VPR presents Camel's Hump Radio

The Camel's Hump Library, Season 1
Welcome to our library. With each book, we mention others by the same author. Then we also offer suggested books in the same family, so to speak. All are good for reading aloud.
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien Read by our host, novelist Philip Baruth. The world of Middle Earth, where dwell hobbits, dwarves, elds, orcs and many more weird and wonderful creatures, is also explored in the trilogy Lord of the Rings. Related books–each one in a series--that use mythic traditions to create ‘other worlds': Ursula LeGuin's The Wizard of Earth Sea, and Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, Susan Cooper's Over Sea, Under Stone, Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and Ann McCaffrey's Dragonsong, each one part of a series. Then, of course, there's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and other C. S. Lewis books.
Owls in the Family, Farley Mowat Read by raptor specialist and owl rescuer Eveleen Cecchini. Mr. Mowat is at home with all kinds of animals. His The Dog Who Wouldn't Be has more on Mutt, the dog in Owls. Also recommended, his Lost in the Barrens and Never Cry Wolf. And, for wooden-boat owners, The Boat Who Wouldn't Float. Want to read more about owls in the family? Try There's an Owl in the Shower by Jean George or, for a naturalist's view, Bernd Heinrich's One Man's Owl (full or abridged versions). Outreach for Earth Stewardship is a program dedicated to strengthening respect and understanding for wildlife through educational nature programs, and is run by Eveleen Cecchini.
Holes, Louis Sachar Read by Cornelius Hogan, until recently Vermont's Secretary of Human Services. Mr. Hogan has also been Commissioner of Corrections and worked with juvenile offenders for many years. Stanley Yelnats is sent to juvenile detention "camp" unfairly accused of stealing a pair of shoes. Yes, this is another story of a hero who uses heart and head to triumph over the bad guys--and gals, but this book is a Newbery Medal winner because it's a winner for adults and children alike. Another for reading aloud: The Boy Who Lost His Face. Many of Sachar's books, like the Wayside School series, are so attuned to life as it is in 6th grade or so that they are more satisfying for children to read on their own. The Marvin Redpost series is for younger readers. Related books by other authors: Bud, Not Buddy, 26 Fairmount Ave.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl Read by Madeleine Kamman– for a generation, THE teacher of professional French cooking. Roald Dahl needs no introduction. Many of his books, from The BFG to Matilda to The Twits are perfect for reading aloud. The autobiographical Boy, however, is so full of stories of real adventures and pranks that your boy or boys will rejoice in reading it themselves–and maybe your girls, too. Related books: Penrod and Penrod and Sam.
Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes Read by novelist Chris Bohjalian. The story of a silversmith's apprentice caught up in Boston's revolutionary movement at the time of the Tea Party give you not only the tale of Johnny and his friend Rab, but historically accurate portraits of the real players, John Adams, Sam Adams and John Hancock. Esther Forbes' America's Paul Revere is more closely historical but still lively. Among the many books in the Johnny Tremain mold: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch; Amos Fortune: Free Man; My Brother Sam Is Dead; The Matchlock Gun; The Winter at Valley Forge (in the Adventures in Colonial America series).
Shackleton's Boat Journey, F. A. Worsley Read by Bill Barber, with fellow polar scientist Jay Klinck. Real-life explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set out to cross the Antarctic on foot. Approaching the continent, his ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the ice and eventually sank. As an explorer, Shackleton was a failure. But the harrowing challenge of getting his men out of the trap, involving an 800-mile journey in a 22-foot open boat, gave the world an unparalleled story of leadership and survival. The Boat Journey journal was kept by his navigator, Frank Worsley. Related books: Shackleton's own South, Douglas Mawson's story of Antarctic survival The Home of the Blizzard and Caroline Alexander's recent The Endurance (a full history of the expedition). Another engaging true-life adventure: Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki. German Arved Fuchs attempted the 800-mile Elephant Island-South Georgia crossing in the "James Caird II," a replica of the original. For more on Fuchs' adventure, click on the photo gallery button above and visit the Shackleton 2000 Expedition website.
Puck of Pook's Hill, Rudyard Kipling Read by singer Tony Barrand, with John Roberts chiming in on Puck's "Tree Song," and "I Sat Next to the Duchess at Tea." "Weland's Sword" is a gift of the gods to a young warrior in the first chapter of this classic. Two children, Dan and Una, are set on a time-travel through English history, whisked through the millenia by the, well, puckish, Puck. Kipling's Just-So Stories and The Jungle Books, Kim and Captains Courageous (for older children) are all in print. Time-travel fiction: E. Nesbit's The Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet, as well as Harding's Luck.
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame Read by character actress and playwright Deborah Lubar. "Dulce Domum," Grahame called this chapter. Or "Home Sweet Home." If you haven't had a family read by the fireside in a while, if Christmas approaches and you don't want to read Dickens but you do want to create a Yuletide story tradition, listen to this classic reading. Just be sure and have nice things to eat and drink on hand and "make it a good-sized crowd," as our host Philip Baruth would say. There really may be nothing to equal The Wind in the Willows and there's certainly no reason not to read and reread the stories it contains, but for another go at Grahame, read The Reluctant Dragon.