Children's Books discussion

During August we have 4 books from which to choose. Depending on the availability to you of each, and your interest in each, and your time and energy, come and share your thoughts about any or all of the following 1936 Newbery honor books:

Honk the Moose by Phil Stong
The Good Master by Kate Seredy
Young Walter Scott by Elizabeth Gray Vining
All Sail Set: A Romance of the Flying Cloud by Armstrong Sperry

We'll talk more in a couple of weeks - but for now, note that at least 2-3 of those authors' names should be a bit familiar to you... ;)

It looks like I will be able to get the first two, but neither of the last two - which is actually ok by me because they look more like 'boys' adventures' and do not appeal, tbh.

Honk the Moose looks cute and I have that one to read. I also repurchased The Good Master which I used to have in my classroom, but probably gave it away when I retired. I have a copy of All Sail Set: A Romance of the Flying Cloud but don't think I'll get that far. It doesn't appeal to me that much but I know I have it because of the author. So that's where I stand for August! Don't know where I'll end up, but time will tell!!!

:smiles:

And it's August! My books haven't come in yet, but feel free to discuss - I don't care about spoilers or anything. :)

My books have still not come in. Next time I go into the library I will check with a staff person - ordering online isn't foolproof.

I'd love to know if these are worth doing an out-of-system request for. I like to use those requests sparingly, but Honk the Moose, especially, does tempt me!

I got a really cheap copy of both The Good Master and the sequel The Singing Tree at a used book store going out of business sale for a dollar each. I have not started to read The Good Master but from the description it looks interesting.

I think I read those when I was a young girl, but darned if I can remember whether I liked them. I hope you do.

But, good news, Honk the Moose is in for me now!

Ok, got both now.

The Good Master is indeed interesting. I liked learning some of the Hungarian customs and history.

But the title is an understatement. It's more like "The Benevolent Lord." Kate's uncle is rich and arrogant. He does work, and he does manage his assets well, but he also has luck. He's compassionate, but only at his convenience. He calls his shepherds 'boys' and scatters coins in the dirt for the gypsy children, "'Scramble now,' he laughed.... '... dirty, thieving, irresponsible good-for-nothings...'"

But Seredy's opinion of the gypsies seems even worse, as evidenced by such words as 'savage' and pictures of them, very dark, ragged, and half-naked.

Otoh, the drawings are lovely, and, given the time and place, the attitudes are mostly ok, as nobody means harm, so I was able to enjoy the story. I do look forward to reading the sequel - perhaps as Jancsi grows to manhood and war comes to Europe we'll see valuable character development.

Honk the Moose is adorable. Funny, and light, lots of pictures, with just a little satire as it pokes fun at the adults who don't know what to do with this hungry moose that wandered into town. Fortunately the boys (no girls, sorry) have enough common sense and compassion to help everything work out for everyone. I would have thought it a bit too light for the Newbery committee, but I suppose it qualified for an Honor because it gives us a bit of culture and history, of the Finn immigrants of Northern Minnesota.

Mostly the lessons are subtle, but the author does come out and say: "'Teaching people a lesson' usually means teaching them what a bad temper you have." Would that more people had learned that!

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Ok, got both now.

The Good Master is indeed interesting. I liked learning some of the Hungarian customs and history.

But the title is an understatement. It's more like "The Be..."

Have not read the book yet, but Seredy's opinion regarding the Gypsies, while problematic, is not only a sign of the times but is still unfortunately a rather prevalent attitude towards the Roma and the Sinti in much of Europe and beyond.

Unfortunately, that's just the most egregious example of the classism and condescension.

Interesting discussion! I was going to give "Moose" a try but my library doesn't have it. Maybe just as well as I'm really behind on my reading and don't "need" to add more to the pile. Still, I'm adding it to my list for the future. Sounds like a fun one to read with my son when he's older :-)

I have decided to read the sequel to The Good Master, The Singing Tree. It's on order at my library. Once I've read it I'll try to remember to come back here and report.

Honk the Moose. I enjoyed this illustrated short chapter book. It is dated and there are a couple of culturally insensitive references, and those who are bothered by hunting won't appreciate that the boys had been out hunting in the beginning. However, the book is a product of a different time. And the overall story is one of humor and compassion for the moose. Two boys find a moose in the stable and aren't sure what to do. They show their father, who is dumbstruck. They send for the police, then the mayor and city council to determine what to do. The boys, particularly, defend the moose. A fast read but I found it quite enjoyable. I liked the relationship that develops and there is definitely humor mixed in.

I'm glad you enjoyed this, and found it worthy of your time. I agree that modern children would benefit from having some of the references & historical context explained to them. Thank you for coming back here to share your thoughts!

I'm a little slow/late on this comment, but had to put my two cents in before the year ended. I loved Honk the Moose. I love animal stories and I think this might be my first one about "meeses" (translated mooses)! Loved the children, the setting, and of course, Hank the moose. Yes, the hunting issue bothered me some, but as Jenny noted, it was a different time then. I did love how the whole little town gave their input into what to do with Hank. I thought this was a great Newbery Honor book from 1936. And the illustrations were the best! Be sure to try to get a copy of this wonderful story.

Oh, thank you so much for letting us know you liked this. I gave it four stars, too. :)

Honk the Moose
I very much enjoyed this humorous story about a wild moose seeking winter shelter in a barn. I laughed out loud at some of the people's antics when they discovered that there really was a moose in the barn, and that the barn's owner was not barmy after all. Kurt Wiese's illustrations--some black and white and some in color--were spot on and enhanced the humor of the story. I sure am glad that this book is still in print, or at least was as of 2001 (the date on the edition I read). I wish that the Newbery committee would give out the award and honors to more humorous stories than they do. I can only think of a few laugh-out-loud stories that won a Newbery award or honor.

It was indeed a good book; I still remember it from reading it for this discussion in 2014. And I totally agree that more humor is worthy of the Newbery... and more children would be willing to read it, too. Thank you for posting!

Beverly wrote: "I wish that the Newbery committee would give out the award and honors to more humorous stories than they do. I can only think of a few laugh-out-loud stories that won a Newbery award or honor"

That sounds like a great book. I'll try to read it soon. And, I agree that well-written humor is just as deserving of an award!