Education Extra Book Picks.

Byline: The Register-Guard

"Dear Whiskers," by Ann Whitehead Nagda; Holiday House, 2000

Age group: 7 to 11

The kids in Jenny's fourth-grade class have a new assignment: Write letters to the second-graders, and pretend they are written by a mouse. Jenny doesn't enjoy writing letters, and she doesn't enjoy pretending. She is even more unhappy about the assignment when she receives her letter back from Sameera, her second-grade pen pal. Sameera's letter says simply "No mouse. In desk."

As the story unfolds, Jenny learns more about Sameera: her family has just moved here from Saudi Arabia, and she doesn't like the assignment any more than Jenny does. Jenny's dilemma builds after she learns that Sameera doesn't know English, and apparently doesn't want to learn. Can she think of a way to capture her interest?

Jenny's creative approach to the problem involves mouse cookies and make-believe. And a believable resolution - not just between Jenny and Sameera, but between Sameera and the rest of her class - makes for an enjoyable and satisfying chapter book.

This story stays evenly centered on the second- and fourth-grade students. It is perfect for those "betweener" readers who are just making the transition to chapter books, or are unwilling to take on a 200-page novel.

The impatient Jenny, Richard the joker, Susan the perfect and especially Sameera, the new kid who talks "funny," will draw young readers in.

The subtle, nonpedagogical message about understanding those different from us shines through, and the winsome pencil drawings add delight. A great choice for young readers!

By Debra Bogart, youth services librarian, Springfield Public Library