Pigeon Post

For some children, at certain points in their childhood, their very existence can seem like an exercise in attempted escape. An escape from parental control, from convention, from noisome siblings, from chores and homework, from all the things that constrain them from being what they want to be (of which they aren't quite certain, but let that stand). It can be a trying period of stresses and strains within the family but, usually, actually strengthens, sooner or later, those gossamer ties that bind us together.

Reading, by its very nature, is an act of escape (see Great Escapes booklist). When we take up a book, we cast off the bindings that constrain us to the here-and-now and we go to some place of our choosing in the company of characters in whom we are interested. But, like a mirror within a mirror, our children's literature is also full of wonderful stories of escape. Stories in which characters are caught in situations not of their own design but display the planning, skills, courage and gumption to pull off their plan for escaping from where they are towards where they want to be. Not running away or fleeing, not as panicked refugees, and not as subjects of someone else's rescue but as agents of their own future.

Refugees present a special case. Some of their stories are not really so much about escape as they are testaments to adaptability and resourcefulness in the face of chaos. Their stories can and do inspire but are not quite what we are seeking in the idea of great escapes, those in which the hero is trying to manage his own future in a way that chaos usually precludes. Having said that though, there are certainly some clear cases of people fleeing from some disruption in a flight that has all the hallmarks of an escape.

I recall the Principal of the school I attended in Sweden, Mrs. Dietze, once relating to some of us students her experiences as a young woman during World War II in eastern Germany. Those experiences ultimately led to her escape to Sweden after her home city of Dresden was occupied by the Russians. Mrs. Dietze was a remarkable, resilient woman. From a child's perspective her height and steely discipline could seem daunting until you began to talk with her. It was then that you could see beyond the surface to the warm person that she was. There was one scene, though, in her personal story that has always cut to the heart. She related how she had to move from some place to another on very short notice and could only bring a single suitcase of possessions. I can still freshly feel the horror as she related having to pick out the few books from her collection that she could fit into that single case. That was all she brought with her. Like many people, hers was a remarkable life once you got to know her.

There are some refugee stories that are close to the heart of children's literature as in the story for example, of the Rey's, travelling through Europe, just a few steps ahead of the Nazis, with the first Curious George manuscript in their trunk (The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape Of Margret And H. A. Rey by Louise Borden.)

Our country's history of slavery created the opportunity for many escape stories related to the Underground Railroad which assisted individuals in moving from the slave-holding South to freedom in the North. There are many, many fictionalized tales in children's literature of various slave escapes. As often happens though, the most interesting stories are the ones based on a true tale. One such story is that of William and Ellen Craft who escaped from Macon, Georgia to Philadelphia in 1848. Ellen Craft was the daughter of a slave mother and white father and was very fair skinned. To effect their escape, her husband, William posed as her personal slave, putatively accompanying his master. Ellen posed as a young white man travelling to Philadelphia for medical treatment of his injured jaw (which was all bound up so that Craft would not have to talk with strangers on their journey.) Ellen Craft had to pull off a quadruple impersonation: white instead of black, male instead of female, the manners of an affluent social position instead of a servant, and the linguistic habits of a white southerner over those of a black slave.

The Crafts made it to Philadelphia, despite many close calls, and ultimately settled in Britain until after the Civil War when they returned to Georgia. While in England they published an account of their escape, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom, which recounts the many close calls they had on their journey to Philadelphia. While not in print, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom is available electronically and free at the Gutenberg Project site. It is an easy read for a high school student and being the direct account by the actual participants, carries with it an impact rarely achieved by fictional retellings.

Another contemporaneous rendering of an escape is that of the famous abolitionist and orator, Frederick Douglas, in The Life and Times of Frederick Douglas. I fear that the tragic stories of slavery from a hundred and fifty years ago often get hijacked and devalued by modern advocates of victimhood. I think it is refreshing for older teens to go back to these original accounts to begin to comprehend the horrors of slavery and the courage of some these people. They are very directly written and accessible and astonishingly free from special pleading or self-misery which often afflict later renderings. Other accounts in this collection based on real people and their escapes to the North include 5,000 Miles to Freedom, The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft, and Letters from a Slave Girl.

The other human tragedy that has generated a very large volume of escape stories was that of World War II. These stories generally fall into two categories. There are those that are related to the Holocaust - Jews either escaping capture in the first place and then making their way out of Germany, or those that managed to escape from the concentration camps or ghettos in which they were confined. The second category of escape stories are those of allied Prisoners of War escaping from their imprisonment.

The archetypal POW escape was that of 76 allied prisoners from Stallag Luft III on the night of March 24, 1944 after more than a year of planning and preparation which included forged identity documents, currency, civilian clothing, special maps, and other necessities that would help them make it to a neutral country. The Great Escape by Paul Brackhill is probably the best account to start with as he was actually a participant in the plan (though not an escapee owing to his claustrophobia which precluded his using the tunnels). Tragically, only three of the seventy-six escapees made it back to Britain and of the remaining seventy-three who were recaptured, fifty were executed. This is one of those stories though, where your compassion for the victims and anguish over their execution is finely counterbalanced by respect and admiration for their goals, actions and audacity.

A couple of really good tales covering some of the escapes of Jews from Germany include the fictional The Greatest Skating Race or Twenty and Ten (the latter based on a true story). In both these tales, besides the excitement of the escape, there is admiration for the selfless courage of the people putting themselves in mortal danger in order to help their fellow human beings escape the evil around them.

In all these tales there is a moral weight to the stories that inspires and sets an example to the reader in terms of doing the right thing even in the face of the gravest danger and most daunting odds.

