Scholastic Decoder: September 2011

So now that we are back to school… You’re getting Scholastic book club flyers, right? If you’re not feeling sure about what to choose and have a hard time finding the quality among the licensed characters (and it really is there), then help is here. This is a monthly features here at ShelfCandy, so check back when you get your flyers, and I will post my top five to ten picks from each flyer.

Elf

The More We Get Together – for the smallest kids, I love board books of simple songs to sing together. Cute, bold illustrations and a familiar tune make this a winner.
***Go Away, Big Green Monster – a great one to have ahead of Hallowe’en! This book teaches colour and face parts at the same time that it gives kids a great trick for getting rid of scary monsters. The die-cut pages layer together to create and take away the monster, which kids also find fascinating. A classic for a reason, this one.
Eric Carle Listening Library – you can’t go wrong with Eric Carle, who really is fantastic, and if you have a kid who will sit still and listen to a story, having the CDs can be a lifesaver on a car trip or free you up for half an hour to make some dinner while someone else reads.
Ten Little Caterpillars – the same pair that brought you Chicka Chicka Boom Boom turn their attention to a counting book with gorgeous illustrations of caterpillars of different kinds. It’s simple, but lovely, and includes more information on the little wriggly creatures at the end, should you have a junior bug enthusiast on your hands.
Klutz Super Scissors Book – I love these activity books, which have very clear instructions,a nd contain everything you need to get going. These silly scissors add a decorative element to cut and paste, and are a fun extra for kids’ arts and crafts.
Klutz Shadow Games – this one, I want for myself. It’s shadow puppets made simple, and a great starting place for storytelling and imaginative play. Awesome.
LMNO Peas – this rhyming alphabet book features occupations from A to Z, illustrated with little green peas taking part in each vocation. It’s funny, good for sharing (not as good for large groups, as the illustrations are small and detailed), and has lots to talk about.
Scaredy Squirrel Read & Play – Scaredy is a bona fide hit with kids and adults alike, and is a frequent feature of these flyers. This particular pack contains the first book, and animated movie of it, and a finger puppet that kids can use to act out the story on their own. A lot of fun, and great for talking about the story and reenacting it (perfect for teachers and very involved parents), but if you’d prefer a pack with three or four different Scaredy books, hold on for a month or two, and one is bound to come along, trust me.
***Interrupting Chicken – At bedtime, a dad keeps trying to read a story to his little chicken, who keeps jumping into the middle of things and ruining the story. This book? Is funny. I love it, my kids love it, and lots of groups I’ve read it to have loved it. Highly recommended.
Bear and Friends Collection – I love the bear books, though the first few are definitely better. There is strong rhythm and rhyme that makes these fun read-alouds, and even in the later books, kids enjoy these enough to make them very worth while.
The Kissing Hand – This is a classic book to use for reassuring children who are separating from mom for the first time. Lots of kindergarten teachers use it. I’m not a sappy sort, and this is a touch on the sappy side for me, but if you’ve got a kid who’s a little anxious about leaving your side, it’s got a nice little ritual to adopt, and if it helps, it’s all good, as any mom knows!
Cat in the Hat: Now You See Me… – I love these Cat in the Hat fact books. They are fun to read, being written in Seussian rhyme, yet informative. The TV show based on them has made them even more popular, so your kid may turn out to be excited about learning this way, too!

SeeSaw

Chester’s Masterpiece – Chester is a cheeky character – a creation who refuses to follow the plan of his writer and illustrator, but wants to take over the book himself! Melanie Watt is also the author of the Scaredy Squirrel books, and she is funny and hits just the right notes for kids. These are hard to share with a group, but great fun for reading alone or sharing and talking about together.
David Trio – David books are ridiculously, broadly funny and mischievous, but always end with a little sweet note to offset the scolding as this very active boy keeps getting himself into trouble! These are monster hits with kids, for good reason.
You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You – I love these read-together books that take turns. They’re a great way to get an emerging reader to read aloud, and they are written in verse that really works. There are a few of these with different themes – this Mother Goose one is a particularly good starting place, being full of familiar stories.
***The Very Hungry Caterpillar – This is a wonderful classic, and if you don’t own it, you should definitely consider this as the top pick for this flyer this month.
Franklin Classics Library – These are the original Franklin stories, and the best ones out there. They are still strongly patterned, but have the charm that made Franklin a household name in the first place. They cover lots of situations that children will face, and are a great buy if you have a Franklin fan in your house.
My French & English Word Book – a very good first word book for kids starting to learn French. Not a comprehensive dictionary, which you may also need if you have a kid in immersion, but good for browsing and learning general vocabulary independently or together.
Klutz Foam Gliders – This Klutz kit is an extra-simple one, but the flyers are good fun and well-targeted for kids of this age. This would make a good gift item!
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Dinopedia – Got a dino fan? This big, comprehensive compendium of dinos of all types should keep them happy for ages. You may have to be prepared to read and hear a lot about dinosaurs, though!

