Reading children's books as an adult has clued me into how often there's a message for the parents and not just a colorful story for the child. Entre algodones by Jeanne Willis is a good example of this. The mother rat doesn't let her littlest rat, named Tono, out of her sight much, and generally protects him from all harm. This goes on until one day she gets the idea that if he's enveloped in cotton (entre algodones=within cotton), he'd be safe going out into the big, scary world.

And as you may have guessed, reality doesn't work that way. ( )

This is a good book about a young mouse wanting more freedom than his mother was giving. After going out and seeing the real world, he had convinced his mother that it was safe enough for him to be able to go out and live on his own. This is a great book and I highly recommend it. ( )

A great way to explain to young children that their parents are not being mean when they make rules, but that they love and care about them. Cottonball Colin had a protective mom who worries about him going outside to play, just as every mom does. Cottonball Colin proves to his mom that he can be safe while having fun. ( )

NCLA Review - Cottonball Colin is the story of a little mouse and an over-protective mother. Colin is smaller than all his brothers and sisters. His mother never lets him do anything because she is afraid he will get hurt. Colin is determined to go out into the world. His mother wraps him in cotton balls to protect him. As Colin goes on his worldly trip, he looses his cotton balls. With each mishap, he finds he is stronger than anyone thinks. He returns without his cotton balls and his mother sees he is just fine. This is not a Christian book, but, it shows children that even though they are small, they can still be strong. An added message for parents is that no matter how we try to protect our children, we sometimes need to let them face the world on their own. Ages 4-8. Rating: 2—NP ( )