Press

A good read
PATTI MARTIN
Asbury Park Press

By PATTI MA= RTIN

STAFF WRITER

Helen Coronato has a confession to make: During he= r time as a middle school English teacher, she probably ruined a good book or = two (or 20) by having her students read an assigned chapter (and please don= 't read ahead) and then come to class and take a quiz on miscellaneous det= ails that had little to do with the actual story.

"I'm guilty," says the Warren County resident, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Reading With Yo= ur Child" (Alpha Books, $14.95).

These days, though, the former teacher and mother = of a 2-year-old and 5-month-old, is on another mission: to help parents nurt= ure a love for books, stories and words.

"Reading can — and should — be fun," Coronato says. "We've kind of moved away from that, but the fact is not every book needs to r= ead and analyzed . . . it can be read for enjoyment and fun. If we want to create a generation of lifelong readers, reading has to be something children want to do, not something they have to do."

Or looked at another way: Every book a child reads doesn't have to be viewed as a school assignment and discussed in terms= of "main characters" and "plots."

"Let the child talk about the book on their terms," Coronato says. "If we want our kids to read for fun, = we must keep reading fun."

Here are some new fall book offerings for children — and parents — to enjoy in their free (and fun) time:

"Sports A to Z" by David Diehl. (Lark Bo= oks, $5.95). Ages 1 to 4. Here's something that the youngest sports enthusia= sts will get really excited about. The board book celebrates the full range= of games and words associated with them, from archery to zamboni, end zone to yellow card. It's got real visual excitement, too, with striking graphic designs in exuberant colors.

"The Name of this Book is Secret" by Pseudonymous Bosch. (Little, Brown Young Readers, $16.99). Ages 9 to 12. This is the story of a secret, and also a secret story. This is the sto= ry of Cass and Max-Ernest, two friendless 11-year olds who come together to solve the mystery surrounding a dead magician and the clues he left beh= ind. Along the way, the duo must solve puzzles and word games and face incredible danger to answer their questions.

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. (Little, Brown and Co., $16.99). Ag= es 10 and up. Junior is a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the reservation to attend an all-white fa= rm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

"Gimme Cracked Co= rn & I Will Share" by Kevin O'Malley. (Walker & Co., $16.95). Ages = 4 to 8. One night, Chicken had a dream about buried treasure — a treas= ure trove of corn. And the corn is always sweeter on the other farm . . . o= r at least that's what Chicken thinks. His friend George agrees. Hopefully t= hey can find it once they cross the road. But will Chicken's corny treasure= be all it's cracked up to be?

"Backbeard: Pirat= e for Hire" by Matthew McElligott. (Walker Y= oung Readers, $16.95). Ages 4 to 8. Backbeard ma= y have a new look, but he's still the roughest, toughest and stinkiest pirate sailing the seas. Once the Pirate Council catches wind of Backbeard and his crew's stylish new look, they threaten to kick him out if he doesn't return to wearing proper pirate attire.

"Phooey!" by Marc Rosenthal. (HarperColl= ins, $16.99). Ages 4 to 8. When a restless red-headed boy proclaims: "Nothing ever happens around here!" (And who hasn't heard that complaint at home?), he kicks a can and sets into motion a series of wonderfully hilarious slapstick events that happen behind him — a= nd because of him.

"The Tsunami Quilt: Grandfather's Story"= by Anthony D. Fredericks. (Sleeping Bear Press, $17.95). Ages 4 to 8. Apri= l 1, 1946 — an enormous tsunami strikes Hilo, Hawaii= , causing death and destruction. Even those islanders who are fortunate to have survived find their lives forever altered. Young Kimo loves his grandfather very much, and they go everywhere together, shari= ng island stories and experiences. But there is one story his grandfather = has yet to share and that is the reason behind their yearly pilgrimage to <= span class=3DSpellE>Laupahoehoe Point. It is only after his grandfath= er's sudden death that Kimo learns the story beh= ind the annual trip.

"Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou" = edited by Edwin Graves Wilson. (Sterling Publishing, $14.95). Ages 8 and up. Twenty-five of award-winning poet and author Maya Angelou's poems can be = found within the pages of the book, from the playful "Harlem Hopscotch" to the prideful "Me and My Work" to the soul-stirring "Still I Rise." A special inclusion in the book= is "A Brave and Startling Truth," written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.

"A Crooked Kind of Perfect" by Linda Urb= an. (Harcourt Books, $16). Ages 8 to 12. Ten-year-old = Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams . . . all she needs is a baby grand so s= he can start her lessons and then she'll be well on her way. But when Dad = buys a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe's dr= eams hit a sour note. Yet when she enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, Zoe<= /span> finds that life is full of surprises — and that perfection may be even better when it's just a little off center.

"Guyaholic" = by Carolyn Mackler. (Candlewick Press, $16.99)= . Ages 14 and up. Sometimes it takes getting hit with a hockey puck to help you see what's good for you. In the follow-up to "Vegan Virgin Valentine," author Carolyn Mackler tak= es heroine Valentine ("V" for short) on an unforgettable ride of missed exits, misadventures and the kind of epiphanies that come only w= hen you're on a route you've never taken before.