Scanning the Bookshelf

Kids don't always react well to staid, preachy advice books. But this group is different, full of fun tales and unique ideas meant to inspire greatness.

"Water, Weed, and Wait" by Edith Hope Fine and Angela Demos Halpin; illustrated by Colleen Madden; Tricycle Press; 32 pages; $15.99.

Gardening can be daunting, especially when young green thumbs are faced with rocky terrain and weeds. In Fine's zesty picture book, Mrs. Marigold tries to get her class onboard to help turn an unpromising patch of their schoolyard into a mecca of fruits, flowers and vegetables.

Soon into the hopeful story, the entire community — including one particularly grumpy resident — lends a hand, and the garden and friendships flourish.

Peppered with planting tips and photos of students gardening in real school gardens, "Water, Weed and Wait" should entice kids to harvest their own plants. Madden's funny, friendly illustrations also capture the joy and pride of young gardeners.

"Doodle 123!" by Taro Gomi; Chronicle Books; 250 pages; $19.99.

A coloring book is an advice book? Taro Gomi's wildly popular "Scribbles," "Doodles" and "Squiggles" sketch books certainly do prompt kids to create. His latest book presents playful black-and-white drawings with fun-to-follow instructions that will get kids of all ages thinking, laughing and creating.

Gomi's huge paperback includes prompt such as, "How much money do you or someone you know have in the bank? (But color over it quickly to keep this a secret!)," "Let's draw 5 different bugs. 5 of each kind, please," "How many legs does the jellyfish have?" and "How old do you think these people are?" Each page or spread clearly begs to be colored, penciled in or decorated.

And the questions add an element of education.

"No Problem! An Easy Guide to Getting What You Want" by Ken Watanabe; illustrated by Elwood H. Smith; Viking/Penguin; 70 pages; $9.99.

One of the valuable lessons in this friendly advice book: "Problem-solving kids have big dreams. But they also have something else, too — plans that break their bigger dreams down into smaller goals."

Author Watanabe points out in the beginning of the book that being a problem solver isn't just an ability, but an entire mindset. He also notes that instead of just accepting things the way they are, real problem solvers try to make a difference.

Though this information may sound daunting, Watanabe does a great job of breaking down problem-solving advice into smaller steps that ages 8 to 14 can grasp and use in everyday life. He uses a fantastic scenario about a middle-school band's advertising approach and a money-raising problem for another boy.

Best thing about this particular advice book? It'll get kids off the couch to use their noggins in order to solve their problems.

"Confessions of a Former Bully" by Trudy Ludwig; illustrations by Beth Adams; 48 pages; $15.99.

Told from the unusual point of view of the bully rather than the person being bullied, Trudy Ludwig, a relational aggression expert and children's advocate, provides kids with real-life tools to identify and stop bullying.

Ludwig introduces a fictional middle-school girl who bullies, but she soon realizes that bullying not only hurts the people around her, but hurts her, too. She then provides tons of practical tips for students, teachers and parents on what works and doesn't work, how to break the bully cycle with role-playing, and how to empower bystanders to stop bullying without risking their own safety.

Already garnering top-notch reviews from psychologists and other professionals, "Confessions of a Former Bully" is a must-have book, especially in school libraries and classrooms.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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