BayNews May 2004

NEWS AND NOTES

Catherine Balkin Writes:
I left HarperCollins in November and have started my own business called Balkin Buddies. I'm setting up author appearances and have about 60 authors on my website. Folks are invited to look at my site -- www.balkinbuddies.com -- and contact me if they'd like further information on any of my authors or if they'd like to book a visit. My email is BalkinBuddies@aol.com.
If you want to post anything about HarperCollins, Mimi Kayden and Victoria Stapleton replaced Bill Morris and me at HarperCollins. Mimi's working there three days a week. Victoria handles conferences but not author appearances.

Congratulations! ACL Member Nicole Reader, a children’s librarian at the Benicia Public Library, has been elected to next year’s Caldecott Committee.

Dear Friends and Colleagues:
I am deeply honored and humbled by the wonderful award I received at the
Institute. All of YOU are the reason I have continued to attend ACL and to review. It is our mutual dedication to the profession and the children we serve that makes me proud of being a children's librarian, a storyteller, a bibliographer and an active member of ACL. Many, many thanks for the honor you have bestowed on me. I accept it for all of us.

Martha Shogren

Letters to the Editor

Being BAXTERIZED at an ACL Institute:
At the 2004 ACL Institute I, and others of my class, were BAXTERIZED by our speaker from the wilds of Minnesota. Had there been no school librarians in attendance as members of ACL or simply as paying attendees, Ms. Baxter's gratuitous comments about being so pleased to be with public librarians because school librarians weren't very bright--or, one may assume, useful.

Should no school librarians have been at ACL Institute, the degrading and condescending comment still would have been ungracious, incorrect, and quite impolite. I, as did other school librarians, held ourselves in check and I, for one, did not immediately rise and challenge her nasty, mean, and untoward statement about our value, as professionals, to young people. As it is, we are an endangered species.

Her gratuitous comment reminded me of an incident that occurred a few years past: A famous and very self centered illustrator told really dirty "jokes" about librarians at a teachers' conference in California. Of course, his stupid and insensitive words were relayed to librarians. At that news, I gathered my colleagues, librarians all, (public AND school) and suggested we would not purchase his books for about six months--and let his editor and publisher know why. His song changed- damned fast.
I suggest that Ms Baxter learn that putting down a group is insensitive, ignorant, and cannot be remedied by a mere apology. She was wrong. She was impolite. She was condescending. The only apology that might really mean something would be for her to refund her honorarium and airfare since schools librarians also pay ACL dues.

Should a school district officer have been at ACL Institute, Ms. Baxter's ignorant comments might have convinced him/her that school librarians were a useless luxury. As it is, school librarians are as endangered as unicorns (not that Ms Baxter would know or care).

I would also like to remind her that leaving a group of children so high and energetic from her performances in schools and public libraries means that someone must take the children down from their energetic highs. But I don't expect that Ms. Baxter knows what it is like to have a visitor in a group setting.

Truly upset and disgusted,
This school librarian (retired),

Ruth I. Gordon, A.B., A.M. MLS, Ph.D.
Richmond Public Library’s Reduced Hours Announced

Richmond Public Library’s open hours will be reduced beginning Monday, May 17, 2004. The Main Library will be open from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Additionally the library will be open to children attending story times and their caregivers on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon and on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. Both the Bayview and the West Side Branch Libraries have been closed since April 7, 2004.

The City of Richmond’s layoff of approximately half the library staff, effective May 14, 2004, necessitated the current reduction of open hours and the closing of the branches. The library’s hours were reduced previously on January 1, 2004, after all on-call employees were laid off. As recently as December, 2003, Richmond’s Main Library was open 58 hours per week, including 4 evenings and Sundays. After the January layoffs, open hours were reduced to 41 hours per week, including only 2 evenings, and no Sunday hours.

The May 17 reduction leaves the library open only 24 hours per week; all hours are in the afternoon. According to Acting Library Director Kathy Haug, those hours are the busiest, and will enable the library to provide service to the greatest number during the reduced hours. All retained staff will serve the public during open hours. During closed times, all staff will work on the many behind-the-scenes jobs that keep a library running, including shelving the books. The continuation of children’s story times reflects the importance placed on library services to children by both the library and the Richmond community.
The possibility of a further round of layoffs and a further reduction in open hours and services could take place at the beginning of the next fiscal year – July 1, 2004.

