Books for Children

Today, March 2, 2010, is the 106th birthday of celebrated children's author Theodore Geisel, better known to everyone as Dr. Seuss. The good doctor is no longer with us, of course (he passed away in 1991), but he's left us with a nearly unprecedented body of work that includes some of the most playful and imaginative books for children ever written.

As a parent, I suppose the most obvious difference between Dr. Seuss books and a lot of other children's books—especially books for early readers and small children—is that the Seuss books are usually as fun for adults to read as they are for kids to listen to. There are some books on the kids' bookshelf that we simply dread to read (I'm not going to name names, but Dora the Explorer figures highly in a few), but the Dr. Seuss books are not among them. Furthermore, Dr. Seuss' "Beginner Books " are some of the first books for beginning readers that are really fun and exciting to read, teaching important concepts and skills while entertaining and delighting. Fun with Dick and Jane? Bah! Bring on The Cat in the Hat!

One of the things I take great pride in is our daily habit of settling down at the end of the day and reading for at least a half hour. This is something I've done with both my children since they were old enough to sit up and look like they were paying attention. I think it's partly responsible for the fact that my son is a pretty advanced reader for his age, too. It's also responsible for helping to instill the idea that reading is a fun form of entertainment, as well as a necessary life skill. It also gives my wife a priceless daily moment of "me time" after being around two small kids all day.

These days, our current nightly reading repertoire is dominated by the A to Z Mysteries series of books by Ron Roy. If you've never heard of them, you probably will at some point. The A to Z Mysteries are aimed at about the second- or third-grade level, and, as the name implies, are mysteries that are solved by a team of ordinary third-graders from fictional Green Lawn, Connecticut who just happen to have a natural aptitude for detective work. Each book—there are 26 in all, but you probably figured that out already—has a title tied into a letter of the alphabet, such as The Absent Author, The Jaguar's Jewel, or The Zombie Zone.

Get a jump on your holiday shopping, and get excited about reading at Pleasant Valley Elementary School's 2009 Book Fair—Destination Book Fair: Read Around the World. Organized in cooperation with Scholastic, the Book Fair offers hundreds of different titles for all ages—even parents, with many at bargain prices, in both paperback and hardcover. Popular titles and series include Flat Stanley, Magic Tree House, I Spy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and more.

Destination Book Fair takes place from November 16 through 20 in the multi-purpose room at Novato's Pleasant Valley Elementary School, located at 755 Sutro Avenue (between Center and Vineyard Roads). Hours are Monday-Thursday 8 am to 2 pm and Friday from 8 am to 1 pm, with a family shopping night on Wednesday, November 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The Fair is open to the public, and inexpensive Scholastic books made great gifts and stocking stuffers.

Books may be purchased with cash, check, or credit card, and all proceeds go to support the school. You can also purchase books to donate directly to the school library and classrooms.

As Halloween nears, kids love to read spooky (and not-so-spooky) stories about ghosts, goblins, witches, and pumpkins. Actually, in our house, we read some of our Halloween books year-round. If you're looking for some great Halloween reads to enjoy with your family, the Marin County Free Library has put together a list of six scary classics as chosen by their children's librarians. Here they are, in ascending order of creepyness:

• A Woggle of Witches (E Adams) begs to be read alound in a scratchy, witchy voice.
• In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories (ER Schwartz). So why did Jenny always wear a green ribbon around her neck?
• The Tailypo: A Ghost Story (J 398 Galdone) This "jump" story is a variant of "The Golden Arm."
• The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems to Trouble Your Sleep (J 811 Prelutsky) Read the title poem by candlelight.
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (J Schwartz) The first of three popular spooky collections by folklorist Alvin Schwartz.
• Tales of Edgar Allan Poe (J Fiction Poe) with sinister illustrations by Barry Moser.

This fall, the work of legendary children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak will be on view at San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum. The exhibition There's a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak is a major retrospective of over 100 works by Maurice Sendak, and features original watercolors and drawings from more than 40 of his books—including the groundbreaking Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen—as well as rare sketches, working materials, and interview footage.

There's a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak opens Tuesday, September 8, and runs through January 19, 2010.

The exhibition is organized by the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia, the world's only repository of Maurice Sendak's work. The exhibition allows both children and adults to gain a deeper understanding not only of Sendak's beloved characters and books but of the author himself, as well as explore the real-life people, places, and events that inspired many of the elements in his stories.

Discover some of the finest Italian children's literature available at the 2nd annual Festa del Libro—A Children’s Italian Book Fair Extravaganza, taking place August 29 and 30 at Book Passage in Corte Madera, and September 6 and 7 at Book Passage's second location in San Francisco's Ferry Building. Both events run from 9:30 am to 6 pm.

Over 300 illustrated children’s books from distinguished publishers will be on hand direct from Italy. The selection on hand is ideal for children 0–10 and beginning Italian language students of all ages. If your child or anyone else in your family is learning Italian or is interested in Italian culture this is an event not to be missed! Story time, in Italian, takes place at the Corte Madera location only on August 29 and 30 at 11 am and 4 pm, with biscotti (provided by Emprio Rulli) afterward!

Festa del Libro is organized by PapilioBooks in partnership with Emporio Rulli and Girotondo Italian School. The event is supported by Marin Italians.

When our kids decide they're bored, we counterattack by getting a stack of paper, some pencils, and the giant bin-o-crayons (full of stumpy crayon pieces thanks to my 3-year-old daughter's erstwhile habit of systematically breaking the things in half when she thought nobody was looking). This is good to keep them occupied for an hour, maybe two on an exceptionally lucky day. But how can you do this in, say, the car, a waiting room, Aunt Edna's house, or at the airport? Enter Pocket Doodles for Kids!

Pocket Doodles for Kids (272 pages, Gibbs-Smith, $9.99), written by children's author Bill Zimmerman and illustrated by Tom Bloom, encourages kids to be creative through writing and drawing and to even learn a little something at the same time. It's a little 4x6-inch activity book that's perfect for carrying around in a backpack, purse, glove compartment, or jacket pocket. Each page contains a clever word or picture prompt that inspires kids to start drawing and writing right in the book. Much more than a simple coloring book, it really grabs hold of child's imagination and keeps them occupied and interested.

Now that summer's around the corner and school is almost over, I like to plan out different and funs things to do with my kids. A few summers ago, we discovered the reading game program at the Novato Library, which my son loved being a part of. Participants were awarded prizes based on the number of books they read. This year the Marin County Free Library will be sponsoring the “Be Creative” reading program from June 15 to August 13. Check with your local library for details.

Here are a few selections from the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2009 Children’s Notable Book recommendations. Visit their website for more reading suggestions.