children's book buzz

My daughter loves to read, and we feel fortunate that she is quite good at it for her age. Even with the numerous times that we have relocated, school has had a positive impact. I'd like to think that her mother and I fostered her fascination with books since she was younger, and I'm sure the fact that choosymom works at the library doesn't hurt. It's common practice for my daughter to max out her library account, both from books and children's movies. The local library has a wonderful collection. The public school has also been a great source of literary inspiration for my daughter, although there is one book series that the librarian is always pushing that is produced by some local Ozark authors that I less than fond of.

And so it is with keen interest that I check out any new set of children's books that we happen to run across. One new series has piqued my interest, primarily because it was written by a working dad. I am referring to the Little Fly series of children's books written by Rob Schapiro, a veteran airline pilot who turned to creative writing to help his son cope with his globe-trotting father's travel away from home.

With each story revolving around "Little Fly", an imaginary insect friend of the author's son sent to reflect on Schapiro's world travels, the series also promises to infuse basic scientific factoids concerning topics like astronomy, glaciers, and animal habitats. The website has a very DIY feel to it, as does the artwork of the books. While I wouldn't say that it is bad in any way, it does look a bit rushed and amateur. I suspect that the illustrator may have to polish his skill set a bit more before scoring any illustration awards for best children's book series. The site includes a page that shows children how to draw "Little Fly". Here's my daughter's attempt:

It would be nice to see some book page samples on the site, to get an idea of the author's writing style and to see what type of reading difficulty we can expect. The website states that the books are appropriate for children aged 6 to 12, but that's a wide age spectrum. You can order directly through the publisher, and each book costs about $13 after shipping and handling. It's an honest start and worth checking out, especially if your kids are big on reading (like mine).