Persian New Year book by San Jose Librarian Jalali Yassaman has written a new children’s book, Celebrating Norouz – Persian New Year, Saman Publishing, 2003, ISBN 0-9728020-0-2. With illustrations by Marjan Zamanian, it is a colorful book for primary graders on the Persian New Year. The book includes craft ideas. Yassaman is a librarian at the San Jose Public Library.

The 55th Annual Christopher Awards

The 55th Annual Christopher Awards were presented in New York City on February 26th, 2004. First presented in 1949, the Christopher Awards salute media that remind audiences and readers, of all ages and faiths (and of no particular faith), of their worth, individuality, and power to positively impact and shape our world.

• Books for Young People
o Iqbal (BeeWee 141550105X $18.98 list, TR 0689854455 $15.95 list) by Francesco D’Adamo (Ages 10-12)
o The Silent Boy (BeeWee 1413133045 $18.98, TR 0618282319 $15.00 list) by Lois Lowry (Young Adult)
o Little Bear’s Little Boat (BeeWee 1413108903 $15.98, RF 0395974623 $12.00 list) by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (Preschool
o The Dot (BeeWee 1413190731 $17.98, TR 0763619612 $14.00 list) written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds (Ages 6-8)
o Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez (BeeWee 1415508992 $19.98, TR 0152014373 $17.00 list) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Yuyi Morales (Ages 8-10)
• Feature Films:
o In America (not yet available on DVD or VHS)
o Seabiscuit (DVD AV00002985 $26.97 list, VHS AV00013154 $22.98 list)
o Secret Lives: Hidden Children & Their Rescuers During WWII (not available on DVD or VHS yet)
o The Station Agent (not yet available on DVD or VHS)
o Whale Rider (DVD 1404943722 $26.95 list, VHS 1404943714 $14.95 list)

Ezra Jack Keats Awards

The New York Public Library and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation are very pleased to announce that Gabi Swiatkowska is the winner of the 2004 Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award for My Name is Yoon (written by Helen Recorvits and published by Frances Foster Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and Jeron Ashford Frame has won the 2004 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award for Yesterday I Had the Blues (illustrated by R. Gregory Christie and published by Tricycle Press).

The awards were presented on Thursday, April 29th, at 5 P.M., at a ceremony and reception open to the public in the Central Children's Room of the Donnell Library Center, 20 West 53rd Street, just west of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan

The awards recognize and celebrate new children's book authors and illustrators, in an effort to encourage talented artists and writers to address their efforts to books for children in the spirit and tradition of Ezra Jack Keats.
The selection jury for the awards, chaired by Rita Auerbach, included author Cari Best; Karen Breen, Juvenile Book Review Editor for Kirkus Review; Sandra Kennedy Bright, Director, School Library Services, New York City Department of Education; author/illustrator Pat Cummings; author/illustrator Brian Pinkney; Judith Rovenger, Youth Services Consultant for the Westchester Library System; scholar and author Leonard Marcus; and author/illustrator Paul Zelinsky. Margaret Tice, Coordinator of Children's Services, New York Public Library, is administrator of the awards.

JANE ADDAMS AWARDS ARE ANNOUNCED

Winners of the 2003 Jane Addams Children's Book Awards were announced on April 28 by the Jane Addams Peace Association. Organized on that date in 1915, JAPA funds much of the educational work of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

Since 1953, the Jane Addams Children's Book Awards annually acknowledge books published during the previous year in the U.S. Books chosen for the Awards effectively address themes or topics that promote peace, social justice, world community, and/or equality of the sexes and all races. The books must also meet conventional standards of literary and artistic excellence.

The winner in the Picture Book category is Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, written by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Yuyi Morales, and published by Harcourt Children’s Books. Through engaging narrative and culturally-expressive paintings, Chavez’s life is traced from his comfortable Arizona farm childhood through drought, loss, and backbreaking field labor to his adult leadership in organizing migrant workers. The hardships of a grape boycott and a 340-mile protest march led by Chavez result in the 1965 contract for farmworkers, the first in the nation.

