Book Talk Tuesday: Frankie Pickle

Today's post is going to be fairly short because I have some other things that really need to be done, but I love Book Talk Tuesday, and I wanted to share one of my favorite series for new and struggling readers. Book Talk Tuesday is being hosted today by LitLad.

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom
written and illustrated by Eric Wight
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009
Grades 1-3
Reviewed from purchased copy.

Meet Frankie Pickle...the kid with the world's most amazing imagination!  It takes him on adventures.It helps him save the day.And sometimes it gets him into trouble. When Frankie's mom says he never has to clean his room again, he goes hog wild. The more he plays, the bigger the mess grows, until it tumbles out of control! Now Frankie must clean up his act, but will his imagination be enough to conquer the CLOSET OF DOOM? (Goodreads.com)

 
Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000
written and illustrated by Eric Wight
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010
Grades 1-3
Reviewed from purchased copy.

Frankie Pickle returns for another imaginative adventure and this time it all comes down to race cars. Well, not quite race cars, but the Pine Run Derby for scouts. Frankie is in danger of not advancing to the next ranking with the rest of his troop unless he can win the Pine Run 3000. But Frankie wants to do everything on his own so he imagines himself as a world-class sculptor, a mad scientist, and of course, a pro-racecar driver. In the end, Frankie learns that team work is the only way he won't get left in the dust. (Goodreads.com)

Frankie Pickle and the Mathematical Menace
written and illustrated by Eric Wight
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011
Grades 1-3Reviewed from copy provided by publisher, artwork not yet final.
Available in stores on July 26th.

Frankie's facing his greatest challenge yet: his MATH QUIZ. He'd rather live in a world without math, but his quiz has other plans. It transports him to Arithmecca, a world filled with horrible number monsters! Armed with only his pencil, Frankie must learn to divide and conquer if he's going to ace his quiz and defeat THE MATHEMATICAL MENACE. (Goodreads.com)


All three of these books combine prose with comic style imaginative adventures.  I love the way Frankie turns his challenges into imaginative adventures.  I also appreciate the way the author lets Frankie discover things on his own.  As most teachers and parents learn, sometimes kids have to learn things on their own, no matter what advice we might give to try to help them.  While Frankie is discovering things on his own, he still has his family there to help when he needs them.  The challenges Frankie faces are all typical challenges that many kids face, cleaning one's room, scouting, and math.  I think its especially awesome the way Wight deals with math struggles in the newest volume.  This book could be a great way to help students understand the importance of math in a fun, imaginative way.  While I didn't see the finished artwork for the third book, I have no doubt it will be as delightful as the other books in the series.  Highly recommended for students learning to read and struggling readers.