The pandemic has stretched the patience of young and old alike. One way to entertain kids and mentally take them to faraway places is through reading terrific books charged with imagination.

When tensions flare, read a book. When boredom sets in, read a book. The list goes on and on. Read to your kids, every day, even when this pandemic is over.

Books to borrow

The following books are available at many public libraries.

“The Giant Jam Sandwich” written and illustrated by John Vernon Lord with verses by Janet Burroway, Houghton Mifflin, 30 pages

Read aloud: age 2 and older.

Read yourself: age 6 – 7.

One hot summer day, the village of Itching Down had a big problem on its hands when 4 million wasps flew into town. There was a lot of stinging going on, and the villagers held a meeting to try and decide what to do. Fortunately, Bap the Baker came up with an excellent idea: make a giant strawberry jam sandwich and trap the wasps in the sticky mess!

Everyone sprang into action to help create the largest jam sandwich in the world. Teamwork and clever thinking resulted in a very successful (and amusing) result, leaving Itching Down free from wasps forever.

Rhyming, clever text and hilarious illustrations combine to make “The Giant Jam Sandwich” pure delight in every regard.

Librarian’s choice

Library: Boyertown Community Library, 29 E. Philadelphia Ave., Boyertown

Library director: Susan Lopez

Youth services coordinator: Lisa Rand

Youth services assistant: Sairra Cloen

Choices this week: “Secrets at Sea” by Richard Peck; “The Mysterious Benedict Society” by Trenton Lee Stewart; “The Man in the Moon” by William Joyce

Books to buy

The following books are available at favorite bookstores.

“The One and Only Bob” by Katherine Applegate, Harper, 2020, 352 pages, $18.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 8 – 12.

Read yourself: age 9 – 12.

As a young puppy, Bob’s life was tough. Having lost his siblings and especially worried about his older sister, Boss, Bob finally found a home with mall resident gorilla, Ivan; an old circus elephant, Stella; and a baby elephant. Life there was crummy, but after Stella died, Bob was adopted by Julia and her parents, and Ivan and Ruby were relocated to a good animal park not far from Bob’s new home. And as an added bonus, Julia’s dad worked where Ivan and Ruby lived, so they got to see each other all the time.

One day when Julia was taking Bob for a walk to the animal park, her father told her to keep alert because there was a hurricane on the way that could also spawn tornadoes. After they arrive at the park, Bob was spending time with Ivan and Ruby. The animals sensed that the storm was getting closer.

Julia’s dad insisted they take shelter immediately, and when Julia called for Bob, he slipped off his perch and landed on Ivan’s side of the wall. With no time to spare, Julia and her dad ran for cover in the park building, and Bob was sucked up by a tornado and deposited in another part of the park.

Bob was a little banged up but otherwise okay. But when Bob looked around, he saw damage everywhere and animals in need of help. What Bob didn’t see was Ivan, Ruby, Julia and her dad. Frantic to find his friends and his people, Bob set off amid the chaos and encountered further troubles that tested Bob to his limits.

Told in Bob’s voice, this novel brims with humor, courage, suspense, family, friendship and forgiveness, making “The One and Only Bob” pure entertainment in every way.

“The Legend of King Arthur-a-Tops” by Mo O’Hara, illustrated by Andrew Joyner, Harper, 2020, 36 pages, $17.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 4 – 8.

Read yourself: age 7 – 8.

One hundred and fifty million years ago in the swamps of Camelot, three young dinosaur squires were training to be knights. The strong and brave dino was Lancelot-o-saur. The fast and fearless dino was Guinevere-raptor. And then there was Arthur-a-tops, who was forgetful and a bit clumsy.

When it came time for the Festival of the Stone, the knight-o-saurs came from all over the kingdom to try to pull the golden-ringed dinosaur horn, Rex-calibur, from the magical stone. Camelot was in need of a strong and brave king, but no one had been able to extract the horn for years. Would this year be different?

A delightfully funny rendition of the legend of King Arthur with a real bang of an ending, “The Legend of King Arthur-a-Tops” is certain to entertain and please.

Nationally syndicated, Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children’s literature. She can be reached at kendal@sunlink.net and kendal.rautzhan27@gmail.com.