In the category of Books for Older Children, the winner is Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope. South African apartheid and its aftermath are experienced and challenged, decade by decade, by young, courageous protagonists whose portrayals cross races, classes, and genders. These incisive stories were written by once-exiled South African Beverley Naidoo and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.

In the Picture Book category, both Honor Books are biographical portraits of determined and resourceful women, yet the books are wholly different in setting, era, situation, and tone. Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings was inspired by the accomplishments of Alta Weiss, a girl with an “arm,” who at 17 in early 20th century Ohio, pitched her way onto an all-male baseball team – and won. The upbeat words by Deborah Hopkinson and the brightly bold pictures by Terry Widener are published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, An Anne Schwartz Book.

The second honored Picture Book is set within a German concentration camp and tells the true story of a heroic woman who secretly saves the lives of 54 orphaned and imprisoned children. In Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen, author Michelle R. McCann movingly recounts the horrific story of danger, suffering, and courage told to her by Luba Tryszynska-Frederick. Accomplished oil paintings by Ann Marshall illustrate this Tricycle Press book.

In the category of Honor Books for Older Children, two books were named: Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe and Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York 1880-1924 by Deborah Hopkinson.

Crowe uses telling photographs and meticulously-researched text to rehearse the grisly and shameful 1955 lynching of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy from Chicago. Till was murdered during a summer visit to Money, Mississippi; his killers were acquitted. This almost-forgotten episode of U.S. history was published by Phyllis Fogelman Books/Penguin Books for Young Readers.

Carefully-selected archival photos and thorough scholarship are again important elements of the other honor book, Shutting Out the Sky. It depicts the lives of five people who immigrated as children around 1900, following them from their early tenement lives in New York City to their eventual hard-won status as naturalized United States citizens. This lively chronicle of immigrant life was published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.

This year a Special Commendation is being awarded to The Breadwinner Trilogy, three books by Deborah Ellis, published by Groundwood Books/Douglas & McIntyre. The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey, and Mud City are connected realistic novels of children in contemporary Afghanistan, orphaned and displaced by war. As refugees in their own ravaged country, the courageous protagonist in each story displays her own special enterprise and perseverance.

The 2004 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards will be presented on Friday, October 22 in New York City.

Details about securing award and honor book seals and about the award event are available from the Jane Addams Peace Association. Contact JAPA Executive Director Linda B. Belle, 777 United Nations Plaza, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017-3521; by phone 212-682-8830; and by e-mail japa@igc.org

For additional information about the Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards and a complete list of books honored since 1953, see www.janeaddamspeace.org

Members of the 2003 Jane Addams Children's Book Awards Committee are Donna Barkman, Chair (Ossining, New York); Marilyn Hurley Bimstein (Seattle, Washington); Eliza T. Dresang (Tallahassee, Florida); Susan C. Griffith (Mt. Pleasant, MI); Ginny Moore Kruse, (Madison, Wisconsin); JoAnn Montie (Minneapolis, MN); Cathie Reed (New Market, Maryland); Suzanne Martell (Harwich, Massachusetts); and Pat Wiser (Sewanee, Tennessee). Regional reading and discussion groups participated with many of the committee members throughout the jury’s evaluation and selection process.

In addition to the Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards and its many other educational projects, JAPA houses the U.N. office of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in New York City. JAPA owns the Jane Addams House in Philadelphia where the
U. S. section of WILPF is located. For more information about the Jane Addams Peace Association, visit www.janeaddamspeace.org

Americas Awards Announced

The Américas Award is given in recognition of U.S. works of fiction, poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction (from picture books to works for young adults) published in the previous year in English or Spanish that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States. By combining both and linking the Americas, the award reaches beyond geographic borders, as well as multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere. The award is sponsored by the national Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP).

