Sizzling Good Books for August

By SELENE VASQUEZ

PICTURE BOOK: AGES 3-6

Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (HarperCollins, unpaged, $15.89)

In the spirit of the classic Goodnight Moon with its cozy and lovingly-rendered sense of security, a streamlined train puffs off to the west with a tiny toy train as its faithful echo. Adorable bouncing rhyme with simple art is sure to please.

PICTURE BOOK: AGES 4-8

Tabitha’s Terrifically Tough Tooth by Charlotte Middleton (Putnam, 32 pp., $12.99)

Tabitha is tormented with her wobbly tooth. Her dangling dilemma seems unresolvable until she finally sneezes ferociously. A powerful rite of passage in a child’s life portrayed with empathy and humor.

FICTION: AGES 7-10

Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Jill Barton (Candlewick Press, 120 pp.,

$14.99)

Spoiled Princess Penelope demands none other than a pig for her eighth birthday. Fortunately, such a gift comes with an amiable pig keeper determined to teach the inept royal personages manners and common good sense.
Charming fantasy for character education.

NON-FICTION: AGES 8-10

Egyptian Mummies by Henrietta McCall, illustrated by Dave Antram (Fast Forward Series, Watts, 32 pp., $26.50)

Fantastic ‘split’ visuals—half-leaf pages with changing scenes—illustrate the ancient Egyptian preparations for burial from the embalming and dressing of the deceased to the ritualistic funeral processions and the resting of contents within their tombs.

Selene Vasquez is a media specialist at Orange Brook Elementary School in Hollywood, Florida. She was formerly a children’s librarian for the New York Public Library.

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