Summer reading for little bookworms

For the child who loves to rhyme
I Can Name 50 Trees Today! by Bonnie Worth
(Random House, 2006)
Ages 4-6
Any Dr. Seuss-loving child will enjoy this book, from The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library. Everyone's favourite character, the Cat in the Hat, is back to teach kids about trees, with the help of Thing 1 and Thing 2, through such catchy lines as "Let's look at the roots. / We will speak of them first. / They hold the tree up and / they help quench its thirst." This book is excellent early nonfiction from a beloved series.

Poetry Speaks to Children
(Sourcebooks, 2005)
Ages 6 and up
Introduce your child to the beauty of poetry with this collection of 95 poems from 73 poets, both classic and modern, from Shakespeare (the witches' spell from Macbeth) to Robert Frost (Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening). Even better, the book is accompanied by a CD, on which your child can hear 52 of the poems read out loud, either by readers (such as "A Faery Song" by W.B. Yeats) or by the poets themselves ("The Dentist and the Crocodile" by Roald Dahl). This is a book that your child won't grow out of -- instead, it's sure to become a perennial favourite.

For the child who loves fantasy
Carnival at Candlelight by Mary Pope Osborne
(Random House, 2006)
Ages 7-9
This is the 33rd installment of the popular Magic Tree House series of books, which describe the magical adventures of siblings Jack and Annie. In this installment, their mission is to travel back in time to Venice, Italy, to save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon from a terrible disaster. Seamlessly blending fantastical adventures with real places and events, this story will appeal to any child who loves to escape reality.

The House of Arden by E. Nesbit
(New York Review Children's Collection, 2006)
Ages 8-12
This is a gorgeous reprint of the 1908 classic, beloved by such well-known authors as J. K. Rowling and Margaret Atwood, in which nine-year-old Edred and his sister, Elfrida, discover that he has inherited the title of Lord Arden and the treasure that comes with it -- if only they can find it before his 10th birthday! Accompanied by a magical talking creature called the Mouldiwarp, the brother and sister journey through time and experience their fair share of adventure, all in a quest to find their missing fortune before it's too late.

For the child who's going through puberty
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
(Wendy Lamb Books, 2006)
Ages 12 and up
Sixteen-year-old Simone has always known she was adopted -- after all, she looks nothing like the rest of her family. But she's never had a problem with it until the day her parents tell her that her birth mother, Rivka, wants to meet her. Simone's tale of the events that follow is riveting for teen and adult readers alike, as we watch her grow toward adulthood exploring her ideas about family, life and religion.

King Dork by Frank Portman
(Delacorte Press, 2006)
Ages 14 and up
Tom Henderson is a typical American high school loser, until he discovers the book -- The Catcher in the Rye -- that will change the world as he knows it. When Tom finds his deceased father's copy of the Salinger classic, then discovers a secret code, a funeral card, and a twenty-four-hour Martinizing receipt, he finds himself in the middle of several interlocking conspiracies and at least half a dozen mysteries -- including the puzzle of his father's death.

To find these and other great children's books, take the faster route and go online to www.amazon.ca or www.chapters.ca, or visit your local bookstore, where staff are likely to have even more recommendations for top picks for kids. And don't forget your neighbourhood library -- not only do they have a virtually endless selection of reading material (great for families on a budget), but many public libraries offer free summer reading programs for children of all ages, where your kids can meet new friends and have fun with books, too.

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