The award winners and commended titles are selected for their 1) distinctive literary quality; 2) cultural contextualization; 3) exceptional integration of text, illustration and design; and 4) potential for classroom use. The winning books will be honored at a ceremony on June 11, 2004 at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Américas Award Winners

JUST A MINUTE: A TRICKSTER TALE AND COUNTING BOOK by Yuyi Morales. San
Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2003. 32 pgs. ISBN 0-8118-3758-0

THE MEANING OF CONSUELO by Judith Ortiz Cofer. New York: Farrar, Straus
& Giroux, 2003. 186 pgs. ISBN 0-374-20509-4

Américas Award Honor Books

CUBA 15 by Nancy Osa. New York: Delacorte, 2003. 277 pgs. ISBN
0-385-73021-7

HARVESTING HOPE by Kathleen Krull. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. San
Diego: Harcourt, 2003. 48 pgs. ISBN 0-15-201437-3

Américas Award Commended List

THE AFTERLIFE by Gary Soto. San Diego: Harcourt, 2003. 161 pgs. ISBN
0-15-204774-3

THE JOURNEY OF TUNURI AND THE BLUE DEER by James Endredy. Illustrated by
María Hernández de la Cruz and Casimiro de la Cruz López. Rochester:
Bear Cub Books, 2003. 36 pgs. ISBN 159143016-X

LITTLE BLUE HOUSE by Sandra Comino. Toronto: Groundwood, 2003.154 pgs.
ISBN 0-88899-541-5

MURALS: WALLS THAT SING by George Ancona. New York: Marshall Cavendish,
2003. 52 pgs. ISBN 0-7614-5131-5

XOCHITL AND THE FLOWERS by Jorge Argueta. Illustrated by Carl Angel. San
Francisco: Children's Book Press, 2003. 36 pgs. ISBN 0-89239-181-2

2003 Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature Review Committee:
Oralia Garza de Cortes, (Boyle Heights Learning Collaborative, Families in Schools, Inc, California), Julia López-Robertson (Hollinger Elementary School, Arizona), Katherine D. McCann (Library of Congress, Washington, DC), Carmen Medina (Indiana University Purdue University, Indiana), Elizabeth Van Sant, chair (Tulane University, Louisiana).

REISSUES AND NEW EDITIONS

Rey, Margret & H. A. Curious George and Friends: Favorite Stories. Houghton Mifflin, 2003. $25. ISBN 0-618-22610-9.
Eight picture books by the Reys are collected here, complete with every page, word, and illustration, keeping intact the original design of the picture books. This will be especially nice as a gift, or for libraries that no longer have the original picture books.
The first is the original Curious George story, still in print and available as a picture book. But the other stories are lesser known and may no longer be in print. But my library had most of the originals, so I was able to compare the originals page by page to these, and the only change seemed to be that the originals had a slightly larger typeface.

Cecily G. and the 9 Monkeys appears next; it is the story where we first met George. Elizabite is about a carnivorous plant, and Pretzel stars a dachshund puppy who grows much longer than his brothers and sisters.

Katy No-Pocket is the only book not written by the Reys; it was written by Emmy Payne and illustrated by Hans Rey. Billy’s Picture has a text with repetition that will really engage younger preschoolers, and an art lesson on doing your own thing.
Spotty, is an allegory on race relations, about the one brown spotted bunny with 8 all-white brothers and sisters. The story seems heavy-handed but is certainly still relevant.

The final story is Whiteback the Penguin Sees the World, which was not originally published until 2000. The manuscript was found by editor Anita Silvey in the Rey’s archive, with notes from its original submission to editor Ursula Nordstrom.
The book begins with an introduction by Margaret Bloy Graham, illustrator of Harry the Dirty Dog and a friend of the Reys. The book concludes with an endnote, giving one paragraph on each book describing its publishing history.

Woolf, Virginia. Nurse Lugton’s Curtain. Illus. by Julie Vivas. Gulliver/Harcourt, 2004. $16. ISBN 0-15-205048-5.
Vivas’s illustrated version was originally released in 1991; this newer version has the same text and illustrations with just a few design differences. The jacket now has a deep blue background instead of the original white, there are new endpapers, and in the final illustration of Nurse sewing, her facial expression is slightly different than in the original. All the other illustrations appear to be exactly the same.

