Books that Celebrate the Ordinary

Here are books I have fallen in love with. They are all by Gary Paulsen, the same author who is famous for his young adult novels, such as Hatchet, Woodsong, and Winterdance. Did you know he has childrens' books too?

These books are what I call "escape books". They take you completely away from the present and into a slow-paced, colorful celebration of otherwise ordinary experiences.

Allow yourself to slip into a lazy summer day drifting on a canoe in Canoe Days.

After reading The Tortilla Factory, a tortilla factory seems somewhat of a sacred place, where people work together to create.

Worksong is a song of praise for all hard-working people, and for a job well done. It is a book working parents can relate to, as it increases the reader's appreciation for all types of "ordinary" work.