By Colleen Rowe

If your nieces and nephews feel bored with their current booklist, why not suggest a few classic book series to help them become more interested in reading! Here are three book series that you can recommend to your niece and nephew… and read with them!

1. Amelia Bedelia

First published in 1963, Amelia Bedelia, written by Peggy Parish, is a series of stories for children ages 4 to 8 years circulating around the life of a maid who works for the fictional Rogers family. Amelia aloofly creates obstacles for herself with her ditsy persona, helping kids to stay interested in the story’s humorous tone. In “Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia,” she does “roll call” for the class she is a substitute teacher for and actually yells at a baked roll. In the original Amelia Bedelia, she physically dresses a chicken that is meant to be made for dinner, in a classy outfit. These silly puns help kids to learn about literary elements as they enjoy a funny plotline, while Amelia’s literal understanding of the world mimics a child’s growing years of understanding casual everyday clichés. If your nieces and nephews need a story that will help keep them focused on a plotline, suggest Amelia Bedelia to them. Her character is very relatable and easy to reference, since her quirky persona has become a staple in children’s literature.

2.The Bernstein Bears

“The Bernstein Bears,” created by Stan and Jan Berenstain, is a book series, for children ages 5 to 8 years, that was originally published in 1962. It uses creative illustrations to go through the daily life of an average (bear) family. In “The Bernstein Bears Forget their Manners,” The Bernstein Bears cannot seem to eliminate their bad habits, and solutions are offered on how they can fix them. Mama Bear gives them a list of chores that have to perform if they are in any way rude or sloppy. This book in particular teaches kids how to be responsible. Like any family, the Bernstein Bears have aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and they all gather for “The Bernstein Bears Family Reunion.” This storyline can help kid understand how important it is to be close with family, even if they live at a distance.

3. The Magic School Bus

“The Magic School Bus,” written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, is a book series for children ages 6 to 9 years, that helps kids to understand scientific facts and ideas. The lead protagonist, Ms. Frizzle, is an eccentric teacher who takes her students on seemingly impossible adventures. These books will help your nieces and nephews to absorb the valid scientific and biological facts that the child characters learn through their instructor’s far-fetched situations. This positive female role model will help kids to appreciate their aunties more than they already do. “The Magic School Bus” really reinforces the idea of an intelligent, and somewhat fearless woman who is always willing to help the kids who look up to her. Aunts are creative teachers, who bring their nieces and nephews on short journeys while they are away from home, and entertain them with fun facts. Since it’s physically impossible to travel into the human body, as Ms. Frizzle does with her class, why not take the kids to a science museum? They’ll learn just as much, but the car ride won’t be as bumpy!

Photo: Stoonn

Published: October 15, 2014