Still A Dreamer

Chapter books are the next step as a child grows beyond picture books. Whereas picture books are largely illustration, chapter books are largely prose, but which still include illustration, generally in black and white. Written for the age 7-10 crowd, they feature short chapters so the book can easily be put down and picked up again by the young reader. Chapter books include a fairly good amount of dialogue, short sentences, and vocabulary that is targeted for the reader who is growing in his reading skills.

Among the chapter books and series that have stood the test of time are the Cam Jansen Mysteries by David Adler; Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park; the Arthur Chapter Books by Steven Krensky; The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne, and quite a few more. A comprehensive list of current, popular chapter books has been compiled by the Salt Lake City Library Services, last updated April 2009.

I’ve currently been reading a series within The Magic Tree House Series subtitled A Merlin Mission. These books are excellent examples for writers of what is being sought in a good chapter book, but Mary Pope Osborne has added in this selection a special richness by introducing a famous myth. In The Magic Tree House Series, our main characters are brother and sister Jack and Annie of Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. They find a tree house in the woods filled with books, and that by pointing to a picture in a book, they can go there. In time they find the tree house belongs to Morgan Le Fay of Camelot, home to King Arthur.

In the Merlin Mission series, each adventure has Jack and Annie traveling back to Camelot to help King Arthur resolve a mystery or solve a problem. The first of this series is Christmas in Camelot, followed by Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve and Summer of the Sea Serpent.  What Mary Pope Osborne has brought to this series is an introduction of the myth of King Arthur and the Round Table for children ages 7-10, filled with the symbolism of cloaks, cauldrons, magical beings and more. She has provided detailed references in the back of the book for the elements she’s introduced.

With great black and white illustrations, these stories are perfect for the aspiring reader, but also for those of us who seek to learn what a good chapter book is all about. Osborne’s great dialogue and plot keep the mysteries moving along at a brisk pace, and enlightened this writer as to what also makes a chapter book timeless.