Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library

By Eth Clifford

Copyright 1979

Mary Rose and Jo-Beth are on their way to a relative’s house to stay while their baby brother is born.  Unfortunately, their Dad is driving them during a horrible blizzard.  The car runs out of gas, so with strict instructions to stay put, the girls are left alone while their Dad runs down the street to get gas.  Just then, Jo-Beth has a sudden urge to go to the bathroom, so the girls run into the library for a moment to use the bathroom there.  The librarian, having done her rounds of the building, unknowingly locks them in. 

This book is full of exciting twists and turns.  The sisters end up having a grand, exciting adventure.  Who wouldn’t, locked in a library all night long?  But where was that poor father?  Absolutely sick with worry over the lives of his two little girls and missing the birth of his son.  Why did I not see that before?  Shaking from desperation, he pounded on the door, begging to be let in.  Were his two little girls in the library?  Please let me come in and look for them.  The librarian tells him no one is there and sends him away.  He spends the long night in the police station, expecting the worst.  

When I was reading this as a twelve year old, I never put myself in the father’s shoes.  I only saw the story from the eyes of the girls.  Now I can’t see it from any other angle.  Personal perspective really can make a huge impact on how we view events.  It takes effort to truly put ourselves in another’s shoes, but that is just what we should try to do anyway.

A Very Young Gymnast

By Jill Krementz

Copyright 1978

Only once every four years does this happen – I get my fill of watching gymnastics on television!  Gymnastics is a sport that isn’t often covered in the news.  I usually have to search the internet for information on athletes and competitions.  This week, though, I was inundated with news on the Final Five team of women who have spent their whole young lives struggling to achieve an amazing goal.  And struggle is putting it mildly.  Their commitment and drive is amazing and fortunately enabled them to achieve their goal of gold.

Watching all this gymnastics brought to mind a book, at one time a favorite, which is still on my shelf.  A Very Young Gymnast highlights the life of Torrence York, a ten year old whose dream is to become an Olympic Gymnast.  The book is full of photos of Torrence with her teammates, at practice and competitions, and at home with her family.  In most she is smiling, but in one we see her crying from pain and frustration. 

I loved this book because I loved gymnastics.  I admired this young girl’s dedication and skill.  Never once, though, do I remember aspiring to be her.  I loved the sport merely because it was fun and I enjoyed practice.  I knew I never had it in me to dedicate so much of my life to such a physically tough activity!  Likewise, when I see what today’s Olympic gymnasts do and how they got there, I think they – and their families – are crazy! 

Still, these girls inspire me.  They show me that to achieve something great – no matter what the goal is – it has to be something I love to do.  The dedication they have would be impossible without a true love of their sport and a drive that comes from deep within.  If you love what you do, you’ll want to put in the necessary blood, sweat, and tears.  You will be willing to keep pushing, even if the chances of landing on top of the podium are slim!

The Seven Sneezes

A Little Golden Book

By Olga Cabral

Pictures by Tibor Gergely

Copyright 1948

“There were once a bunny, a kitten and a dog who lived together in a back yard.”  And everyone was happy.   

So begins this apparently sweet children’s story.  But wait…along comes the rag man with his horse and cart when suddenly, “ah-choo!”  Not just one hearty sneeze, but one right after another!  First the bunny’s ears blow off and land on the cat’s head.  The goose’s feathers are all sneezed off.  A little girl stands crying because her braids were sneezed right off her head.  Fortunately, they eventually catch up with the rag man, and with the help of a little pepper, he sneezes his biggest sneezes yet, and puts everything right again. 

  

It just goes to show you how quickly a peaceful, happy day can change!  You never know when something will happen to throw everything off kilter.  But hopefully, like in the story of The Seven Sneezes, by the end of the day (or week, or month, or year) everything will be put right again!

Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World

By Margret and H A Rey

Conceived in 1937 – published in 2000

Whiteblack is a penguin with his own talk radio show.  After running out of stories to share, Whiteblack decides to travel so he can have adventures to talk about.  Off he goes, and he surely has plenty of adventures, although they don’t always work out the way he expected.  He was accidentally shot out of a ship’s cannon, got lost in the desert, and was caught in a fishing net.  

I recently read the story of how H. A. Rey (born Hans Augusto Reyersbach) and his wife Margret escaped war torn France by bicycle with not much else besides a few children’s book manuscripts and the clothes they wore.  While the story of Whiteblack was one of those manuscripts, for some reason it was never published by the Reys.  A much more well-known story of theirs also traveled this way – the story of Curious George.  Although, at that time, it was known as The Adventures of Fifi!  After finally arriving in New York, Fifi’s name was changed to George.

While reading the story of daring Whiteblack the Penguin, I can’t help but draw comparisons to the Rey’s own lives.  Whiteblack sets out on adventures, not knowing what he’ll experience or how it will turn out.  There is danger along the way and things don’t always happen as expected.  Still, Whiteblack travels on, and eventually lands back at home, with plenty of stories to tell.  Fortunately for children everywhere, the Reys also eventually landed in a safe place, with plenty of their own stories to tell!