Charlie Cook's Favorite Book
Kindergarten-Grade 2–A boy curls up in a cozy chair to enjoy his favorite book, whereupon readers are whisked away on a trip through different types of literature. The story assumes a book within a book format, as a turn of the page takes youngsters inside Charlie's pirate adventure. Here the layout resembles an open novel, with the titleShiver Me Timbersemblazoned across the top. A pirate digs up a treasure chest that contains–you guessed it–a book. Another page turn reveals that it is a collection of fairy tales, as Baby Bear finds Goldilocks in his bed reading his favorite story about a knight and a dragon. This pattern continues until the action returns to Charlie, still in his armchair, now surrounded by all of the characters. The spreads cleverly reflect the featured tales, and the endpapers show all of the volumes lined up on a shelf. Unfortunately, the loosely rhyming text is awkward to read aloud and the transitions often seem forced. Youngsters are ultimately left looking for more substance to accompany Scheffler's humorous, brightly colored cartoons. For a story that celebrates reading, try Michael Garland'sMiss Smith's Incredible Storybook(Dutton, 2003), which deftly delivers hilarious, quirky tales.–Jill Heritage Maza, Conn Elementary, Raleigh, NCCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.