Children’s bookstore manager David Richardson and librarian Susan Dove Lempke each came up with 10 ways to keep kids polishing their reading skills through the summer. They tried to pick books that provide a lot of fun, and some of them may even help nudge children into putting down the remote and heading outside to try some of the summer activities they’ll read about in these great books. It’s a mix of new and classic, and there’s even one for teachers, too!
Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy (Greenwillow, 2007, $15.99 hardcover, ages 10 and up). This is the poignant tale of a young girl who attempts to grow giant pumpkins because her deceased mother always admired them at the local fair. Uplifting and informative, Me and the Pumpkin Queen is a book too good to wait for paperback to read.
Ballpark: The Story of America’s Baseball Fields by Lynn Curlee (Aladdin, 2008, $7.99 paperback, ages 7 and up). What would summer be without baseball? With many of the Major League Baseball’s famous stadiums being torn down (or already gone), Lynn Curlee provides readers with an informative and interesting look at the places where sports history was made. A great book to read with parents and grandparents, who will likely share stories of their own!
Leaping Beauty: And Other Animal Fairytales by Gregory Maguire (HarperTrophy, 2004, $5.99 paperback, ages 10 and up). This offbeat collection of fractured fairytales, by the author of Wicked, is sure to leave readers howling, growling, and yowling with laughter. Maguire takes well–known stories and twists them into furry fun. My favorite is "Hamster and Gerbil."
The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant) by Avi (Harcourt, 2008, $6.95 paperback, ages 8 and up). Using a style reminiscent of A.A. Milne, Avi takes an odd pair of friends (a snail and an ant) and sends them on a journey to the end of a tree limb and back. Filled with wisdom, wit, and unexpected twists of logic, The End of the Beginning makes for a terrific summer adventure.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, 2007, $9.99 paperback, ages 9 and up). This Velveteen Rabbit/Pinocchio tale is now in paperback and worthy of a second (or first) read on a rainy summer day. Edward’s journey of love and discovery will make the hours fly.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, (Amulet, 2007, $12.95, ages 10 and up). Once you’ve read this sidesplitting graphic novel, you’ll never look at a slice of cheese the same way again. Kinney manages to capture the highs and lows of middle school with humor and insight. More importantly, he’s capturing reluctant readers.
The Mercy Watson series written by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen (Candlewick, various publication dates, $12.99, ages 6 and up). Take a pig who has a penchant for buttered toast, owners who treat her like a member of the family, throw in some nosy neighbors, and you have an opportunity for all kinds of crazy stories. DiCamillo, known for her award–winning books Because of Winn–Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, applies the same skills and depth to this easy reader series as she does to all of her work.
Imogene’s Antlers by David Small (Dragonfly, $6.99 paperback, 1988, ages 4 and up). When Imogene wakes up one morning with antlers, hilarity follows. This classic tale by David Small conveys a message of acceptance and personal innovation while providing much entertainment for readers of all ages. Imogene’s Antlers is as much fun to read alone as it is to read aloud.
Tacky the Penguin series by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger (Houghton Mifflin, various publication dates, $6.95, ages 4 and up). Cool off with this unlikely hero as he finds his way in and out of trouble in his own hilarious way. The perfect books for a reading on a hot summer day.
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams (HarperCollins, 2006, $7.99, with a movie tie–in cover, ages 10 and up). Most kids have seen one of the movie versions of this classic tale, but many have never read the book. There’s no more perfect book for summer reading than this brilliantly written tale of friendship.
David L. Richardson, a former junior high school language arts teacher, is also a freelance writer based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Smash! Crash! by Jon Sciesczka (Simon & Schuster, 2008, $16.99, ages 3–6). Truck friends Jack Truck and Dump Truck Dan smash and crash their way through this high–energy book. It’s not about real–world trucks but about the way kids play with their trucks, so it should not only lead kids into some high–energy play of their own, but it will also lead them into the rest of the Trucktown series of easy readers.
Trainstop by Barbara Lehman (Houghton Mifflin, 2008, $16.00, ages 4–8). Another transportation story, this follows a little girl’s journey with her parents on a train. When the train stops, all of the grown–ups have fallen asleep, so the girl cautiously exits the train into a brightly colored world with tiny people, where, because she is so large, she can rescue one of them caught in a tree. This wordless picture book will lead children into thinking about mysterious adventures they could take, too.
Max’s Dragon by Kate Banks (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2008, $16.95, ages 5–8). Summer is a fine time to play outside like these brothers do in the sequel to Max’s Words. Max again leads the imaginative game–play of coming up with rhymes while watching clouds shaped like dinosaurs and dragons during a game of croquet. Boris Kulikov’s funny illustrations keep the balance between realistic and make–believe. Readers will enjoy working on their word skills as they play later on.
Sisters & Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (Houghton Mifflin, 2008, $16.00, ages 6–10). Nonfiction readers need to read in the summer, too, and the newest in the series of animal books by this husband–wife team is just as engaging as their previous works. They cover animals and their siblings and even step–siblings from elephants to termites, all illustrated with the torn–paper collage technique that shows texture as well as shape.
D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire (Delacorte, 1962, $19.95 paperback, ages 8–14). With the enormous popularity of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series comes an onrush of fiction based on Greek mythology. Knowing the myths first makes any of the mythology books more fun, and the D’Aulaires’ version of the classic tales remains fresh and lively.
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (Houghton Mifflin, 2008, $16.00, ages 8–12). Newbery–winning author Lowry writes a witty and dark story of wicked parents, (so neglectful that their twin sons have the same name because they can’t tell them apart), their four children, and their nanny. Lowry throws in several old–fashioned story conventions, makes lots of references to classic children’s books, and even includes her own line drawings. This is a great read–aloud.
Mary Poppins & Mary Poppins Comes Back by P. L. Travers (Harcourt, 2007, $19.95, ages 8–12). One of the books Lowry refers to in The Willoughbys is the story of a not–at–all sweet nanny and her young charges. The conceited magical nanny who annoyingly will never explain what is happening to the children takes them on a series of adventures that remain inventive and amusing today, with each story complete in a chapter. Be sure to use the revised edition, though, to avoid the old–fashioned racism of earlier versions.
Dodger and Me by Jordan Sonnenblick (Feiwel & Friends, 2008, $16.95, ages 8–12). The first–person narrator, Tim, is ruefully frank about his shortcomings as a baseball player and as general class loser. When he discovers a fast–food bag with what seems to be a genie inside, his life definitely changes, though his new blue friend isn’t always exactly helpful. With plot twists and some very funny moments, this will be a popular choice for summer, especially with boys.
Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay (McElderry, 2002, $4.99 paperback, ages 10–12). It’s an incomparable pleasure to begin a wonderful series at the beginning of the summer, and McKay’s set of books about the eccentric Casson family is a true delight. With its very English setting and sense of humor, as well as its tender depiction of the relationships among the quirky siblings, the series (concluded this spring with Forever Rose) will provide lots of summer fun.
Minders of Make–Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature by Leonard S. Marcus (Houghton, 2008, $28.00, for adults). Teachers may have a little extra time for reading over the summer, too, and one possibility might be this substantial work. Children’s literature scholar Leonard Marcus provides a rich in–depth look at the history of children’s books and the personalities both of the authors and those working behind the scenes.
Susan Dove Lempke is head of the Children’s Department at the Niles Public Library District in Illinois and a reviewer for The Horn Book Magazine.
New and classic books can spark summer reading. (June 2008). Reading Today, 25(6), 26–27.
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