Title: Rascal
Author: Sterling North
File Under: Read-Aloud, Chapter Book, Coming of Age
Age Group*: 8-12
Keeping the theme of books for boys (if you can call my not posting in the Library Project for quite a while “keeping a theme”), I would love to remind you of Rascal.
Really good children's books express meaning on different levels, and those are the best kind for read-alouds. The child absorbs the delight of the story (which is North's “Memoir of a Better Era,” as the subtitle characterizes it) — in this case, the antics of a raccoon befriended by Sterling. The parent has the time, as he reads at a leisurely pace, to ponder the pathos of the larger context — the motherless child, the well meaning but abstracted father, the sweet sister who finally intervenes to provide the necessary reality-check for the father.
Both parent and child(ren) will expand their vicarious experience by reading this book — it's one that stays with you, because it's a good story that's written with great beauty and care. It's funny, it's sad, it's about life.
Rascal deals gently with the reality of growing up (in contrast to a really gut-wrenching book like The Yearling, which I read in Junior High, as we called it then, and was too traumatized ever to read again!).
On its own terms, it's an insightful work that handles the ways family members can fall short with delicacy and magnanimity, which is not something you often find in a memoir.
In keeping with another theme of mine, I think it's also instructive, from our vantage point in this era of mass hysteria over what constitutes safety for a child, that the book offers a refreshing window on a childhood characterized by freedom. If we don't read about such childhoods, we will simply not know they are possible.
Sterling survives what, objectively considered, borders on neglect; he survives and thrives, maturing in a satisfactory way, simply because those who are responsible for him really love him, despite their failings and the difficult circumstances that are no one's fault– circumstances and failings which are by no means confined to the past, although the atmosphere of life described in the book certainly is, unless we who read do something to inject some of its sanity into our present day. It's worth pondering why it was “a better era” for a child in the straits Sterling finds himself, and ultimately a safer one.
* I am reluctantly bowing to pressure to post ages for the books. I live by Lewis’ maxim, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”
Sarah says
I second your comment about providing a reality check. I recently read “Free Range Kids” and it gave me some good perspective on the probabilities involved in some of those nightmarish fears one has about your children’s safety. Now if only I could keep on my Economist’s rational hat while considering child safety rather than my Mother’s heart.
CarlynB says
We read this book on a family vacation in the White Mountains of Arizona. I had read a condensed version of it when I was a little girl in a Reader’s Digest book called Animals You Will Never Forget. That was a book I loved and pored over, reading and re-reading those stories.
Speaking of gut wrenching, I have not ever been able to bring myself to read Where the Red Fern Grows since I had to read it in 8th grade.
Joana says
Leila,
Thank you for the recommendation! Regarding the paranoia over keeping children safe, I also have a recommendation: I’ve recently watched with my kids a documentary called Maidentrip about a Dutch girl called Laura Dekker who is presently the youngest person to have circumnavigated the world solo. You can read all about on the Internet! Pretty fascinating! Anyway, for me as a mother it really challenged me to let my kids be more free and to trust that they are more capable than I give them credit. And I think the kids were inspired to think what they could (hypothetically) accomplish!
Joana
Carol Kennedy says
For the record, there is an audio version of this narrated by Jim Weiss. We got it from our library and my (then 9yo) son really like it.
Christine says
Some of my children have read and reread this book over the years. It is a good one.
Jamie says
We listened to the audio version of this story on a family car trip (last summer) and the children all 7 and under loved it. My son, the 7 year old, has requested it again from the library a few times. I then found a used version of the condensed story (for children to read on their own) that Sterling North wrote himself and picked it up. It was hilarious because my son could hardly get through listening to a paragraph of the condensed version without filling in the text from the original, that he had apparently put into his short term memory from listening to the audio so many times.
Christine says
My son just borrowed this book from the library a few months ago, reluctantly. After several assurances from me that I was SURE he would like it, he finally picked it up and proclaimed “this is REALLY good, mom.” 😉
Julie says
I suppose I MUST read this book. I have read Little Britches myself, and The Railway Children to my children, since I found them recommended on this blog. Your post today reminds me of a passage in The Railway Children when the children inform the mother that they indeed have been walking along the tracks, because they know which way the trains are coming. Mother relents, and lets them walk the tracks “and the children never knew what it cost her to say it” (paraphrase)
I am having a hard time setting parameters for my children to have a safe and free childhood. My oldest is 9 and has never ridden her bike anywhere but around the block. Our neighbor kids are constantly at our house, and are allowed to roam freely though their parents barely know me. Maybe this deserves a post? What’s a momma to do to equip her children to be brave, and cautious and free? I don’t want them to be afraid though it costs me dearly to say it. Any thoughts?
Leila says
Julie, thanks for reminding me of that passage from The Railway Children.
Of course, you have to take your intimate knowledge of your own child into consideration. There are some 9 year olds who would just be off. There are others who aren’t ready. I feel strongly that this is the genius of the parents — to know what the child needs and to give it to him! Sometimes we know our child needs a little push (maybe in the form of an errand to run or a younger child to protect). Sometimes another child needs to be kept down for a while, lest he really head off into the sunset before it’s the right time.
Pray to their guardian angels.
Maybe I will write a post about it – thanks for the idea!
Joana says
Julie, I just wanted to say that this is one specific aspect where fathers are crucial (at least that is my experience). I would risk generalizing that fathers are a lot less paranoid than us mothers and they will give us (if we let them) the necessary push and confidence to let our kids branch out.
Leila, I would also love a post on this!
Nicole says
I loved this book as a kid. You could rate books like this: 8+ instead of 8-12. For me, the usefulness of that rating is related to my children’s reading fluency at those ages, not just the maturity of content
Leila says
Nicole, that’s a good idea. I guess I was thinking something along the lines of “for sure by 12!”… and a younger child could really enjoy listening to this book, even if he couldn’t read it.
Sigh. Too hard for me!
Joy in Alabama says
We LOVE, LOVE this book!!
Gently Led says
This sounds great! I LOVE your book recommendations — our library is growing accordingly!
I know you’re not happy about including an age range, but I find it so helpful to get an idea before buying a book if/when my kids are going to enjoy hearing and/or reading a book yet. I can translate the age range for my kids’ maturity/reading ability. Thank you for doing it!
Sherri says
I’ve done it again Auntie Leila, I remember there was this book on child development that you recommended in a post and I can’t find it! My head hurts from scanning so many posts so please help me. I have an 8, 3, 2, and a 1 yr old with one on the way. my tired brain needs help on being patient and understanding of all of these irrational beings 🙂 Also any post recommendations would be great
Leila says
Sherri,
Are you thinking of the Gesell books? Here is a link:
child development/Gesell