By Maureen Tai, 22 April 2024

In this charming, engaging and insightful chapter book for younger readers (ages 6-9), we meet Tola, a little Nigerian girl with a big heart. She lives in Lagos with her siblings, Moji, who is very clever, and Dapo, who is very hard-working, and with her grandmother, who is very loving but also very strict. The family relies on Dapo’s earnings as a mechanic for all their necessities, yet Tola finds pleasure in many things – eating, learning, doing her homework, and being with her family. One day, Tola’s life is turned upside down as the pandemic spreads to Africa, and the government imposes a lockdown, forcing everyone to stay at home. As their food and funds dwindle, Tola decides that she needs to do something to help her family. Using her newly-learned maths skills, Tola gets tough (hence the title) and emerges triumphant at a the satisfying end of the story. What I love about this chapter book (and her many others) is that Atinuke doesn’t shy away from describing – in age-appropriate prose – the yawning chasm between the working class poor and the BMW-driving, private-helicopter-flying rich, nor does she gloss over the hardships endured by the poor and the elderly. Her characters are not merely two sides of a coin, either virtuous heroes or blameworthy caricatures. Instead, Atinuke describes interesting and complicated individuals in rich and realistic relationships, and, through the kind, plucky and clever Tola, shines a light on the threads of humanity that bind us all – rich or poor, young or old, friend or stranger – together. Do check out the other books in her Too Small Tola series, and follow it up with a foray into her Anna Hibiscus and The No.1 Car Spotter series of chapter books as well. You won’t regret it.

Ages 6 and up.

By Maureen Tai, 5 September 2021

I discovered Piper Green and the Fairy Tree (ages 7+), a delightful chapter book for younger children, during a recent browse in the public library. The titular Piper lives with her parents and younger brother Leo on a tiny island called Peek-a-Boo Island. Eight other kids live on the island, and they all go to a school on another island by lobster boat. Piper is missing her older brother Erik, though she won’t say so out loud. Instead, she decides to wear the monkey earmuffs Erik gave her to school even though they don’t really go with her new t-shirt and shorts. Imagine Piper’s shock when she discovers her new teacher doesn’t approve of her unusual accessory either. Suddenly, second grade is looking grim. What does our headstrong heroine do? Well, you’ll need to read this charming book to find out! This series, packed with memorable and funny characters masterfully brought to life in Qin Leng’s black and white ink illustrations, will entice even the most reluctant of readers.

By Maureen Tai, 1 August 2021

Claude is a small, plump, beret-wearing canine who has a knighted, striped bobbly sock as a sidekick. Every day, after his owners Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes, have gone to work, Claude embarks on a new adventure. In the slender Claude in the City (ages 6+), one of 10 books in the series, the energetic little pooch and Sir Bobblysock head into the city of London for the first time. There, they discover … Skyscrapers! Honking cars! Pigeons! Restaurants that serve fancy drinks! … before ending up at an art gallery where Claude inadvertently foils the plans of a brazen art thief. Delightfully detailed and wacky illustrations make these early readers extremely appealing to emerging readers who will enjoy the rollicking, improbable yet endearing antics of dog and sock.

By Maureen Tai, 31 July 2021

Each slim book in the classic Nate the Great series of early readers (ages 6+) packs a punch. Nate is a detective. He loves pancakes, as does Sludge, the stray dog he adopted. Nate makes pancakes when he is in the middle of solving cases. Like when Annie lost the key to her house and couldn’t get in to throw a birthday party for her ferocious-looking pet dog, appropriately named Fang. Or when that pesky Oliver lost the weed that he had acquired from the cat-loving and slightly strange Rosamond. Nate writes notes – in shaky cursive – to his mother when he is out doing field work (ahhh, those pre-Internet days!). The sparse prose, delightful pictures and activity pages at the end add to the appeal of these charming and clever books, perfect for emerging readers who are looking for an interesting and fun “bridge” into the wondrous new realm of chapter books. The best part? There are around 30 books in the series, enough for a whole lot of rainy days and lazy afternoons.