Scholastic Decoder: November

Your kids are in school, or maybe in daycare, and they have
started to bring home those book club flyers. You know, the ones you got when
you were in school, packed with good deals on books great and not-so-great
alike. But now what?

I have a lot of
parents tell me that they are stymied by these. If they aren’t all immersed in
the world of children’s books, they may have little idea about what on those
pages crammed full of bright covers and short blurbs is really worth the money.
They are reluctant to spend money on something they aren’t sure of – and hey,
who among us doesn’t have to spend wisely? Parents have told me that they just
wish they had a little guidance.

Ta-da! Here it is,
a planned monthly feature of Shelf Candy – my top picks from each month’s flyers. You’re
welcome.(But brace yourself, this makes for a loong post!)

Elf (grades
pre-K-K)

The Gingerbread Man – a nice, classic telling of the
traditional fairy tale.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? – classic for the
very young, though if you don’t think you’ll use the CD, it might not be as
good a value in this pack. It will show up again in some other combination, so
no rush.

Llama Llama –
there is both a pack of the first 3 titles in paperback and a hardcover holiday
book in this month’s flyer. To be honest, I don’t totally adore these, but they
are good access to the feelings of youngsters (2-4 yrs is a good window), and
my toddler loves these, so I do give
them a thumbs-up for being right for their audience. I’m planning to buy the
Christmas one, about how tough it is to wait.

Munsch Favourite Pack
– love him or hate him, Munsch is a serious force in kidslit, and kids love
his silliness. I like his older books better, when it felt like he didn’t have
pressure to turn out as many stories, and they seemed more original. This pack
has 5 of his earliest and best, with less annoying and more awesome.

Usborne Children’s Picture Atlas and Usborne Your Body – this company has been
publishing solid but accessible kids non-fiction for ages, and do a good job of
it. If you want to start introducing your kid to the world or the world inside
themselves, these are a good bet.

The Mitten – A modern classic, and I do not use that term
lightly, this version of a Ukrainian folktale is gorgeously illustrated by Jan
Brett, a favourite of teachers and kids alike.

Bear’s Complete
Collection – these books are great fun, and have a terrific rhythm for
reading aloud. Story after story, kids don’t seem to have bored of these yet.

 

SeeSaw (grades
K-1)

Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! – Rarely do I recommend
something I haven’t seen yet, but Barner’s other non-fiction picture books are
well-done, and his illustrations are pretty fantastic, so I call it totally
worth taking a chance on someone with his track record.

Fox Outfoxed – a good old classic of a beginning reader. James
Marshall is hilarious, and the sibling rivalry will sound familiar to kids with
their own little bothers or blisters.

Sing and Read Trio
– I am a big fan of books of songs. They teach new songs and give kids images to
pair with them. They help reinforce that those words are right on the page. And
they help you remember the words if, like me, you have mom brain.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? – solid classic stuff,
here. If you don’t already own this and your child is still young, it’s worth
it, though it does show up often, so if the format doesn’t appeal, wait for the
next version to appear.

Read With Eric Carle
– Buy this if you don’t own these books. Seriously. You can not go wrong with Eric Carle. Kids love
him. Teachers do author studies on him. He’s a major name in kidslit for very
good reason. As a bonus, he manages to sneak really good learning into his very
readable stories.

Puff the Magic Dragon – I was actually planning to feature this
book alongside a couple of others sometime later this month because who doesn’t
love Puff? And if you’re not much of a singer, or can’t quite remember this
from your own childhood, there’s a CD with it to save your child from parental
tunelessness.

DK Children’s Cookbook – I’m not much of a cook. Actually, I’m
not any at all of a cook. But I do know that cooking is great for kids. It
teaches following instructions and reinforces rudimentary math skills. It’s
great together time. And DK is great at making kid-friendly, well-illustrated
books. Matter of fact, maybe I should dust off my wooden spoon and try this one
out myself…

 

Lucky (grades 2-3)

The Magic School
Bus Chapter Book Boxed Set – I’m a big fan of these books, and so is my
6-year old. Mixing science, adventure, and offbeat comedic touches, these books
are a monster hit with kids while teaching them about the world around them.

Magic Tree House
– Some series leave me complaining of obvious formulas and poor quality, but I
like this one. Yes, there is a formula, but there is adventure, a little thrill
of danger, and some fantastic historical settings in these. Kids love them, and
they are not painful to read together, either. The new Christmas tale here will
suit fans of classic fare like A
Christmas Carol, while the research pack is great for a kid who might want
to go deeper into a subject after reading a story about it.

Guinness Book of
World Records 2011 – from the bizarre to the heroic, there are amazing
things in this for everyone. I haven’t met a child yet who doesn’t find these
thrilling – you might remember poring over them yourself? An excellent choice
for a reluctant reader, or as a holiday gift.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Collection – these books are a certified
hit, and pretty funny. Less heavy on the gross-out than Captain Underpants
(also in this flyer, if you want some toilet humour in your life!), but still
with major boy appeal (though girls are reading them, too), we can’t keep these
on the shelf in the library. (for #5 on its own, see Holiday Gift Guide)

Olive, the Other Reindeer – welcome to the quirky world of J.
Otto Siebold, whose signature style makes him instantly recognizable, and whose
train of thought seems to be running on a different track. Olive the dog, you
see, is pretty well convinced that the Christmas carol is about her, and that
she is meant to be part of the sleigh team at the North Pole. An instant
holiday favourite when it debuted, it’s still going strong.

