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1949

Editor's Note: Many of the books are out of print. The header information will be as complete as I can make it.

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry (Simon & Schuster, $13.56, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0027436292.	The Medalist The story of the Arabian horse that became the ancestor of all modern thoroughbreds, and the little mute boy from Morocco who took care of him. Easy to read; exciting story. Kids will identify with the unfairness theme when the boy toils without reward - until the end of the book.
Seabird by Holling C. Holling (Houghton Mifflin, $16, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0395182301.	Honor Book A toy bird created by a sea-going boy in the early 1800s is passed from generation to generation and sees many changes in the world of transportation. Odd story that is extremely dated. However, it can be mined for historical information about sea transport in the age of sail.
Daughter of the Mountains by Louise Rankin (Peter Smith Publishing, $19, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0844668958.	Honor Book A Tibetan girl living in the mountains goes on a wild adventure down the hill to Calcutta to claim the dog that was stolen from her. Story has a Horatio Alger tone that modern kids will struggle with. Story has mild excitement. The story's value is in its rich detail of Tibetan and Indian life and the effect of British Imperialism on native culture.
My Father's Dragon by Ruth S. Gannett (Random House, $13.56, third-grade level). ISBN: 0679889116.	Honor Book A little boy takes a fantasy voyage to an island peopled with silly animals where he frees a dragon. Social parody on one level, predecessor to Where the Wild Things Are on another.
Story of the Negro by Arna Bontemps (Knopf, third-grade level). LOC: 76-96800. Out of print	Honor Book The author traces the experience of blacks from the powerful kingdoms of central Africa to the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s. This is a remarkable little book. Bontemps, one of the minor stars of the Harlem Renaissance, bites off a huge piece of history and does a creditable job of keeping it short and sweet. There was much here that he shared that I had never heard of, again demonstrating the richness of an understudied history. Perhaps even more impressive is his ability to write clearly about an emotional topic and not offend the white readers, editors and publishers who surely watched him with a keen eye. Two later printings allowed Bontemps to tack on chapters about later events, but they feel rushed. That said, anyone who cares to receive an overview of black history, especially in America, would make a wise choice in reading this book.

Copyright David Ross 2003