DAISY'S DEFINING DAY

What's a girl to do when her young next-door neighbor, Grant, who has just discovered the joy of rhyming, starts calling her “Lazy Daisy” every time he sees her, even at school?

For Daisy, who absolutely adores words, the perfect solution to her problem with pesky Grant is to create a new and much better name for herself—something to replace “Lazy Daisy.” Daisy has been learning about alliteration in school, so her new name ought to feature a word that starts with the letter D, and if one word is wonderful, then a whole series of words must be even better. After a lot of experimentation, which of course exposes readers new to chapter books to a little challenging vocabulary, Daisy finally settles on Dynamite Dramatic Determined Dazzling Daisy. Unfortunately, that name is too long for many people to remember, and it proves especially discouraging for her best friend. Eventually, Daisy finds a better way to make peace with Grant. As in Daisy's first outing, not much happens, but the pages look inviting, with minimal, generously leaded print and ample, charming black-and-white illustrations. Daisy is affable enough to be an appealing protagonist as she navigates some of the minor perils of grade school.

Transitioning readers, particularly girls, will enjoy seeing Daisy navigate the familiar shoals of elementary school in this better-than-average early chapter book.