Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Illustrator Mark Pett creates another beautiful wordless book in The Girl and the Bicycle. A young girl and her brother are walking down the street, when she spots a beautiful green bicycle in the store window. She works and works and works to earn enough money to buy it, only to discover it's gone when... Continue Reading →
After reading A Strong Right Arm about Negro League player Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, I immediately picked up We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson when I spotted it at the library. What a beautiful book! Nelson not only wrote the book, he also painted all the pictures. Even if... 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 →
Dan and his friends live the ideal small-town life in Grand Island, Nebraska. They swim, ride bikes, hang out together. When a severe thunderstorm alert is issued for that evening, Dan doesn't think much of it. It's a common occurrence in Nebraska. But what happens next is not. Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman... Continue Reading →
P.K. Pinkerton is in deep trouble... in more ways than one. He is at the bottom of a silver mine, trying to figure out a way to outwit Wittlin' Walt, the Very Bad Man after his inheritance. This is where we find P.K. at the beginning of The Case of the Deadly Desperados, by Caroline... Continue Reading →
Would you like to make an apple pie? The little girl in How to Make and Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman does. She makes a list of ingredients she needs, and heads to the market. But the market is closed! What should she do? The narrator has many interesting suggestions -... Continue Reading →
Maggie Fortini listens to every game her beloved Brooklyn Dodgers play, usually at the firehouse with her father’s former co-workers. When Jim joins the firehouse, she is shocked to discover he is a huge fan of the Dodgers arch-rivals, the New York Giants. She determines to never be his friend. But slowly, he wins her... Continue Reading →
Author/illustrator Kate Samworth has hit on a novel idea in her Aviary Wonders Inc.: Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual. This picture book reads like a catalog. The premise is that birds are nearly extinct, so you can create your own bird by ordering parts from Aviary Wonders Inc. The pages are full of beautiful illustrations... Continue Reading →
You haven’t heard of Peanut Johnson? That’s OK, not many have. If you love baseball, even if you don’t, you will enjoy A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson by Michelle Y. Green. Written in first person, Green did an excellent job capturing the voice of Mamie Johnson, her expressions, interjections and... Continue Reading →
This weekend Christians all over the world celebrate Easter, arguably the holiest of Christian holidays. Children and adults alike will hear the story of Jesus and the week leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection. For families celebrating Easter, The Easter Story by Brian Wildsmith is a beautiful retelling of the story. Beautiful, not only... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 