptation is huge to read on ahead when the other is asleep, but hey, it’s still a wonderful practice, reading back and forth two adults, sharing the written word by turning it back into the oral tradition.

Words in the air and we listen.

Wonderful

Anyway, we just finished the second of these two great books mentioned in this essay’s title. The book, recommended by Andy at READERS BOOKS, was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulare, by Kate DiCamillo. If you’ve ever read or seen the movie of Captains Courageous, it’s a little like that: a spoiled creature learns life’s hardships, learns to love, becomes better.

In this book, the creature is a china rabbit “doll” named Edward Tulare. At first he is quite the conceited character. Life has in store for him adventures worthy of Dickens and by the end you might almost or for real shed a tear.


The second book, is Kate Dicamillo’s first book: The Tales of Despereaux, about mice and adventure and I’ve actually forgotten most of the ‘plot” and we gave the book away. Maybe she’ll give it back. Anyway it was a wonderful story, recommended by Lilla at Readers Books. Some of their recommendations on adult books I haven’t found thrilling ( History of Love, House of Fog and Sand), but on kids books that adults will love to read aloud, they are spot right on. With these two at least.

Buy them, read them with a friend. Enjoy.

P.S. If you go to this link, READERS BOOKS,
you'll find that Lilla is giving her recommendations for summer reading tonight, not at the store but at Buttram Hall in the Episcopal Church.

La, la. Happy reading.