Gr. 3-6. Ten-year-old Nick Allen has a reputation for devising clever, time-wasting schemes guaranteed to distract even the most conscientious teacher. His diversions backfire in Mrs. Granger's fifth-grade class, however, resulting in Nick being assigned an extra report on how new entries are added to the dictionary. Surprisingly, the research provides Nick with his best idea ever, and he decides to coin his own new word. Mrs. Granger has a passion for vocabulary, but Nick's (and soon the rest of the school's) insistence on referring to pens as "frindles" annoys her greatly. The war of words escalates--resulting in after-school punishments, a home visit from the principal, national publicity, economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and, eventually, inclusion of frindle in the dictionary. Slightly reminiscent of Avi's Nothing but the Truth (1991), this is a kinder, gentler story in which the two sides eventually come to a private meeting of the minds and the power of language triumphs over both. Sure to be popular with a wide range of readers, this will make a great read-aloud as well. (Reviewed Sept. 1, 1996)0689806698Kay Weisman

Nicholas is a bright boy who likes to make trouble at school, creatively. When he decides to torment his fifth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Granger (who is just as smart as he is), by getting everyone in the class to replace the word ``pen'' with ``frindle,'' he unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. If there's any justice in the world, Clements (Temple Cat, 1995, etc.) may have something of a classic on his hands. By turns amusing and adroit, this first novel is also utterly satisfying. The chess like sparring between the gifted Nicholas and his crafty teacher is enthralling, while Mrs. Granger is that rarest of the breed: a teacher the children fear and complain about for the school year, and love and respect forever after. With comically realistic black-and-white illustrations by Selznick (The Robot King, 1995, etc.), this is a captivating tale--one to press upon children, and one they'll be passing among themselves. (Fiction. 8-12)

Gr 3-5-Fifth grade begins auspiciously for Nick when he meets the inimitable Mrs. Granger. She introduces the bright but stubborn boy to the power of words and more, and both teacher and pupil learn a great deal during the school year about notoriety, bending rules, and recognizing a strong devotion to instructional rigor. Fleming's deep baritone has a comfortable and friendly timbre that allows the story to unfold without intruding on the inherent humor and honesty. Mrs. Granger personifies the long-lasting influence that a teacher can have in a student's life. Students will enjoy investigating new words with the free online website Dictionary.com offering a Word of the Day, the Hot Word, and definitions of words that are currently in use as well as those new to the vernacular. The free app for Apple and Android devices turns the search for new words into a technology-rich activity. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.4c Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

'The author has created a fresh, imaginative plot that will have readers smiling all the way through, if not laughing out loud. Nick, a champion time-waster, faces the challenge of his life when confronted with the toughest teacher in school, Mrs. Granger. Always counted on to filibuster the impending test or homework assignment away, Nick has met his match in "Dangerous Grangerous," who can spot a legitimate question in a second and has no patience with the rest. In answer to "Like, who says that d-o-g means the thing that goes `woof¿ and wags its tail? Who says so?" she replies, "You do, Nicholas. You and me and everyone in this class and this school and this town and this state and this country." And thus is born frindle, Nick¿s new name for pen, promising and delivering a classic student-teacher battle along the lines of - but far funnier than - Avi¿s Nothing But the Truth (Orchard). The battle assumes the proportions of a tall tale, and although outrageous and hilarious, it¿s all plausible, and every bit works from the premise to the conclusion. The brisk narration is rapid-fire, and Nick is one of the most charming troublemakers since Soup. The merchandising future of this one is too terrible to contemplate; the cutting-edge gift this Christmas has got to be a frindle." E.S.W. (1996). Frindle. Horn Book Magazine, 72(6), 732-733. