I love books that are great to read aloud, side-splittingly funny, hair-raisingly exciting and make me cry. Here are my top four children’s books.

l         A book that made me cry:

The Lorax by Dr. Seus

       The Lorax’s doomed fight to save his beloved Truffula trees from extinction at the hands of the blue-armed capitalist called the Onceler, has that lovely mixture of humour, truth and pathos. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not,” says the Onceler, throwing the Very Last Truffula Seed of Them All down to the child who is being told the story.

       At this point, if you are not in tears, you have a heart of stone.

l         A book that made me want to be the heroine:

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

       Pippi Longstocking was so strong that she could lift a horse above her head. She had independent means, no visible parents, the cheek of several Peter Pans and her very own monkey. I longed to be her.

l         A book with a fantasy world I am tempted to believe is true:

The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White

       “The best thing for being sad, is to learn something,” says Merlin, the magician who lives life backwards. This is a book about learning to be a hero, and it is funny and wise. The fight between the two knights with armour so heavy that they can barely move still makes me laugh out loud.

l         A book for your inner and your actual teenager:

Holes by Louis Sachar

       Stanley Yelnats is a young delinquent who is pointlessly digging holes at Camp Green Lake as punishment for a crime he did not commit. A thrilling story of crime, redemption and how the past haunts the present.

80. Which book is hair-raisingly exciting?

A.      The Lorax                                                       B. Pippi Longstocking       

C.  The Sword in the Stone                                 D. Holes

81. Which of the following is true according to the article?

A.      The Lorax tells a thrilling story that may scare many children.

B.      Pippi Longstocking is a hero with special personality traits.

C.     The Sword in the Stone tells a story about a magician looking for a sword all his life.

D.     In Holes, Stanley Yelnats is wronged and punished.

82. The following adjectives can be used to describe the features of the above four books except __________.

A. imaginative                    B. exclusive               C. thrilling            D. humorous

DDB