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Thank you! If
you choose to buy any books right now, a portion of the proceeds from your sale
will benefit your local public
radio station. Book orders will be fulfilled by the independent BookSense.com
bookseller closest to you.
This week, Loose
Leaf looks at the most honorable of institutions, the holiest of holy cows,
the tabernacle of American political bullpucky, the family. Family. A breeding
ground for the common cold and neurosis on one hand, a daily celebration of
unconditional love and sacrifice on the other. The jewel in the crown of the
human animal, and the most exploited institution in the history of man. But
let's for a moment leave aside long distance calling card commercials, life
insurance pamphlets, Mad About You, the Sopranos, and self-righteous
politicians, and see what some books for kids and young adults have to say about
the matter.
Featured titles
from this week's show, Family,
include:
Dancing
in Cadillac Light
by Kimberly
Willis Holt |
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Set against
a backdrop of a small town in Texas in 1968, Kimberly Willis Holt's fourth
novel brims with quirky Southern characters and the wisdom and humor that
are her trademarks. 11-year-old Jaynell, called "Boy" by her father, is
tough and cranky, and very different from her sister, Racine, a girly-girl
with a butt-twisting walk and "a hole in her head as big as Texas." But
both of them have learned a thing or two about poor people like the Pickens
family that lives in a shack on the wrong side of town. "Never, never
eat anything at a Pickens' house," their momma tells them. Fact is, nobody
in Moon, Texas, has much, but everybody is real aware of who's got what
and how much. Except for Grandpap. He comes to live with her family after
Grandma dies, and he always makes time to visit with the Pickens, even
after he buys a '62 emerald green Cadillac convertible. When Grandpa dies,
the entire family learns his secret: he has given away his house to the
Pickens. And Jaynell learns another secret about Grandpap that changes
the way she will look at poverty forever.
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The
Animal Family
by Randall
Jarrell, illustrated by Maurice
Sendak
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A lonely
hunter living in the wilderness beside the sea gains a family made up
of a mermaid, a bear, a lynx, and a boy.
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The
Birthday Room
by Kevin
Henkes
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| When twelve-year-old
Ben visits his uncle in Oregon, he feels caught in the strained relationship
between his mother and her brother while he also begins to accept himself
as an artist.
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A
Book for Honey Bear
written and illustrated by Audrey
Wood
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When Honey
Bear doesn't seem to be herself, her parents take her to the doctor's
office. You'll love finding out what Doctor Bear prescribes for her problem!
- This is
the paperback version of the book being distributed free by doctors
to families which will be available in stores and at BookSense.com as
of November 1.
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Loose
Leaf Book Company Archives
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