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.In addition to demonstrating the bookmaker's art, miniature books have a long history of fascinating readers. In their earliest appearances, they were treasured by adults, but children have also been attracted to the form (so particularly suited to small hands). Now, six paperback reproductions of historical significance in the development of literature for children are showcased in a sturdy triptych designed as a folding bookcase for display by collectors, use in classroom demonstrations, and, it is to be hoped, for enchanting children. Approximately three inches square, the books include The History of an Apple Pie, an early ABC published around 1820; The House That Jack Built, a picture book version of the traditional nursery rhyme, published in 1854 with illustrations by Henry George Hine; limericks from Edward Lear's Book of Nonsense; Walter Crane's Baby's Own Aesop; Kate Greenaway's decorative (and decorous) Mother Goose; and Randolph Caldecott's incomparable Sing a Song for Sixpence. A succinct informational note for all six titles is provided on a back panel. Each little book is inserted into its own slot, devised as part of the bookshelf motif, as if it had just been chosen from the array of classics in antique bindings that form the illustrated background. To add to the fun, all of the spines have been carefully lettered so that the curious reader can readily ascertain the designer's choices for classic status - including Call of the Wild, Little Women, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain, and Where the Wild Things Are. While perhaps not suited for general library circulation, the book deserves consideration as an ingenious and fresh idea, thoughtfully and charmingly produced. I'm already compiling my gift list. m.m.b. C. Collodi Pinocchio Adapted and illustrated by Ed Young. Based on the 1892 translation by M. A. Murray, this version is an artistic achievement in its own right rather than a diluted production for the mass market. By dividing the book into "scenes" and conveying most of the action through dialogue, Ed Young adds a new, appropriately theatrical, dimension to Collodi's classic story. An elegantly phrased author's note precedes the story, placing it in the tradition of the commedia dell'arte, isolating the elements that endow it with universal appeal, and giving a sound rationale for transforming it into a play. And transformed it is through an absorbing series of cut-paper collages that not only interpret the text but virtually embrace it through thoughtful page design. The illusion of an improvisational production is enhanced by the grouping of the original chapters into scenes that emphasize the badinage and wit of the original. More than just another adaptation, this is also a disarming invitation "to read Pinocchio. And to stage Pinocchio. You will be part of a long and old and wonderful tradition." m.m.b. Pam Conrad The Rooster's Gift Illustrated by Eric Beddows. "Once up on a hill in a brand-new chicken coop," one of ten newly hatched chicks is singled out for greatness. He is a rooster, and as the old farmer's wife hopes, he has "the Gift." Very early one morning, much to his sisters' consternation, Young Rooster climbs to the top of the coop and lets out a magnificent "Cot Cot Cot Cot Ca-toodle tooooooo!" When the sun rises immediately thereafter, he thinks he makes the day; years later, when he finds out that he merely heralds its coming, he is devastated. It takes Smallest Hen, his most loyal sister, to help him understand that simply doing something well is a gift in itself ("not quite like pulling the sun out of the night, but a Gift nonetheless," he realizes) - a rather mature message for the average picture-book reader, who presumably has not yet identified his or her own gift, let alone had to scale it down to human proportions. But Conrad here excels at the playful, imaginative, evocative prose that is her trademark ("one night, very late, very, very late, past late to something else"; "Old Rooster and Smallest Hen watched as.the sun rose like the most glorious egg in the world. And she leavens her allegory with the distinct personalities of puffed-up Rooster and tougher-than-she-looks Smallest Hen. Eric Beddows's illustrations superbly reflect both the allegorical side of the story (with the coop at the top of the chickens' known world, he places the story squarely at the center of the universe) and the personal, with Rooster's changing emotions, for example, perfectly captured in the tilt of his impressive tail feathers. Vignettes of just the figures of Smallest Hen and Rooster against an otherwise totally white space are interspersed with full-page, full-color illustrations that are at times reminiscent of Virginia Lee Burton's Little House (Houghton), as Beddows depicts, in curving lines and soft colors, the changing seasons in the pastoral landscape rolling out below the chicken coop. m.v.p. Tomie dePaola, Author-Illustrator Strega Nona: Her Story The rain fell and the wind blew on the night the bambina was born in Calabria - but only after her Grandma Concetta arrived. Grandma Concetta knew immediately that the baby's name would be Nona and that she would become a strega. Those familiar with Strega Nona (Putnam) and other titles about this engaging Italian witch will quickly recognize her pasta pot and the special secret ingredient (a healthy dose of love) left to her by her grandmother. They will also recall the tall, gawky apprentice that the grown Strega Nona takes on from the village. (But those unacquainted with Big Anthony will be puzzled by the wry conclusion here.) The gently humorous story is told with a straightforward text sprinkled with Italian words and with simply drawn, warmly colored illustrations featuring comfortably rounded figures. Line and wash illustrations are framed in a simple border with text carefully placed to vary format and chronicle the sweet tale. m.b.s. Toby Forward Ben's Christmas Carol Illustrated by Ruth Brown. Miser-mouse Ben, having rebuffed