Frances and More!

Today is Russell Hoban's 86th birthday - he's always been familiar to me because of his "Frances" series, but he's got several other books out there as well... so today, I've got one Frances review as well as two less popular titles.

Hoban, Russell.
A Birthday for Frances.
1968.
Scholastic, Inc.: New York, NY.

Ages: 4-8
Genre: Fiction, Birthdays
Guided Reading Level: K

Frances's little sister Gloria is having a birthday and Frances is jealous about the cake, ice cream, presents and attention that Gloria is receiving and angry about the trouble her little sister causes her. However, despite all her attempts to ruin Gloria's birthday, Frances soon realizes that Gloria idolizes her, as Gloria spills her birthday wish. Frances quickly realizes how important she is to Gloria and decides to let Gloria enjoy her birthday and to take part in the festivities as well!

Hoban, Russell.

Harvey's Hideout.
1969.

Parent's Magazine Press: New York, NY.

Ages: 5-8
Genre: Fiction
Guided Reading Level: N/A

Review/Summary:

Harvey and his sister don't get along. Rather, they try to get each other in trouble for everything! Over the summer, there are no friends around at all for Harvey to play with, so he builds a raft. Mildred is very unhappy about the noise he's making and causes a fight. They both get in trouble by father. Mildred tries to get back at Harvey later in the day by telling him that she's been invited to a party where brothers are not allowed. Harvey goes into the woods while Mildred goes to her party and begins building his own secret place. Both brag about their special meetings to each other, only to discover in the end that there is no secret club that they each belong to, but rather they're both using their imagination to make the lonely summer days escape more quickly.

This cute story shows kids that when you're lonely, you don't always have to put on a brave face to try and deal with the loneliness on your own.