Check It Out

Books recommended for young readers by Susan Patron, senior librarian, Los Angeles Public Library:

Love--These beautiful books prove that love does make the world go around.

Babies and toddlers: “More More More, Said the Baby,” by Vera B. Williams.

Three joyful stories about babies and the people who love them.

*

Preschoolers: “Hazel’s Amazing Mother,” by Rosemary Wells.

When some bullies give Hazel a hard time, her amazing mother uses the power of love to make everything right again.

*

Kindergartners: “Mrs. Katz and Tush,” by Patricia Polacco.

The moving story of a friendship between a young African American boy and a lonely Jewish widow.

*

First and second grades: “Hopscotch Love: A Family Treasury of Love Poems,” by Nikki Grimes.

Twenty-two poems celebrating love in African American families. Vibrant paintings by Melodye Benson Rosales.

*

Third grade: “How My Parents Learned to Eat,” by Ina Friedman. Illustrated by Allen Say.

An American sailor courts a Japanese girl, and each secretly tries to learn the other’s way of eating.

Storytime

Some of the books to be read on KCET-TV Channel 28’s “Storytime,” Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

* “Slither McCreep and His Brother Joe,” by Tony Johnson.

Slither the snake and his brother Joe have an argument over their toys. Slither decides to break all the toys, but, afterward, regrets his action and finds a way to replace them. (Themes: family, sharing, responsibility.)

*

* “Chrysanthemum,” by Kevin Henkes.

A little mouse named Chrysanthemum hates her name until an understanding teacher helps her learn to appreciate it. (Themes: feelings, self-esteem.)

*

* “The Cat Who Lost Its Purr,” by Michelle Coxon.

One morning a cat named Boodle wakes up without his purr. A search of the house does not help him find it. He discovers it only when his owners return and he begins to purr with joy. (Themes: sounds, family, animals.)