Not all escape stories necessarily have this mortal weight to them. Years ago I read, and unfortunately do not recall the title, an account of Italian prisoners of war being held by the British in eastern Africa, in either Kenya or Tanganyika. I think it must have been No Picinic on Mount Kenya. Bored to the extreme by their confinement, three of the Italian prisoners of war banded together in order to escape. Their purpose? Climb Mount Kilimanjaro (then called Mount Kenya) which they could see on the distant horizon from their prison camp. A prisoners' day trip as it were. The wonderful thing is that they succeeded in reaching one of the three summits. Having done so, they planted a home-made Italian flag, then cheerfully returned to the prison camp, their sense of self-worth and accomplishment well replenished.

Escapes are not solely about war and slavery. One of the very best escape stories is that of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. Shackleton led an expedition to cross the Antarctic by foot. His ship, the Endurance, departed Britain August 8, 1914. There are several first-rate accounts of the struggles that followed, but one of the best is Endurance by Alfred Lansing. In February 1915, the Endurance became trapped in ice in the Waddell Sea, eventually succumbing to the pressures of the ice and sinking in November. Meanwhile, Shackleton and his men had set up camp and overwintered on the ice flow. In the spring, with the break-up of the ice, they manned the surviving lifeboats and made it to the remote, barren, and rarely visited Elephant Island. Leaving the crew on Elephant Island, Shackleton and two others refitted one of the lifeboats and then sailed 800 miles to the nearest settled island (a seasonal whaling station), South Georgia Island in the deep South Atlantic.

That leg of their escape alone is one of the classic small vessel sailing tales, the South Atlantic being a notoriously unforgiving environment. From his later book, South, here is Shackleton's description of just a single event in that two week journey to South Georgia.

The sky was overcast and occasional snow-squalls added to the discomfort produced by a tremendous cross-sea - the worst, I thought, that we had experienced. At midnight I was at the tiller and suddenly noticed a line of clear sky between the south and south-west. I called to the other men that the sky was clearing, and then a moment later I realized that what I had seen was not a rift in the clouds but the white crest of an enormous wave. During twenty-six years' experience of the ocean in all its moods I had not encountered a wave so gigantic. It was a mighty upheaval of the ocean, a thing quite apart from the big white-capped seas that had been our tireless enemies for many days. I shouted, "For God's sake, hold on! It's got us!" Then came a moment of suspense that seemed drawn out into hours. White surged the foam of the breaking sea around us. We felt our boat lifted and flung forward like a cork in breaking surf. We were in a seething chaos of tortured water; but somehow the boat lived through it, half-full of water, sagging to the dead weight and shuddering under the blow. We baled with the energy of men fighting for life, flinging the water over the sides with every receptacle that came to our hands, and after ten minutes of uncertainty we felt the boat renew her life beneath us. She floated again and ceased to lurch drunkenly as though dazed by the attack of the sea. Earnestly we hoped that never again would we encounter such a wave.

Landing on the southwestern side of the island and with their boat nearly destroyed, and his four crewmates exhausted and frostbitten, Shackleton faced one further barrier between his party and the whaling stations on the north coast. They could not make the one hundred and fifty mile journey in their boat; neither boat nor crew being in a fit condition to do so. That meant that they had to cross the range of mountains and glaciers athwart the center of the island, peaks rising to 6,500 feet. These mountains had never been climbed before and, in fact, were not traversed again for another forty years. But they made it, with Shackleton subsequently returning to Elephant Island to rescue the remainder of his crew. Truly one of the most amazing escapes of all time.

We have gathered together below a range of escape stories for the very young to very old which we think will inspire and move you. They cover war escapes, prison escapes, escapes to freedom, fictional tales of escape as well as true accounts. Let us know your recommendations.

Picture Books

	The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd Highly Recommended
	Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson Highly Recommended
	Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Highly Recommended
	The Greatest Skating Race by Louise Borden and illustrated by Niki Daly Recommended
	A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by David A. Adler and illustrated by Samuel Byrd Suggested
	The Escape of Marvin the Ape by Caralyn Buehner and Mark Buehner Suggested
	The Great Pig Escape by Eileen Christelow Suggested
	Barefoot by Pamela Duncan Edwards and illustrated by Henry Cole Suggested
	Going North by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue Suggested
	What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You? by Steve Jenkins Suggested
	Labyrinths by Philippe Mignon Suggested

Independent Readers

	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow and William Stout Highly Recommended
	Endurance by Alfred Lansing Highly Recommended
	Charlotte's Web by E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams Highly Recommended
	Turn Homeward, Hannalee by Patricia Beatty and Particia Beatty Recommended
	Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop and illustrated by William Pene Du Bois Recommended
	The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum and illustrated by Willy Pogany Recommended
	A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer Recommended
	Holes by Louis Sachar Recommended
	The Wanderings Of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff and illustrated by Alan Lee Recommended
	Alicia by Alicia Appleman-Jurman Suggested
	Peacebound Trains by Haemi Balgassi and illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet Suggested
	The Journey That Saved Curious George by Louise Borden and illustrated by Allan Drummond Suggested
	Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary and illustrated by Louis Darling Suggested
	The Naming by Alison Croggon Suggested
	Stella Louella's Runaway Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst Suggested
	Escape! by Sid Fleischman Suggested
	5,000 Miles to Freedom by Dennis B. Fradin & Judith Bloom Fradin Suggested
	Escape Across the Wide Sea by Katherine Kirkpatrick Suggested
	Letters from a Slave Girl by Mary E. Lyons Suggested
	The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft by Cathy Moore and illustrated by Mary O'Keefe Young Suggested
	Trouble Don't Last by Shelley Pearsall Suggested
	Maria Von Trapp by Candice F. Ransom Suggested
	South by Ernest Henry Shackleton and photographs by Frank Hurley Suggested
	Lonek's Journey by Dorit Bader Whiteman Suggested

