3. I Can Read!

Charm new words right out of your child with two clever readers and a picture book to spur them on.

Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking (Level 2), written and illustrated by Philippe Coudray, Toon Books, $12.95, ages 4-8, 32 pages. In this adorable book of comic gags, a loopy bear looks at life from the far side. Benjamin Bear is a problem-solver, and no matter what life throws at him, he works it out in an endearing, offbeat way. In one strip, Benjamin gets lost in a maze, but feels lucky that at least he has his apple with him. And indeed it is a lucky thing for soon ants wander through the maze to the apple and provide him a trail out. In another, Benjamin is too nervous to fly a glider off a cliff so he frees a dog from a gate so it will chase him off the edge. Benjamin never misses a beat, and he's as clever as he is silly. When he happens upon a sliver of moon in the park, he assumes that the moon must be hungry since he's skinny. So, he offers him fruit to make him full. Every page is a new cartoon with four to seven panels. Some panels have conversation bubbles with short sentences and sound words, others are wordless. Here and there, a rabbit friend hops into a comic to bounce off humor or to keep him company.  Readers will be drawn to Benjamin's silly, matter-of-fact approach to problem-solving and to how comfortable he is in his own fur.

Should I Share My Ice Cream? (An Elephant and Piggie book), written and illustrated by Mo Willems, Hyperion, $8.99, ages 4-8, 64 pages. Elephant is giddy with anticipation because he just bought himself an ice cream cone. But then he realizes he didn't get an ice cream for his best friend Piggie and he's stumped about what to do. Should he share his "awesome, yummy, sweet, super, great, tasty, nice, cool" cone with Piggie? Hmm, that's a tough one, especially now that Elephant is ogling it and looping his trunk around the cone like a scarf. There are, after all, some really good reasons for not sharing, he tells himself, trying to sound convincing. Like the possibility that Piggie won't like this flavor and the fact that Piggie isn't even there right now! But just as Elephant is about dive in and eat it, tender thoughts of his friend sneak up on him and he freezes: Suppose Piggie is somewhere all alone feeling sad? OK, now Elephant just has to find her and give her some of his ice cream. But has he waited too long? Fifteen books into the series and Elephant and Piggie are as irresistible as ever. Coming Oct. 4: Happy Pig Day!

I Will Not Read This Book, by Cece Meng, illustrated by Joy Ang, Clarion, $16.99 (hardback), ages 4-8, 32 pages. How do you spur a reluctant reader to read? Try giving him a book about exactly how he feels. In this charming picture book, a boy lists all the things he imagines his mom might do to make him read. Every punishment is outrageous and more far-fetched than the last, reflecting how worked up he's getting. First, the boy imagines his mom hanging him upside down by one toe. Soon he's got her dangling him off a cliff in a lightning storm while a monkey tickles his foot and a dragon blows smoke in his eyes.  "I will not read this book," he insists, before replaying all of scenarios he imagined before then adding one more. But suppose while he's hanging there, a speeding train barrels toward him and he sneezes and his mom drops him? What then? Well, let's say mom reaches out to catch him then offers to read with him. Would reading be so scary then? Here's a book that captures all the angst of child struggling to read and in one vicarious purge, lets out all of the worry and fear, and makes it safe to try.

Smart Books for Early Reading

Learning to read can be an exhausting affair for little ones. There are so many new words to stretch out and recognize that it's easy to get burned out after a page or two.

That's why it's so great to find beginner books that explore ideas they can relate to, and make them feel happy and accomplished.

This spring, I've highlighted five beginner series that are certain to reduce wiggles at reading time. Some are silly, others sweet, and all are fast-paced and irresistible to look at.

Max Spaniel (Two Books)

Written, illustrated by David Catrow

Orchard Books, 2009-2010

$6.99, ages 4-8, 40 pages

A goofy, lovable pooch named Max tries to convince everyone that he's not a dog in this side-splitting series about chasing your dreams.

In every book, Max gets a wild hare to be something new and gets in one funny predicament after another.

In Dinosaur Hunt, he struts about like a great hunter and ends up creating his own prey out of garden tools, then in Funny Lunch, Max declares he's a great chef, only to realize he's made a pizza mess.

Catrow's illustrations are incredibly funny and keep readers giggling.

Elephant and Piggie (12 Books)

Written, illustrated by Mo Willems

Hyperion Books for Children, 2007-2010

$8.99, ages 4-8, 64 pages

A fun-loving pig and straight-laced elephant quibble about how to go about things, but always make up in this charming graphic series by Caldecott Honor winner Willems.

Elephant, a sobering fellow with spectacles, is sometimes frustrated by Piggie's blithe approach to life, but by story's end Piggie always gets him to loosen up and see the bright side of things.

In one adventure they decide to hide out and surprise each other, only to find themselves alone and sad that the other has left them behind.

In the latest book, Can I Play Too?, due out June 8, Gerald and Piggie meet a snake who wants to play catch, but wonder how he can play without arms.

In each mini drama, Willems uses short, pithy dialogue, speech balloons, fun sound words, and hysterical facial expressions to keep readers eager to read on.

Benny and Penny (Three Books)

Written, illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes

Toon Books, 2008-2010

$12.95, ages 4-8, 32 pages

In this delightful graphic series, two mice siblings learn to apologize, forgive and make friends as they play and explore.

In Just Pretend, Benny refuses to let little sister Penny play pirate with him, then calls her a crybaby for being upset about it, only to feel badly when he can't find her.

In The Big No-No, the siblings accuse a hedgehog neighbor girl of stealing their pail, only to realize they jumped to conclusions and owe her an apology.

In the latest, The Toy Breaker, they try to hide their toys from cousin Bo because he always breaks them, then discover a way to play so that nothing gets damaged.

Readers will relate to their squabbles, and along the way, learn how to make up with their own buddies. The format, a series of simple panels and talk balloons, makes the stories skip along.

Cork & Fuzz (Six Books)

Written by Dori Chaconas,

illustrated by Lisa McCue

Viking Juvenile, 2005-2010

$13.99, ages 4-8, 32 pages

A short muskrat and a tall possum discover that friends can be very different and still have fun adventures together in this gentle series reminiscent of Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad.

In the first five books, the scrappy pair learn about acceptance, good sportsmanship, compromise and standing up for a friend while getting into all manner of mischief.

In the latest adventure, The Babysitters, Cork loses track of a baby porcupine he's babysitting and it's up to Fuzz to help find him.

Exciting adventures and adorable pictures keep readers coming back for more. (This is such an adorable pair, parents will want to track down stuffed toy look-alikes to surprise their readers.)

Astroblast #1: Code Blue

Written, illustrated by Bob Kolar

Cartwheel Books, 2010

$5.99, ages 4-8, 40 pages

A space monkey gets flustered when an alarm goes off in the Astroblast Snack Shack and none of his crew is there to make treats in this first book in a clever new series.

It's up to readers to round up the monkey's crew before a crowd of googly-eyed aliens line up to buy Milky Way shakes and Creamy Moon cakes. But first they'll have to navigate through a maze, dig for moon stones, locate missing tools and untangle wires.

Kolar, author-illustrator of Racer Dogs, combines a rousing rhyme, bold illustrations and fun puzzles that break up the text.