As an immigrant parent, I had been looking forward to participating in my son’s education journey through the American public school system. Not only I wanted to revisit math and science, but was curious to see what art, literature, and social sciences mean on this side of the hemisphere.

When my son started 3rd grade, I decided to read along the novels they were studying in class. I grew up on steady diet of Enid Blytons, Nancy Drews & Hardy Boys. But what did kids read today?

I loved every bit of this read along and went through a dozen children’s books in 2023. Here are the two that made the most profound impact on me.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.”
― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

This timeless classic makes it to every children’s to-read book list. If you haven’t read it or seen the movie adaptation, you’ve surely heard of it. I somehow missed Charlotte’s Web in my childhood, so for it to be the first book my son read in 3rd grade was just what I needed to correct this gap in my reading.

The plot in brief: The story starts with an act of courage where a little girl on a farm, Fern, asks her dad to spare the runt of their pig litter from death. So this pig finds a new home in a barn. Wilbur, an optimistic, friendly animal struggles to make friends in the beginning. He befriends Charlotte, a kind, intelligent erudite spider.

When Charlotte learns that Wilbur is being raised for slaughter, she hatches a plan to turn him into a celebrity pig. Charlotte starts weaving words in her web visible on the barn door. What those words are and how they save Wilbur is for you to read and find out.

In Charlotte’s Web, there is a whole world of make-believe required. Fern can talk to animals, and the animals can talk to each other. Charlotte can read and write English. But, Charlotte’s Web isn’t a cutesy farm story of a child with animal friends.

Death features large. Right at the beginning, Fern saves Wilbur’s life by insisting she raise this runt of the litter. But as soon as Wilbur gains size and strength, he is being raised for slaughter. A large portion of the story is Wilbur obsessing about his end. Charlotte, however, sees death as a natural part of life and approaches it more pragmatically — which is why her sacrifice in the end is both moving and natural.

Charlotte’s Web is a profound tale of friendship, loss, and love and deserves to stay on the classics list for eternity. I may or may not have sobbed at the end.

“After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die.”
― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

New Favorite: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Oh, how I wish this was how I was taught poetry in school when I was growing up. What an incredible, incredible book of verse.

It’s a journal written in verse, covering the school year of an elementary school student, Jack. At the beginning of the year, Jack writes about how they are learning poetry in school and, he adamantly refuses to write claiming, it is only meant for girls.

“I tried.
Can’t do it.
Brain’s empty.”
― Sharon Creech, Love That Dog

Hesitatingly, and encouraged by his teacher, he makes an attempt to write poetry. Even more reluctantly, he agrees to let his poem be written up on the class blackboard with his name under it.

“So much depends
upon
a blue car
splattered with mud
speeding down the road.”
― Sharon Creech, Love That Dog

Throughout the academic year, John learns about poetry as his teacher reads famous classic poems. Some he doesn’t understand (The Red Wheelbarrow ), some he rolls his eyes at (The Pasture — see quote below), and some he loves (Love That Boy).

“I think Mr. Robert Frost has a little too much time on his hands.”
― Sharon Creech, Love That Dog

As his knowledge and understanding of poetry grows, his original poem too evolves, until it becomes a love letter to his dead dog. And then you know, that this sweet little child has been carrying so much grief and he has finally found a way to express it.

“Sometimes
when you are trying
not to think about something
it keeps popping back in your head
you can’t help it
you think about it
and
think about it
and
think about it
until your brain
feels like
a squashed pea.”
― Sharon Creech, Love That Dog

Not once while reading did it occur to me that a grown-up had written it. As a mother of a 9-year-old, I can attest Sharon Creech has nailed the language, vocabulary, and temperament of a child. As the book is written like a journal with each entry as a verse, it’s a very easy read.

But don’t let the simplicity or the shortness of the chapters fool you. You are guaranteed to feel along with Jack the full swing of emotions — confusion at learning poetry, pride in knowing that he can write too, acknowledging hidden grief, and excitement of meeting his favorite poet in person. Just the sheer experience of being a little boy.

Sharon Creech’s writing also confirms when it comes to poetry there are no rules. You write what you feel so that others can feel what you write.

Honorable Mentions

These two weren’t the only books I enjoyed reading. A few others also deserve a special mention:

While I couldn’t get my son to read Harry Potter, he managed to get me hooked on the Wings of Fire Series by T. Sutherland. The first five books of this series which are called The Dragonet Prophecy, are about 5 dragonets from different tribes. They were kidnapped at birth, raised together, and trained to fulfill a prophecy to bring an end of the tribal wars. As they reach adolescence, they have questions about their origin and question their role in the prophecy. Each novel takes us to a different homeland with its own cast of characters, several coming-of-age arcs, and many, many fun dragon superpowers.

One and Only Ivan and Because of Winn Dixie were other novels that were remarkable. In the former, a gorilla who has lived in captivity for 20+ years as a mall attraction realizes his imprisonment and expresses the desire for freedom. In Winn Dixie, a young girl moves to a new town with her preacher father. She adopts a stray dog who helps her fight loneliness. Slowly she befriends new people in the town and learns to deal with the loss of her mother, who left her when she was younger.

Since it’s been years since I have read novels for children, I was surprised at how often they deal with serious themes. Death and loss feature frequently. Friendship, kindness, and compassion are values often demonstrated through the main characters. But most importantly, none of the protagonists are perfect. They all make mistakes, learn their lessons, and improve their behavior. Children don’t like being preached and it makes sense heroes of these novels are flawed and relatable.