The original tale was found amongst Virginia Woolf’s manuscript for her well-known novel Mrs. Dalloway, so the story was probably written in 1924, although it wasn’t published until 1965. Written for her niece, the story may have new adult fans due to the popularity of the film “The Hours,” which features Woolf as a character played by Nicole Kidman. Will children enjoy the story? I think so. The wild animals come alive, off the curtain fabric to frolic in the nursery and should charm young listeners. And Woolf uses very alliterative, evocative language: “the penguins and pelicans waddled and waded, often pecking at each other, alongside.”

Paterson, Diane. I’ll Give You Kisses. Dial, 2003. $5.95. ISBN 0-8037-2961-8.
First published in 1976 as Smile for Auntie, this new edition has a different title but no other changes. A raincoat and scarf wearing auntie tries to get baby to smile, but gives up. The characters resemble those of Gahan Wilson, set against plain white backgrounds. People either really like this or find it slightly creepy. Valerie Lewis of Hicklebee’s books said “The new title turns the plea (Smile for Auntie) into a bribe.”

Seuss, Dr. Ten Apples Up on Top! Illus. by Roy McKie. Random, 2004. $8.99. ISBN 0-394-80019-2.
Originally published under the pseudonym Theo LeSieg (Geisel spelled backward, and Theodor Geisel being Dr. Seuss’s real name), this has been re-released for the Centennial of Seuss’s birthdate. This simple, charming easy reader has the text intact.
The illustrations have been changed just slightly, probably to appeal to the more visually oriented child of today. Instead of the characters acting out the text on plain white backgrounds as it originally appeared in 1961, this now has colored backgrounds. The characters are the same, only the backgrounds now feature green grass, a blue sky, etc. This new design suits the story and doesn’t make it look that different; it still has the simple cartoons that won’t distract the eye of the emergent reader.
Upon re-reading this popular book, I am struck by how much fun it is, with its slapstick action, and how very easy it is to read due to the repetition and reliance on simple sight words. The reissue is a great opportunity to buy replacement copies.

Wood, Audrey. The Napping House. Illus. by Don Wood. Harcourt, 2004. $17.95. ISBN 0-15-205080-9.
For this 20th edition of the storyhour classic, the only change is the inclusion of a CD, which features the story read out loud, and six original bedtime songs by Audrey Wood’s sister Jennifer. The illustrations and text have not changed at all, thankfully, as this perennial storyhour favorite is perfect just the way it is.

The narrator, singers, and musicians on the CD are uncredited, but the Harcourt website has a nice article about this anniversary edition. A great excuse to buy replacement copies.

Penny Peck,
San Leandro PL

“ Valerie and Walter’s Best Books” – New Edition

Lewis, Valerie V. and Mayes, Walter M. Valerie & Walter’s Best Books For Children: a Lively, Opinionated Guide – Revised and Updated. Quill:HarperResource, 2004. $17.95. ISBN 0-06-052467-7.
Valerie V. Lewis and Walter M. Mayes have updated their popular book, used by parents and librarians, and selected more than 2,000 wonderful books for children from birth to age 12. Lewis is the co-founder of Hicklebee’s, a children’s bookstore in San Jose, CA. Mayes is known to many as Walter the Giant Storyteller, performing in hundreds of schools and libraries, and is also the librarian at a private middle school in Mountain View, CA. With candor, humor, and enthusiasm, this duo has created an entertaining and useful book, featuring in-depth reviews, concise ratings, tips for finding the perfect book for a child, and “mountains of essential hints and sound advice to help you pass along the gift of reading to the next generation.” This fully revised and updated edition includes:

• Reviews of the best new books for children
• More of Valerie and Walter's patented back-and-forth dialogue
• Handy cross-references by theme and interest
• And much, much more

Arranged into chapters by age groups, the book has a really useful index so you can find books by subject and genre. My favorite parts of the book are the small cartoon drawings of Valerie and Walter that appear next to special quotations on the topic at hand – many times this occurs when the two disagree, almost like the friendly rival movie reviewers we see on television.