Young Adult Books

	The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill Highly Recommended
	Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and illustrated by Steven Kellogg Highly Recommended
	No Picnic On Mount Kenya by Felice Benuzzi Recommended
	The Great Escape From Stalag Luft III by Tim Carroll Recommended
	Papillon by Henri Charriere Recommended
	The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass Recommended
	The Great Escape by Anton Gill Recommended
	Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer Recommended
	We Die Alone by David Armine Howarth Recommended
	Rabbit-proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Recommended
	Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain Recommended
	Mila 18 by Leon Uris Recommended
	The Greatest Escape Stories Ever Told by Darren Brown Suggested
	Escape From Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce Suggested
	Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper Suggested
	On Wings Of Eagles by Ken Follett Suggested
	The Special Forces Guide To Escape And Evasion by Will Fowler Suggested
	The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz Suggested
	Escape from the Antarctic by Ernest Henry Shackleton Suggested

Our entire childhood is spent figuring out the pathways, signposts and goalposts of life. Then the rest of our lives are spent trying to figure whether it is the destination or the journey that we ought to value the greater. It sure would be nice if we were issued a map at birth with an X marking the spot. But the freedom and the challenge is that there is no map and no X until we create them. (See Maps booklist)

There are three abstract skills that we acquire in childhood and which we use to a greater or lesser extent throughout our lives: reading, numeracy, and abstract representation in two dimensions of our three dimensional world (mapping if you will). Each skill has its challenges and most of us are stronger in one skill compared to the other two, but they are strongly related by their abstraction and there is a strong correlation between performance on one skill and performance on the others. If you are good at reading, you tend also to be good numerically and at conceptual representation and vice-versa.

Edward R. Tufte is a professor emeritus of statistics and political economy at Yale University and has written a number of marvelous books (best suited for adults and Young Adults) on the design considerations in representing reality on a page. Two books in particular stand out; The Visual Display of Quantitative Information and Envisioning Information (Tufte self-publishes his books which are available directly from him at his site). They are both superior examples of very technical and arcane information explained to the layman in clear and entertaining prose. He summarizes the challenge of mapmaking very simply:

The world is complex, dynamic, multidimensional; the paper is static, flat. How are we to represent the rich visual world of experience and measurement on a mere flatland?

It is an interesting challenge. Reading is a gateway skill. Once you have mastered the basic concepts and skills necessary to translate unmannered and seemingly random black scratchings on a white surface, it is a relatively short jump to beginning to comprehending the world in mathematical terms. Those base skills are a capacity for conceptual thinking, abstract reasoning, and most critically and powerfully, the application of imagination.

Very fortunately, and capricious and random as they might seem, both reading and numeracy follow set rules which, once apprehended, simplify the learning process. Once you know the basics rules for spelling for example, you can pretty accurately spell most news words that you might hear, even if you have never seen them before.

Mapping is somewhat different though, and is an area where there is the greatest of latitude to the author of the map and where imagination is at a premium. How you represent a river or railroad track or the terrain of a countryside or the layout of a house follow some conventions but not uniformly and not consistently. Every map has to be studied for its own terms of reference. Is the blue line on this map a river or is it a secondary road? Is the hatched line in this map a railroad or is it a property boundary?


©1988 Maps International Inc.

Even the few traditional conventions such as North being at the top of the page are occasionally set on their head, causing much visual consternation. Yet this near complete freedom from convention allows us to create novel ways of showing reality in a fashion that revitalizes our thinking and assumptions. Many people know of Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812 and his ultimate defeat by "General Winter". It is one thing to know that. Your comprehension of that event and its sheer magnitude is amplified many-fold when you view Charles Minard's map of the event, adjudged by Tufte that "It may well be the best statistical graphic ever drawn."


Charles Minard's Carte figurative des pertes successives en hommes de l'Armée Française dans la campagne de Russie 1812-1813

In this single two-dimensional map, Minard has managed to display 1) basic topographic information (rivers), 2) size of Napoleon's army over time, 3) direction of the army's movements, 4) its location, 5) progress by calendar, and 6) the temperatures encountered. In this single static picture there is an entire story and tragedy laid out for examination. It is the type of map at which you can stare for long periods of time, conjuring what that story might be.

Maps are one of those artifacts of our lives that at first seem purely functional. There is always some mis-folded, ragged, roadmap in the glove compartment or a road atlas, dog-eared, rough-edged, and discolored from some long ago Coca-Cola spill, banging around under the seat in the car. Mapquest makes things easier but nothing can replace the utility of a map.

Despite their functional nature, maps exercise a certain fascination that grips a particular part of the population (I hold my hand up as a self-confessed cartographile). It is akin to train-spotting, or books about type fonts, or some other esoterica. I suspect that maps represent, to both child and adult, an invitation to adventure, discovery and travel. They are the magic carpet that can take us from our rooms into the wide world we do not know and encounter in our minds that which we will never encounter in real life. In this respect, maps are like reading, giving greater implication to the phrase to "read a map." When examining a map, it is, like reading, not just an exercise in interpretation of what the symbols mean, but also an exercise in extrapolation and imagination. Each map is read differently because each map reader brings something different to the interpretative process.

We use maps to store and share information; information which can have great value and consequence. In the 14th and 15th centuries, as Europeans began exploring the greater world, discovering new continents and pathways to them, and began a long history of map-making, the maps that were created were treated as we might do plans for a nuclear bomb of the recipe for Coca-Cola. They were tucked away in secure royal libraries or academies, laws were passed against transmitting maps to competing nations, and punishments were enacted. This was serious stuff.

There are all sorts of maps. There are the most familiar maps such as those which allow us to determine where we are and where we are headed such as roadmaps. Closely akin to these are the maps which give us topographical information which allow us to understand the nature of the land through which we will be passing.

But mapping is much more than that. It is not just about destinations. As often as not it is about what's out there - what does reality look like? There are maps that show a child all the parts of their body and how the blood circulates. There are maps that give us a new perspective such as those which are based on information we might already know but forcing us to think about that information in a different way.

