By January many new readers have consolidated their skills enough to want the challenge of reading a whole book. Many publishers have obliged with short, action- packed stories liberally sprinkled with illustrations to help comprehension.

Children love to read and be read to. Books make the perfect holiday gift. Here are my picks:

Adventure stories for boys come in many guises, but all have one thing in common: at one point in the story, if not more, the action becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful.  Just what boys love

Stephen Beck's completely literal interpretation of the Bible outlined in his book A Father's Stew is, to a columnist who believes that women should be allowed to work out of the home if they like, completely out of whack