Kid lit.

Having a six-year-old daughter, I've encountered some new greatness that was not available when I was young, and I've discovered some old classics that wear wonderfully.

Junie B. Jones Series
By Barbara Park
I think this series speaks to little girls. Junie B. (the B. stands for Beatrice, but she doesn't like Beatrice, she just likes B.) is simply a hoot. Personally, some of the bad grammar bugs me, but we've turned correcting Junie B.'s grammar into a game. Sometimes, when reading these to my daughter, my wife and I get laughing so hard we have to let the other read for a bit. My favorite was when Junie B. was supposed to go on a field trip to a farm, but was afraid to go because one of her babysitters let her watch the show, "When Ponies Attack!" That one leveled me for a solid half hour.

Frederick
by Leo Lionni
"Frederick" explains why we need artists. It's a nice antidote or companion to "The Ant and the Grasshopper," which though it contains a great lesson about getting your work done, it seems to think fiddle playing is a waste of time. Frederick shows how dreamers and artists are just as important as grain haulers.

Good Families Don't
by Robert N. Munsch, Illus. Alan Daniel
Munsch is probably one of the best children's authors working today. I've yet to read one of his that I don't like. Our family favorite is "Good Families Don't." Sometimes his books are a little hard to find because he's Canadian, and you know how American booksellers are about them foreign authors. Anyway, here's how "Good Families" starts out: "One night Carmen walked up the stairs to her bedroom. There, lying on her bed, was a great big purple, green and yellow fart." Not to worry, though. Munsch is going somewhere, it's not just a bunch of potty humor, and I think it's a good thing for kids to hear this stuff sometimes. Our videotape of Grandma reading this to our daughter is priceless.

Enjoy!