Friends in Books

Julie of the Wolves
by Jean Craighead George, pictures by John Schoenherr (Harper & Row).

Julie’s father once told her that wolves love each other, and if you learn to speak to them, they will love you too. When Julie is alone and lost on the north slope of the Alaska tundra, her only hope of survival is to receive help from the wolf pack near the shelter built by the thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl to protect her against the bitter cold. She knows she must gain the friendship of Amaroq, the leader of the wolf pack.

How Julie manages to survive and reach civilization is so beautifully told that this exciting story received the 1973 Newbery Medal for children’s literature.

The Girl Who Loved the Wind
by Jane Yolen; pictures by Ed Young (Thomas Y. Crowell).

A wealthy merchant builds a great palace with high walls to protect his beautiful daughter, Danina, from the sadness of the world. One day Danina hears the song of the wind and learns that the world beyond the walls is always changing—sometimes sad and sometimes happy, but different each day. Afterward the palace becomes a prison to Danina, but she keeps the song of the wind alive by humming to herself until they meet again.

The Upstairs Room
by Johanna Reiss (Thomas Y. Crowell).

Johanna was only eight when war came to her village in Holland and everything changed. When Johanna was ten, conditions were so bad that her only chance for life was to escape with an older sister and hide in a farmhouse many miles away from their home.

The two girls live with the Oosterveld family, who keep them hidden in an upstairs room—hidden from prying neighbors and from German soldiers who set up an office in the room just below them. Johanna and Sini spend days quietly in bed, bored and lonely and longing for exercise and fresh air. They spend years hidden away from the world.

This unforgettable book touches the heart and holds the reader breathless with excitement, wondering what will happen next. It was named a Newbery honor book for 1973.

Frog and Toad Together
by Arnold Lobel (Harper & Row).

This “I Can Read Book” was given a 1973 Newbery Medal honor award. Frog and Toad are best friends. Together they like to eat chocolate chip cookies, plant flower gardens, read fairy tales, and dream. Here is another story of fun and friendship.

The Secret Kitten
by Anne Mallett (Parents’ Magazine).

Two little children hurry home to ask their parents if they can have a kitten. Mother says a kitten would be too much trouble, and besides it would make Father sneeze. So the children hide their secret friend in a closet until the kitten goes for a walk.

From Julie of the Wolves

From The Girl Who Loved the Wind

From Frog and Toad Together

From The Secret Kitten