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| A Bear’s Life By Meg Star Henry
Climbs a Mountain (2003) FEW EFFORTS ARE made by school and culture to mirror for children the possibility of having an activist morality and life. That is why activist parents, grandparents, teachers, childcare providers, and friends of children will be glad to hear about D.B. Johnson’s Henry David Thoreau bear books. There are four books in this series, which is targeted at the older picture book audience: five-to-eight-year-olds. D.B. Johnson, who illustrates his own stories, has created a dignified Thoreau bear—with a large friendly nose and a fine straw hat, living in the Concord we have all imagined: clear blue skies and green meadows. The three books of the series I read all weave story and philosophy together, the way Thoreau himself does in his writing. In Henry Works, as the bear walks through Concord—helping his neighbors and observing the weather—people continue to ask him when he will get to work. pages; 1960s. In the end, Henry sits down to write about his day, helping his neighbors and observing the weather, because Henry’s work is writing books. Henry Builds a Cabin is about simplicity. The bear builds a tiny cabin. When his neighbors ask where he will do the many things they expect him to do in a house, he explains that he will simply do them outside. While they insist his cabin is still too small, he insists that it will be just the right size for him. In Henry Climbs a Mountain, D.B. Johnson recounts the famous incident of Thoreau going to jail for resisting the poll tax. The poll tax and its connections to slavery are dismissed in a few quick lines. The story mainly describes how Henry uses his time in jail to imagine and draw a beautiful mountain. The strengths and weaknesses of the series are most clearly exposed in this tale. On the one hand, a children’s author shouldn’t just make a passing reference to slavery or taxes for this age group. Five-to eight-yearolds have their minds anchored in concrete activities and will not understand the motivation for jail time without more supporting information. On the other hand, what better way to start describing a brief political stay in jail than the story of Henry and his pretend mountain? There are moments when D.B. misses his age range, as some of the concepts may be over the heads of many fiveyear- olds upon a first reading. Nevertheless, understanding and appreciating these concepts is ultimately what activist parents hope for. The series is therefore a colorful, well-written way to help share with young children the journey into activist values and alternative philosophy. Meg Starr is the author of the popular Alicia’s Happy Day picture book, and a member of the Resistance in Brooklyn collective. |
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