Smoking Stinks!!

Gosselin (Taking Asthma to School) hammers home her anti-smoking message in this first title in the Substance Free Kids series. Maddie worries about her grandfather's smoking habit, especially since he has a loud and hacking cough that wakes her up at night. She hates the way Grandpa Norman's fingers are stained, the way his nightshirt reeks of smoke and the way his smoking aggravates her allergies. As a result, ""Smoking Stinks!"" becomes the battle cry of her health report for school, alerting her classmates to the dangers of smoking. Gosselin's straightforward text serves as a powerful wake-up call for young readers, and teachers and anti-smoking advocates are especially likely to appreciate its emphasis on the facts. The text, unfortunately, is set in wavy lines, a gratuitous and distracting design element. Buttner compensates for the lack of action in the story with stylized art. His muted palette and textured paint and charcoal style gives his scenes a dusty, appropriately smoky look. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)