Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
I’ve mentioned before that my daughter loves babies. She sure does! Cuddle and Move by Elizabeth Verdick (Free Spirit Publishing, 2013) were perfect. In sweet black and white pictures and few words, each book followed the life of babies and toddlers through regular actions: climbing, cuddling, kissing. We read both books via netgalley digital reviews,
One series I’ve been reading over the past two months are books from the Childhood of Famous Americans series. I found them to be a mixed series. Some of the books are fabulous, while others are a slog. For the most part, each book in the Childhood of Famous Americans series has 15 chapters. The
Penguin wonders how he can contribute to the community talent show in Penguin’s Hidden Talent by Alex Latimer (Peachtree, 2012). Predictably, he finds he does have a talent, and his friends greatly appreciate it in the end. Although Penguin’s Hidden Talent follows a predictable format, it is still a heartwarming book about finding your place in a community as
Rosie Sprout’s Time to Shine by Allison Wortche and pictures by Patrice Barton (Knopf, 2011) is a book about selflessness and overcoming jealousy. Rosie is tired of being overshadowed in her class by Violet, whom everyone believes is the Best in everything she does. When it comes time to begin the class unit on growing a
Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein (Candlewick, 2012) is a circular book to emphasize our individual and unseen influence on others. When Amelia smiles, Mrs. Higgins smiles too and makes cookies for her son in Mexico. When he eats the cookies, he teaches his class a song about cookies and his student makes a decision.
Crafty Chloe by KellyDiPucchio and illustrated by Heather Ross (Atheneum, 2012) is a sparkly book for the creative child, and yet my not-crafty five-year-old son enjoyed it too. Chloe is not good at sports or dancing or video games like some of her friends, but she is good at making things. When her friend has
Dolphin, Fox, Hippo, Ox by Brian Cleary (Lerner Publishing, 2012) and other books in the Words are CATegorical. These books are clever. Using fun rhymes, they teach about concepts that children are still learning about: parts of speech, mathematical concepts, or, in this case, animal groups. Dolphin et al is about mammals. I liked this book enough
Figuring Out Fossils by Sally M. Walker (Lerner Publishing, 2013) caught my eye because (1) I love Sally Walker and (2) I read a book by Ms Walker about fossils last year, a part of the Early Bird Science series. To my delight and surprise, this was the same book I read last year, repackaged with more
Now that he’s reading a mile a minute, it’s time to hear from my six-year-old again! Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary. Ramona is a girl. She is excited to do Kindergarten. During Kindergarten, she gets to school and sees a group of children huddled together. She asks the groups what is wrong and they say
Now that he’s reading a mile a minute, it’s time to hear from my six-year-old again! The Falling Raindrop by Neil Johnson and Joel Chin. This is a picture book. It is fiction. It is a story about a raindrop. In the book, a raindrop got born and fell into a fire and he turned into
Now that he’s reading a mile a minute, it’s time to hear from my six-year-old again! The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. Ralph is a mouse. Keith is a boy. Ralph and Keith meet in a hotel. Keith gives Ralph a motorcycle. It is a toy motorcycle. If Ralph makes a sound, it moves! I
And the Winner Is… by Etta Kaner (Kids Can Press, 2013) is a clever look at animals by looking at some of the extreme things they are able to do, from sprinting and high jump to weight lifting and swimming. Subtitled “Amazing Animal Antics,” this book is both informative and fun. The illustrations by David
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