Editor’s Note: Each month, the children’s librarians at Bangor Public Library offer a selection of old classics and new favorites designed to encourage reading and provoke thought in young readers. The books may be purchased at local bookstores or found at your local library.

Preschool

READ-ALOUD RHYMES FOR THE VERY YOUNG, selected by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Marc Brown, Alfred A. Knopf, 1986, 98 pages, $17.99.

If you haven’t already met, I’d like to introduce one of my all-time favorite books, the exuberant, expansive and exceptional collection of poetry, “Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young.”

Poet and anthologist Jack Prelutsky has compiled poems of a collage of experiences familiar to children. The words of poets, past and present, joust and jostle with rhythm and rhyme as they imaginatively capture the essence and wonder of life through the eyes of the child.

Marc Brown of “Arthur” fame has warmed each page with whimsical pictures that expand on the words and invite closer scrutiny and … chuckles, chuckles and grins.

The book includes a gem of an introduction by Jim Trelease, whose “Read Aloud Handbook” has inspired many parents in nurturing their young book lovers. His words succinctly convey the relevance and importance of growing up hearing, saying and savoring poems.

A treasure to reach for again and again, this wise and wonderful collection will fit right into every child’s experience and will offer memorable poems to keep in the pocket through life.

DAYS OF THE BLACKBIRD: A TALE OF NORTHERN ITALY, written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1997, $15.95.

Tomie dePaola decided that he would be an artist and author when he was 4 years old. Since then, 58 years have passed and he has written and-or illustrated more than 165 books for children.

His most recent picture book, “Days of the Blackbird,” is the story of a motherless young girl and her father, the kind-hearted Duke Gennaro, who delight in listening to the birds in the courtyard of their villa. When her father becomes ill, Gemma opens the windows so the serenade of the birds will cheer her father. As winter’s chill grips the countryside, the Duke’s health doesn’t improve and Gemma entices the birds to stay with seeds, suet and baskets of soft wool to nest in, hoping their songs will hasten her father’s recovery.

Gradually, all the birds depart except one, La Columba, a beautiful white bird with the song sweetest to the Duke and Gemma. La Columba endures the three coldest days of the winter, bravely singing on the windowsill of the ailing Duke and nesting in the chimney to keep warm.

The Duke recovers, but La Columba is no longer a white bird. The soot from the chimney has turned the bird black, Le Merla. To honor the faithful bird, the Duke declares the last three days of January Le Giornate della Merla — the Days of the Blackbird.

Precisely written and richly illustrated in dePaola’s painterly style, the story offers a most palatable presentation of Italian folklore. Not to be missed is the author’s note sharing his inspiration for the story.

Grades one-three

LOUDMOUSE by Richard Wilbur, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1963, 32 pages.

When Mother mouse decides it’s time for her four little mice to find their own food and be on their own, one of them earns the reputation as “Loudmouse.”

While the other young mice are learning not to be seen or heard by Mr. and Mrs. Dowd, the homeowners who are trying so hard to rid themselves of the critters, Loudmouse finds himself in dangerous situations because he is unable to talk quietly.

Close calls with mousetraps and a huge cat leave Loudmouse with an empty stomach. Fortunately and unexpectedly, Loudmouse becomes a hero with the homeowners, allowing the whole mouse family safety and plenty of future nourishment.

Wilbur has created a humorous story which is excellent as a read-aloud. Emphasis on Loudmouse’s dialogue will captivate an audience of both children and adults.

DANCE WITH ROSIE, Ballet Slippers Series: Vol. 1, by Patricia Reilly Giff, Viking Penguin, 1996, 64 pages, $13.99.

Rosie can’t stop from imagining herself as the great and graceful ballerina, Rosaleen. Terribly disappointed that she has missed the sign-up deadline for Miss Deirdre’s ballet class, Rosie must find another way to learn to dance.

With her new friend, Karen, she “solves” her predicament by secretly following along with the class through an outside window of the dance studio. Though her plan falls through, Rosie and Karen, by chance, are able to join the class. Participating in the formal instruction, Rosie begins to wonder if she really is meant to be the wonderful Rosaleen, or not.

This beginning book of the Ballet Slipper Series will be welcomed by children who are well into chapter books but not wanting lengthy chapters. The subject matter will hold their interest since it involves one of the many activities available to children in their active lives, especially those interested in ballet. The story also will encourage children to believe that goals are achievable and though results may not be immediate, they must actively strive toward them.

Grades four-six

THERE’S AN OWL IN THE SHOWER, by Jean Craighead George, Harper Collins, 1995, 133 pages, $13.95.

In the Pacific Northwest an endangered spotted owlet becomes the focus of a family when they adopt it as a pet after it has been injured and abandoned in a clear-cut area.

In an easy-to-read format, Jean Craighead George adds to her list of ecology novels. She weaves together a contemporary story about endangered species, economics, the logging industry, and a family affected by all of these factors.

A STRANGER AT GREEN KNOWE, by L.M. Boston, Harbrace, 1989, 158 pages, $6.

This is a powerful novel about a gorilla and a small Chinese refugee boy that have a chance meeting at the beloved Green Knowe setting in England.

Beginning in the Congo, we share the heartache as Hanno, the gorilla, is taken away from his mother and shipped to the London Zoo. We also follow Ping’s journey to Green Knowe. On the grounds of Green Knowe, Ping befriends Hanno and a secret, intense friendship develops.

Anyone who has an interest in the endangered lowland gorilla will be fascinated and saddened by this exceptional novel. Children will want to put themselves in Ping’s place, wishing for an encounter with the gentle beast.

Young adult

OF MICE AND MEN, by John Steinbeck, Viking Penguin, 1973 320 pages, $7.95.

There is a beautiful simplicity to this novel of plot, character and language. Through this simplicity the author homes in on a universal hunger. Written and published during the Great Depression, Steinbeck’s story offers us a tale of two unlikely friends, both common laborers. George is small in stature and quick-thinking; Lenny, almost a giant, has the mind of a child.

The opening scene is idyllic. A pool of water surrounded by willows and sycamores, a pervasive feeling of peace and well-being. The setting reveals not only their dreams but the richness of their relationship.

Their arrival at the farm where they have been hired places them in a community of isolation and loneliness created by petty bigotries. Steinbeck covers quite a few bases — old age, race, sexism and the mentally weak. George and Lenny’s friendship and plans to buy a place of their own offer flickers of hope to certain members of the farm.

The tragic end of the novel points out that true dreams center on having someone to share them with, the sharing more important than the actuality of the dream.

THE LONG SEASON OF RAIN, by Helen Kim, Henry Holt & Co., 1996 275 pages, $15.95.

It is 1969 in Seoul, South Korea, where a woman’s life is etched out for her, where having a son is of extreme importance. Helen Kim gives us a view of marriage and family life through the innocent and insightful eyes of a spunky 11-year-old girl.

Junehee is the second of four daughters living in a household with her mother and her paternal grandmother. Her father is in the military and is seldom home; he frequently travels abroad or goes out with his friends.

When grandmother agrees to temporarily house a young boy orphaned by the mudslides of changma (the long season of rain), their lives take a dramatic turn.

This beautifully written novel is rich with Korean culture — you can almost taste the spicy kimchee. Some may classify it as feminist, but its scope is far broader. It is the story of a family in crisis. The major characters are fleshed out without stereotypes or heavy judgments, and they’re not so different from many American families. Though there are scars, the ties that only “family” have hold strong.