Those of us with a passion for books know that there's nothing quite like the look, feel, and even smell of an enticing new volume. That enthusiasm is one that the canine protagonist of Louise Yates's Dog Loves Books(Knopf, 2010; PreS-Gr 1) knows well. So well, in fact, that he opens his own bookstore and stocks the shelves with a fresh "Grand Opening" inventory. But when no one ventures into his shop, the downtrodden creature does what comes naturally…he takes down a book and begins to read, then another, and another.
Yates's pencil and watercolor artwork does a marvelous job of capturing the passion of the irresistible dog, especially in his flights of fictional and nonfictional fancy. When at last, a customer stops in, Dog is in his glory, finding just the right volume for his very first customer.
While pairing books with readers is often the purview of a librarian, in Barbara Bottner's Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't) (Knopf, 2010; PreS-Gr 2) an energetic professional seems to have met her resistant match in a first grader. With a Book Week assignment looming "to pick a favorite story" and show why you love it, the young narrator tells the vivacious Miss Brooks, "I'll never love a book the way you do." Eventually the woman comes up with a book that isn't "too flowery," "too furry," or "too yippity" that the girl canshare with her classmates—and gets the whole gang snorting with gusto. Michael Emberly's pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons are a hoot and set the perfect, gleeful tone.
Alas, like Bottner's young protagonist, not everyone shares a teacher's love of books. Computer-savvy Jackass just doesn't get it. In Lane Smith's It's a Book (Roaring Brook, 2010; Gr 3-5), the clueless donkey asks Monkey innumerable annoying questions about the volume he's attempting to peruse ("How do you scroll down? Do you blog with it? Can it text? Tweet? Wi-Fi?") When Jackass finally tries (and figures) it out he's consumed for hours, refusing to return the book when Monkey asks for it, "Don't worry," he assures his friend, "I'll charge it up when I'm done!" The paintings are pure Lane Smith; clean, crisp, and chockablock with humorous detail.
Leonid Gore's The Wonderful Book(Scholastic, Nov. 2010; PreS-K) takes readers deep into a forest where a rabbit comes upon a red tome and decides it's just the right size for a cozy little house. But a big growly bear comes along and thinks the book will make a pretty hat. He loses his newfound accessory when he stops for a snack. A family of mice put the object to good use as a table. After dining, the mice scamper away and a fox takes the volume, turning it into a bed. The following day, just as a hungry worm is about to eat the book, a boy wanders by. He sits down with the treasure, opens it, and begins to read—and is soon surrounded by the animals, who listen to a story about a little rabbit, a big grumpy bear, hungry mice, and.... The big and bold watercolor-and-ink artwork in this title is as engaging as the simple text.
Be sure to introduce these books to your students at the beginning of the school year, and watch as their passion for reading grows.
I find it very disappointing that Lane Smith would choose "Jackass" as his main character's name! As an elementary school librarian, I know that my students would have difficulties focusing on anything other than the name.
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