Maps can be a great reality check as well. The oft cited statistics that the USA creates 20-25% of the world's pollution, uses 20-25% of the world's energy, etc., takes on a different hue when you look at a map of the world that shows each country proportional to its Gross Domestic Product. When you see that the USA is 25% of the economic activity of the world, all those other statistics suddenly come into perspective.


Created by Mark E.J. Newman

There are maps that hone in on a simple fact and present us with mysteries. Take, for example, this map showing the terms used for a carbonated drink in different parts of the country. It is interesting in its own right just how strong those differences can be by region. Broadly the southerner asks for a "coke" as a generic term for any carbonated beverage, the mid-westerner and north-westerner asks for "pop". The Californian and someone from the Northeast asks for "soda." But like all good maps, the longer you stare at it the more you want to know. What's that cluster of "soda" drinkers doing around St. Louis? There is a story in there somewhere. And is Alaska the single most linguistically confused state when it comes to beverages?


Hat Tip: Strange Maps

So how do we introduce our children to maps and to thinking about the world conceptually and showing it in a two-dimensional frame? There are some nice books that build skills for attention to detail and finding things (stripping out the signal from the noise is one of the first skills a child has to develop) such as Where's Wally? (See our Pigeon Post of August 12, 2007, You See but You Do Not Observe for more on this topic of observation.) Later on, at the independent reader level, such childhood mystery stories as the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew can help reinforce the idea of observation and cumulative interpretation.

Next, there are books that are almost reference books in nature, but are visually arresting in their representation of a real-life thing in an abstract way on a two-dimensional page. David Macaulay is of course a master of this with such books as Cathedral or Castle in which a child can look into the layout of a building and how it was built. Steve Noon also uses cross-section illustrations where you can look into a building or ship and see its 'insides' versus its 'outsides', another important conceptual leap and skill for a child. Noon's Story of the Titanic is regrettably out of print but A Port Through Time and his A City Through Time are both very good.

There are many good books that capture the idea of a journey, starting from A and getting to Z. While there may or may not be a map in the narrative, the story itself gets across the idea of moving through landscape with features that can be observed. Books of this nature might include Make Way for Ducklings, Scuffy the Tugboat and Paul Revere's Ride at the picture book level; Adam of the Road, Minn of the Mississippi and The Incredible Journey at the Independent Reader level; and The Travels of Marco Polo and The Voyage of the Beagle for Young Adults.

There are a number stories which help children with changing their perspective (visually and in terms of narrative) on an object or an issue. Flat Stanley is a story (Stanley is squashed flat by a bulletin board opening up all sorts of challenges and opportunities for him) in which comprehending the difference between two and three dimensions is critical to the narrative and particularly pertinent to maps.

There's a Map on My Lap!, Me on the Map, Are We There Yet, Daddy? are three books that introduce young readers to the rudiments of map reading.

Then there are stories in which maps are a crucial element of the narrative or plot and are frequently part of the illustrations as well. Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is archetypal. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt and The Patchwork Path are a couple of others.

Many books of fiction or fantasy are of such imaginative power that a whole new world is created and one builds up a mental map of that additional or alternative reality. Frequently, if illustrated, there are maps of this world in the book or on the endpapers. I have in mind here The Hobbit, Swallows and Amazons, Shardik (Out of Print), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe which would all fall into this category.

Finally, there are of course Atlases. Huge numbers of them and with a surprising variance in styles. As a child, I loved sitting with the huge adult atlas spread out across my knees, my eyes exploring the remoter spots of the Earth. I was never taken with simplified atlases designed for children. I wanted full cartographical caffeine. Your child might prefer simpler or more focused maps or smaller more physically manageable versions.

For you cartogrophiles out there - Take a look at this truly fascinating site, Strange Maps, where you can find the most incredible representations of reality.

Let us know your recommendations for books about or pivoting on maps.

Picture Books

	Make Way for Ducklings written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey Highly Recommended
	A City Through Time written and illustrated by Steve Noon Highly Recommended
	Central Park Serenade by Anonymous Recommended
	Scuffy the Tugboat by Gertrude Crampton and illustrated by Gergely Tibor Recommended
	Where's Wally? written and illustrated by Martin Handford Recommended
	Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and illustrated by Ted Rand Recommended
	Arctic Lights, Arctic Nights written by Debra Miller and illustrated by Jon Van Zale Recommended
	A Port Through Time written and illustrated by Steve Noon Recommended
	Traveling Man written and illustrated by James Rumford Recommended
	This Is Ireland written and illustrated by M. Sasek Recommended
	This Is London written and illustrated by M. Sasek Recommended
	This Is Paris written and illustrated by M. Sasek Recommended
	This Is Venice written and illustrated by M. Sasek Recommended
	My Map Book written and illustrated by Sara Fanelli Suggested
	The Adventures of Marco Polo written and illustrated by Russell Freedman Suggested
	Under New York by Linda Oatman High and illustrated by Robert Rayevsky Suggested
	Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by James Ransome Suggested
	See the City: The Journey of Manhattan Unfurled written and illustrated by Matteo Pericoli Suggested
	The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela: Through Three Continents in the Twelfth Century written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz Suggested
	The Ancient Near East written and illustrated by Rebecca Stefoff Suggested
	Me On The Map written and illustrated by Joan Sweeney Suggested
	Are We There Yet, Daddy? written and illustrated by Virginia Walters Suggested

Independent Reader

	The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and illustrated by Pauline Baynes Highly Recommended
	Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shepard Highly Recommended
	Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and illustrated by N.C. Wyeth Highly Recommended
	The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien and illustrated by Alan Lee Highly Recommended
	National Geographic Family Reference Atlas by Anonymous Recommended
	The Kingfisher Children's Atlas by Anonymous Recommended
	Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown Recommended
	The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford and Carl Burger Recommended
	The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and illustrated by E.H. Shepard Recommended
	Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray and illustrated by Robert Lawson Recommended
	Minn of the Mississippi by Holling C. Holling Recommended
	Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling Recommended
	Looking Down by Steve Jenkins Recommended
	From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg Recommended
	Castle by David Macaulay Recommended
	Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome Recommended
	Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne Recommended
	Around The World In A Hundred Years; From Henry The Navigator To Magellan by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Anthony Bacon Venti Suggested
	There's a Map on My Lap! by Tish Rabe Suggested
	The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem Van Loon Suggested
	Maps: Getting from Here to There written and illustrated by Henry Weiss Suggested