a Christmas gift from his poor neighbor, Tim, learns a lesson in the Christmas spirit from another, ghostly, mouse named Jake. If the names begin to sound familiar, Ruth Brown's gravely romantic paintings confirm the Dickensian connection, as the characters from A Christmas Carol pantomime their own drama while the mice wander beneath and among them. The text is long and slightly too complicated, but Forward makes a wise decision in not leaning too hard on the parallels to the classic tale; instead, Ben's trial is to find one mouse who will accept his treasured candied plum as a gift. Recognizing that the gift is not being made in the spirit of the season, the mice refuse it; only when Ben tries a third time and is confronted with a seemingly dead Tim does he understand the folly of his greed. Readers and viewers old enough to appreciate the unvoiced "other story" going on in Brown's resplendently detailed pictures will be the audience here, but then, you're just a step away from Boz himself and might as well go all the way. r.s. Jack Gantos Rotten Ralph's Rotten Romance Illustrated by Nicole Rubel. Valentine's Day is not Ralph's favorite holiday, and persistent Petunia is not Ralph's favorite cat. When Sarah tells him that they are going to Petunia's party, Ralph knows he'll have a rotten time and tries valiantly to sabotage the affair, from putting a stink bug in the valentine to rubbing himself with garbage. It's no wonder kids love Ralph - what a perfect vicarious way to get back at all those well-meaning adults who make you go to boring parties where everyone else seems to be having a great time. The illustrations are vintage Ralph, and the ending redeems RR as usual, when his true valentine is revealed. e.s.w. Diane Goode, Author-Illustrator Mama's Perfect Present The two children who searched the landmarks of Paris for their mother in Where's Our Mama? (Dutton) return in another carefully conceived, effervescent adventure that addresses a familiar childhood concern: what to give a beloved parent for her birthday. The initial action takes place on the title and dedication pages as the two children repare for an excursion with Zaza, their faithful dachshund, and sally forth properly accoutered in berets and white gloves. The consequences are foreshadowed when the sister warns her younger brother to "hold on to Zaza's leash. She can help us find the perfect present." And help she does in a series of comic turns in which Zaza leaves a trail of disaster behind her in the elegant shops of their upscale neighborhood - from playing with a fur boa at the couturier's to releasing caged doves at the bird market. And what do they decide upon, Zaza having inadvertently revealed the downside of several elegant possibilities? An oversized, homemade card, on which Mama is portrayed wearing or surrounded by all their possible choices. A remarkable evocation of Seurat's La Grande Jatte (where the children paint their mother's card) is skillfully foreshadowed in an earlier illustration that announces a Seurat Expo. This is a true picture story, with the understated text serving as a straight-faced, innocent commentary on the action, which is visualized through careful manipulation of line, deft shading, and delicate hatching. m.m.b. Donald Hall Old Home Day Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. Hall relates the story of a fictitious New Hampshire small town he calls Blackwater, from the end of the ice age to the present. In a longish, rather choppy text, Hall synopsizes the history of the changes in American population patterns, from the countryside to the city and now, in the late twentieth century, back to the countryside. He describes an Old Home Day celebration in 1999 in which visitors enjoy the pleasures of small-town life and think, "Maybe sometime we can live in this beautiful place." In his concluding note, the author echoes the sentiment expressed by these visitors: "In the future.[per-haps] more people [will] return to the countryside.[and] shrunken cities will proclaim an Old Home Day so that nostalgic country dwellers may return to the places they started from." Though there is little story, the saga of change is brought to life by finely crafted, richly colored watercolors. Almost impressionistic, the illustrations effectively present and capture the feel of an evolving countryside and lend form to the subdued text. m.b.s. H Minfong Ho Hush!: A Thai Lullaby Illustrated by Holly Meade. As a Thai mother tenderly lowers her sleeping baby into a hammock, the silence is disturbed by a mosquito weeping, a lizard peeping, a cat creeping, and a mouse squeaking. The mother anxiously moves from house to pigsty to pond and even out to the forest, cautioning each animal she meets, "Hush! /.don't you cry, / My baby's sleeping / right nearby." As day fades to dusk and all is finally peaceful, the exhausted mother dozes by the window while the wide-awake baby plays with his toes and smiles winningly from his hammock. There is as well a secondary story of the baby's antics: throughout his mother's exhortations for quiet, the illustrations show the baby as he peeps over the side of the hammock, lowers himself to the floor, crawls under a mat, hangs from a pole like a monkey, and, finally, crawls back into his hammock