Young Readers

A group of 70 first-graders at Bollman Bridge Elementary School is engaged in a bold experiment in learning how to read -- by returning to the way most of their parents first mastered printed words.Nearly all beginning readers in Howard County's public schools are taught by the "whole-language" approach in vogue across the country. But pupils in three classrooms at the Jessup elementary school now are receiving a heavier-than-average dose of old-fashioned "phonics."Put simply, they're learning to read by intensive drills in the sounds of letters and certain letter combinations.

This summer, 8-year-old Daniel Steciak and his twin brother, Eric, became outer space detectives.As participants in Howard County Library's summer reading program: "Go Undercover With A Book!" the boys devoured 40 mystery and space adventure books, putting the program a few volumes closer to its pledged total of 30,000 books by Aug. 27."I read 'Star Trek' books and mystery books," said Daniel, who will be a fourth-grader at Glenelg Country School in the fall. "I read some adventure books."

If you're into dramatic rescues, George Sullivan's "Trapped" ($4, Scholastic) is for you. It tells the true stories of people who have been trapped in caves, elevators, abandoned wells, mines, on mountains, submarines and planes. The author digs up some juicy tidbits linked to headline-making rescues.In one chapter, Sullivan recounts a class-trip nightmare: During the World Trade Center bombing, 72 kindergartners and their teachers got caught in an elevator. What was supposed to be a 90-second ride turned into a five-hour ordeal.

Clarice Bean Spells Trouble Lauren Child Candlewick / Ages 9-12 Clarice isn't happy that her teacher has organized a spelling bee. "Another thing that is difficult to explain is why YOU isn't spelled U and why WHY isn't spelled Y." Always the contrarian, Clarice is sure that truly valuable knowledge is knowing every episode of "Ruby Redfort," a secret agent adventure show, as well as perceiving what makes her classmate, Karl Wrenbury, tick. "He has just got this zingy thing in him. ... And sometimes he lets the guinea pigs out on purpose."

WHAT BETTER way for a child to spend summer months than reading. It instills knowledge, develops language skills, expands the imagination. All this free of charge with a library card. This summer, the Howard County Library encouraged and rewarded dozens of teen-agers and preteens for their summer reading accomplishments. "I go to the library quite often," said Daphanie Beckford, 15, of Oakland Mills. "They only asked [students to read] eight books, which really isn't anything, so I was like, `All right, let me do this.

REPEATING THE motto "Readers are Leaders," William Winchester Elementary Principal Mark Vigliotti watched Thursday afternoon as his salt-and-pepper hair fell to the ground amid wild cheers from his pupils. Vigliotti, who could also be heard singing "I look pretty," had promised the youngsters in January that they could shave his hair into a stubbly buzz cut if they all participated in the school's reading incentive program this spring. The pupils read for a total of 399,562 minutes during the past four months.

Passover begins at sundown on March 26, less than two weeks before the Orioles open the season against the Kansas City Royals at Camden Yards. Kids anticipating the Jewish holiday and the baseball season -- not necessarily in that order -- ought to check out "Matzah Ball: A Passover Story."It's a new book written by Mindy Avra Portnoy, Associate Rabbi of Temple Sinai in Washington, and illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn, an artist in Rockville.Both are Orioles fans, and so is Aaron, the narrator of "Matzah Ball" (Kar-Ben Copies, $13.95 hardcover, $5.95 paperback, 32 pages, ages 5-9)

Thirteen-year-old Helene Kahn doesn't have one favorite book. An eighth-grader at Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, she mostly reads history and biography for class, tucked away in a quiet corner of her Pikesville home while listening to a Dave Matthews Band CD. But Helene finds that reading is more fun when she couples books with a little benevolence. As part of the service activities for her bat mitzvah, Helene collected about 500 books to donate to the Reach Out and Read program in Baltimore.

Parents of the '90s -- at least those who tend toward trends -- are buying their children retro-presents, the Erector Sets and Easy-Bake Ovens of their '60s youth.The same holds true for their choice in children's books. "Where the Wild Things Are," Dr. Seuss, "Eloise" and Laura Ingalls Wilder never go out of style. Sticking to the classics, however, means missing out on a mother lode of wonderful new books.So before snapping up that copy of "Horton Hatches the Egg" to wrap for a loved one, thumb through some of this year's releases.

Hear That Train Whistle Blow! How the Railroad Changed the World By Milton Meltzer. Random House. 176 pages. $18.95. Ages 12-15 years. This one's not for the train fan or lover of bygone mechanics. There's abundant detail about the engines, the rails and bridges, but it's really the cultural changes and human fallout from this new technology that fascinate Milton Meltzer. For example, instead of getting solely caught up in the multiplying miles of track, Meltzer reminds us of how little safety was a goal in the early days.