Young Adult

	National Geographic Atlas of the World by Anonymous Recommended
	The Penguin Atlas of World History by Hermann Kinder Recommended
	Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick Recommended
	Longitude by Dava Sobel Recommended
	How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein Recommended
	The Historical Atlas of World War II by Alexander Swanston Recommendation
	DK State-by-State Atlas by Anonymous Suggested
	DK Geography of the World by Anonymous Suggested
	United States Atlas for Young Explorers by Anonymous Suggested
	The Times Atlas of the World by Anonymous Suggested
	Rand Mcnally Schoolhouse Children's Illustrated Atlas of the World by Anonymous Suggested
	Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin Suggested
	The White Nile by Alan Moorehead Suggested
	The Blue Nile by Alan Moorehead Suggested
	The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo Suggested
	Complete Atlas of the World by David Roberts Suggested

We're not talking about cute and cuddly anthropomorphized sweet critters here. We're talking mostly about things out of nightmares and bad daydreams, sharp of claw and red of tooth, creatures with bad personalities and disconcerting habits. Creatures from our venturesome, dangerous and shadowed past. (See Mythical Creatures book list).

They come from here and there and everywhere and we slowly keep adding to the crowd. You start listing a mythical creature or two and then the list keeps growing and growing. Leading the list would be some of the most prevalent creatures that seem to pop up in many cultures across the globe such as dragons, giants, and little people (elves, fairies, pygmies, pixies, dwarves, goblins, boggarts, leprechauns and trolls). Then you get into all sorts of categories which occur frequently such as fused animals (chimaera, gryphons, Pegasus, and Cerberus), animals related to fire (salamanders and the Phoenix), man-animal fusions (fauns, centaurs, sphinxes, manticores, mermaids, Anubis, Minotaur, Medusa and harpies), shape shifters (werewolves, vampires, selkies, boggarts and changelings), magical or religious creatures that look like people but are different (witches, warlocks, angels, cherubs and djinns/genies), variants on humans (Grendel, Cyclops, golems, ogres, Enkidu and Abiyoyo), and mysterious creatures that are just out there (Yeti, Sasquatch, Nessie, unicorns, basilisk and kraken). There are some local creatures that are creeping into the pantheon such as Quinkens and Bunyips from Australia and the chupacabras from Latin America (principally Mexico) as well as creatures that have been created by modern authors and which are also taking up residence such as Hugh Lofting's Pushmi-pullyu, J.R.R. Tolkien's Orcs, and E. Nesbit's Psammead.

In western literature most of our mythical creatures are sourced from just a handful of countries and interestingly they tend to be smaller peripheral countries to Europe. Ancient Greece is, of course, the progenitor of much in the stable of mythical creatures which is further supplemented with creatures from Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, and the UK. This is odd when you think about it. I can't think of a single distinctively German or French mythical creature with which you might associate either country as you might a leprechaun with Ireland or a troll with Scandinavia.

Another interesting thing is our cultural disengagement from the treasures of ancient Egypt. Their myths and religion are replete with some of the most astounding creatures but, somehow, after several thousands of years, they died out within their own land of origin and have not really passed into the traditions of others despite Egypt's proximity and engagement with Greece, Rome, and the rest of the cultures and countries of the Mediterranean. The one exception to this might be Anubis the Egyptian god of the afterlife, Anubis (shown as having a jackal's head on a human body), who exercised a certain fascination on the imagination of the artistic and literary community of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Myths and legends with their panoply of creatures form a framework for western European culture. While divided by language, ethnicity, and religion, educated Europeans share a mythological heritage that provides a common cultural skeleton for comprehension. It is akin to the pictographic system of writing in China. The languages used across that huge country are audibly different and incomprehensible to one another. Someone from Canton, while not comprehending what someone from Beijing is saying, can sit down and use the common pictographic system of writing to communicate.

Where do these mythical creatures fit into children's literature? Obviously they are there as a component to the rich web of folklore, myths and legends. They play many roles in those tales but with a couple of exceptions (Angels and cherubs and usually unicorns) they are a menace and a threat. Sometimes it is a physical threat such as with the Minotaur, Medussa, or Cerebrus. Quite frequently, though, they play a role that is a spur to thinking, observation and wit. Sphinxes, Cyclops, golems, witches, djinns, centaurs, and fauns may or may not be inherently dangerous to deal with, but you have to use your wits and manage your risks. As such, these creatures are part of the allure of the larger mythical tale and help give it a frisson of excitement and thrill of danger as well as the psychological drama and depth that the myths usually have. If the tale of Theseus consisted only of his contest of with Minotaur or alternatively if it dealt only with the themes associated with Minos and Ariadne, it would be just another tale. Take the drama of Minos' demands on the Athenians, the love between Theseus and Ariadne, Ariadne's defiance of her father, and add in the thrill of the Minotaur and you have a unique tale that has powered along for a couple thousand years.

These mysteriously shaped creatures give form to our primordial fears; our fears of what lurks there in the shadows of the night and which circle just outside the hearth's light. They do not though, in the ancient tales, merely scare us. In receiving a form, they become knowable and that which we know, we can begin to address. They prompt us to keep our wits about us - to be clever - and to be strong. They set up Theseus (with the Minotaur), Beowulf (with Grendel), Odysseus (with Cyclops and others) and Oedipus (with the sphinx), to be the heroes of wit and strength to which all children can aspire.

