THE BEST TIME TO READ

Bertram and Bloom’s The Best Place to Read (2003) took on the social geography of reading. This sequel addresses not so much the best time to read as the best people to read with—and that means just about anyone, anytime. In consistently upbeat, rhyming sequences, a young boy races about his house seeking someone to share his new book. He’ll be happy to read to them, but the results are disappointing: Mom’s cooking, dad’s mowing, big brother—as big brothers will—wants him to beat it and all the others, even the dog, are busy, too. Well, there’s always the captive audience of stuffed animals. The story is a gentle tribute to sharing and the pleasures to be found in reading, if only on the boy’s part—until the end, when the family shakes free from their distractions. Garland’s artwork is hit or miss; either you will be taken with his brand of alternately fuzzy and sharp elements and their seemingly 3-D qualities, or those beady eyes will give you the creeps. Still, there’s no time like the present to deliver this message. (Picture book. 3-6)