BORN TO READ

In the department of preaching to the choir, from the duo who first celebrated reading in the Seussian Wild About Books (2004). From his first moments, Sam knows he is born to read. This story traces his love of books from his mother’s readalouds to his own constant reading on a multitude of subjects and his sometimes surprising and practical use of reading in the outside world. Once he is fluent, Sam diagnoses himself and avoids an operation, wins a cycling race (although he stops for a poem or two) because “Readers win and / winners read,” and conquers a hungry and familiar giant, all through his use of books. Literary references (Pat the Bunny, “Jack and the Beanstalk” and the Arthur series) abound in both Brown’s illustrations and text, adding to the fun. While the rhymes are sometimes a bit rough and the story a bit over the top, this will appeal to both children and parents as they embark together on the path to reading. (Picture book. 3-6)