Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things, by Lenore Look

Alvin Ho is utterly charming.  Funny, sweet, and touching; it's a rare book that inspires so much affection in me.   LeUyen Pham's simple but emotive line drawings accentuate the text wonderfully.  I'm thrilled to see that Look & Pham have collaborated on another two Alvin Ho books after this one.

Alvin is a superhero and aspiring gentleman at home, but has never spoken a single word in school.  This has not helped him gain any friends, at least not the kind he wants.  Flea, a girl with a cool pirate eye-patch, has not figured out that he is "allergic" to girls, and gaily translates his terrified facial expressions for their teachers.  She is a fantastic character herself, brave, tough and loyal.  I'm hoping to see more of her in the next books.  Alvin fumbles through home and school life, learning through painfully funny accidents and misunderstandings.  Throughout it all, his parents are there to sort him out, calm him down, and set him straight.

I'd recommend this book to shy children, brave children, and everyone else.  In my city, it's a bonus that the protagonist is asian-american, particularly when the book doesn't make a big deal out it.  Children's literature needs more books like this.