What book is best to read? Why, the book that appeals to you the most at the time, of course. A young boy and his class visit the library, where the librarian introduces them to many book possibilities, and suggests they get a library card to take out books. This is a feel-good book for book lovers, and a great reminder to young readers that there are books to suit every interest and topic, and that libraries are good places to visit.

Bertram and Bloom's (The Best Place to Read, The Best Time to Read) text is written in flowing rhyme that has a nice rhythm and beat to it; it's pleasing to read. There were only a few brief places where the rhyme felt like it had an extra beat; most rhymes were a pleasure to read. Because most of the text is dialogue, the text moves quickly, imparting information in an entertaining way, almost without the reader realizing they're learning.

The young protagonist appears in the text mostly in the opening and closing, like book ends; almost everything in between is the librarian's dialogue. This works, though at times I would have liked to hear more from the young protagonist; he feels a bit like a device to show what books are available, and not a character. When the young protagonist suddenly appeared in the text close to the end, I was startled. Still, the librarian's dialogue is fun and punchy, and introduces ideas about books and libraries in an entertaining way.

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The Incredible Book-Eating Boy

My rating:

Do you love books? I sure do. And so does Henry. But Henry loves books so much that he literally eats them. Just a single word, at first, then a page, then an entire book. He starts eating many books at once, and as he eats them, he becomes smarter, which he loves. But soon he's eating too many, too fast, which makes him feel sick. All his knowledge starts to get jumbled up because he didn't have time to digest it properly. So finally he opens up a book, and instead of eating it, he reads it--and discovers he loves reading. And that reading makes him smart, too. Just more slowly. The Incredible Book-Eating Boy is a wonderfully creative, fun, and humorous fantasy that encourages books and reading. It's the perfect gift for a book lover of any age. It makes me feel happy, reading it.

Jeffers (Lost and Found, How to Catch a Star)has a fantastic sense of pacing, shown from the initial page where the text set up tells us that Henry's love for books is different then our own, but forces the reader to turn the page to find out why (by breaking the sentence up with elipses, then revealing the surprise (that Henry eats books) on the next page).

The text continues forward at a strong clip, moving from the initial instant interest and surprise, to increasing good feeling and excitement as Henry gains more knowledge and intelligence, to the crisis point when Henry starts getting muddled up, and on to the feel-good resolution where Henry begins to read, loves it, and realizes that he can become smart through reading (which encourages readers to realize the same). Jeffers' text has the perfect amount of tension and humor, and it flows nicely; there is never anything unnecessary.

Jeffers brings in dialogue that adds richness to the story but doesn't interrupt the flow, through hand-written speech in the illustrations. The dialogue is brief and believable. The story can be read without it, though it adds to the enjoyment. There are also some hand-written explanations, such as how Henry got smarter by eating the books. These explanations read more like side notes, and while funny, did not fit into the flow of text for me.

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My First...

My rating:

Have you ever really wanted something for your birthday--something that everyone else seems to have--and then not gotten it? In My First... , that's what happens to Alice. All her friends have dolls. Alice wants one, too. But instead, she's given something her mother says is even better--it's alive, it will tell her stories, and it will stay with Alice her whole life. Alice is disappointed, and pretends her gift is a doll. For a while, she gets away with it, hiding it in blankets in her baby carriage, telling her friends it's asleep so they can't look at it. Over time, Alice starts to really like her gift, and the stories it tells her and the way that it makes her think of her own stories. But then one day, her friends find a way to make Alice reveal what's really in her baby carriage. They laugh at her when she tries to explain, and Alice runs away from them, angry and upset, but she soon finds that she really wants to find out how the story ends that her birthday gift--a book--has to tell her. She runs back to get it, and finds her friends curled up with her book, absorbed in its stories. So Alice sits down to join them, contented. My First... is a wonderful story with a great build up of anticipation that ends in a nice surprise, and a story that celebrates and encourages reading and individuality.

