A Reading List for Adults

Abstract

LIBRARIANS do it. High school English teachers do it. Freshman orientation programs at colleges do it. So in this column I'm going to assemble a summer reading list, perhaps a bit quirky, but intended to get certain people with certain problems through the long drought of a summertime when school is out, legislatures have gone home, and few voluntarily pick up a book for pleasure. This summer reading list is designed for adults, although its titles come from literature for younger readers (where morality still reigns). It owes its existence to the mention of a Dr. Seuss classic as a balm for frustrated teachers who were checking in on the Middleweb listserv. Friends of mine and some of their acquaintances have added other nominations. All insults are the responsibility of the writer. First, for teachers who can't calm their qualms when state testing days roll around, look for the antidote in Dr. Seuss. Hooray for Diffendoofer Day says, in Dr. Seuss' mesmerizing rhythm, that if you study and learn what you are supposed to all the time, testing day is a great experience. Another one for teachers, especially threatening to leave the profession because they can't handle always-misbehaving students, is E. L. Konigsburg's latest, View from Saturday. This is about some unlikely candidates for high achievement who wind up on the school's academic bowl team and how they learn to work together and come to understand themselves. Or find a new appreciation for mischievous and irresponsible young boys by picking up a copy again of Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Underneath all the bravado of frustrating kids, there are souls yearning to be understood. On the other hand, The Ransom of Red Chief, a short story by O. Henry, will amuse readers with its tale of frustrated kidnappers forced to deal with a little brat. And remember the children who learn differently. Maybe, like the star of Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf, they don't want to compete or rush through learning. Perhaps they would prefer to sit and smell the flowers. For teachers who have seen it all and who are yearning for retirement day, how about a copy of Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. young protagonist declares the world boring, but when he steps into this strange tollbooth, he finds that life is anything but. He must jump to reach the island of Conclusion, he rescues rhyme and reason, and he returns (or wakes up) with a renewed enthusiasm for everything around him. These careworn teachers might also learn from I Never Did That Before, by Lilian Moore. There is joy in learning something new, these little poems declare, from breaking in a new pair of sneakers to dealing with the dark or learning how to say hello to someone who speaks a different language. Readers learn that life is one new experience after another, something adults often forget. Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint- Exupery, is an older version of this lesson. fox gives meaning back to the Little Prince, who is persuaded that taking care of his one rose is his important role in life, no matter how many other roses may exist. Looking for inspiration to overcome fear of change? Check out Mercer Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet and There's an Alligator Under My Bed. If a little boy can rid his room of scary monsters, teachers ought to be able to let go of the things that hold them back from using better practices. For teachers who still refer to those other kids as if they were a throwaway group, I recommend a reading of A Pig Tale. Olivia Newton- John has written a little story about a pig that saves everything -- much to the embarrassment of his family -- but then turns the junk into marvelous objects. …