Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Kids who love superheroes will love Question Boy Meets Little Miss Know-It-All by Peter Catalanotto. Question Boy wanders his neighborhood, asking questions of all the superheroes he meets, including Garbage Man, Wonder Waitress and Mailman. He scares all of them off with his questions, until he meets... Little Miss Know-It-All! He asks her questions, and... Continue Reading →
I've never enjoyed ice skating - too cold of a sport for me. But reading Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed almost makes me want to skate. A cross between a picture book, a novella and a memoir, Twelve Kinds of Ice builds the anticipation for all the different kinds of ice for... Continue Reading →
Emmy loves her life in Illinois. She lives close by her grandparents, she helps her mother with the quilting bees, tying off the women's threads (which she doesn't enjoy as much), and she lives in a comfortable farmhouse. But Emmy's pa isn't so happy. He's just home from a trip west to the booming state... Continue Reading →
In The True Gift by Patricia MacLachlan, Lily and Liam are glad to be at their grandparents' farm, preparing for Christmas. They are looking forward to reading lots of books, visiting the "lilac library" in town, and baking Christmas cookies. But then Liam spots the White Cow in the meadow at Gran and Grandpa's farm. ... Continue Reading →
In the modern age of consumerism and materialism at Christmas, Patricia Polacco's An Orange for Frankie tells a beautiful story of gratefulness and generosity. Based upon Polacco's own family history, the picture book tells the story of Frankie, the youngest boy in a large family. It's close to Christmas during the Great Depression, and the... Continue Reading →
Generally, I am not a fan of repackaging beloved stories for marketing purposes, but I make an exception for the Little House story books. (See my review of other Little House story books here.) For the holidays, HarperCollins Publishers pulled out all the Christmas's Laura Ingalls Wilder described in some of her Little House on... Continue Reading →
George and Martha are hippos, huge hippos who are good friends. Not just good friends - great friends. George and Martha by James Marshall introduces young readers to the two hippos in two different stories: Split Pea Soup and The Flying Machine. In both stories, George and Martha face a dilemma. How will George tell... Continue Reading →
Early chapter book shelves are full of books about the most popular movies, TV shows and cartoon characters, so when I find a good reader which both my children and I can enjoy I rejoice! No Fighting, No Biting! by Else Holmelund Minarik is a classic. I loved the illustrations by Maurice Sendak (Where the... Continue Reading →
Author Allen Say takes readers on a very personal journey in Grandfather's Journey. Say recounts his grandfather's journey from Japan to America, the wonders he saw and the adventures he had wandering America's vast and differing land. Say's grandfather ended up moving to California. But as he grew older, he missed his homeland more and... Continue Reading →
The world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity - multiple TV shows, movies, and books. Now author Andrew Lane has delved into Holmes' teen years with his book Death Cloud, the first in a new series Sherlock Holmes: The Legend Begins. The 14-year-old Sherlock Holmes is forced to spend the... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 