It is interesting that, alien and arresting as most of these creatures are in the imagination, children are rarely terrified of them. Certainly it is partly based on how you deliver the tale, but I suspect it is also a function of a couple of other factors as well. These creatures are not intended to just scare you - they are an integral part of the story. Also, children most often learn their myths and legends and are introduced to these creatures in their earliest years, at a time when everything is still relatively new to them and all things are conceivable. What is so different about a sphinx when you have just seen a camel?

As if one were needed, these creatures are, then, sometimes the extra incentive children need to engage with their own rich heritage. Some kids can enjoy Theseus, Ariadne and Minos on their own; for others you need the extra kick from a Minotaur to really get the child's full attention.

It is fascinating to look back at a half-way world of knowledge - a world where it was still believed that some of these mythical creatures actually existed. In the Middle Ages, around the eleven hundreds, there was something of a vogue for Bestiaries, a compilation describing the known animals of the world, usually tying them in some fashion to the Bible, to biblical stories or as allegories/metaphors for Christian teachings. Some fifty of these Bestiaries are still extant and most are luxuriously illustrated. There is only the roughest of boundaries between real creatures and mythical ones, a boundary as rough as that between real information about real animals and mere lore. While the language can be stilted, it has the quality of near-distance that can sometimes be fascinating to children. Indeed, the brevity of some of the explanations and willy-nilly spilling of seemingly unrelated facts has a childlike quality to it. Some samplings from the Bodleian Library's Ashmole Bestiary:

Beasts in the wild sense are creatures such as lions, panthers and tigers, wolves and foxes, dogs and apes, and all that roar and rage with their mouth or tongue except for snakes. They are called beasts because they possess their natural freedom and act as they themselves have willed. Their will is indeed free and they range hither and thither; where their instinct leads them, there they go.

In India, there is a beast called leucrota, swifter than all other wild beasts. It is as big as an ass; it has the hindquarters of a stag, the chest and legs of a lion, the head of a horse and cloven hooves. Its mouth stretches from ear to ear. Instead of teeth it has a continuous bone. So much for its shape; with its voice it imitates the sound of speech.

The gryphon is at once feathered and four-footed. It lives in the south and in mountains. The hinder part of its body is like a lion; its wings and face are like an eagle. It hates the horse bitterly and if it comes face to face with a man, it will attack him.

Further, these creatures keep popping up. J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings), C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia), J.K Rowling (Harry Potter) and many others have lassoed these ancient creatures into their own more modern tales. T.H. White (see Featured Author essay) was fascinated by mythical creatures and, indeed, translated one of the Bestiaries and published it as The Book of Beasts. Edith Nesbit (see Featured Author essay), Susan Cooper, Robertson Davies, Madeleine L'Engle and many others have incorporated mythical creatures into their modern stories, creating continuity and depth.

The following book list is a compilation of stories that relate the original myths as well as modern tales that incorporate some of the better known creatures. We hope you enjoy.

Picture Books

	Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths by Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire Highly Recommended
	D'Aulaires' Book Of Norse Myths by Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire & Michael (INT) Chabon Highly Recommended
	D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls by Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire Recommended
	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm and illustarted by Wanda Gag Recommended
	Jack and the Beanstalk by Paul Galdone Recommended
	The Elves and the Shoemaker by Paul Galdone Recommended
	The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone Recommended
	The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren and illustrated by Harald Wiberg and Viktor Rydberg Recommended
	The Book of Fairy Poetry edited and illustrated by Michael Hague Recommended
	Questionable Creatures by Pauline Baynes Suggested
	Eric Carle's Dragons Dragons & Other Creatures That Never Were by Eric Carle and Laura Whipple Suggested
	The Boy Who Painted Dragons by Demi Suggested
	The Dragon's Tale by Demi Suggested
	The Girl Who Drew a Phoenix by Demi Suggested
	Jack And the Beanstalk by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by Matt Tavares Suggested
	Hector & The Mythical Creatures by Judith Rossell Suggested
	Where Fairies Dance edited and illustrated by Michael Hague Suggested
	The Book of Dragons edited and illustrated by Michael Hague Suggested

Independent Reader

	The Complete Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis &and illustrated by Pauline Baynes Highly Recommended
	The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay and illustrated by Norman Lindsay Highly Recommended
	The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting and illustrated by Michael Hague Highly Recommended
	The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald and illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith Highly Recommended
	The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen and illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger Recommended
	Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer Recommended
	The Boggart by Susan Cooper Recommended
	Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville and illustrated by Gary A. Lippincott Recommended
	Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi Recommended
	Dragon Rider by Cornelia Caroline Funke Recommended
	The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson and illustrated by Sue Porter Recommended
	Perseus by Geraldine McCaughrean Recommended
	Theseus by Geraldine McCaughrean Recommended
	Five Children And It by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by H.R. Millar Recommended
	The Phoenix and the Carpet by Edith Nesbit and illustrated by H.R. Millar Recommended
	Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville Suggested
	Gifts from the Sea by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock and illustrated by Judy Pedersen Suggested
	Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle Sugested
	Eldest by Christopher Paolini Suggested
	The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan Suggested

Young Adult

	Bulfinch's Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch and illustrated by Sabra Moore and Richard P. Martin Recommended
	Grendel by John Gardner Recommended
	Bestiary by Richard Barber Suggested
	The Manticore by Robertson Davies Suggested
	Beasts by Elizabeth Morrison Suggested
	The Book of Dragons & Other Mythical Beasts by Joe Nigg Suggested
	How to Raise And Keep a Dragon by Joe Nigg and illustrated by Dan Malone Suggested
	The Book of Beasts by T.H. White Suggested

The children's author, Jean Fritz, has said, "We cannot afford to forget that the past is not just a series of events; it is people doing things." The stories of a life can become a biography (or autobiography). Collect enough biographies together and you begin to have a history. And history; "our history;" is one of the means by which people define themselves. It is for this reason that there are so many issues attached to the genre of biography. When selecting biographies for your child to read and enjoy, there are many factors to consider. As a busy parent, it can be a huge barrier of entry, trying to navigate between what is true and accurate versus what is a loosely scripted polemic, between what is positive versus what is self-destructive, between what are legitimate questions of style and form versus academic nit-picking. (See Biographies and Autobiographies book list)

Another reason for the importance of biographies is that, indirectly, they generally serve as some sort of ambassador for behavior and values. We hold up individuals that we admire in the hope that our children will absorb some comprehension of the importance of those values and behaviors. We don't necessarily want our children to be like George Washington because he was the first president but rather because he was such an exemplar of the values of integrity, duty, perseverance, etc.

