Books of the Week – October 16, 2010

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 7

Usborne Greek Myths for Young Children
Author/illustrator: Heather Amery/Linda Edwards

Usborne Greek Myths for Young Children is the perfect book for kids who've just gotten into mythology and are eager to learn more. Full of gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters, this was a book Tintin couldn't put down (not even for a trip to the grocery store). We're putting this one on Tintin's wish list – I have a feeling he and his brother will be going back to it often.

Little Bear, You're a Star
Author/illustrator: Jean Marzollo

Little Bear, You're a Star is a simplified retelling of the Greek myth of Callisto and her son, Arcas, and how they became the constellations Ursa Major and Minor. This is a great book for young children, even before they're ready for the Usborne book, which doesn't include this myth. As Marzollo explains, children should be encouraged to read more detailed versions of this myth as they grow older. For children Tintin's age and younger, however, this is a cute introduction that includes a chorus of birds at the bottom of each page who offer a running commentary about what's going on.

Johnny Boo, age 4

George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends
Author/illustrator: James Marshall

In this book are 35 stories of lovable hippo friends George and Martha, as well as a foreword by Maurice Sendak and appreciations by Marc Brown, Jack Gantos, Susan Meddaugh, Nicole Rubel, Coleen Salley, Jon Scieszka and David Wiesner. Johnny Boo (and Tintin too) loves reading about the humorous situations George and Martha get themselves into (like when George finally can't take any more of  the pea soup Martha keeps serving to him and pours it into his shoes rather than telling his best friend how much he dislikes it). Johnny Boo has gotten out all of the George and Martha books he could find at the public library and was overjoyed when I found this one at his brother's elementary school library. Needless to say, this one is already on the wish list.

Pearl and Wagner: Three Secrets
Author/illustrator: Kate McMullan/R.W. Alley 

In another easy-to-read book about best friends, Pearl the rabbit and Wagner the mouse visit an ice cream factory and an amusement park. While there they learn valuable lessons about sharing secrets and feelings with a close friend. After reading this book, Johnny Boo is looking forward to finding the other books in the series: Pearl and Wagner: Two Good Friends; Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day; and Pearl and Wagner: Four Eyes.

We're linking this up with What My Child Is Reading at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns, Kid Konnection at Booking Mama, and Kids' Picks at 5 Minutes for Books.