The Wonder Book
Kindergarten-Grade 3&mdash;Here is a joyous, totally original potpourri of stories, poems, lists, palindromes, visual jokes, and random observations about the universal delights and conundrums of childhood. Set squarely in the world of the 21st-century child, with references to tae kwon do, 50 TV channels, and chocolate-chip pancakes, these varied musings nonetheless speak to everyone's inner child, young or old, mentioning table manners, dinosaurs, bratty children, whining, the tooth fairy, and moms and dads who can't relate. Simple, evocative, and childlike black-and-white line drawings, in concert with judicious and varied use of white space, perfectly capture the happy/sad/serious/silly moods of the selections. A book that can be opened on any page, it includes a handy, tongue-in-cheek index of key words and images to guide readers to subjects of interest. Make room on the poetry shelf between Prelutsky and Silverstein: fans of such well-loved titles asThe New Kid on the Block(1984) andA Light in the Attic(1981, both HarperCollins) will flock to this winning volume of sheer fun.&mdash;Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VTCopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.