The Best Time to Read (Picture Book)
PreSchool-Grade 2–A boy is excited about his newly acquired ability to read and wants to share a book aloud with someone in his family. He goes through the house and yard trying to find a listener, but everyone is busy and (unfortunately) caught in a stereotypical moment: Mom is cooking; Dad is mowing the lawn; Grandma is knitting; sister is in a quandary over what to wear; brother is at the computer; and Grandpa is napping. Just when he's about to give up and is resigned to read aloud to his stuffed animals, his family comes through. The computer-enhanced artwork gives the characters a shiny, plastic-doll appearance. This rhyming story is not about the magical connection between a reader and a wonderful book, but it speaks of reading as a social activity that involves love and fun, and that may be its strength.–Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.