PICK OF THE LITERATURE
— by Dr. Donna Phillips
J
uly is the month to wander. To
wander in the woods and fields.
To wander at the seashore and
in the mountains. To wander on your
own backyard or in your imagination.
The “lazy days” of summer are fully
upon us and longer days allow us more
time to explore and contemplate.
Whether you are celebrating the
birth of our nation or the freedom to
travel as you please, this is the month
to do it. Books can give us ideas, maps,
incentive, and opportunities to travel in
real-time, or virtually through time and
space, discovering what has been around
us all the time and making us aware of
how we can get there. So buckle up! We
are about to take off!
Everyone knows of the adventures
of Henry David Thoreau and his impact
on the culture of this country and the
world. But do we really know the details
of his life on Walden Pond? Henry Da-
vid Thoreau in the Woods (Gibb Smith
Publishers, Layton, 2019, $9.99), written
by Kate Coombs and illustrated by Seth
Luca, is a board book introduction to the
story of his discoveries for young chil-
dren. Through simple, yet meaningful
illustrations and rhyming text, we meet
talks to the forest creatures (real and
imagined), drawing and recording what
she sees and does… all in the park by
her house. This book reminds us that
adventures can take place anywhere and
possibilities are all around us.
Thoreau and his friend the mouse (yes,
he really had one) and the adventures he
had living a simple life in the woods, ac-
tually about 2 miles from his home out-
side of Concord, Massachusetts. If you
are off to the “wilderness”… or this now
protected area outside this New England
town, it would be a great way to start
your adventure. If your little ones are in-
terested in knowing more about Thore-
au’s mouse friend, consider sharing Lit-
tle Mouse: The Mouse Who Lived with
Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond
by Bill Montague. These just might in-
spire your older children, or yourself, to
read his original book Walden; or, Life
in the Woods.
Do you have your own Thoreau in
your house? If you do, The Hideout
(Abrams Books for Young Readers, New
York, 2019, $16.99), written by Susan
Mattiangeli and illustrated by Felicita
Sala, maybe the book for them. Children
love to see themselves in the books they
read and in this book Hannah is a natural
explorer with a wonderful imagination.
Much like Thoreau, she sees herself out-
doors with animals and in nature collect-
ing, examining, exploring, and studying.
She makes forts, builds campfires, and
48 WNY Family July 2019
If you are thinking about a New
York State adventure of the Hudson
River, River (Orchard Books, New York,
2019, $18.99), written and illustrated by
Elisha Cooper, takes us on a 300-mile
canoe trip adventure that begins in a lake
at the headwaters of the Hudson River
and takes us all the way to the Atlantic
Ocean. This beautifully illustrated water
color rendition of the trials, tribulations,
and personal and scientific discoveries
of this adventurer and the natural world
are elegantly yet simply represented in
this book. Every family member will
find something of interest or inspiration
in this story, and it would be the perfect
introduction to, and celebration of, the
history and the wonder of this stunning
area of our country.