'Benny's Flag': A true tale of an ordinary boy

My favorite children's books are those that stimulate the imagination in surprising ways, books like "Eloise" by Kay Thompson or "Dory Story" by Jerry Pallotta, stuff I love to read to my kids because the magic works on me too.

• Photos

Children's books that are nonfiction often lack this aspect and I miss it when I read them, so I often avoid them altogether. However, after reading the true story "Benny's Flag" to my children, I realized that my preference for this kind of kids' book is somewhat limiting to my children and that nonfiction certainly can stimulate their minds in ways that fanciful fiction cannot.

"Benny's Flag" is Phyllis Krasilovsky's retelling of the story of Benny Benson, a normal 13-year-old boy who enters a contest to design a flag for the territory of Alaska. His drawing is chosen from among about 150 finalists, and his design is made into the flag that now represents our state. My kids were thrilled to discover that our state flag comes from a boy's drawing, and when we pressed our faces to the window and saw it flapping in the wind on top of the Capitol, even I got excited.

Another thing that excited all of us about this book was Juneau artist Jim Fowler's illustrations. Both of my kids mentioned the pictures first when asked what they liked about the book, and I agree they are outstanding. They pulled us into the story and gave it warmth. I loved the picture of Benny's shadow on the snow as he stands looking out the window at the stars. You can just feel him thinking.

"Benny's Flag"

Author: Phyllis Krasilovsky.

Illustrator: Jim Fowler.

Reception and book signing: 4:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, at Hearthside Books

downtown.

Book signing: Jim Fowler will sign books from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at Hearthside Books in the Nugget Mall.

The whole book has a very calm feeling about it, and the blues and greens of Fowler's landscape add to this sense of peacefulness. It makes me grateful, as I have been many times, that so many talented artists give their time and energy to children's books. I don't know of an easier way to introduce children to the richness of painting and drawing than to expose them to books like this.

My only complaint, and it's a small one, was that sometimes Krasilovsky tries to deliver too much information at once, especially at the beginning. For example, she wants to squeeze the Big Dipper (or Great Bear), forget-me-nots, and Alaska's eventual statehood all into one passage and this interrupted the fluidity of the text for me a bit. But my children said they did not feel overloaded by information in the least. My 7-year old absorbed it all and my 4-year old took in what she could and didn't worry about the rest. So that complaint is probably nothing more than a fussy grown-up's overly critical opinion.

I think most 4- to 8-year-olds will enjoy this book. The story works as simple entertainment, and offers plenty of room for discussing or contemplating more complicated ideas. I like the idea of tracing an individual's creative impulse from its earliest conception, watching as it is given substance and, eventually, brought to fruition. I also like to think that my kids have begun to see history as a series of stories about individuals and their interactions, their accomplishments and failures. I only wish I had the time to breathe this kind of life into every piece of history.

Amy Fletcher is a writer, jewelry artist and full-time mom. She co-owns Rock Paper Scissors, a local gallery.