Although both are Californians, I wouldn’t say there is a particular West Coast slant to their choices, although they include books on Gay and Lesbian topics and more multicultural books than I have seen in other collections aimed at parents. It is especially comforting to see Walter’s caricature reminding the reader to go to the library, “Uh, have I mentioned that libraries are free?” on many occasions in the book.

People who substitute at the children’s desk or work at a branch library will find this book especially useful; a one volume guide to readers’ advisory that is always handy when the children’s librarian is on vacation. You can look up a child’s favorite book, like Harry Potter, and find lots of suggestions for other books that will appeal to the same audience. There’s a nice mix of old favorites and newer titles, and books for babies as well as young teen readers.

Penny Peck,
San Leandro PL

Professional Reading

Codell, Esme Raji. How To Get Your Child To Love Reading: For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike. Algonquin Books, 2003. $18.95. ISBN 1-56512-308-5.

Parents and librarians will find this a useful resource for finding books that appeal to children. Not arranged by age or grade, but by subject, Codell offers a combination of read-aloud advice similar to that of Jim Trelease (The Read Aloud Handbook), and information on using books for storytimes and school situations. This will be a great resource for those who fill in for the children’s librarian, or those who work at small branch libraries that don’t have a children’s librarian. Primary grade teachers will also want their own copies.

Codell’s subject themes have a lot of child appeal – books on birthdays, dinosaurs, teeth, gross things, time travel, you name it. One flaw of the book is the very sparse subject index, making it difficult at times to find what you want. But it is great as a browser. There are plenty of programming ideas that can be adapted for a public library – have a gardening day, a science experiment program, etc. There are indices for author and title, and a list of award winning books.

When Codell wants to highlight a book, she calls it a “potato pick,” inspired by using an old potato in a classroom to teach fractions and botany, after she read Brave Potatoes. She doesn’t highlight that many books, but she has many lists that I found even more useful: a listing for the Scholastic “Dear America” series, historical fiction, adventure, and many other genre fiction lists to help in finding books for 4th-6th graders.

Many librarians know Codell from her website, www.planetesme.com, her column in “Five Owls,” and her children’s novel
Sahara Special. She is also a teacher and librarian, and combines these different perspectives with balance and authority.
Nash, Jennie. Raising a Reader: A Mother’s Tale of Desperation and Delight. St. Martin’s Press, 2003. $19.95. ISBN 0-312-31534-1.

In this mini-memoir, Nash describes how she fostered the love of books and reading in her two daughters, who were very different in how they learned to read. This humorous, touching tale can serve as a “pep talk” to those of us who are overwhelmed at our library jobs; it reminds us why we do what we do.

Journalist Nash wrote a previous memoir on surviving breast cancer, as well as a host of magazine articles, and her style is quick without being overly glib. Librarians will find chapter 3, titled “Abundance,” to be especially relevant. She describes how libraries can be the one place, unlike a store, where parents can say “yes” nearly all of the time because checking out large stacks of books is encouraged and is free!

In each chapter, when Nash describes how books helped during a vacation, a trip to the hospital, or on other occasions, she gives examples of the books her family read. When one daughter goes to the emergency room for a broken arm, she remembers how “Curious George” also had to get an X-ray. Another memorable moment happens when Nash, for the first time, reads and loves a book recommended by her daughter, instead of the parent recommending the book to the child (it was Where the Red Fern Grows).

Many of us employ some of the same techniques she uses in choosing books – the “three chapter rule,” where you give a book three chapters before you decide it isn’t for you. And the great advice from a school principle reminding parents (and librarians) that some children aren’t developmentally ready until 3rd grade to read with confidence. And how some children disguise the fact they can read independently, so that parents will continue to read to them at bedtime.

This breezy book is great when you get home from an overwhelming workday, dealing with the masses who are involved in your summer reading programs. It will lift you up just as effectively as a box of See’s candy!

“ Scholastic Reader” Series Debuts

Scholastic has a new series of easy readers, divided into three levels. Curiously, they are only available in paperback, unless a library orders them from a special bindery service like Bound to Stay Bound. With a cover price of only $3.99, just about any library can use this series to fill the need for more easy readers.

