Reviews & Views: Back-to-school best bets

I love to see all the new back-to-school books, and I urge you to take a walk through the children’s section at a bookshop or the Acton Free Public Library to check them out. 

There’s something so hopeful in reading their descriptions and studying their bright graphic covers. They send positive messages for all of us facing a touch of that peculiar September mix of melancholy for summer’s end and excitement at the return of fall. Wouldn’t it be nice if adults could also get a chance at a fresh start?

If you need convincing that children’s literature is worth your time from an Oxford don who also writes bestsellers, pick up “Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise” by Katherine Rundell (Knopf). With a series of witty essays, she is fun and illuminating in both her job as a children’s writer and don of ridiculous erudition and good humor. Of course I am looking forward to the screen treatment of “Impossible Creatures” and its sequels, but my favorite of her books is “The Explorer” (Simon & Schuster), a rip-roaring adventure of children fighting their way out of the jungle after a plane crash. You could go for a twofer and read it with your older child, then view the early Hollywood disaster epic, “Five Came Back,” which might introduce them to the wonders of black-and-white film as well as to Lucille Ball, almost unrecognizable in her leading role, and a host of character actors waiting to be killed off. A good “B” movie can still be influential, with its potent mixture of suspense, corny special effects that are still scary, and a willingness to illustrate what works about humanity and what can go wrong. You can watch it on Kanopy with your CFPL card.

We find stability in routine, and for a young one unaccustomed to seasonal change, “Fall Is for School” by Robert Neubecker (Little, Brown), the sequel to “Winter Is for Snow,” is perfect to introduce the concept. “The Worry-Worry Whale and the Classroom Jitters” by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna, (FS&G) is good for the kindergarten crowd. Children love didactic books because their repetitiveness and reassuring tone build confidence that every day is a chance to try again. 

If they are upset with how things are going, read them “The Dog Who Was (Almost) Perfect” by Jack Kurland (Frances Lincoln), featuring a high-performing pup who learns it’s OK to make mistakes. “Today We’ll Be Eaten” by Alan Barillaro (Rocky Pond) tells of a dragonfly and a ladybug fearing the worst but discovering a new chance at life by working together. “Story Rug” by Sophie Blackall, illustrated By Phoebe Wahl, (Little, Brown) is the new classic picture book of the season with wonderful illustrations celebrating being read to. 

If you know a child or adult with anxiety or social jitters, getting into nature can help. “Be More Bird: Life Lessons from a Hawk” by Candida Meyrick (Greystone) is full of charm. My family loves to watch hawks, and this tale of how Meyrick’s family decided to “get” a peregrine falcon hit our sweet spot. 

“Against Convenience: Embracing Friction in an Age of Endless Ease” by Gabe Bullard (Hanover Square) reminds us that while much of modern life is made better by technology, it still has its perils. It turns out giving up some convenience makes us more resilient and interesting. “You Don’t Need a Smartphone: A Practical Guide to Downgrading Your Phone and Upgrading Your Life” by August Lamm (Vintage), due out this fall, promises to offer ways to avoid Big Tech’s grasp — and possibly free up time to read.

If you’re reluctant to let go of your Hot Greek Summer after the cinematic release of “The Odyssey,” “Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys through Ancient Literature” by Emily Wilson (Liveright) is a collection of essays by Wilson about the Greek classics. 

The violence of ancient history may seem far away, but I was disturbed by “Kingdom of Devils: A Tale of Murder in the Shadow of the American Revolution” by Katherine Grandjean (Random). It showed how messy and violent our early republic could be without many laws or respect for government. But I was heartened by “The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker: A True Tale of Love, Murder, Treason, and Ordinary Folks Who Saved America” by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz (Simon & Schuster), in which citizens of a small town in mid-19th-century Pennsylvania took part in one of the great acts of abolitionist rebellion. O’Keefe Aptowicz, a poet and historian, has written a terrific book.

In “The Butterfly Season: What 64 Butterflies Taught Me About Nature’s Great Mysteries and the Meaning of Life” by Lea Korsgaard (Knopf), translated from the Danish, a journalist examines the year she spent finding all 64 species of butterfly. This project led her to see the threat of extinction faced by a million plant and animal species — a well-illustrated nature journey. I don’t think I could do a project quite on the same scale, but I can certainly be more observant in my own garden.

Whatever ambitions we have this school year, I’m reminded of my mother-in-law’s fond memories of beginning the day in a Manhattan classroom in the 1940s with this ditty, which she still sings sometimes: “Good morning to you, good morning to you, we’re all in our places with sun-shiny faces, to start a new day!”

Views are those of the author.