just as his mother returns. The graceful cut-paper collage and ink illustrations are done in warm earth tones with vivid orange-red color outlining people and animals. The use of a variety of textures and perspectives and the different animal sounds, from the "jeed-jeed" of the mouse to the "HOOM-PRAAA!" of the great gray elephant, add immeasurably to the playful quality of this gentle and poetic tale. h.b.z. Tony Johnston The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. The peregrinations of a misplaced bone form the basis of a ghostly tale of Colonial times. Old Nicholas Greebe dies in the midst of a bitter winter, and his family hastily - to their regret - buries him. One year later, a little dog digs up one of his bones, and his ghost immediately appears before the family, demanding its return: "From this night forth / I quest, I quest, / till all my bones / together rest." The dog and bone, meanwhile¿ long and circuitous journey until, a hundred years later, by happenstance and circumstance and chance, the bone returns home as a scrimshaw handle on a satchel. There, fittingly, a little dog chews it off and buries it once again in Nicholas Greebe's grave, finally satisfying his restless spirit. The appropriately black, sometimes gloomy and sometimes funny illustrations of the ghostly Nicholas Greebe, the scrupulously accurate Colonial setting, and the busy little dog(s) are in a style reminiscent of the work of the late Margot Tomes, with perhaps a dash of Edward Gorey. The pictures and the economical and laconically humorous text make a splendid answer to the perennial request for a not too spooky story. a.a.f. Lars Klinting, Author-Illustrator Bruno the Carpenter Bruno the beaver is a back-to-basics carpenter who demonstrates the concept of tools by building.well, it's a surprise, and a very satisfying one at that. His tools, illustrated with almost photographic, jumbo-size clarity (reminiscent of the Rockwells' The Toolbox [Macmillan]), face soft, animated watercolors of Bruno putting each tool to its particular use, so that the full-page illustration of the pliers, for example, faces a startled, buck-toothed Bruno rocketing backwards as "he pulls out the crooked nail and hammers in a new one." This juxtaposition mingles the precise nature of tools with Bruno's easygoing, carefree nature for a lighthearted yet clear-cut approach to carpentry. Hammer away! marilyn bousquin Helen Lester Princess Penelope's Parrot g Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Chubby-cheeked Princess Penelope is a gimme girl. For her birthday she gets, among other things, a sixteen-wheeler bike, a dress with "ruffles on its ruffles on its ruffles," and a parrot. But the parrot, clearly appalled by the princess, refuses to say a word, and the princess's threats and name-calling ("TALK, BIG BEAK") are to absolutely no avail. When rich - and eligible - Prince Percival comes calling, however, the parrot regains its voice and gets its revenge. Princess Penelope is astonished, but, it has to be said, unrepentant. The tongue-in-cheek starchiness of the text is well-met by the hyperbole of Munsinger's line-and-watercolor pictures of Princess Penelope - think Shirley Temple run amok - and her unrestrained extravagances. Another small funny lesson in correct behavior from a well-known pair of collaborators. a.a.f. Mimi Otey Little, Author-Illustrator Yoshiko and the Foreigner "Good Japanese girls don't talk to foreigners." Nevertheless, Yoshiko takes pity on an American officer who is lost and whose Japanese phrase book proves less than helpful as he loudly proclaims, "I am a dancing girl. Where is the doctor?" Yoshiko helps the American, whose name is Flem, find his way, and a tentative friendship begins - one that must be kept hidden from the young woman's family. Announcing the book's theme of bridging cultural differences, the cover shows Flem crossing a bridge in a Japanese garden, approaching the kimono-clad Yoshiko. As in Ina R. Friedman's How My Parents Learned to Eat (Houghton), efforts to learn another's way of life are sincerely made and gratefully acknowledged. The large full-page watercolors provide immediacy by pulling readers into the world of a Japanese woman in the 1950s. The artist's point of view changes to reflect the mood of the story, swinging in to focus on facial expressions in emotional moments - when, for instance, Yoshiko rides the train for hours, clutching the letter that contains a marriage proposal. On the final spread, the fictional story is given factual surprise with the inclusion of a black-and-white wedding photograph of Little's parents, Yoshiko Sasagawa and Flem Otey. jennifer brabander H Susan Meddaugh, Author-Illustrator Martha Blah Blah Martha becomes a victim of corporate downsizing in the most inspired book yet about this talking wonder-dog. Heedless of her company's motto - "Every Letter in Every Can" - greedy owner Granny Flo fires half of the Granny's Soup Company's twenty-six "alphabeticians," lead

Trying to aggravate a tough language-arts teacher, a fifth-grade boy invents a new word for pen: "frindle." Soon, the whole country is using it. "Dictionary lovers will cotton to this mild classroom fantasy," said PW. Ages 8-12. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved