Now that school has started, add some extra fun with these great new school-themed books for kids:
-- She wears rubber gloves and an apron as she serves french fries, gravy and pizza. But she also has a secret life as a gadget-toting crime-fighter. She's Lunch Lady, the star of a new graphic novel series written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Even grown-ups will chuckle at the series' tag line -- "Serving Justice! And Serving Lunch!" Who knew that those cafeteria ladies led such exciting lives?
So far, Krosoczka has published two books in this hilarious series: "Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute" and "Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians" (Random House, $5.99 each). Featuring an eye-catching palette of mostly yellow, black and white, Krosoczka's books revolve around a trio of students, called the Breakfast Bunch, who team up with Lunch Lady and her fellow cafeteria workers to fight evil.
In the first book, Lunch Lady and her team foil a wacky plot by an unpopular teacher to win the "Teacher of the Year" contest, while in the second book, they must battle a group of librarians who intend to destroy all video games in an effort to force kids back to books.
Krosoczka's plots are fast-paced and funny, and kids will love the various pieces of spy equipment dreamed up by the lunch ladies: taco night-vision goggles, a linguine lasso, a sonic boom juice box, etc. But it's Lunch Lady who steals the show, with her martial art-inspired body moves and keen determination to see good triumph over evil.
With their obvious appeal to the growing market for graphic novels for younger kids, the "Lunch Lady" books are sure to be a hit with many young readers. (Ages 5-10).
-- Kids also will love another new graphic novel called "The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook" (Bloomsbury, $10.99 paperback, $18.99 hardcover), written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis. She's also the author of "Stinky," an early reader graphic novel that won a 2009 Geisel Honor for best early readers.
In "The Secret Science Alliance," Davis details the adventures of a trio of kids whose love for learning -- particularly learning science -- brings them together. It's an unlikely group: Julian is a typical nerd, Greta is a mischief-maker, and Ben is a sports star. But they all find their happiest moments in working together after school in a covert club on all kinds of creative science projects, which are intricately detailed in Davis' illustrations.
Things get tricky, however, when an evil scientist named Dr. Wilhelm Stringer swipes the blueprints for the kids' inventions and plans to use them to steal some priceless art. The trio must figure out how to beat the scientist before he steals the art, which could cost Greta's father, the museum director, his job.
Davis' story is fun, and it's especially wonderful to have smart kids star as the heroes, using their brains to defeat Dr. Stringer. Davis's colorful, action-packed art also is kid-friendly, and young readers will find themselves poring over the illustrations to pick up on all the details. Fortunately for young fans, this first book is just the start of the Secret Science Alliance series. (Ages 7-12).
-- In "Panda Kindergarten" (HarperCollins, $17.99), author Joanne Ryder and photographer Katherine Feng team up to give an up-close-and-personal look at some adorable young pandas at the Wolong Nature Preserve in China. Ryder uses clear language to tell readers just what pandas learn in kindergarten. Feng's photographs, however, inescapably steal the show. Check out an especially memorable couple of photos showing the pandas napping together. (Ages 4-8).
-- Can you imagine attending school on a boat that travels the world? How about having your classroom located outside, under a tree? These are just a couple of the schools detailed in "My School In the Rain Forest: How Children Attend School Around the World" (Boyds Mill Press, $17.95). Written by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated with photographs from various sources, this book offers a fascinating window into the different ways children learn around the globe. (Ages 7-10).
-- Poet Jack Prelutsky knows how to have fun with words as he demonstrates once again in "What a Day It Was At School! (Greenwillow/HarperCollins, $6.99). From science homework that eats a child's dog to a backpack that weighs a thousand pounds, Prelutsky's poems -- complemented with Doug Cushman's illustrations -- will get kids laughing. (Ages 7-10).
-- Two other school-related items might come in handy. The first is the new edition of "The American Heritage Children's Dictionary" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $19.95, ages 6-12). The second is "My Lunch Box" (Chronicle Books, $16.95), which contains 50 simple lunch recipes.
(Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Kam.Macpherson(at)gmail.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)
CHILDREN'S CORNER
Post new comment