Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

Children's Book Corner – February 2010

by Stephanie Dethlefs2/4/2010 11:15:22 AM

Welcome to the Neighborhood-Kids Children’s Book Corner! Each month I offer one title each for five different age groups, although by no means should the books be limited to certain ages. These recommendations are based on my experience as the parent of a bookworm, a teacher, and a voracious reader of children’s literature. Happy Reading!

For Baby Bookworms (Birth to 2)
Me and You by Geneviève Côté (Kids Can Press, 2009)

As two friends paint side by side, they begin to wonder how it would be to look like one another. The farther their imaginations take them, the sillier things get, until finally they realize that each of them likes the other just the way they are. This is a sweet book about friendship, appreciation of differences, and individuality.

For Preschool Power Readers (3-5)
Benny and Penny in The Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes (RAW Junior, 2009)

This delightful tale is a Toon Book, one of a series of award-winning early-reading comic books. Benny and Penny learn that a new kid lives next door, but know that they are not supposed to go over the fence. When Benny peeks over and discovers that the new kid has stolen his pail (or so he thinks) hostility brews and misunderstandings ensue. While the message of the story is kindness and friendship, as well as following rules, the true pleasure come from introducing a new genre to your youngster.

For School-age Scholars (6-8)
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
(Viking, 1995)

One day, a teacher remarks that "you can think of anything as a math problem." The next mornings, the problems begin for the young narrator. With a combination of logical questions ("how many quarts are in a gallon?") to whimsically nonsensical ones ("does tunafish + tunafish = fournafish?") and plenty of delightful illustrations to accompany them, this book is sure to capture the minds of even the math-shy.

For Independent Intermediates (9-12)
Frindle by Andrew Clements (Aladdin, 1998)

Nick Allen has always had a way of distracting his teachers with clever schemes. When his deviousness lands him an extra assignment from his fifth grade teacher, he finds himself researching how words are added to the dictionary, and comes up with his best plan yet. Soon every student in the school is stubbornly calling a pen a "frindle"...with consequences beyond what Nick ever could have imagined. This is a wonderful, kind story about the power of language.

For ‘Tweens and Teens (13-15)
The Brooklyn Nine: A Novel in Nine Innings by Alan Gratz (Penguin Group, 2009)

Part generational tale, part baseball history lesson, this cleverly written book is a treat for both baseball fans and those who are not. Each of the nine "innings" of the story tells the tale of a young baseball player or avid fan, each the child of the one in the previous story. The novel begins in 1845 with a young Jewish German immigrant named Felix Schneider who loves nothing more than running fast and playing "three out, all out" and ending eight generations later in 2002 with Snider Flint, who uncovers the story of a wooden bat in his uncle’s antique store. National and cultural history surrounds the characters as they fight in the Civil War, play for the All-American Girls Baseball League, and fear the repercussions of Sputnik. This is a championship-level book.

A Note About the Author: Stephanie Dethlefs

Stephanie Dethlefs is the mom of two children who writes, teaches, and runs the Young Writers Studio in her spare time. Originally from Seattle, she arrived in Bellingham in 1996. A perfect day would include playing outside with her husband and kids and getting lost in a book.