Montanari (A Very Full Morning) creates a delightful feeling of anticipation and suspense as she cleverly withholds exactly what Alice got for her birthday, instead of the doll she hoped for. Montanari instead focuses on details--on the attributes Alice wanted her gift to have that it doesn't (no curls, freckles, or chubby little hands); on the ways that she hides her gift from her friends' view (telling them he's fragile, sick, or sleeping, which is why 'he' is wrapped in blankets), on how her gift acts with her and what he gives her (that he tells her stories, is polite, and never asks to hear her stories but makes her think of her own), and on the ways he is not like her friends' dolls (does not have hair that will grow back, a loud voice, or a button to push to hear his voice). Montanari doesn't divulge exactly what Alice's gift is until two-thirds of the way through the book. This built-up suspense will have readers eagerly turning the pages to find out exactly what the gift is. I found such delight in discovering that Alice's gift was a book. With Montanari's skillful writing, it was both a surprise and a fitting revelation.

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Do Not Open This Book
by Michaela Muntean, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre
Scholastic (March 2006)
ISBN: 0439698391, ISBN-13: 9780439698399

My rating:

Excuse me, but who do you think you are, opening this book when the cover clearly says Do Not Open This Book!? If a sign on a door reads Do Not Enter, do you enter?
Of course you don't. The least you would do is knock first!
The reason you were not supposed to open this book is because it is not written yet.
LOOK at this blank page.
Look at this jumble of words.

--Do Not Open This Book!by Michaela Muntean, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre, p. 1-2.

A grouchy writer pig tells readers right from the book cover not to open the book--and when they do, he tells them why they shouldn't (because he hasn't written the story yet). He goes on trying to get the reader to be quiet so he can write, and then to stop turning the pages, and gets quite upset until, near the end, he realizes that he's written the book with the help of the reader. This is a funny, engaging book that will have some readers turning pages with great glee, doing something they're being told not to do in a fun way.

Muntean's story text consists mainly of the pig's dialogue directed at the reader, though there are also some sections "written" by the pig . . . .

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The Boy Who Was Raised By Librarians
by Carla Morris, illustrated by Brad Sneed
Peachtree Publishers (March 2007)
ISBN-10: 1561453919, ISBN-13: 9781561453917

My rating:

Melvin lived in the Livingstom Public Library.
Well. . .he didn't really live there. He just spent lots and lots of time there.
He wanted to know a little . . . no . . . a lot about everything. He was curious. And the libbrary is a wonderful place to be if a person is curious.
Everything had its place in the library and Melvin liked it that way. His favorite books were always in their places, lined up on the shelves like soldiers. And his favorite people were always in their places, behind the reference desk.

--The Boy Who Was Raised By Librariansby Carla Morris, illustrated by Brad Sneed, p. 1-2.

When you spend most of your free time with specific people, sharing similar interests and enjoying their company, can they become like family? In this book, they do. Melvin spends as much time as he can at his local library, reading and talking with three librarians. Everything that Melvin's interested in, the librarians are also interested in, and they always help him find answers to all his questions. It is clear that over the years, they become like a family, and Melvin finds a place where his unsatiable curiosity about the world is encouraged and nurtured.

This heartwarming book celebrates librarians, especially, and also books, readers, libraries, and a desire or curiosity to learn. It's also about gaining a surrogate family and building relationships with like-minded people. It makes libraries seem like a haven . . . .

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Max's Words
by Kate Banks, illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux (August 2006)
ISBN-10: 0374399492, ISBN-13: 978-0374399498

My rating:

Max's other brother, Karl, collected coins.
He had coins of many sizes and values.
They came from different countries.
Some were silver-colored with rough edges.
Others were copper-colored with smooth edges.
They were all shiny.
They had people and buildings on them and the year in which they were made.
When Karl showed them around, everyone admired them, too.
Max said, "Can I have a coin?"
"No," said Karl.
Max wanted to collect something, but he wasn't sure what.
He gave it some thought.
Finally he said, "I'm going to collect words."
"Words?" said Benjamin. He laughed.
"Very funny, Max," said Karl.

--Max's Wordsby Kate Banks, illustrated by Boris Kulikov, p. 4-5.

What happens when you have two older brothers who both have extensive collections, and won't give you anything? Well, in Max's case, you create your own collection out of words. In this intriguing, original story, Max cuts words out of magazines and newspapers, even copies words out from the dictionary, and organizes them in piles. His brothers laugh at him, but soon Max has created sentences, and starts a story—and his brothers immediately want to join in. Max's Words explores the fun of collecting something, and the power of words and story to delight and entertain.

