By Jane Nickodem

Rudyard Kipling expressed an essential truth when he wrote, “teach us to delight in the little things.”   If the lesson is to find joy in everyday life, there are no better teachers than children. 

Childhood is a time of discovery and delight, when the ordinary is celebrated and everything is new.  Adults seem to have lost the joy that the little experiences of everyday life can bestow.

For those of us who have perhaps allowed our “joie de vivre” to fade and fizzle, a new perspective may be in order.  So, even though we are no longer chronologically young, we can revive our sense of wonder and joy vicariously at first and then perhaps in real time.  Those who are looking for a source of inspiration in this regard need look no farther than our own meeting and children’s library.

Natural world is teeming with little miracles and delights that fascinate both children and adults.  tiny, perfect things [sic] by M. H. Clark takes us on a walk with a grandparent (or “grandfriend”) and a child as they celebrate ordinary things like a spider web, a snail or a noisy crow.  Madeline Kloepper’s colored pencil illustrations are charmingly child-like and reflect the humble cozy quiet of the story line.  Targeted to the young child, this book is best for companion reading and discussing and is a great resource for bonding with children through literature.                              Available for a 4 week loan.

Another outstanding nature-themed book is the delightful Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature.  Penned by Nicola Davies, an Australian scientist and children’s author, this comprehensive book is a wonderful collection of nature facts, poems, and outdoor activities arranged by season.  Mark Hearld’s illustrations are vivid and engaging.  Although this book is on reserve and does not circulate, it could be used by religious education for children teachers and also by families who wish to walk on the land with their children.                                                                                   Ages 3-8.

The following book, Ode to an Onion: Pablo Neruda and His Muse, will have almost universal appeal.  The story celebrates delight in ordinary things, and the lowly onion is described in a way that only a gifted poet could.  In his ode, Neruda, a much-loved Chilean poet, elevates not only an onion, but lifts himself out of his perpetual pessimism.  The ode is presented in both Spanish and English.  A clever book designer included a page of onion skin in both front and back pages.  

                                                   Available for a 4-week loan.  Ages 5 to adult.