Just as a culture goes through a literary evolution from folktales to myths (unverifiable tales of unverifiable events purported to be real) to legends (unverifiable tales of verifiable events) to factual and documented stories; so too, do children go through a reading evolution. At their earliest ages, they have no historical framework or body of knowledge on which to build. Any story for the youngest crowd is going to typically focus on the barest bones of a life, often a single event, and will lack almost any sort of context. There simply is not a capacity for reference, nuance, or critical thinking. As a child grows and lays down layer after layer of knowledge, these capacities do also grow (in large part because of those simple early stories).

As a parent you are left with a challenge that does not have an obvious answer as you try and balance two different objectives. On the one hand you want stories that are gripping and will feed the habit of reading. On the other hand, you want to have stories that are reasonably accurate. You need something more than "truthiness" to borrow Stephen Colbert's term. Sometimes these objectives go together well; many times they do not. George Washington chopping down his father's cherry tree makes a great tale for a five year old and the refrain "I cannot tell a lie" a very useful object lesson at that particular age. Young children engage with this simple morality tale to which they can relate and it gives them a story that does reinforce the attested and essential truth about the foundation of Washington's character, his sense of duty and integrity. The fact that it probably did not happen, as they discover in their teens, sure is inconvenient.

This conundrum, the balancing of enthusiasm about reading with a desire for factual accuracy, is further inflamed by an overlay of academic nuance and political movements. Many books of even a decade or two ago are now roundly criticized as either questionable or straight out inappropriate based on depictions of race, ethnicity, gender, or class stereotypes. The unfortunate consequence, were we to take all of these criticisms seriously (and some of them do have merit), is that there would be hardly any books for children to read, and certainly few that they would want to read.

Even when the story being related is factually accurate, an author, when writing for a younger audience, must focus the narrative on a few essentials which means there is little capacity for balance or nuance. James Daugherty's Daniel Boone, (1939), was a Newberry Medal winner (among other prizes) and was long enjoyed by children at the independent reader level for the exciting tale it told and the energetic illustrations by the author. Not being the focus of the story, Native Americans were, however, pretty much depicted as the undifferentiated "other", the savage danger out there on the frontier. In today's context, that depiction is harshly criticized within the halls of academia and the book is no longer in print. But what are we left with? I am not sure there is anything currently available that comes close to Daugherty's version in terms of ability to grip a child.

What counts as a biography (auto or otherwise)? Can it be just a segment of the person's life or does it have to cover all of it? Can it be a diary or journal? Does it have to be a single person or can it cover a group of people? Does historical fiction count as biography? All good questions.

All or a segment? - At the picture book level there is a good exemplar of this as an issue. Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend tells the tale of a young fifteen-year old woman, Kate Shelley, and her role in averting a potentially disastrous train wreck in the middle of a rainstorm as well as the subsequent rescue of an engineering crew. The narrative gives a couple of paragraphs on her background and two or three on what happened in the rest of her life but the overwhelming bulk of the story is centered on her actions the night of that storm. Biography? - I would say in this instance, yes on the grounds that it does give a context of her whole life.

In general, as you move up the reading curve, from picture books to independent readers to young adult, we have, in the following book list, tended to focus on more complete lives rather than just segments.

How about diaries and journals? - With a couple of notable exceptions, we have broadly omitted diaries and journals as I think they warrant a category of their own.

Single person versus a group? - Walter Lord (writing for adults and whose work is especially suitable for young adults) was a master of this approach to historical writing as best exemplified in his wonderful, A Night to Remember, about the sinking of the Titanic. He researches and follows the stories of a dozen or more key characters at the center of the story: Captain Smith, Second Officer Lightoller, ship's architect Thomas Andrews, and many others. In most cases, he gives a short potted history of their life before the night as well as what happened to them afterwards. When this is done well, as he does, it serves as a marvelous group biography, illuminating much more than a single life and giving a snapshot of an era. Done poorly and you have a disjointed narrative that becomes hard to follow. We have included a handful of group narratives in the following list.

How about historical fiction? - Unlike Humpty Dumpty in Alice in Wonderland ("When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less"), we do have to abide by words meaning what they actually mean. So by definition, historical fiction is out. Which is not to say that it doesn't play an important role in building a child's knowledge of history and people. We'll just have to tackle it in a different book list.

Another issue in which a parent can get entrapped is that of contrasting approaches to history. One approach, popular in the 19th century and still resilient today, is that of the Great Man theory as originally propounded by the British essayist and historian, Thomas Carlyle. Carlyle's argument was that history is effectively the sum of actions of a handful of great individuals (usually men). If you want to understand the American Revolution, you focus on Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Henry, Hamilton, etc. The Great Man theory lends itself to stirring narratives and therefore is fairly prevalent in children's literature.

The alternative philosophies of history discount biographies of individuals and focus much more on the broad sweep of forces and trends, often emphasizing minutiae such as how people went about their daily lives, what they ate, the technologies they used, what they wore, etc. While this sounds pretty boring, (and done badly, it is), it can actually be pretty interesting. However, dependent as it is on broad knowledge and detail, it takes a certain level of talent and creativity to make this approach to history work for children. A few manage it. Anne Millard's A Street Through Time, illustrated by Steve Noon, might be a good example of the more current approach to history writing, that is made to work for children.