Lucky

***Jon Scieszka Pack – Jon Scieszka is a master of the fractured fairy tale, and is silly enough to engage even the most reluctant of readers. This pair are prime examples of his best work.
Chester’s Masterpiece – as above: Chester is a cheeky character – a creation who refuses to follow the
plan of his writer and illustrator, but wants to take over the book
himself! Melanie Watt is also the author of the Scaredy Squirrel books,
and she is funny and hits just the right notes for kids. These are hard
to share with a group, but great fun for reading alone or sharing and
talking about together.
***Ramona Pack – Ramona Quimby is the original precocious girl, and her adventures may have been written decades ago, but she is just as wonderful and as perfectly mischievous today. These were favourites of mine, and of many others, as well. Total classics.
The Usborne Big Book of Experiments – I love science for little kids, and this is full of fun experiments to do with your young ones. Some learning and a shared, hands-on activity make for good family fun.
Magic Tree House #46: Dogs in the Dead of Night and Magic Tree House Library – I love these adventures, which take a boy and girl pair to a huge variety of times and places in history, where they find themselves in the midst of famous events or meeting historic figures. This month’s flyer offers a new title, as well as a massive library of 38 titles. The library is a great deal, but misses a few titles (# 30-32), and is certain to appear again, as this series is a monthly offering in some form or another, including some smaller collections, should you want to start smaller.
Klutz Pom Pom Monster Salon, Cootie Catcher Book, and Balloon Twisting – Again, I love these kits for their simple, easy-to-follow instructions and the fact that they contain everything kids need. For a crafty kid, these make really good gift items or rainy day activities.
***Charlotte’s Web – This is the major classic that everyone should own on this flyer, and a top pick. If you buy nothing else and don’t have this at home yet, I would strongly recommend this for purchase.
Scaredy Squirrel Collection – Remember how I said above that you can often find a set of a few Scaredy titles? Here’s one now! These are really fun, and a huge hit with kids. Melanie Watt is truly a Canadian gem.
National Geographic Kids: Weird But True! – For the kid who loves to browse rather than read in a linear fashion (like a lot of reluctant readers and plenty of boys, especially), these fact books are fascinating material. be prepared to hear a lot of weird stuff, but you’ll also be sure to know that it’s getting read!
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book Boxed Set – I love these books for their combination of humour and narrative non-fiction. Kids love the familiarity of the series, and learn a lot while they read. These come in a few different formats, including the original picture books, early readers, chapter books, and DVDs. All are on frequent offer through the flyers, so if you’re not sure, you’ll have another chance at these, without a doubt.

Arrow

Titanic Book Three: SOS and Titanic Books 1-2 – Offered separately, this trilogy by Gordon Korman follows in the pattern of his other popular survival trilogies, setting this newest story during the sinking of the Titanic. There’s a lot on the sinking out this year, with the anniversary coming in 2012, and Korman is a strong writer, so this is a rare case of my recommending something I haven’t read myself yet. In this case, I feel pretty confident!
Guinness Worlds Records 2012 – These books have been favourites for browsing for decades, and appeal to nearly every kid out there. There is a new one every year, though you don’t need to replace them annually, really. They are also offered fairly often, as they truly are popular. They also make for great gift material!
The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire – Rick Riordan, of Percy Jackson fame (below) has a new series, and these first two are big, big news among fans of his first series.
Scholastic Guide to Grammar – If your kid needs a little assistance with this, this is a nice straightforward book that focuses on grammar alone.
The 39 Clues Boxed Set – This series is written by top-drawer names in kidslit, people who know how to write adventure, and has been seriously addictive for tons of kids. It’s one more I haven’t read (gah, my kingdom for more hours in the day!), but between the calibre of the authors and the demand I see at the library, I can call it a safe bet if you have a kid who loves adventure and suspense.
***Percy Jackson & The Olympians Boxed Set – These. Are. Awesome. Kids have loved them, they read like you’re watching it happen, and they may just spark an interest in Greek mythology. I highly recommend these if your kid hasn’t read them yet.
The Lost Hero – The first book in the new series about Greek demigods by the author of Percy Jackson. It’s not the same bunch of kids, but the same world and premise. The second book comes out in October…
Bone: The Beginning Pack – Bone is a truly terrific graphic novel for children, with strong fairy tale elements and a lot of humour. Kids have loved it, too. This pack includes the first few installments, as well as a couple of spin-off books of extra tales from that world. It’s not the full set, though, which has nine books.
Star Wars Character Encyclopedias – Star Wars still fascinated a lot of kids, and these two encyclopedias give them every detail they’d every want to know about the characters. For the big fan, these are hours of reading, which sounds like a recommendation to me!
***Holes – This Newbery winner is an incredible novel, weaving myth and themes into a strange adventure by a group of misfit boys fighting against their circumstances. The way the threads come together at the end is, honestly, a wonder – and the most wonderful thing is that kids love this book, too. A great one to give to your reader or to read aloud.
Newbery Library – this collection of books includes some strong, excellent stuff, for a strong reader, including historical fiction as well as realistic fiction.
My Story Collection – Historical fiction in diary format, like the Dear Canada books, but starring boys in the more adventure-rich settings of the World Wars. These are written by strong authors, and do a good job of engaging boys in reading about historical events.
Scary Stories Pack – Lots of kids like the thrill of scary stories, and these books are classic collections of ghostie stories. Wonderful flashlight reading for the child of sturdy constitution!