Special Guest Blog: Teach them Well

Teach them Well by Mima

I’m a children’s librarian, and I’m asking all you grown-up readers to seek out three extraordinary picture books. These are three of my most favorite children’s romance books. Romance?! For kids? Oh, yes, and for elders, too. Young children recognize sacrifice, obsession, and reward. They love to groan about mushy stuff… unless it’s embedded in a lush, compelling story. I’ve read all of these books with many classes, and any who dared to go “ewwww” at the big moment were soundly hushed by their peers. The silence during these stories is that magical moment for a teacher—the awe of respect.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Coombs, illustrated by Heather Solomon. While I’d like to turn all of these stories into “grown-up” romances, this one actually made my fingers itch. I saw it all so clearly. The isolated woman with the magic to take people’s psychic burdens, and the one man who refuses to use her talent, for he only wants to protect her.

The Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks. Cry my eyes out every time. Not that unusual, granted, but this story is. The disappointingly aggressive font plays to the villain featured in the title, but the book belongs to the hero, the one eyed dog with a heart of gold, and the broken bird who loves him, even after she betrays him.

East o’ the Sun, West o’ the Moon by Naomi Lewis, illustrated by P. J. Lynch. This edition of the norse variation on Beauty and the Beast is lifted by both the language and the art. The image of the princess finally in the arms of her Bear hung in my apartment for several months. I still melt every time I see it, and then I whisper, “Exploding trolls…” and giggle.

I’ve read each of these stories at various times for Valentine’s Day. I’ve dreamed about them at night. They’ve haunted me as much as the most exquisite romances I’ve ever put on my keeper shelf. For all their brevity, they compel the reader to believe in redemption, and the children glow at the end. Read these, romance fans. Read and learn.

About the author: Mima is the author of several paranormal erotic romances, including the Bonded fantasies’ newest, Spirit Within. Learn more about her and her works at www.mimawithin.com .