Sometimes kids are just not ready to try something new, such as an overnight at a friend's house, learning to swim or starting school. Rosemary Wells has written a threesome that reminds children and their parents that things take longer for some than for others: "Edward Unready for a Sleep Over," "Edward Unready for Swimming" and "Edward Unready for School."

Being unready is not limited to the preschool set, nor is it confined to the reluctant child. Judith Viorst's "Earrings!" shows the frustrations a child can feel when she thinks she is ready (to have her ears pierced) and her parents don't. Viorst is just plain funny. And these are times when a laugh is good medicine!

-- from "Valerie & Walter's Best Books for Children" by Valerie V. Lewis and Walter M. Mayes

Pub Date: 04/11/99