 

Arrow (grades 4-6)

Dark Fire, Icefire
Collection – this series about a dragon is a hefty read, but enjoyed by
fans of the equally weighty Eragon saga.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (in
various singles and packs) – (see Lucky flyer, above)

Dear Canada Christmas
Pack – this series is written by some of Canada’s most solid kidslit names,
and presents eras in Candian History in a fictional diary format. These
Christmas tales have potential for some sappiness, but what good holiday story
doesn’t go there, just a little?

Klutz Book of Paper
Airplanes – Another great do-it-yourself title from Klutz, this time with a
wider appeal.

Bone Collection – this
graphic novel series is a lot of fun, and kid-friendly for about grade 3 and
up. Fun and adventurous, kids ask
for them often.

Holes – this
Newbery Medal winner is one of those books that is beloved of both teachers and children. Kids even ask for it and
tell me it’s one of their favourites! The movie has given it wider exposure,
which is, honestly, a great thing when you are talking about a book as good as
this one.

Guardians of
Ga’Hoole: the Capture – Another fantasy series, this time with animals – a
perfect pick for fans of the Warriors or
Redwall series. The author has a good
name for herself, and the release of the movie this fall will also be bringing
a whole new audience, so any fantasy reader is likely to be interested.

I Am Canada: Blood
and Iron – another series of faux-diaries focusing on Canadian history,
this time with male characters for better boy appeal. This title is about the
building of the trans-canada railroad.

The Incredible
Journey – you, and maybe even your mother, may have read this oldie but
goodie. An unlikely bunch of animals band together to make it on a near-epic
journey back home.

Percy Jackson Pack – awesome fantasy/quest series for grades
4-6 based on Greek mythology. Think Harry Potter with a sword, a host of
monsters to kill, and the power of Poseidon at his back. Terrific, fast-paced
writing that kids are eating up.

The Chronicles of
Narnia Boxed Set – for a grade 5-9 reader, these are a major series with some sixty years of classic status behind them. The recent movies are
only making them more popular again.

Brian Pack – this
trio contains the followup books to the much-lauded Newbery Honor Book Hatchet, a kidslit standard of survival
fiction. Note that that title is not included, though.

Guinness Book of
World Records 2011 – (see Lucky flyer, above)

The 39 Clues – this
popular older (grades 4-6) series is written by a host of top-shelf children’s
authors, and will keep kids riveted. (See also full boxed set in Holiday Gift
Books.)

 

 

Some of you may also
get:

 

Holiday Gift Books (all grades)

The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxed Set – excellent for older (grades
5 and up, even teens) readers with a fantasy/adventure craving. Highly
acclaimed and widely read.

Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous
Christmas – I’m not always a Fancy Nancy fan – she can be a bit much for
not-fancy me, but I liked this one for its just-right balance of a little
sweetness.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid pack and #5, separately – (see Lucky
flyer, above)

 Magic Tree House – (see
Lucky flyer, above)

Guinness Book of World Records 2011 – (see Lucky flyer, above)

The 39 Clues Boxed Set – (see Arrow flyer, above)

Star Wars – I
don’t love all the various readers and novels and spinoffs, but if you’re gifting
a true fan, the Character Encyclopedia will knock their socks off.

The Polar Express – modern holiday classic. Full stop.
Beautiful, hopeful, and renewing of faith in Santa, even for those that never
really believed that strongly to begin with. *ahem*

Percy Jackson Library
– (see Arrow flyer, above)

Bone – (see Arrow flyer, above)

Klutz Fingerprint Fabulous & Fuzzimal Puppies – I love the Klutz
kits, and these two look especially fun for a crafty kid. The fingerprint
drawings were started by Ed Emberley a good 20-30 years ago, but are no less
fun today.

The Chronicles of
Narnia Boxed Set – (see Arrow flyer, above)

 The Complete Adventures of Charlie and Willy
Wonka – both Charlie stories are in here, boasting Dahl’s dark humour as we
follow Charlie on his strange adventures.

My Little Stella
Library – I love Stella, and I’m
certainly not alone. If you don’t have some Stella in your life already, this
is a nice little gift set to jump-start your bedtime reading with one of Canada’s
treasures.

Scaredy Squirrel Gift Pack – another great Canadian and a new
favourite. Neurotic yet curious, Scaredy Squirrel is hilarious and a big hit
with kids from K-grade 2 or 3.

Must Have Book &
DVD Collection – This is a great collection of favourite titles with good
kidslit cred. And the DVDs? Controversial as it might be for Scholastic to
carry them, these are not just any DVDs, but award-winning animated versions of
the picture books, true to both illustration and text from the original. I
personally love them.

Mini Munsch Library –
As I mentioned in the Elf flyer notes, I like Munsch’s older stuff, and
this rounds out that bunch into a great little collection of fun that is the
perfect size for tucking in a purse for travel or waiting rooms.

Complete Harry Potter
Collection – If there is any kid in grade 5-8 who don’t have these, it
might just be your duty to make sure it lands in their hands. A cultural
touchstone and a major publishing phenomenon, this really is an exceptionally
good fantasy series.

Inkheart Trilogy – another
outstanding fantasy series for older readers (grades 5-8), and another that has
been made into movies, bringing even greater popularity to the trilogy.

 

Phew!

That’s everything! And to think, we’ll have to do it all
again next month.

How do we parents
do it?!