on the lighter side

It's rare that I find a new children's book series that I can recommend. Those that are well written often have objectionable content. Those that are innocuous are often written poorly. A great many more suffer from both maladies. As a result we tend to favor the "classics" at our house -- Frog & Toad, Beverly Cleary, E. B. White, The Boxcar Children, and the rest of those listed to the right under "Best Kids Books." I've practically stopped even trying to find series I like.

But this week I've met an endearing new friend — Clementine. She makes me laugh page after page, and the prose is an absolute delight to read. The author is a genius at creating characters. No sorcery. No convoluted sentences. No (real) superpowers. No wildly dysfunctional family. Just a refreshing look at life through the eyes of an 8-year-old from a loving family – a sweet girl who is earnestly trying not to get sent to the principal's office . . . again. 

So if life is heavy and you need a few laughs, pretend you are checking out these books to read them to some children you know. I promise I won't tell anyone the real reason you have them in your possession.

Three cheers for great literature and good, clean fun!