Banks (Close Your Eyes ) sets up the story nicely, showing the reader from the opening two pages what Max doesn't have through what his brothers do have (stamp and coin collections), and this moves the story toward Max's solution . . . .

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My Book Box
by Will Hillenbrand
Harcourt Children's Books (August 2006)

ISBN-10: 0152020292, ISBN-13: 978-0152020293

My rating:

What can I do with a box?
I can make a bug box . . .
or a pizza box . . .
or a pasta box . . .
or a hat box . . .

--My Book Box by Will Hillenbrand, p. 2-6.

My Book Box is a sweet picture book for young book lovers, celebrating books and the joys they can bring. An elephant and her little frog friend explore various ideas as to what they can do with a box, finally settling on the best idea of all—a book box! This is where their imagination and passion really ignite, as the book box becomes a treasure chest, a locomotive, a place of rest, and much more.

My Book box is meant for a young readership (baby to preschool age). Hillenbrand's (Down by the Station) brief, simple text uses short or partial sentences that offer suggestions and get the reader thinking. The gender of the elephant and the frog are never specified, which allows for great reader identification . . . .

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Library Lion
by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Candlewick (July 2006)
ISBN-10: 0763622621, ISBN-13: 978-0763622626

My rating:

One day, a lion came to the library. He walked right past the circulation desk and up into the stacks.
Mr. McBee ran down the hall to the head librarian's office. "Miss Merriweather!" he called.
"No running," said Mrs. Merriweather, without looking up.
"But there's a lion!" said Mr. McBee. "In the library!"
"Is he breaking any rules?" asked Miss Merriweather. She was very particular about rule breaking.
"Well, no," said Mr. McBee. "Not really."
"Then leave him be."

--Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, p. 1-2.

A lion enters the library, and Miss Merriweather, the head librarian who's a stickler for rules, says that as long as he doesn't break any rules, he can stay. The lion loves the library, especially story hour, and begins to come every day, helping out by dusting off encyclopedias with his tail, licking envelopes, carrying children on his back. Everyone is happy except Mr. McBee, the circulation desk librarian, who wants to get rid of the lion.

One day, Miss Merriweather has an accident in the library. The lion runs to get help, and when Mr. McBee won't follow him, the lion breaks the rules and roars to get his attention. Mr. McBee runs to tattle on him, and discovers Miss Merriweather. The lion leaves, because he knows he's broken the rules—and he doesn't return. Everyone misses the lion, especially Miss Merriweather—and finally Mr. McBee realizes what he had to do. He searches until he finds the lion, and invites him back. And the next day, the lion comes back--and Miss Merriweather breaks her own rules and runs to meet him.

This is a delightful, warm, entertaining story about friendship, rules that should sometimes be broken, and a love of books that should please many readers, especially those who love reading. This book leaves the reader with a cozy feeling about libraries. . . .

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Martha Speaks
by Susan Meddaugh
Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books (reprint edition, 1995)
ISBN-10: 0395729521, ISBN-13: 978-0395729526

My rating:

The day Helen gave Martha dog her alphabet soup,
something unusual happened.
The letters in the soup went up to Martha's brain instead of down to her stomach.
That evening, Martha spoke.

--Martha Speaks, Susan Meddaugh, p. 1-3.

Martha, a family dog, is suddenly able to speak after she is given a bowl of alphabet soup to eat. Martha and her family delight in her newly acquired talent, enjoying surprising people when Martha speaks, and they make sure Martha has a bowl of alphabet soup every day. But Martha loves talking so much she won't stop, and sometimes she embarrasses the family by always telling the truth. Her family gets tired of the constant chatter, and one day when Martha won't stop talking, they tell her they wish she'd never learned to talk. A devastated Martha refuses to eat her soup, and won't talk or interact with them--but when a burglar sneaks into the house and she is unable to call for help, she manages to eat some alphabet soup and outwit the burglar, and is redeemed in the eyes of her family. Her appetite for alphabet soup returns, and so does her ability to speak.

This is a delightful, funny fantasy that is thoroughly enjoyable. There is a clear love of words and language that exudes from the story. The story is told through the printed text, as well as speech bubbles and art, and all work well together . . . .

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