Manjusha Pawagi & Leanne Franson (Illustrator) - The Girl Who Hated Books

This is a really fun book for kids between the ages of 3 and 10. The main character, Meena, is too stubborn and rebellious to engage in the activity that here parents love--reading books. They continue to buy her books, however. Books pile up around the house until the wonder of the content of the pages spill out. In getting the characters back into the books, Meena discovers the joy, adventure, and knowledge that can be obtained through reading. Kids will learn that ignorance isn't bliss and how it is good to try things before rejecting them from the messages in The Girl Who Hated Books.

My soon-to-be 4-year old gives it a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

From the publisher:

"There were books in dressers and drawers and desk, in closets and cupboards and chest. There were books on the sofa and books on the stairs, books crammed in the fireplace and stacked on the chairs."
And poor Meena hates all of them, as does her cat, Max, who once had a stack of hardcovers land on his tail! It is hard to be a little girl who hates books when you live in a house full of avid readers. Then one day, Meena finds Max trapped precariously on top of a tower of books. As she tries to rescue him, the books come crashing down, and as they fall, a wonderland of characters tumble from the books into her bedroom. Meena is amazed as monkeys swing from her curtains, birds perch on the chandelier, and three little pigs hide under her bed. She had always thought that books were full of words, not animals and people!

What comes next is pure mayhem--a fanciful and funny romp where Meena discovers the magic of reading. Readers of all ages will love sharing in this clever and engaging transformation.

Manjusha Pawagi received her master's degree in journalism at Stanford University. She is passionate about children and literature and has combined both of her loves in The Girl Who Hated Books, her first book for children.

Leanne Franson has been drawing since childhood. She has illustrated many award-winning books in the United States and Canada.