Libraries Offer Titles to Woo Young Readers

There is, for example, baseball, and TV, video games, music, the beach, and just plain fooling around with friends. There is so much for a kid to do.

Sometimes, reading a book takes a back seat.

But parents try to thrust books at them anyway. In an effort to help parents encourage their children to read more, an informal survey of area librarians was conducted to find some of the best and most popular children’s book titles.

Despite ongoing funding problems and restructuring efforts in Ventura County’s library system, local branches are well-stocked with new books for younger readers.

Parents can take either of two approaches. They can bring the kids to the local branch and let the youngsters browse, or take matters into their own hands and pick the books themselves. If they prefer the latter, parents need to keep in mind that children of different ages want different fare.

Julie Albright, a children’s services specialist with the county library system, breaks it down this way: Younger kids want pictures and comfortable themes; older ones want suspense.

The list below is highly subjective, the books chosen for no other reason than some librarians, and at least a few kids, thought they were really cool:

* “Hush! A Thai Lullaby,” by Ho Minfong. A mother in Thailand asks animals to pipe down and let her baby sleep.

* “God Bless the Gargoyles,” by Dav Pilkey. This illustrated poem tells children to not be afraid of gargoyles.

* “Golem,” by David Wisniewski. Heavier on story than “Hush!” or “Gargoyles,” with a touch of danger thrown in.

* “Orphan Train Rider: One Boy’s True Story,” by Andrea Warren. For many years, the Children’s Aid Society took big-city orphans and sent them by train to live with families in the countryside, with mixed results.

* “JIP: His Story,” by Katherine Paterson. A fictional orphan, living in the mid-1800s, tries to come to terms with his biracial identity.

For older kids, or young ones with strong reading skills, librarians also recommend:

* “A Girl Named Disaster,” by Nancy Farmer. An 11-year-old African girl, about to be married against her will, flees into the wilderness of Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

* “Freak the Mighty,” by Rodman Sillbrook. A big tall boy with a learning disability forges a friendship with a smaller kid.

* “Confess-o-Rama,” by Ron Koertge. A boy going through typical teenage trauma pours out his heart to a help line, called Confess-o-rama. It turns out the help line is run by his best friend.