Books

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Books: Summer books

Summer may be the best time of year to read and to allow your child to read. With lazy days mixed in with fun-filled family vacations and camping trips, there’s plenty of time to sit back and enjoy a good book

By Craig ReemPublished: May, 2008

Whether it’s at home, in the car en route to a national park, or under a tree. The 4 books on this page, and the additional online only 4 books we have highlighted below, attempt to mix all the possibilities. Some of the books are suited for the very young, and some are stories that should keep your pre-teen fascinated during the short trip to San Diego or the long trip to Yellowstone. Make this your mantra: As school fades to dark for the summer, the books will open like the rising sun.

The Curious Boy’s Book of Adventure: 100 Hijinks & Escapades [ages 8–11]
By Sam Martin
(Razor Bill, softcover, $15, 160 pages)
As with all the curious books, this one requires parental supervision. Not everything is age-appropriate, but worth a summer try. Sam Martin, former senior editor of This Old House magazine, has come up with 100 projects – from the easy (paper planes, playing marbles, skipping rocks) to the scientific (making an electromagnet). Again, oversee these projects: Making a bow-and-arrow is great, but you don’t want your child to take out a neighbor’s eye.

Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A Classic Illustrated Edition [ages 5–10]
Compiled by Cooper Edens (Chronicle Books, hardcover, $19.95, 146 pages)

The classic stories are all here: “Cinderella,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Brave Little Tailor” – 15 in all. This compilation uses lush illustrations to keep the young child visually entranced. As both a book to read to kids, and to yourself, it’s an excellent item to bring on vacation. Each story has a timeless quality – a reminder that storytelling is an art of the imagination.

Thank You, World [Ages 5–9]
By Alice B. McGinty; illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin (Dial Books for Young Readers, hardcover, $16.99, 30 pages)

For families who are traveling – or wish to travel – the world, this book visually and conceptually offers up the “joys of childhood,” no matter which part of the globe beckons. For example, this smartly constructed book shows the look and feel of the sun waking numerous corners of our world, wildlife, and the grass that cools young feet. And if you get only as far as L.A. this summer, here’s a book to remind you of places to take the family someday.

Baseball Treasures [ages 6–10]
By Stephen Wong (Collins, hardcover, $16.99, 60 pages)

Put together with the assistance of The Smithsonian, the author, a longtime collector, breaks baseball into neat, photo-heavy categories, such as Balls, Gloves and Bats, Jerseys and Baseball Cards. This is a great book for the baseball-playing child who may not yet be ready for a visit to Cooperstown, but who will nonetheless relish a trip through nostalgia. Baseball is the sport most keenly focused on stats and history. And this quick read delivers a strike.

more book reviews online:
> If You Give a T-Rex a Bone
> A Kitten Tale
> Night Running
> The Fan’s Guide to The Spiderwick Chronicles

OC Family Books Online

(For ages 4-8)

If You Give a T-Rex a Bone
By Tim Myers; illustrated by Anisa Claire Hovemann (Dawn Publications, softcover, $8.95, 32 pages)

Our protagonist, a young boy with a really big bone tucked into his backpack, takes off on an adventure into the woods. Soon, he realizes that everything is more complicated than simply giving a T.rex a bone. Before you know it, the forest is filled with prehistoric animals. With a helpful glossary at the end.

(For ages 2-5)

A Kitten Tale
By Eric Rohmann (Alfred A. Knopf, hardcover, $15.99, 32 pages)

Once there were 4 kittens who suddenly realized, they had never seen snow! Oh, my. For some, that was a scary thought. For but one brave kitty, snow seemed like the greatest dream. But would it come true? “I can’t wait,” became the kitten’s mantra as the seasons changed until THE day. Author Eric Rohmann is a Caldecott Medal winner.

(For ages 8-12)

Night Running
By Elisa Carbone; illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Alfred A. Knopf, hardcover, $16.99, 36 pages)

The subtitle of this excellent story is, “How James Escaped with the Help of His Faithful Dog.” In 1838, James is a young black boy enslaved in America. He decides that he needs to be free from the shackles of his existence, and turns to his dog, Zeus, for help. In this presidential year, in which race and slavery’s history is a front-end topic, this book could not be timelier. Based on a true story.

(For ages 8-11)

The fan’s guide to The Spiderwick Chronicles
(By Lois H. Gresh, hardcover, $9.95, 150 pages)

For those families for which this enthralling series has become a part of their lives, this guide helps keep everyone on track. The author has compiled helpful explanations, quizzes and a glossary of terms. This might be a really good book for the confused parent trying to keep up with a child’s verbal review of all the excitement.

Book reviews from our May 2008 OC Family and Inland Empire Family magazines

(For ages 8-11)

The Curious Boys’ Book of Adventure: 100 Hijinks & Escapades
By Sam Martin (Razor Bill, softcover, $15, 160 pages)

As with all of the curious books that have flowed forth over the past 2 years, this one requires some parental supervision. Not everything is age-appropriate, but most everything is worth a summer try. Sam Martin, former senior editor of This Old House magazine, has come up with 100 ideas that include some of relative ease (paper airplanes, playing marbles, skipping rocks), to the scientific (making an electromagnet). Again, make certain to oversee projects: bow-and-arrow making is great, you just don’t want your child to take out a neighbor’s eye.

(For ages 5-10)

Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A Classic Illustrated Edition
Compiled by Cooper Edens (Chronicle Books, hardcover, $19.95, 146 pages)

The classic stories are all here – “Cinderella,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Brave Little Tailor,” 15 in all. This compilation uses wonderful, lush illustrations to keep the young child entranced visually. As both a book to read to, and to be read, this is an excellent vacation bring-along. Each story has a timeless quality that, frankly, is a reminder that storytelling is first and foremost, an art of the imagination.

(For ages 5-9)

Thank You, World
By Alice B. McGinty; illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin (Dial Books for Young Readers, hardcover, $16.99, 30 pages)

For families who are traveling, or wish to travel the world, this book visually and conceptually offers up the “joys of childhood,” no matter which part of the globe beckons. This smartly constructed book shows the look and feel of the sun waking numerous corners of our world, and wildlife, and the grass the cools young feet. In particular, if you get only as far as L.A. this summer, here is a book to remind you of places that you’ll want to take the family someday.

(For ages 6-10)

Baseball Treasures
By Stephen Wong (Collins, hardcover, $16.99, 60 pages)

Put together with the assistance of The Smithsonian, the author, a longtime collector, breaks baseball into neat, photo-heavy categories such as Balls, Gloves and Bats, Jerseys, and Baseball Cards. This is a great book for the baseball-playing child who may not yet be ready for a visit to Cooperstown, but who will nonetheless relish a trip through nostalgia. Baseball is the sport most keenly focused on stats and history. And this quick read delivers a strike.