Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
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 →
Boys who love horses and cowboys will enjoy reading Cowboy Ned & Andy, a picture book by David Ezra Stein. Cowboy Ned is celebrating his birthday out on the range, so his horse, Andy, tries to find a cake for him. As he wanders the range, Andy encounters plenty of creatures, none of whom are... 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 →
When I first came across the My First Little House Books series, I was disgusted. Is there no end to repackaging, marketing and otherwise destroying my favorite books? But curiosity overcame my disgust and I picked up a variety of them and brought them home to read and evaluate. I was pleasantly surprised at... Continue Reading →
Dodsworth wants an adventure. He's determined to see the world - or at least New York, Paris and London. But before he leaves on his adventure, he stops for breakfast at Hodges' Cafe, where Hodges' duck harasses him. After breakfast, Dodsworth leaves on his adventure. Once he's on the train to New York, he opens... Continue Reading →
Author Keith Baker follows his lovely LMNO peas alphabet book with the equally enthralling 1-2-3 peas. Like most counting books, 1-2-3 peas embarks on counting up to ten. Each page features large, textured numbers which contrast nicely with the tiny peas as they do what the narrator tells them to do, like "look" and "row".... Continue Reading →
In a crowded market of alphabet books, Keith Baker's LMNO peas stands out. His adventurous peas cavort through the alphabet. They participate in all sorts of fun activities, like building, climbing, dancing, farming, quilting and reading. Peas fill every page, along with colorful and textured alphabet letters, which dwarf the peas on each page. The... Continue Reading →
I cannot say I have ever heard an adult tell their child, "If you don't clean your room, we will buy you a blue whale!" But it doesn't really matter. Billy Twitters heard that, and although he didn't believe it, his parents DID buy him a blue whale. Which is ridiculous. Which is what makes... Continue Reading →
My girls grabbed Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett before I had a chance to read it. Every time I picked it up, they both told me, "Oh Mom, you'll love that book! It's really funny!" And it is! Barnett, and his illustrator Adam Rex, get quite involved in the story Barnett is writing.... Continue Reading →
The title, Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit, made me think of a Moose who doesn't have any friends, who didn't fit in at preschool, or some such quandry. But the picture book by Catherine Rayner is much more simple than that. Ernest doesn't fit on the page. So he and his little friend spend... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 