A Practical Guide to Faeries

A fairy and a dragon

Morris, Susan J. A Practical Guide to Faeries. Renton, WA : Wizards of the Coast, 2009.

Plot: A guide to identifying, understanding, and surviving the fair folk. While the traditional pixies find the most mention, the book also brings attention to some of the stranger and more hostile fairies as well. Brightly colored, heavily detailed images complement the text.

Genre: Folklore, Picture Books

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: A Practical Guide to Dragons, A Practical Guide to Monsters

Personal Thoughts: The story focuses the more traditional views of fairies. While old folktales describe fairies as benign or even benevolent, they often lack the capacity to understand a human point of view and the text reflects this. However, they are not necessarily malicious, but very prone to mischief, as the book also reveals. A pretty, creative title. 

Junie B. Jones is (Almost) a Flower Girl

Silly Junie. 

Sprite is the prettiest flower dragon.

Park, Barbara and Brunkus, Denise. Junie B. Jones is (Almost) a Flower Girl. New York : Random House, 1999.

Plot: Junie is thrilled to learn she is invited to her aunt's wedding. She decides to become the flower girl at the festivities. However, her aunt already picked someone else for the role. Junie attempts to prove her superior capacities as an understudy flower girl by maintaining a proper, grown-up lady personality. A squabble at the wedding seems to shatter her efforts, though. She must prove her six-year-old maturity to her family...or just dance with her shoes off.

Genre: Growing Up, Everyday

Reading Level: Grades 3-6

Similar Titles: Junie B. Jones and the Stupid, Smelly Bus, Ramona series, D.W. Thinks Big

Personal Thoughts: The book expertly follows the six-year-old mentality of Junie. She is enthusiastic, curious, creative, and a little self-absorbed. She also tends to make up words and phrases to describe her feelings. While some argue such qualities make for a bad protagonist, they allow Junie to respond to situations like a realistic character. At the risk of dating myself, the appeal of Junie B. Jones seems to parallel to that of Rugrats. The titles make sense to readers currently experiencing kindergarten while allowing older readers to feel the nostalgia of an earlier age. As such, the title is a relevant view of early school years.

Thank You, Mr. Falker

Sprite is in a hurry

Polacco, Patricia. Thank You, Mr. Falker. New York : Philomel Books, 1998.

Plot: Trisha loves the opportunity school represents. She longs to taste the sweetness of knowledge, just as her grandparents taught her. However, going to school steadily becomes more and more difficult. She can barely read and the other students tease her mercilessly. Eventually, at a new school, Mr. Falker arrives. He defends Trisha from the bullies and shows interest in her art. He also discovers the cause of her reading difficulties. The teacher admires her spirit and courage, so, with the help of a reading tutor, teaches her to finally encounter knowledge's sweetness.

Genre: Autobiography, School, Picture Books

Reading Level: Grades 3-6

Similar Titles: The Talented Clementine, The Hundred Dresses

Personal Thoughts: The story presents dyslexia in a comprehensible and sympathetic manner. As such, it received several awards, including Parent's Choice Honors. However, I am not sure if I would recommend it in a home or library setting. Please do not misunderstand, the title is certainly worthy of the attention it earned. It accurately describes the fear, shame, and loneliness present in dyslexia. However, the actual title reads like an assignment to me. Perhaps the word choice, somewhat dated illustrations, and lack of sympathetic characters beyond the protagonist causes the feelings, but it seems ideal for a classroom, not for leisurely reading.  

Hades: Lord of the Dead

O'Connor, George. Hades: Lord of the Dead. New York : First Second, 2012.

Plot: A retelling of the classic story of Hades and Persephone. However, the text uses an unusually modern format for the ancient tale. It comes in the form of a graphic novel.

Genre: Folklore, Graphic Novels

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Zeus: King of the Gods, Perseus and Medusa

Personal Thoughts: The title combines the visual appeal of manga with the readability of American comics, making the story visually appealing and easily read. However, none of the characters appear remotely sympathetic, with the possible exception of Hades. Even then, he seems highly apathetic to his duties, subjects, and family. Still, the title may make normally intimidating Greek culture a bit more accessible to the modern reader.

Fooled You: Fakes and Hoaxes Through the Years

 Why yes, that is a mosasaur in a coffee cup

Pascoe, Elaine and Keller, Laurie. Fooled You: Fakes and Hoaxes Through the Years. New York : Henry Holt, 2005.

Plot: Frauds existed for hundreds of years. Some stem from attempts to make money, such as P.T. Barnum's Feejee Mermaid. Others, like crop circles, simply start as a joke on the local community, but quickly capture global attention. A few hoaxes bloomed from attempts to avoid trouble, while some seem made to create it. Modern technology contributes to the rise of frauds, as the urban legend of Snowball the cat displays. The text's humorous illustrations add to the lunacy of responses to the hoaxes, while outlining the stories within the chapters. By learning about frauds of the past, perhaps we can be more cautious in the future.

Genre: History, Science, Technology

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Hoaxes that Made Headlines, Fakes

Personal Thoughts: The title offers an excellent example of combining history and current events. While the individual stories may not make the textbooks, they do provide the opportunity to review personal opinions and experiences, allowing readers to begin thinking critically about sources of information.

Ace, the Very Important Pig

 Sorting through all this took longer than expected.

Sorry folks.

King-Smith, Dick. Ace, the Very Important Pig. New York : Crown Publishers, 1990.

Plot: Ace, a few-day-old piglet, finds himself listening to Farmer Tubbs and understanding him completely. While many pigs have come and gone on the farm, Ace is the only one to ever comprehend the farmer. Determined to put his skill to use, the pig teaches the farmer to understand him. Such skills allow Ace to enter the house, make friends with the farmer's pets, go to the pub, and watch television. However, his talents eventually reach the media, earning permanent fame for the farmer.

Genre: Animals, Fiction

Reading Level: Grades 3-6; some references to drinking may make guardians uneasy, so be aware.

Similar Titles: Babe the Gallant Pig, Mercy Watson series

Personal Thoughts: The story offers an interesting follow-up to Babe the Gallant Pig. While Babe finds mention, he does not come into the story, although his grandson shows signs of his ancestor's intellect and determination. Also, other characters from the previous book find reference, but no direct appearances. As a result, the book seems almost more like a second title in a series rather than a direct sequel.

Some readers may find the drinking references odd. However, King-Smith uses them to teach a lesson about moderation without becoming heavy-handed.

The text won awards from the School Library Journal, Horn Book, and IRA/CBC.