Susie Morgenstern

This book is a favorite of my childhood, a delight and a treasure. I first read it when I was 8, when 10-year-old were cool older kids, and have read it at least a dozen times, most recently, today. The kids in it are the kinds of kids I, as a child, wanted to be like. They are idealized maybe, but not in a Pollyanna-ish way (she is the kind of child adults would like children to be, I think), just--kids who are unabashedly and entirely themselves, interested and alive and kind and passionate.

Short and funny. Another great recommendation for a hesitant chapter-book reader. Translated from French.

This book is about a boy who dreams of making the world a better place. He dreams of all these things that he could do to better the world, but first he must learn to read and write. I could use this book as an introduction to English and to show students the importance of reading and writing.