These stories are so fun

There are many reasons why children’s stories are so powerful. Among these reasons, the purpose of stories is to entertain, develop imagination, teach moral principles, and help children better understand who they are and how they fit into the world. In short, children’s stories tell many nuances of life.

This is also the case with the books reviewed today. Extraordinary flights of imagination in “Jim at the Corner,” learning to share and the fact that there’s no such thing as perfect in “Poppy’s Perfect Crayons,” and a fun exploration of foolish behavior in “William Shakespeare: Twelfth Night.”

These, along with recommendations from your public library, are a great way to spend time with the kids in your life.

Books to borrow

The following book is available at many public libraries.

“Jim at the Corner” by Eleanor Farjen, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone, The New York Review of Books Children’s Collection, 96 pages

Read aloud: Ages 8 – 12.

Read for yourself: Ages 8 and up.

For the eight years of Derry’s life, old Jim sat on an orange box at the corner of the street where Derry lived. It doesn’t matter the season or weather; Derry knows Jim will always be there for him. Jim is friendly to everyone and everyone loves him, especially the children, because Jim finds the most wonderful way of telling exciting stories of his life as a sailor on the ship Rocking-horse.

Derry loves listening to Jim’s stories about his life, and Jim shares many stories with Derry, from the green cat belonging to the Catfish Queen that lives under the sea to encountering fog so thick he couldn’t even see his own ship. But when the fog lifted, he found a beautiful, surreal island that held an unpleasant secret.

There’s also Jim being rescued from the ship’s huge waves by Codfish, a lonely Sea Serpent longing to be loved, befriending a penguin when Rocking Horse was trapped in the ice for three months, and other delightful stories.

A completely seductive, magical, adventurous and often hilarious story of friendship. This selection of 10 interconnected stories is a pure delight. Perfectly complemented by quirky illustrations, “Jim in the Corner” is a treasure.

Librarian’s choice

Library: Kutztown Community Library, 70 Bieber Alley, Kutztown

Library director: Janet Yost

Assistant Director: Jackee Sharayko

Youth librarian: Tara Sanders

This week’s picks: “Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas” by Lynne Cox; “Sad, the Dog” by Sandy Fussell; “Human Body Theater: A Nonfiction Revue” by Maris Wicks

Books to buy

The following books are available at your favorite bookstores.

“Poppy’s Perfect Crayons,” written and illustrated by Sally Anne Garland, Beaming Books, 2024, 32 pages, $18.99 hardcover

Read aloud: ages 3 – 7.

Read for yourself: 6 – 7 years.

It was time to draw and color, and Poppy’s classmates quickly got to work on their own special creations. Poppy had a brand new box of crayons but was hesitant to use them because they were perfect.

One by one, Poppy’s friends noticed that she wasn’t using her crayons, and when Poppy explained that she didn’t want to ruin her new crayons, they each offered to share them with her. Some were broken, some were just sketches, some were bent, and some were straight.

He painted Poppy anyway and was quite happy with it, but he was missing a color to complete it. That’s when Poppy decided that the perfect crayons would be the solution for both her and her friends.

A captivating story in both words and quirky illustrations, “Poppy’s Perfect Crayons” makes it clear that sharing is the perfect thing to do.

“William Shakespeare: Twelfth Night,” retold by Georghina Ellinas, illustrated by Jane Ray, Candlewick, 2024, 32 pages, $17.99 hardcover

Read aloud: ages 5 – 8.

Read for yourself: ages 7 – 8.

William Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night” is magnificently retold for a young audience in this elegant picture book.

Long ago, in the beautiful kingdom of Illyria, Feste the Fool was nothing but a fool. He knew everything that was going on in the kingdom. His main job was to make countess Olivia laugh, and he was pretty good at it.

But recently, Countess Olivia’s job has become very difficult after the death of her father and brother. Although Olivia was Illyria’s most desired heiress, the countess fell into deep despair and vowed never to marry, as she was overwhelmed with sadness.

Because the Jester knew everyone’s secrets, knew who was fooling whom, who the real fools were, and this mess of deception eventually led to a happy ending for everyone except the smug, jealous Malvolio.

Receiving high scores on all levels, “William Shakespeare: Twelfth Night” is enjoyable in every respect.

Nationally published Kendall Rautzhan writes and teaches on children’s literature. He can be reached at [email protected].