Boss of the World

One look at these attractive covers and young readers will jump into these beginning chapter books all by themselves. In Boss of the World, Katie is a bossy friend until her best friends don’t want to be with her anymore. She changes her ways when she realizes how her selfish behavior affects their friendship. The story lesson is very straightforward and presented with limited vocabulary which adds to the readability. In Goodbye to Goldie, Katie’s old dog dies and though this is sad for her, a suggestion to make a memory scrapbook about Goldie really saves the day. Both books have vibrant illustrations. Tammie Lyon has created very expressive faces for each character and the detail lends itself to pertinent discussions of picture and text and to the enjoyment of the story. Guidance counselors will find these books very helpful for character discussions and life changes. Parents and librarians will appreciate the short, yet contemporary, plot and setting. Teachers and students will find relevant discussion questions, independent writing prompts, and a section just for having fun. Recommended. * Library Media Connection *
When I was growing up, it was quite a task to find a book series featuring a female protagonist who was not white. Ramona Quimby, Nancy Drew, the Sweet Valley Twins, 95% of the Babysitter’s Club, etc. were all white. They are wonderful books and children from any race can read and enjoy stories about these characters, but I wondered what young black, Hispanic, Asian, and other races lost when they got few chances to read books about characters that look like them. If any race can read and love Ramona, shouldn’t they all be given the chance to read and relate to a black character, or an Asian one? Why don’t publishers make more of these books? Tough we are aware of the reasons why it’s important for students to read books like this, there is still a paucity of books available that spotlight racially diverse characters. Nevertheless, there are now a lot more options for young readers. I love seeing girls with their noses in books, and I was struck when I saw girls of all races reading two series starring diverse female protagonists: Katie Woo and Dyamonde Daniel . Katie Woo is an award-winning series for young readers. Katie’s series contains short sentences and nice illustrations for students just beginning chapter books. Her covers are as vivid and inviting as her stories! Katie is in first grade and she’s had to deal with the loss of a beloved pet , a bully and lying . I love that likeable series features an Asian protagonist, though it is sadly one of the few I’ve ever seen that does so. http://substitutesftw.blogspot.com/2011/06/diverse-book-series-for-young-readers.html * Substitutes, FTW! blog *
Several months ago at the library Lily and I happened upon an early reader chapter book written by Fran Manushkin titled, Katie Woo - Boss of the World. Katie, the main character, is Chinese-American. In the story Katie and her friends, JoJo and Pedro, spend a day at the beach. What starts out as a fun day turns out to be not so fun when Katie behaves like she’s...you guessed it...the boss of the world. The book is an easy and fun read and I particularly liked that Katie was able to recognize and resolve the problem herself. More importantly...Lily loved the book! What’s not to love? Katie is a spirited girl with a unique fashion sense who seems to easily find her way into…and not so easily out of…problems. The fact that she is Chinese-American is simply an added bonus. Most of the books that we own that have a Chinese main character pertain to either adoption or Chinese culture. I was so excited to find an easy-to-read book about the daily adventures of a 6 year old Chinese-American girl. I was even happier to learn that this book is part of a series that will contain a total of 24 books, 12 of the books are available now. At the back of each book are a Glossary, Discussion Questions, Writing Prompts, and Craft Ideas. * Maryland Families with Children from China *