The Road of Faith,
The Road to Chaos,
The Road to Islam,
The Road to Wisdom,
The Road of Slaves,
The Road to Heaven,
The Road to Hell,
The Road to the New
World, The Road to
Northern
Europe,
The Road to Con-
frontation, The Road
to War, The Road to
Disaster, The Road to
Suffering, The Road
to Disenchantment,
and The New Silk
Road, this book will
captivate the reader and give a perspective that is often missing
in the study of World History.
Carl and the Meaning of Life (Viking, New York, 2018,
$17.99), written by Deborah Freedman, is perhaps the most sim-
ple yet thoughtful book of the year. Through simple and under-
stated artwork we follow Carl, an earthworm, as he tries to find
the answer to his question, “Why do I do, what I do?” Each of
the forest animals he encounters can only tell him what they do.
As he spends his time away from his work “moving, burrow-
ing, tunneling digesting, feasting, and casting,” the world around
him slowly begins
to change and die.
So Carl goes back to
his work changing
the world in his own
way,
understand-
ing that everyone
and everything has
an important part
to play in life… no
matter how small it
may seem. Perhaps
Carl’s lesson is the
greatest gift to us all
from 2018. As Os-
car Wilde said, “Be
yourself… everyone
else is taken.”
Feb. 9, 2019
PBS Kids Character Breakfast
at Buffalo RiverWorks
I ncludes VIP Early Admission to Saturday's
Kid Fest at WNED Studios
Feb. 9 - 10, 2019
Kid Fest
at WNED studios
Tickets and info: wned.org or 716-845-7000
So say a fond “Goodbye” to 2018 and make room for what-
ever 2019 may bring you. You are sure to be guaranteed that
things will change. Be open to new adventures and new opportu-
nities for you and your family to learn and grow together. Stay
tuned for details on new books already coming across my desk.
2019 promises to be another good year for children’s books and
hopefully for you. Happy New Year!
Dr. Donna Phillips is an associate professor in the College of
Education of Niagara University where her specialty is literacy
and children’s literature. She lives on Grand Island, NY and is
the mother of two adult children.
January 2019 WNY Family 41