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Books
for the Thresholds of Life
By Holly E. Newton
The month of May celebrates graduations from
various stages of schooling and includes two important graduations
— high school and college. So, no matter the age of your graduates,
here are books to motivate, celebrate and help prepare them for
the new challenges that lie ahead. The first 3 books are perfect
for teenagers through adult.
 T.A.
Barron has The Hero’s Trail: A Hiking Guide for
a Heroic Life now in paperback. This most interesting
book reads like a conversation and pulls the reader into one story
after another — stories about courage, perseverance and compassion.
There’s the story about the 11-year-old girl who saved her
younger siblings from a burning fire only, to find out that her
2-year-old brother was still in the house. Once again, she risked
her life by going back in to find him hiding under the bed. Anther
story relates how 10-year-old Joshua was lost while exploring an
old mine with his Scout troop. He was in total darkness for five
days! When he was finally found, he told his rescuers how he managed
to keep his spirits up. He prayed and he sang. His faith and his
encouraging songs, like “I Am a Child of God,” kept
him alive. Here is a book that will surely inspire many to be ready
to face any challenge.
Jim Thorpe: Original All-American,
by Joseph Bruchac, is an astounding look into one of the greatest
athletes to have ever lived. But this isn’t just the story
of a young man who excelled in every sport his college offered.
This isn’t just a story about how he went on to play professional
football, major league baseball and won Olympic gold medals in track
and field. This is the story about how one Native American, who
was born back in 1887 on a reservation, overcame prejudices, hardships
and horrific challenges and went on to achieve all that life could
offer. This is an incredible biography that you will not forget!
 Extraordinary
Ordinary People, by Alan Govenar, will amaze you as
you read about five masters of artistic endeavors who have surpassed
anything they thought possible. There’s the story about Ralph
W. Stanley, who loved boats. He couldn’t afford to buy one,
so he built one instead. It took him one year to build his lobster
boat while he also worked to earn the money for the materials. “Building
a boat’s a challenge, and I like the challenge,” says
Ralph, “And I like the feeling of accomplishing something.
“ Here is an extraordinary man who has become an expert boat
builder by means of facing the challenge!
Dorothy Trumpold has carried on the
tradition of her grandfather’s talent of weaving on his loom.
She strived to learn the craft and continue his tradition of mixing
rags into brilliant patterns for rugs. Her talent in this industry
is magnified when rugs of today are all made by machines. But not
hers. It takes a lot of hard work, talent and persistence to complete
each task. But she never stops at only part way.
Each of the talented individuals
featured in this book have the same consistency about them: —
persistence, challenge and satisfaction at a job well done. The
wonderful full-sized photos throughout add to this oversized book.
The last three books are picture books
that are better suited for the younger graduate. Cherish
Today: A Celebration of Life’s Moments, by Cristina
Evans, and illustrated by Bryan Collier, encourages us to enjoy
all that surrounds us and to take each day one at a time. And if
you find difficulty along the way, don’t get discouraged.
“You can still join the race, but you can’t always lead.
And it may take some time to find your own speed.” The rhythmic
patterns, along with the full-page paintings, make this book the
perfect graduation gift.
 A
Good Day, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes,
has a very strong message about looking for the good in each day.
Award winner Henkes has written and illustrated a very simple message,
yet pulls it off with impact! Four animals are discouraged because
things are not turning out as they’d like. The bird has lost
his favorite tail feather. The dog is tangled up in her leash. The
fox can’t find his mother and the squirrel has dropped her
nut. But each animal resolves its bad day by making use of what
they have and making it a much better day! What a great lesson for
us all!
And last, The Pink Refrigerator,
written and illustrated by Tim Egan, is a most unusual story about
how little Mr. Dodsworth is spending his life until he discovers
an old pink refrigerator in the junkyard. Each time he sees the
refrigerator, it has a new note hanging on its door. And each time
he opens the door he finds new and interesting items he ends up
using. One of the sayings says to read more. When he discovers many
wonderful books inside, he takes them home and reads stories about
many adventures. Mr. Dodsworth has learned a valuable lesson: make
use of your life and don’t become stagnate. Keep progressing!
So take heed graduate and move forward with outstanding books like
these!
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Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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