As with so many contretemps in academia, the truth usually lies between the extreme positions. Individuals matter and so do broad trends - it is the intersection between the two where things get really interesting. Barbara Tuchman did a wonderful job in A Distant Mirror, in building her tale around an individual but making the story come to life through the details of daily living. If you are wedded to one approach or another, you will find both examples represented in this book list but because of the nature of biography (which focuses on individuals) and the emphasis on engaging narratives, you will find a predominance of stories about individuals.

This leads into another arena of controversy, (who knew that there were so many sink-holes in children's literature?) Through the 1950's and 1960's, history as a compilation of Great Men narratives was well served in the children's literature arena. There were lots of books about great men in history: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Charlemagne, Henry the Eighth, Sir Francis Drake, Stanley and Livingstone, FDR, Winston Churchill, Genghis Khan, Daniel Boone, etc. There was even a handful of Great Women of history such as Queen Elizabeth I, Madame Curie, Boadicea, Pocahontas, et al.

This list of great figures was predominantly white and predominantly male. From the 1970's on there has been a strong tide, not to refute the Great Man theory per se, but rather to broaden it to include more Great Women, Great African-Americans, Great Hispanics, etc. While right, I think, in general direction of injecting some balance, it has set up some peculiar consequences. One tendency is to dramatically exaggerate accomplishments: an assistant lab technician becomes a scientific genius; a previously inconsequential member of the expedition becomes the critical member on whom all success hangs. Another consequence has been one of balance. There are so many stories of women soldiers in the American Revolutionary army that you would think that there was hardly a need for them to disguise themselves as men. Some of these historical fiction stories are really good, it is just that in aggregate they can create a false impression.

Another trend prevalent in recent years, particularly at the young adult level, is for autobiographies as confessionals of self-destructive behavior – see all the abuse I suffered, my bout with drugs, I was a teenage alcoholic, etc. One of the progenitors of this trend was the 1970's book Go Ask Alice by Anonymous about a runaway girl that gets into drugs and street life. The consensus has latterly come around to the view that this is a fictional account rather than a true diary/autobiography. There clearly is some market for these type of books but I am afraid I have little tolerance for them. It seems to me that one or two might serve as an object lesson for how badly some people can make a mess of their lives. Beyond that though, there is a danger of creating an impression that these self-destructive behaviors are some sort of norm. While we carry these books should they need to be used for a particular purpose, they are not on this recommended book list.

What we have created below is a mix of books that are broadly accurate, have strong narratives that attract children's interests and which impart both factual historical information as well as highlight admirable individuals who exhibited traits we would wish our children to emulate. Beyond the individual books listed, there are fortunately a handful of authors (Russell Freedman, Jean Fritz, and Diane Stanley in particular) who produce really good narrative biographical stories. There is also a series, Childhoods of Famous Americans that is really good for early independent readers. It is an extensive series, has been in print for some sixty years, and covers all periods of US history. While each book is written by a single author, there is a stable of some dozen core authors over the entire series. Each book is written focusing on the famous person's childhood, usually finding something in that childhood that foreshadowed their later accomplishments. There are some 175 books in the series, though not all are in print. All three of our children enjoyed this series which is a tribute to its catholic appeal given their very different reading tastes.

Let us know of biographies and autobiographies which your children have especially enjoyed.

Picture Books

	Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh Highly Recommended
	A Street Through Time by Anne Millard and illustrated by Steve Noon Highly Recommended
	The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and illustrated by George Ford Recommended
	Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Margot Tomes Recommended
	And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz Recommended
	Paul Cezanne by Robert Burleigh & National Gallery of Art Suggested
	Can't You Make Them Behave, King George by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Tomie dePaola Suggested
	The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein Suggested
	Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg Suggested

Independent Reader

	Going Solo by Roald Dahl Highly Recommended
	Lincoln by Russell Freedman Highly Recommended
	Indian Chiefs by Russell Freedman Highly Recommended
	Cheaper By The Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey Highly Recommended
	Belles on Their Toes by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey Highly Recommended
	Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam Highly Recommended
	A Night To Remember by Walter Lord Highly Recommended
	My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber Highly Recommended
	Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Garth Williams Highly Recommended
	Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Garth Williams Highly Recommended
	A Weed Is a Flower by Aliki Recommended
	Boy by Roald Dahl Recommended
	Confucius by Russell Freedman and illustrated by Frederic Clement Recommended
	Eleanor Roosevelt by Russell Freedman Recommended
	The Wright Brothers by Russell Freedman Recommended
	Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt! by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Mike Wimmer Recommended
	Homesick by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Margot Tomes Recommended
	And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz Recommended
	Traitor by Jean Fritz Recommended
	The Endless Steppe by Esther Rudomin Hautzig Recommended
	All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot Recommended
	Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Mary Azarian Recommended
	Bill Peet by Bill Peet Recommended
	The Glorious Flight by Alice Provensen and Martin Provensen Recommended
	Traveling Man by James Rumford Recommended
	Peter the Great by Diane Stanley Recommended
	Saladin by Diane Stanley Recommended
	Mary on Horseback by Rosemary Wells Recommended

Young Adult

	My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell Highly Recommended
	Good-Bye to All That by Robert Graves Highly Recommended
	Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis Highly Recommended
	A Distant Mirror by Barbara Wertheim Tuchman Highly Recommended
	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Otto H. Frank and Mirjam Pressler Recommended
	Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer Recommended
	The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin Suggested
	All over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg Suggested
	I Could Never Be So Lucky Again by James H. Doolittle Suggested
	Two Lives of Charlemagne by Nofker the Stammerer and Einhard the Frank Suggested
	The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin Suggested
	An Autobiography by Mahatma Gandhi Suggested
	Empires Of Light by Jill Jonnes Suggested
	The Color of Water by James McBride Suggested
	The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester Suggested
	The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester Suggested