Level 1 books are very easy, with just a sentence per page. They appear to use a combination of sight words and phonics – the “Magic Matt” books use a lot of words with the short “a” sound. But for the most part, these do have plots and entertaining visuals, as well as a vocabulary list at the back, so they are well above the quality of basal readers, if not as engaging as “Frog and Toad.” Check out the following to see if your library will want to acquire these:

All from Scholastic, all 2003, and list price at $3.99 each.

LEVEL ONE:
Maccarone, Grace, with illus. by Norman Bridwell:
Magic Matt and the Skunk in the Tub. ISBN 0-439-40570-x.
Magic Matt and the Cat. ISBN 0-439-40568-8.
Magic Matt and the Jack-O-Lantern. ISBN 0-439-43992-2.
Boy magician Matt talks directly to the reader, explaining what he is making appear out of thin air. With color cartoon illustrations by the creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog, these simple readers have child appeal, and help kids figure out long and short vowel sounds.

Rex, Michael:
Pals. ISBN 0-439-49310-2.
Firefighter. ISBN 0-439-52785-6.
Scarecrow. ISBN 0-439-49311-0.
Subtitled “A Word By Word First Reader,” these feature just one word per page, captioning a colorful illustration. These almost work like wordless books, with the illustrations telling a story. In Scarecrow, the title character finds several hats. Firefighter is almost a nonfiction book, and Pals features a boy and an outer space alien. The word lists in the back show that these stories use a combination of sight words and short vowel sound words.

Marzollo, Jean, photos by Walter Wick:
I Spy A Dinosaur’s Eye. ISBN 0-439-52471-7.
I Spy A School Bus. ISBN 0-439-52473-3.
I Spy Funny Teeth. ISBN 0-439-52472-5.
Like simplified versions of the “I Spy” picture books, photos of interesting toy collages are the highlight of this series. The text page has a brief rhyme, pointing out what to look for in each collage photo. Because the written clue has a picture of the item to look for, it works to teach a child how to read that word. Since these don’t really have a story, but work like a game, they should appeal to a wide age range.

LEVEL TWO:
James, B.J., with illus. by Chris Demarest:
Supertwins Meet the Dangerous Dino-Robots. ISBN 0-439-46625-3.
Supertwins Meet the Bad Dogs from Space. ISBN 0-439-46623-7.
Supertwins and Tooth Trouble. ISBN 0-439-46624-5.
Ginger-haired boy/girl twins Tabby and Timmy can fly and smash through walls. They use their superpowers to defeat a Tooth Bandit who has imprisoned the Tooth Fairy in this spoof of comic action stories and television. In other episodes, they defeat mean green poodles from space and battle dinosaur-shaped robots. Each book is divided into three very short chapters, highlighted by the full color cartoon illustrations. The vocabulary is a little more complex but still quite easy to read.

Black, Sonia W., with illus. by Barbara Lanza:
Little Mermaid. ISBN 0-439-47154-0.
Torres, Melissa A., with illus. by Barbara Lanza:
Snow White. ISBN 0-439-47152-4.
Mills, J. Elizabeth, with illus. by Barbara Lanza:
Beauty and the Beast. ISBN 0-439-47151-6.
Children may think these are based on the popular Disney films, but these are simplified retellings of the fairy tales. Almost too simple – they come off as outlines of the stories, and the limited vocabulary take away some of the original grandeur. For example, Snow White’s queen is “mad,” when “angry” would have been a much more fitting word. The soft pastel illustrations are the type found on greeting cards.

LEVEL THREE:
Grayson, Devin, with illus. by John Byrne:
Batman: The Copycat Crime. ISBN 0-439-47097-8.
McCann, Jesse Leon, with illus. by John Byrne:
Batman: Time Thaw. ISBN 0-439-47096-X.
Not quite comic books or graphic novels, these easy chapter books feature one boxed illustration per page, done in the comic book style. They will appeal to older kids who are still struggling with reading, and the word list at the back of each book covers the compound words and adjectives introduced in the stories. Old favorite villains the Riddler and Mr. Freeze are back in these five chapter stories, but Robin is nowhere to be seen. Sure to appeal to reluctant readers.