Tag Archives: point of view

Louis by Tom Lichtenheld

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Have you ever thought about how your favorite stuffed animal feels about being squeezed around the neck? Squashed while you slept on him? Matted with food dripped on her? This story explores a boy’s unending, unforgiving, and maybe at times, suffocating love for his best stuffed bear, Louis. Louis has plans to run far away from this life as he has been stuck with needles (sewn back together), thrown into hurricanes (washed in the washing machine), and stranded places (accidentally forgotten on a bus). Will he succeed in running away or will he give in to being needed and loved?

This is a fun story with perfect, simple illustrations that are necessary to the story. Louis is a great tool for teaching point of view and would be a great addition to a library collection. Points of note: book cover is different than the jacket; Tom Lichentenheld’s real stuffed bear is photographed in the author bio at the back jacket flap; illustrations by Julie Rowan-Zoch.

Running With Trains: a novel in poetry and two voices

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Running With Trains is a story told from two perspectives and told in verse.

Set in the 1970’s, we first hear from Perry a 13 year old boy who feels adrift in turbulent times: his father is missing in action in Vietnam, his mother is studying to become a nurse in the city, and his older sister is in college where political protests keep her from connecting with her brother or family. On his weekly travels between his hometown where he lives with his grandmother, and Cincinnati where he lives with his mother on weekends; Perry looks out his window and notices Steve whose farm lies on the rail line that Perry travels each week.

Steve likes to race the train as it crosses his fields;  Steve watches the train and dreams about the people, places and adventures that he feels he may never come to know.

In alternating voices, Michael J. Rosen weaves a tale of two boys—one wishing for the stability of home, the other yearning to travel—and the unexpected impact of their fleeting encounter (when a cow causes the train to stop). After their brief meeting both boys are left wondering if the grass is indeed greener on the other side of the train window?

This is a comfortable read, not a lot of drama or high adventure.  Like the train in the story it takes the reader from point A to point B with a reliable steadiness, but it does give the reader some new perspective to consider.