Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Do you remember the Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald J. Sobol? I loved these books as a kid. Rereading the first one as an adult, I found it borders on cheesy. That does not mean even modern-day kids won't enjoy the little mysteries Encyclopedia solves for 25-cents each. Highly recommended for young readers - read... Continue Reading →
Pinmei's grandmother is the neighborhood storyteller and always has the perfect story for Pinmei and the villagers. But the emperor's soldiers break into Pinmei's house and kidnaps her grandmother. Fortunately, Grandmother was able to hid Pinmei in a large pot, so the soldiers didn't kidnap her. So Pinmei and her friend Yishan set out to... Continue Reading →
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are popular topics of books and other adaptations. Gerald Morris wrote Sir Lancelot the Great, one part of his The Knights’ Tales series for young readers. This short chapter book is perfect for readers ready for the next step - and wanting adventures and laughter. The... Continue Reading →
Lisa and her friends live on farms outside a village in the Swedish countryside. They enjoy simple pleasures of life - crayfishing in a local pond, celebrating Christmas, enjoying walks home from school, shopping at the local market for their mothers. The Children of Noisy Village was written by Astrid Lindgren, author of Pippi Longstocking... Continue Reading →
This short book by John Reynolds Gardiner must have been a reader for my children when we were homeschooling, because I don’t ever remember reading it before this morning. Little Willy is concerned for his grandfather, who suddenly took to his bed and quit talking and laughing with Willy. Doc Smith says nothing is wrong... Continue Reading →
Walter bakes delicious sweet rolls and breads for his village. The Duke and Duchess particularly enjoy his sweet rolls every morning. Then disaster strikes! The cat knocks over the milk, and Walter is forced to use water, instead of milk in his sweet rolls. The Duke and Duchess threaten to banish him from the village... Continue Reading →
Pedru lives in the African bush. He and his friends fish for their families every day, and his village grow crops for food. He and his friends and neighbors also live in fear... of lions. One day, Pedru makes an impulsive, and foolish, decision, which costs him his arm. He wants to take revenge on... Continue Reading →
Author Jon Scieszka has a gift for writing books that he would love to read. The more excellent news is that lots of children - especially boys - love to read his books too. For boys ready for short chapter books, I’ve found the pickings quite slim - especially if you’re not into the latest... Continue Reading →
It's hard to imagine a time when books were expensive and not readily available, especially for children. Clara and the Bookwagon by Nancy Smiler Levinson tells the story of Clara, who badly wants to learn to read, but does not have anyone to teach her. Clara lives on a small farm, where there are no... Continue Reading →
If turkey's thought, they'd run away A week before Thanksgiving Day, but turkeys can't anticipate, And so there's turkey on my plate. My children and I always enjoy a good rhyme from author Jack Prelutsky. In It's Thanksgiving, Prelutsky entertains readers with short and long poems about Thanksgiving. Written for beginning readers, this book has... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 