Summer reads for kids Summer reads for kids (July 06, 2005)

by Debbie Duncan

Attention, children's book fans: Harry Potter 6 is not - I repeat, not - the only new book out there this summer. Take a look at some of these outstanding offerings, many by local artists and illustrators, while you're waiting for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" to come out at midnight on July 16.

Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? written and illustrated by Barney Saltzberg; Candlewick; $15.99; ages 1 - 4.

Cornelius P. Mud is an adorable little piggy who has his own ideas about how to get ready for bed - he puts his toys away in the refrigerator; he feeds his fish chocolate chip cookies; he uses the bathroom to ride his stick horse on top of the toilet; he brushes his teeth with a scrub brush; he puts his pajamas on plus an innertube, snorkel and mask, and bat wings; and he chooses a book, actually more like 15 books.

But there's one thing missing in his bedtime routine: a hug. This cute bedtime book has big, bright, child-friendly illustrations and lettering, and humor that will make it stand up through multiple bedtime readings.

You're Not My REAL Mother by Molly Friedrich, illustrated by Christy Hale; Little, Brown; $15.99; ages 2 - 8.

It is a sentiment familiar to adopted children, especially those taken into a family of a different race - that Mom can't be the "real" mother because she doesn't "look like me." This heartwarming story starring a mixed-race young girl and her blond mother, is beautifully brought to life by Palo Alto illustrator Christy Hale.

It gives concrete examples of the love and guidance all moms provide for their children, such as letting the daughter use 20 bandages instead of just one; driving to retrieve a lost stuffed animal; teaching manners, counting, shoe tying, teeth brushing, and jacket zipping; hugging and kissing and hugging some more; and bending the rules when it feels right.

This timely and timeless picture book would make an outstanding and important addition to the home libraries of local families.

Russell the Sheep, written and illustrated by Rob Scotton; HarperCollins; $15.99; ages 3 - 7.

For parents like me who feel their families can never have too many bedtime books, here is another gem. Russell the sheep simply cannot fall asleep. A true insomniac, he tries every trick in the field, even counting sheep.

Russell's tale is told and illustrated with wit and charm in gorgeous hues of blue, green and purple. Children will cheer at Russell's eventual success, and adults won't mind hearing the familiar "Read it again!" cry when it's for Russell the sheep.

Papa, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Josse, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee; Chronicle; $15.95; ages 3 - 8. The unconditional love shown so brilliantly in the perennial bestseller "Mama, Do You Love Me?" comes through again with style and originality in this follow-up picture book.

The series of "What if?" questions posed by a Maasai boy for his patient Papa elicit "then" replies that are both reassuring and illustrative of this African culture and land.

Lavalee's watercolor paintings are stunning in both color and detail. Older children and parents will appreciate the appended glossary of African terms.

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter; Harcourt; $16; ages 4 and up.

Inevitably, children have heard of the war in Iraq. In this account of present-day heroism they meet Alia Muhammad Baker, the librarian of the port city of Basra, and learn through story and pictures about war's impact and one woman's courage and determination to save the written word.

Alia "takes matters into her own hands" when fighting is imminent in Iraq, and begins to remove some of the library's precious books to the safety of her home. She steps up her efforts as war reaches Basra, and enlists her friends and neighbors to help her hide the books, including a 700-year-old biography of Muhammad, in a nearby restaurant.

Just as she feared, the library burns to the ground. Alia knows she must move the books, all 30,000 of them, again, so she hires a truck to take them to her house and her friends' homes for safe keeping. There they wait -- for peace, and a new library.

Alia Muhammad Baker's story was originally reported in the New York Times three years ago. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to a fund to help rebuild the book collection of the Basra library.

The Legend of the Curse of the Bambino by Dan Shaughnessy, illustrated by C.F. Payne; Simon & Schuster; $16.95; ages 5 - 8.

Summer just isn't summer without a new baseball book. In this one, Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy cleverly has a father telling his daughter the story of the Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees, and the supposed bad luck that trade led to for the next 86 years.

C.F. Payne's illustrations of the Babe are appropriately oversized, as are the drawings of the heroes of the Red Sox team from last October, when the curse was finally lifted.

Another excellent book for young fans of baseball history is "Ballpark: The Story of America's Baseball Fields," by Lynn Curlee (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster; $17.95; all ages).

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy; Charlesbridge; $15.95; ages 6 - 12.

Some alphabet books are forced and gimmicky ("B is for Buckaroo," "P is for Putt," etc.), but others are so good that each page is a delight to read.

Put Palo Alto author Cynthia Chin-Lee's latest picture book in the latter, "great" category. Chin-Lee captures the essence of the lives of 26 important and diverse 20th century women with readable, inspiring mini-biographies and quotes.

The illustrators used a variety of colorful collages to show the women in their proper historical contexts as well as what they looked like: Jane Goodall holding a chimpanzee in an African forest; Lena Horne in front of an old-fashioned microphone, surrounded by sheet music; Eleanor Roosevelt towering over the White House and U.S. Capitol, from which she made such an impact; Mother Teresa holding stick-figure drawings of unhappy children; Kristi Yamaguchi on the ice.

A bibliography and author's note will encourage children to learn more about these and other women, and add to the gift appeal of this fine picture book.

Permanent Rose by Hilary McKay; Margaret K. McElderry/Simon & Schuster; $15.95; ages 9 - 12.

The artsy, hilarious Casson family and assorted friends are back, and this installment is as much a page-turner as the multi-award-winning book that began their saga, "Saffy's Angel."

It's the last, sweltering week of a British summer, and 8-year-old Rose, the "real artist of the Casson family," draws pictures on the walls of the house while waiting for a letter from her guitar-playing best friend, Tom, who returned to America suddenly at the end of the school year.

Older brother Indigo, who was also best friends with Tom, reads to Rose the story of Sir Lancelot. Eldest daughter Caddy is home from college and having doubts about marrying her fiance, Michael, eventhough he' s adorable.

Cousin Saffy is determined to find her biological father. Mother Eve paints pictures in her garden shed or decorates the walls of the local hospital with cheerful art. Father Bill is still in his studio in London; he has a new girlfriend.

The author deftly manages to pull all these threads and even more characters together in a story with never a dull moment. "Permanent Rose" is a fabulously fun summer read-aloud book for the entire family.

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales; Wendy Lamb/Random House; $15.95; ages 12 and up.

This charming novel by Stanford author Viola Canales is a book of stories about a family, a culture and a young girl who is smart enough to appreciate the richness of where she came from when she eventually goes away.

In her barrio, Sofia is surrounded by a loving family and a community steeped in tradition. Though she does not want a quinceanera (birthday celebration) herself, she serves as the dama de honor (maid of honor) for her cousin and best friend, Berta, when Berta turns 15.

What Sofia really wants is to accept the scholarship she won to an Episcopal boarding school in Austin, 350 miles away. But to do that she needs her parents' permission, five decent dresses, and $400 - each a seemingly insurmountable task.

Readers will enjoy following Sofia as she strives to reach her goal, and the culture shock that greets her at Saint Luke's.

She also undoubtedly shocks some of her classmates when she and two friends take her papa's "definitive cure for homesickness" -- chewing and swallowing a squishy tequila worm.

Sometimes humorous and always thoughtful, Canales has taken her own experience and expertly universalized it. Look to "The Tequila Worm" for a shining example of young adult literature at its best.

Debbie Duncan reviews children's books for the Weekly. Her previous reviews can be seen at www.debbieduncan.co./pickd/html.

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