ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 16, 1996 TAG: 9606140061
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON
LINDA WYATT, Roanoke City Council member and second-grade teacher.
``The Giving Tree,'' by Shel Silverstein.
This is the story of a tree that befriends a little boy. The tree invites the boy to sit in the shade of its branches, to build a treehouse out of its limbs and then a canoe out of its trunk so the boy can see the world. Then when the boy returns, the tree invites him to sit on its stump. "The tree just gives his all."
``The BFG,'' by Roald Dahl.
"It's about a little girl who lives in an orphanage." The Big Friendly Giant is her pal, and he goes around doing nice things for her and other folks. ``He never got a chance to have an education, but he wants to learn so badly. There's a lot of neat lessons in that. For children - and adults, too.''
AMANDA COCKRELL, author and director of the graduate program in children's literature at Hollins College.
``Many Moons,'' by James Thurber.
"It's a wonderful book. It's funny, and it's great for reading out loud. I have never known a kid who wouldn't sit still and listen to this."
``Pish Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch,'' by Nancy Willard.
Besides having a great name, Hieronymus Bosch has a house that "is full of these strange critters."
``The Princess and Curdie,'' by George MacDonald.
The characters in this book include a beast, Lina, who is repulsive yet benevolent. "It was the first place I encountered the idea that goodness didn't have to be beautiful - that ugly could be good. That's a good idea for a young girl to encounter. It did me a lot of good."
``The Jungle Book and Other Stories,'' by Rudyard Kipling.
Kipling was a 19th-century British writer who is sometimes criticized for having a patronizing attitude toward the people of India. But "he was quite enlightened for his time. You have to read him with that in mind."
MIKE HUDSON
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Wyatt< 2. Cockrell< (headshots)by CNB