FIVE GOOD BACK-TO-SCHOOL BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
Five new books that should appeal to young readers and scholars, recommended by Bob Minzesheimer, and tested at home with Kate and James, first graders at Park School
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really DO Make a Difference by Lynn Truss, illustrated by Bonnie Timmons (for ages 7 and up)
An illustrated, children's version of Truss' surprise bestseller that lamented the sorry state of punctuation. This is a kinder, gentler version that sticks to the use and misuse of commas. Truss, a witty British journalist, and Timmons, a cartoonist who inspired and drew for the TV series, Caroline in the City, plan sequels about hyphens and apostrophes. In the first in the series, they show how a simple comma can change the meaning of a sentence. Kids, parents and teachers should have fun pointing out the differences between a "huge, hot dog," and a "huge hot dog." (You might want to eat a huge hot dog, but a huge, hot dog would run away if you tried to take a bite out of him.).
Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct By Mo Willems, (for ages 4 to 8)
Everyone in town knows Edwina the dinosaur, who plays with kids, does favors for anyone who asks and even bakes chocolate-chip cookies. So Edwina is shocked when the elementary school know-it-all, Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie, presents a report to his class titled "Dinosaurs:Totally Extinct!" Willems' deceptively simple drawings sneak in characters from his earlier best sellers, including Knuffle Bunny and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Adults may read this as an educational fable about faith and reason; kids will just laugh as Von Hoobie-Doobie learns a lesson.
So Few of Me by Peter H. Reynolds (ages 4 to 9)
Leo is a busy boy with a to-do list that stretches across two pages in the latest modern fable from the creator of The Dot and Ish. Leo is so busy that he wishes there were ''two of me." He gets his wish; but with even more things to do, Leo keeps multiplying until there are 10 Leos, "each one busier than the next." Reynolds' simple watercolors complement his sweetly subversive message: "Leo wondered, 'What if I did less -- but did my BEST? Then one Leo is all I need. Just me, just one ... with time to dream." Left unanswered for overachieving parents: How will Leo, with that attitude, ever get into Harvard or Stanford?
Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind by By Judy Finchler and Kevin O'Malley, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley (ages 5 to 9)
Principal Wiggins promises the students in his school that if they collectively read 1,000 books by June, he'll dye his hair purple and sleep on the roof of the school. The unnamed student narrator would love to see that, but there's a problem: He hates reading and prefers video games. It takes awhile, but his persistent, creative teacher, Miss Malarkey, knows how to reach the hearts and minds of the most reluctant of readers. Included at the end is a useful list of "some great books to help you find books about things you love."
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The American Story by Jennifer Armstrong, illustrated by Roger Roth (ages 6 and up):
A collection of "100 true tales" from American history, from the highs (The Declaration of Independence) to the lows (Watergate). Each is boiled down to a few pages that should whet students' appetite for more. It's not as comprehensive as a textbook, but the storytelling is better. Armstrong usefully notes "story arcs," connections between events: when Henry David Thoreau went to jail in a protest over slavery, he wrote an essay, "Civil Disobedience," that a century later influenced Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy on civil rights.