Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children 2nd Ed: A Lively, Opinionated Guide (Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children: A Lively,) (Paperback)

~ Walter M. Mayes (Author), Valerie Lewis (Author) "Our book is divided into several parts according to a book's listening or interest level..." (more)
Key Phrases: folktale variations, cumulative story, spare text, African American, Harcourt Brace, Houghton Mifflin (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

In this revised edition of the 1998 guide, fiction and nonfiction are organized by age and subject for children up through about 12 years, including books for family reading. Interest/listening level is differentiated from reading level. Sidebars and inserts include additional information about books, themes or ideas, authors, and more as well as additional commentary by Mayes or Lewis. Frequently asked questions (with answers) provide additional advice for parents. While the volume is thick, the tone is chatty and the format open. Additional resources to learn more about bookmaking and to help evaluate and choose books are appended. - Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library
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From Booklist

True to the subtitle, the tone is enthusiastic, committed, and informal in this introduction to children's books for parents, teachers, and other interested adults. Valerie owns a children's bookstore; Walter is a storyteller. Together they talk about more than 2,000 books, arranged by age-level from birth to 14. In addition, there are lots of sidebars, quotes, "spotlights" on authors, and commonsense advice about how to get kids to read without preaching about it. The YA section is thin, but the children's selections are excellent, celebratory without being cute, a handy reference even for those who know the books. Shelve this with Betsy Hearne's Choosing Books for Children (1990) and Eden Ross Lipson's New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children (1991). Hazel Rochman --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Collins; Rev Upd Su edition (March 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060524677
• ISBN-13: 978-0060524678
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #624,430 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And Adults, Too!, August 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children (Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children: A Lively,) (Paperback)

As a children's librarian I am constantly seeking out adults who like books for kids as much as I do--Valerie and Walter fit the bill. This is filled with books that kids will actually like and want to read--I wish I could give a copy to every school teacher who makes up a summer reading list full of books that were published 50 years ago and then wonders why no one read any of them over the summer. A wonderful resource for parents who care about what their kids read, as well. Bravo.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Other options for this are better, November 8, 2003

By	Sokste "KtS" (Minneapolis, MN U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children (Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children: A Lively,) (Paperback)

Compared to other similar books, this book is difficult to navigate and difficult to use.

I don't like the way books are sorted - by both a reading level and a listening/interest level simultaneously. So to find books for a 5th grader, I have to go through several different groupings, within which is fiction, science/fantasy, etc.. all intermingled. Very disjointed and unsatisfying.

In addition, listings don't have basic information such as the year of publication, number of pages, awards received, etc..

The comments themselves were of interest, but no more so than the other books' contents.

Maybe it's improved since this edition - I hope so!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars LOADS OF INFORMATION AND ADVICE, June 5, 2004

By	Brenda S. Weeaks "MyShelf.Com" (United States) - See all my reviews

Best Books for Children, 2nd Ed is a book to be valued. It's comprehensive and crossed-referenced. A 560-page reference guide featuring best books for children--fiction and nonfiction-though age eleven. Book information includes: title, author, illustrator, format, publisher, themes and sometimes comments from Valerie and Walter. The themes are single word descriptions. Parents will know exactly what is in the book. The book is divided into parts according to a book's listening or interest level. Also, instead of using reading ages, they use general ranges, such as "all, baby, preschoolers, early elementary, middle elementary, and pre-adolescents."

The books listed range from the old familiars to the most recent, such as Harry Potter. This is a reference book written with parents and professionals in mind. Wouldn't it be nice to know that your local school or library used Valerie and Walter's Best Books for Children regularly? Why not recommend it?