Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary has been writing children's books since 1950 when she was a school librarian and one of her students came to her and said, "Where are the books about kids like us?". That is when she wrote her first book, Henry Huggins. Since then she has written many more books about "kids like us". Visit her web site to see more titles.

This weekend I picked up Muggie Maggie. Maggie is starting third grade and she is not happy that she will have to learn to write in cursive. When her teacher, Mrs. Leeper, tells the class that cursive is like a roller coaster Maggie decides she will just make roller coasters - up, down and around. No cursive for her! As the year goes on and the class is learning cursive, Maggie continues to protest-she can print and she uses the computer, why should she learn cursive? Maggie finds out that if you cannot write in cursive, you cannot read cursive! Read Muggie Maggie and find out if this gifted and talented third grader learns to write and read cursive.

Dirt on My Shirt by Jeff Foxworthy

April is Poetry month! Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has written a children's poetry book (actually he has written two, see below).
The title poem is:

Dirt on My Shirt
There's dirt on my shirt
And leaves in my hair
There's mud on my boots
But I don't really care

Playing outside is so much fun
To breathe the clean air
And feel the warm sun

To stomp in a puddle
Or climb a big tree
Makes me quite happy
Just look and you'll see

The illustrations by Steve Bjorkman are perfect for each poem. Pick up a copy today and enjoy! The duo teamed up again for their second poetry collection which was released in February 2009 - Silly Street. Happy Poetry Month!

How I Survived Being a Girl by Wendelin van Draanen

Carolyn enjoys a lot of things most girls do not, and she does not like a lot of things other girls like. She likes short hair, stickball, hanging out with her brothers and her best friend. She does not like dresses, ruffles or anything "girly". Carolyn tells her story in first person. She is a tomboy with scabbed knees who has figured out that she can wear shorts under her dresses or skirts. While reading this book, I could relate to a lot of the things Carolyn described, including having to wear dresses to school, hanging out with her brothers and not being able to have a paper route. Even though the story does not identify a specific time period, the reader can guess that it takes place in the 1960s. Along with her two brothers Carolyn spies on her neighbors “the freckos”, plays stickball and digs foxholes in their backyard. Charlie is Carolyn’s best friend and they do a lot of things together, but why does Carolyn’s feelings for Charlie take a strange turn during the summer? When her baby sister is born at the end of the book, Carolyn tells the readers, "I tell her... how being a girl is actually all right once you figure out that you should break some of the rules instead of just living with them." A good book about the innocence of growing up.