Children's Book Reviews

Scholastic Atlas of the World
Scholastic, August, 2001
Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN: 0439087953
Ages 9-12
Ordering information:
Amazon.com

The Scholastic Atlas of the World belongs in every school library, classroom and family library, because it is simply the very best that either an elementary school student or a teacher could use. The excellence of this atlas lies in its simplicity and in its scope. Most atlases that the elementary-aged child encounters are visually confusing, and therefore uninteresting. As a matter of fact, this atlas will be equally interesting to the adult with a more than casual interest in some particular place on the planet. Some atlases are such a mass of place names that physical properties of an area are hard to discern. Unless one is making a road trip, atlases made for adults are boring and uninteresting simply because physical and political maps are combined on one page. The result is less than helpful.

Scholastic has come up with a very easy to use atlas that fits the elementary school curriculum in every possible way. First, its size is manageable. Some of the atlases purchased for school library and classroom use are large and difficult to use. This atlas is a comfortable 12 by 9.5 inches and is fairly light weight. It addresses the problem of visual confusion by combining physical maps with just a few of the names of major cities and land forms. The detailed introduction explains how maps developed and how the problem of showing a spherical planet on a flat plane is addressed. Also helpful are the explanations of the constantly changing physical aspects of our lively planet and how the earth came to be in its present form.

One of the most useful features of the Scholastic Atlas of the World is that all the countries are shown as they relate to the United States. Time zones, distances and other important facts are shown in reference to what the student already knows about his own country. Essays about the culture and geography illustrated by photographs give an excellent portrait of the country being studied. Interesting facts help the student extend his research under the "Discover More" sections and the "Search and Find" index makes locating important cities and capitals fast and easy. This atlas is an excellent choice for the school library, classroom bookshelf and for the family library as well. Older members of the family will also find it enjoyable and useful.

--Sarah Reaves White

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Pictures by Lesley Harker
Scholastic, August, 2001
Picture Book, 24 pages
ISBN: 0439296560
Ages Baby-Preschool
Ordering information:
Amazon.com

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Pictures by Lesley Harker

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is a completely surprising new picture book. Using a nursery rhyme classic known by all English speaking children, the illustrator takes the rhyme a step farther by showing the children looking out their bedroom at a shining star (quite literally, as the star is printed on foil). We see the older of the two children with his atlas looking up at the stars under the kindly gaze of the family dog. The star appears shining on each page as a guide.

Miraculously, the children and their dog are somehow able to follow the star outside and we can see the little town of Bethlehem right under the star. On the next page, we see quite a few other well known characters in the Christmas story following the ever shining star. We see all of the shepherds and wise men looking at the map along with the older child and the younger child, still in its stroller. Even the family dog has somehow made the trip, a fact which will please all children looking at the book. On the last page all have arrived in a happy and loving crowd at the manger where a small baby lifts up its hands toward all.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is an inspired combination of the familiar children's rhyme with the Christmas story. This beautiful and tender book will forever implant the poem and the event in the mind of a child.

--Sarah Reaves White

You Read to Me and I'll Read to You by Janet Schulman
Knopf, September, 2001
Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN: 0375810838
Ages 4-8
Ordering information:
Amazon.com

You Read to Me and I'll Read to You is an anthology with a purpose. This collection of twentieth century stories for the elementary school child is intended to point out the best stories and illustrators, while uniting families in the shared experience of enjoying books and reading. Of all the possible choices of the editor to approach this mighty task, Janet Schulman clearly has the most powerful track record. First, she edited the bestselling anthology of 1998, The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury which was a Book-of-the-Month club main selection. Second, Janet Schulman has a forty year career in children's publishing, which started at Macmillan as Director of Children's Marketing and moved to Random House and last as Editor-at-Large where she was Theodore Geisel's (Dr. Seuss's) editor. One would surely conclude that she has an encyclopedic knowledge of children's literature.

In You Read to Me and I'll Read to You, Ms. Schulman has worked hard to target the child who can now read on his own, but who would really enjoy reading with a parent or grandparent. After all, an entertaining and knowledgeable guide can help a young reader through the jungle of available literature, and very enjoyable authors who might have been missed can be experienced. Often students on their weekly trip to the library make entirely random selections governed more by chance or a classroom assignment. While random browsing and assignments have brought all readers some memorable discoveries, a student will have met so many delightful new paths and adventures in reading this anthology that he will perhaps make reading widely an enduring habit.

The stories in this anthology were selected with two criteria in mind: they should be real literature and they should be appealing to children. The editor decided against abridgements and only one story, "Daniel Pinkwater's Blue Moose," was shortened because it was a little too long. The stories were field-tested on actual children or at least read aloud to see how they would sound. Variety was also considered to be important. The original illustrations from the actual books were also retained, so that the flavor of the book itself was maintained. The stories range from humorous to inspiring. Favorite authors such as Judith Viorst, Judy Blume and Roald Dahl are represented as are equally beloved illustrators such as Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, and Edward Gorey.

Educators have been urging families to read together most of the 20th century, in hopes that it will stimulate reading as well as offer a more mind expanding activity than watching TV. This anthology is a the perfect choice, either for reading aloud at home or on a road trip. It will cost less than a month's worth of movie rentals and it will pay dividends for years.

--Sarah Reaves White

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Children's Book Reviews

Scholastic Atlas of the World

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Pictures by Lesley Harker

You Read to Me and I'll Read to You by Janet Schulman