Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers

This thoughtful list of 300 old and new titles chosen for curious children begins with a thorough discussion of the characteristics of the eager reader. The author emphasizes understanding children's interests, life and emotional experiences, and previous reading materials. She cautions against suggesting "good" books (award winners, titles that promote positive values, or are educational) or adults' long-remembered childhood favorites; she shows appreciation for popular series that provide comfort and build reading fluency. The insightfully annotated list of materials for readers ages four to 10 is broken down into chapters such as "Humor" and "Compelling Characters." "Transitional Books" (the first books children read on their own) and "Poetry" also receive their own chapters. The selections are varied in terms of genre and reading level. Each annotation includes interest level, Lexile measure, genre, and series. Because the focus is on independent reading, picture books are mentioned only briefly. Especially helpful is the consideration given to the classics and old favorites. The author observes that some older offerings have been updated to eliminate offensive stereotypes. Even revised editions, however, may contain outmoded attitudes; for instance, Isaacs notes that Little House in the Big Woods requires an adult to put the story in historical perspective. Some adapted classics, such as Hans Brinker and Gulliver's Travels, are improvements over the originals, but the author cautions against settling for abridged versions of The Secret Garden and Little Women. Subject, author, and title indexes are included.