Wild girl, JUNIE B. JONES is a very popular series for children in 1st through 3rd grade. CLEMENTINE is a mad popular series. And so is RUBY LU, BRAVE AND TRUE, a series about a young Asian girl. As a school librarian I often wonder what does a little black boy do when he wants to read about boys who look like him, share his life experience and speak his language. Besides biographies of famous black men, what series will humor him and make him laugh? I have poured over Publisher's Weekly and the School Library Journal. To date I have not found a series with a young black boy as the main protagonist. However, Ann Cameron's STORIES THAT JULIAN TELLS does satisfy this tall order. In her collection of five stories, Julian is a jokester. He especially likes to trick his little brother, Huey, into believing things that are not true. Though the book was written in 1989 it remains in print because the stories resonate with children. For example, Julian helps his dad make a lemon pudding as a gift to his mother. The lemon pudding is so yummy that Julian and his brother eat it up. In another episode, Julian tells his little brother that eating leaves off a fig tree will make him grow. Julian makes up stories about many things which ultimately prove that storytelling (lies) should be avoided because they can lead to distruction. Here is a lesson us grown folks would do well to learn as well. This 71 page book is a great read aloud. Enjoy!
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