Chato's Kitchen

Author: Gary Soto

First line: Chato, a low-riding cat with six stripes, was slinking toward a sparrow when he heard the scrape of tiny feet coming from the yard next door.

Why you should read this book: A light-hearted romp following the attempts of a cool cat to devour a family of mice, infused with the flavor of the barrio. Chato thinks his plan to invite the tasty mice to dinner is foolproof, but he doesn't count on little ratoncitos having big friends. With warm, intriguing illustrations that create a concrete sense of place and character.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Mice give you heartburn.

Nino's Mask

Author: Jeanette Winter

First line: Every year I dream of wearing a mask in the FIESTA - of being something else for just one day.

Why you should read this book: Little Nino is tired of being told he is too young to wear a mask and a costume in his village's yearly planting festival, so he takes matters into his own hands. After watching the mask maker carefully, he cuts his own wood and carves the face of Perro, the dog who catches the despicable Tigre that wants to destroy the village's corn crop. For one day, Nino learns how it feels to be something else, and to contribute to the well-being of his community and his culture.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Masks creep you out.

George's Secret Key to the Universe

Authors: Lucy and Stephen Hawking

First line: Pigs don't just vanish, thought George as he stood staring into the depths of the very obviously empty pigsty.

Why you should read this book: When one of the world's most brilliant living theoretical physicists teams up with his novelist daughter to pen the science-fiction response to Harry Potter, anyone with an interest in science or speculative fiction has got to take notice. The story follows George, the son of Luddite eco-warriors, as he follows his wayward pig, Freddy, into the forbidden house next door, where he meets absent minded scientist, Eric, his fanciful daughter, Annie, and his mind-bogglingly useful laptop, Cosmos, which allows good-hearted users to travel through space without mucking around with rocketry or wasting time getting from place to place. When Eric's former colleague, G. Reeper, discovers the computer's existence, his dastardly plan sends Eric hurtling toward a black hole, and it's up to George to unlock the secrets of the universe and save his friend.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You can't believe Hawking changed his mind about that whole "no escape from a black hole" thing.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

Author: Barack Obama

First line: It's been almost ten years since I first ran for political office.

Why you should read this book: In language precise and sincere, Obama details his understanding of the American political process and the dreams of the American nation, laying out all the problems facing the American people and outlining potential solutions to those problem. Those who accuse the candidate of having little experience or understanding of politics must read this book to understand his wealth of knowledge, not just about the Constitution, the legislature, our history, the economy, morality, and foreign affairs, but also his in-depth comprehension of diplomacy, compromise, and ways to unite a divided nation. This is clear-headed doctrine that ought to hit the reading list of anyone (regardless of affiliation) who senses that America could be a healthier country than it is, and anyone who is ready to bring their nation into the twenty-first century with honor.

Why you shouldn't read this book: Neither the outcome of the 2008 American presidential election nor the position of the US in global policy have any bearing on your life.

Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business

Author: Esphyr Slobodkina

First line: Once there was a peddler who sold caps.

Why you should read this book: It's the classic tale of monkey-see, monkey-do, and it's one of the very few children's books written prior to The Cat in the Hat that continues to hold the attention of our digital age offspring. In simple, repetitive prose, we learn the story of a tired, hungry peddler wearing an improbably stack of hats on his head, and the monkeys who love him, or at least, love to do what he does. Sixty-eight years after its original publication, this book still has kids shaking their hands, stamping their feet, and scolding like monkeys.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're recovering from a vicious monkey bite.

Cast upon the Breakers

Author: Horatio Alger

First line: "Well, good by, Rodney! I leave school tomorrow. I am going to learn a trade."

Why you should read this book: When the orphan heir, young Rodney Ropes, loses his entire fortune at the hands of his careless guardian, he is turned out of school, nearly penniless, but determined to support himself in the big city. Through setbacks with con men and complications with women who carelessly drop valuable packages outside of Tiffany's, he maintains his perfect air of self-confidence and self-reliance, riding the waves of fortune, making friends and enemies as he acts with gentlemanly aplomb. In the end, as in all of Alger's novels, a good character and work ethic are sufficient to return the young heir to his rightful position in society.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You dislike the taste of saccharine. You demand some kind of suspension of disbelief from literature. You can't read a novel comprised almost entirely of dialog without tags. You don't believe in coincidences.

The Order of Things: How Everything in the World Is Organized into Hierarchies, Structures, and Pecking Orders

Author: Barbara Ann Kipfer

First line: From the inner workings of the smallest things to the complex system of the universe, The Order of Things is an attempt to cover all those things that we ourselves have organized, or what we have found naturally organized, into: hierarchies, structures, orders, classifications, branches, scales, divisions, successions, sequences, rankings.

Why you should read this book: Whether you're trying to remember the seven deadly sins or the seven wonders of the ancient world, all the dynasties of China or the structure of the US government, the order of poker hands or the order in which Shakespeare's plays were published, this book has an answer. From abacus to zoology, Kipfer has classified the known world according to its understood structure including science, religion, history, arts, sports, and philosophy. A remarkable reference for anyone reveling in natural curiosity or suffering from general forgetfulness.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're an anarchist.

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World

Author: Michael Pollan

First line: The seeds of this book were first planted in my garden--while I was planting seeds, as a matter of fact.

Why you should read this book: Beginning with the thesis that domestic agriculture is not a human invention, but rather something that grasses did to people to give them a leg up in their ongoing battle with trees, Pollan lays out the relationship between plants and people in terms of manipulation of desire: plants fulfilling some basic drives in exchange for most-favored status. Four plants and four corresponding desires are examined: apples and sweetness, tulips and beauty, marijuana and intoxication, and potatoes and control. This is an intense, well-researched and wonderfully written book that will necessarily change your perspective on the ideals of order and innovation, the place of man in nature, and the food you put into your mouth.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're a lawyer for Monsanto, currently litigating cases against farmers who have stolen your client's intellectual property (i.e. planted unlicensed spuds genetically impregnated with pesticide).

Fox

Author: Margaret Wild

First line: Through the charred forest, over hot ash, runs Dog, with a bird clamped in his big, gentle mouth.

Why you should read this book: Wild, weird, warm, and wonderful, this is a book about trust and betrayal, disability and adaptation, acceptance and desire, to wit, all the adult emotions you can possibly fit into a kid's picture book. Dog, blind in one eye, and Magpie, who has lost the power of flight, form a perfect partnership, until Fox makes them a trio and introduces doubt into the dynamic. It's deep and beautiful, written on the level of a fable so that kids can draw their own conclusions and take away a meaningful lesson about friendship.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You relish being a home wrecker.

Ralphie and the Swamp Baby

Author: Vicky Rubin

First line: Ralphie hurried home from school, happily clutching his mud-wrestling trophy.

Why you should read this book: When a young alligator finds his accomplishments upstaged by an unhatched egg, he determines to return the interloper from whence it came. Armed with a bit of misinformation, he absconds with his unborn sibling into the swamp in search of a stork's nest to engage in the ultimate act of sibling rivalry. Even before the stork sets Ralphie straight on the origin of eggs, the little gator realizes that the egg has some potential and learns to love his sister.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You told your kids about the stork and you plan to keep telling your kids about the stork, and you don't need any smarmy stork undermining your authority or encouraging your kids to ask difficult questions about animal reproduction.