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Books that go will move readers
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Published: July 26, 2009
Updated: 07/25/2009 06:45 pm
Summer equates to transportation -- car rides to the beach, plane trips to see grandparents, dragging wagons to the neighbor's house, and best of all, boat trips nowhere. A little buddy named Hunter visited from Oregon last weekend.
When we took Hunter to the book stash to load him up for the long plane ride, he wanted only car books. So, in honor of Hunter, who starts his last year of preschool this year and only wants to read about cars, we bring you a celebration of books that go!
TOY BOAT. By Randall de Seve. Penguin. Ages 5-8. $16.99.
Sigh. The most beautiful, wonderful, imaginative picture book of the summer, this is a must-have for any boy. It opens with "A little boy had a toy boat. He made it from a can, a cork, a yellow pencil and some white cloth. The boy loved the boat, and they were never apart. They bathed together. They slept together."
The story follows the boy's daydreams in wildly creative stories about the adventures of his little homemade boat. Priceless reading.
TRUCKS GO. By Steve Light. Chronicle. Ages 2-5. $8.99.
Fire trucks, garbage trucks and tow trucks make different noises in this long, rectangular board book.
Learn pronunciation and beginning sounds with horse trailers and cement trucks and all the noises they make.
Each truck comes with a watercolor illustration so children can recognize the truck as they drive by one on the streets. Think onomatopoeia for very active youngsters!
DINOTRUX. By Chris Gall. Little, Brown. Ages 3-6. $16.99.
In a clever hybrid of prehistoric dinosaurs and modern transportation, Chris Gall has combined two great loves of young males. Boys will love these action-packed pages featuring creations that turn grills into dino teeth, tires into ridged claws and headlights into reptilian eyes.
FRIDAY MY RADIO FLYER FLEW. By Zachary Pullen. Simon & Schuster. Ages 4-7. $16.99.
While going through the attic with his father, a little boy finds his dad's old Radio Flyer wagon. The boy sees an airplane and is struck with inspiration: He should make his Radio Flyer fly! For days the boy tinkers with the wagon, building wings and a ramp. With a little help from Dad, he can finally take off!
Every kid wishes to fly. Heck, even adults still wish that sometimes. This cute story shows a dream come true with some of the best art we have seen in a picture book.
THE GRUMPY DUMP TRUCK. By Brie Spangler. Random House. Ages 5-8. $15.99.
Bertrand the dump truck was good at his job, but his attitude was less than great. He was always mean to the other workers at the construction site, shoving them out of his way and complaining. Bertrand accidentally hits Tilly the porcupine, a construction worker. One of Tilly's spines becomes lodged in Bertrand's tires. As she pulls the spine out, she finds the reasons for Bertrand's bad attitude. Tilly's solution to Bertrand's grumpiness makes everyone at the construction site happier, especially the dump truck.
We love the "20 -- Read to a Child! The Most Important 20 Minutes of Your Day" reminder in the front flap. So true as Hannah discovered when she was told that it takes 100 hours of being read to before a young person starts school for literacy to click. It has become the mantra for the CheeReaders (www.cheeReader.com) program.
ROADWORK. By Sally Sutton. Candlewick. Ages 3-6. $15.99.
What road trip isn't hampered by at least one lane merge for roadwork ahead? Our family has never driven I-85 through Atlanta without at least one construction slowdown. Sally Sutton's rollicking Roadwork ends much too soon, unlike the real thing! Bright and colorful with visual machine facts at the end, this book explains the technicalities of road building.
YOU ARE HERE. By Jennifer E. Smith. Simon & Schuster. Ages 13 and up. 251 pages. $15.99.
Emma Healy's ultra-academic, overachieving family makes her feel less-than. When Emma discovers a birth certificate coupled with a death certificate for a twin brother that she never knew about, Emma sets off on an adventure to discover what happened to her sibling, this missing puzzle piece to her disjointed life. She drives from New York to the mountains of North Carolina with her geeky next-door-neighbor. Peter, who has loved Emma forever, proves to be a loyal and necessary companion on Emma's quest to uncover the mystery. Not only was the ending perfect, but it also was enjoyable to read about the trek into North Carolina.
Along the same lines of books that go:
DESTROY ALL CARS. By Blake Nelson. Scholastic. Ages 15 and up. 218 pages. $17.99.
Seventeen-year-old James wants to save the planet ... by destroying all the vehicles.
Do you know a reader aged 5 to 9 who would like to participate in Hannah's free summer CheeReading camp on Aug. 22? Visit www.cheeReader.com for more details on how to register.
Monica Young and Hannah Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com. View book reviews at the Journal in Education site at www.jie.journalnow.com
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