LIS 721 Books to Inspire Childlike Wonder

Marshall III, J. (2015). In the footsteps of Crazy Horse. (J. Yellowhawk, Illus.) Amulet Books. This book is a historical fiction novel retelling the legends of the famed Native American warrior Crazy Horse that uses a parallel plot structure with the overarching plot of a boy taking a road trip with his grandfather to learn the history and find a solution to his bullying problem. This plot structure provides context for the stories told and gives this history a modern breath of life to keep readers invested and make the story relevant to their lives even though it happened generations ago. By connecting Crazy Horse’s stories to the life of the protagonist, the relationship between past and present are clear to the reader helping them understand the importance of learning about this history. An integral part of this story is the setting. Throughout the road trip, the boy and his grandfather hit different geographic locations which are the real settings of the historical stories being

Tan, S. (2017). Cilla Lee-Jenkins: future author extraordinaire (D. Wulfekotte, Illus.) Square Fish. This is the story of a girl who is against the idea of sibling coming into the world because she is afraid to share her life.  Written in first person, the book is meant to take the form of a journal that the protagonist is writing to make into a bestselling novel believing that is the best way for her to stay important and remembered after her baby sister is born. This is immediately established by a letter from the author (Cilla) to the reader which opens the book to inform the reader of what to expect and why the book was written. Because it is written this way, the tone is very conversational and light, for the most part. There are moments where Cilla learns a lesson or experiences an issue which can lead to a more somber tone, but it always returns to a lighter tone. It also always stays in the realm of what is easily understandable to young readers, sometimes branching off with mo