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PAGE S - PLAINDEALEE - FRIDAY, OCTOBER SI. 11 When you are still paying for it in July. Join McHenry State Bank's 1980 Christmas Club NOW! Here's How It Grows 50 $100 $000 $400 C Each Week for Club Term Pays Each Week for Club Term Pays Each Week for Club Term Pays Each Week for Club Term Pays $5 *10°° $2ooo 00 Each Week for Club Term Pays Each Week for Club Term Pays Each Week for Club Term Pays $25 *50 MOO '150 250 *500 $1000 $ Plus Interest Plus Interest Plus Interest Plus Interest Plus Interest Plus Interest Plus Interest McHenry State Bank 3510 W. Elm Street Crystal Lake Rd. at Lillian St. Richmond Rd. at Pearl Street McHenry 385-1040 BET ON BOOKS Gifts that linger Long after the batteries are dead in a Star Wars laser sword and a Barbie doll's wardrobe is outdated, a book will live on in a child's mind. A Christmas gilt of a book can be both a wise invest­ ment and a joy to the child, if the giver chooses judi­ ciously, according to Char­ lotte Edmondson, teacher and librarian. Edmondson recently pre­ sented a list of what she con­ siders the best in children's literature for preschool through junior high school youngsters. The list is highly subjec­ tive, she admitted, because the qualities that constitute a great children's book are 30 difficult to pinpoint "It's a really intangible thing, like beauty," she said. "A good children's book has a certain creativeness about it, maybe in the way the au­ thor puts words together, or in the illustratioifi. "Sometimes there's a beautiful message, or a uni­ versal idea or a really unique twist in the story. "But you know it when you have a good children's bookin your hands and you can see it in the response of the children." Most children's books don't have these special qualities, she said. The ma­ jority are "innocuous little stories" intended merely as entertainment While there is nothing wrong with reading for en­ tertainment a book gift is a way to expose children to literature they might not choose on their own, accord­ ing to Edmondson. "Books are expensive, so it's a good idea to buy some­ thing of lasting quality and beauty, something a child will want to keep and reread over the years," she said. Some books have always been popular with children and probably always will be, she said. She cited contem­ porary classics such as Mau­ rice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are," Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House on the Prairie" series. Older classics such as "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott and "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame are perennially loved by generation after generation of children, she said. Some adults may want to select a book designed to help a child with a specific problem. "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney" by Judith Viorst is about a boy whose cat dies, and it intro­ duces the topic of death in a LOOK MA. NO CORD. The phone of the future is here. New Cordless Freedom Phone lets you make or take calls where you never could before. Basement?. Bathtubs. Patios. Pools. Even next door. A small base station plugs into your regular phone jack and electrical wall outlet. The base station transmits any in or out­ going call to the hand held receiver--anywhere up to 300 feet. It's another innovation in electronics from the people who invented Bearcat* Scanners. FROM |Etect%J Electra Company. Division of Masco Corp of Indiana radicomM 2M K. Ckapd *H U •dtarn.1 LSI5-385-4224 Opn IMajr tfen Friday 15 J gentle manner, Edmondson said. Another book, "Noisy Nan" by Rosemary Wells, is about a mischievous and rambunctious character who continually gets into trouble because she feels she doesn't get enough attention at home. "The Nightmare in My Closet" by Mercer Mayer helps children face the frightening creatures that they imagine to be crouch­ ing in the dark recesses of their bedrooms at night A variety of ethnic books now on the market acquaint children with the religious and cultural groups that make up America. "Ashanti to Zulu" by Margaret Mus- grove teaches the alphabet by way of traditional Afri­ can lore and "Strega Nona" by Tomie de Paola is an Ital­ ian folktale. Books dealing with the Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Jewish, Armenian and other cultures are also available, Edmondson said. And for fledgling femin­ ists of all ages, a number of "non-sexist" books are now on bookstore shelves. "Sam, Bangs and Moonshine" by Evaline Ness is about a girl named Sam "who is very much her own person," Edmondson said. "Benjamin and Tulip" by Rosemary Wells tells the story of a truce in the war between the sexes. Other welcome gifts for even the most reluctant of young readers include "The Guinness Book of World Re­ cords," an almanac, a good dictionary or a magazine subscription, she said. CHECKLIST FOR A PERFECT HOLIDAY SEASON Christmas is a time for good cheer, not chaos! Yet, the un­ prepared may find that the holi­ day season has crept up on them, leaving them to franti­ cally address cards, rummage through the basement for deco­ rations, and garble excuses as they sneak out to buy food and drink for their unexpected guests! Here's a handy holiday checklist to help you avoid such last-minute problems! For the tree • Look over ornaments. If any are broken, replace them early before selections narrow; • Have a supply of ornament hangers to replace those left on last year's tree. • Check lights and cords. • Buy extra bulbs. • Look over tree cloth to be sure it is clean and has no boles. • Find tree stand and clean it up. For gifting • Make your list early and do a little at a time. ' • Get wrapping paper, rib­ bons, cards. • Wrap as you buy gifts. For cards • Select your cards early. If they are to be personalized, take the envelopes home now. • Bring address book up to date; remember zip codes. • Address envelopes during short sessions while watching television, listening to the radio or stereo. • Get postage stamps, and remember special denomina­ tions for those going to foreign countries.