Summer Reading for Youngsters and their Parents
Baseball is a universal theme that appeals to young and old alike. This month, three books provide as much entertainment as a bases-loaded, two-out bottom of the ninth. In One Last Time: Good-bye to Yankee Stadium (2009, Harper Collins, $19.99), designed for 5- to 8-year-olds, great Yankee players relive their famous plays including the Great Bambino’s homerun. Author Ray Negron puts together a fond remembrance of 85-year-old Yankee Stadium in which the Yankee greats return to the House that Ruth Built thanks to the magic of a batboy named Ray. The story reinforces the importance of doing what you like and perseverance.
“That’s what baseball is all about—doing your best and never giving up,’’ quips Hall of Famer and former Yankee manager Casey Stengel. Isn’t that true in life, too?
For those baseball enthusiasts in second through sixth grades, consider these summer reads, The Prince of Fenway Park by Julianna Baggott (2009, Harper Collins, $16.99), and The Super Sluggers Slumpbuster by Kevin Markey (2009, Harper Collins, $15.99). The Prince tackles the dreaded curse of Boston’s baseball park through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy. The story deals with racism, heroes, villains and a search of home and family. It’s a story of fantasy and possibilities that warms the heart. Great idea to pick this up and read it together this summer.
Slumpbuster pits players with names like Banjo and Gasser against each other in a race for the pennant between the Rambletown Rounders and the Hog City Haymakers. The book reinforces messages about overcoming adversity and believing in yourself and your abilities as valuable real-life lessons. In the championship game, Banjo (aka The Great Walloper) digs his way out of a hitting slump to smash the game-winning homerun by just trusting his instincts and believing in his talents.
Another fun read by the “King of Giggle Poetry” Bruce Lansky is What I Did on My Summer Vacation (2009, Meadowbrook Press, $8.95). For every child who has written about what she did on her summer vacation during their first weeks back at school, this is an amusing compilation of poems covering vacations, ball games, days at the beach and camp. In keeping with the baseball theme, poet Robert Pottle musingly maligns the length of ball games and how it is hard to “hold it” through an entire bladder-busting contest.
The Work at Home Success Bible (2009, Adams Media, $14.95) gives moms tips about starting their own businesses from home. In an attempt to tackle the balance between a rewarding career and being there for your kids, author Leslie Truex discusses how to: find a job that meets your needs; set up a home office; put together a workable schedule; and avoid distractions. One important law of at-home work success is to enlist your family’s support to reach your work goals. To do this, you must be organized about your work and your home life. Three suggestions in this must-have “bible:” schedule time to run errands; reduce household clutter; and stick to a schedule.
Pop in renowned pediatrician Harvey Karp’s DVD The Happiest Toddler on the Block ($12.95) and spend the next hour or so realizing that your 1- to 4-year-old is similar to a “caveman.” Karp puts a spin on today’s tantrums by providing three simple steps to eliminate them and raise a happy, secure child. Karp suggests that toddlers use Neanderthal techniques of grunting and pummeling to get what they want. Karp guides parents through a primitive process that he guarantees will get 21st century results, including the art of speaking “toddler-ese.” By watching these strategies in real-life situations, you gain confidence as a parent that these techniques can work in your cave too. Available at www.thehappiestbaby.com.
Freelance writer Eileen Cornish lives in Santee with her husband Steve and their three sons.
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