Award-Winning Book Is an Adventure for Readers

“Who is your favorite author?” and “What is your favorite book?”
Ordinarily, I answer that I have several favorites, but I especially like reading Willa Cather’s books, particularly the ones about Nebraska.
But on this day, I told the students at my book-publishing presentation that at our house we had just finished reading “Shiloh,” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
All the children perked up. Their teacher was reading the same book to them. “How does it turn out?” someone asked.
“Shiloh” is the recipient of the John Newberry Medal, which according to the shiny gold seal affixed to the book, is awarded “for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for Children.”
We try to read a couple chapters from a novel aloud to our four youngest children each night. Our reading time comes after the homework is completed, the book bags are organized for school, and the children are ready for bed.
Some nights the reading time gets pushed later and later because the guys are acting up. On these nights I threaten not to read because it is getting too late, but I always give in and read a least a few minutes. Mostly because I want to see what happens next in the story.
Especially in “Shiloh.” None of us wanted to put the book down. One evening I was tempted to read on silently after the boys had gone to bed.
“Shiloh” is a story about a boy and a dog, not his dog but the dog he wishes was his. It is also about doing the right thing, human nature, courage and telling the truth.
But mostly it’s about an 11-year old boy, Marty Preston, and Shiloh, the mistreated beagle. It is a love story. My boys would laugh if they heard me say that because they think of love stories as having lots of kissing.
Marty came from a very loving family, which made it natural for him to love Shiloh. Judd Travers, the mean owner of Shiloh, remembers his youth as a time of violence and abuse. He didn’t know how to love and be kind.
We all started loving Shiloh too. One of my favorite parts was when Marty tells about bringing Shiloh into the house for the first time:
“Bring him down the hill to the house, feed him the heels off of a loaf of new bread, all the leftover sausage from breakfast, and a bowl of milk. Then let him lick the oatmeal pan.
“Show him every one of our four rooms, hold him in my lap on the porch swing, and laugh when he tries to stand up on the seat himself while the swing’s moving. I let him smell the couch where I sleep and crawl under the front steps to sniff out the mole who lives under there, follow him all over creation when he takes out after a rabbit.”
Each time we’d read, the boys would make sure our dog, Maggie would come in and listen too. They would have Maggie climb up on the bed with us and pet her the whole time we were reading. It was like they were thinking if they were gentle with Maggie, it would make Judd Travers be nice to Shiloh in the book.
I was able to interview the author, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, by telephone. I told her how much my family had enjoyed reading “Shiloh.” She sounded as kind and gentle as I expected her to be.
Mrs. Naylor said she has written more than 70 books and numerous children’s chapter books such as “Shiloh.”
In reply to my question as to how she started writing books, she said, “My parents read to me as a child all the time. I always have loved books.”
I don’t know whether any of my children will be writing award-winning books as a result of their parents reading to them, but I know after reading “Shiloh” that they can have many wonderful adventures in reading books.
April 7, 1992