Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
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 →
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 →
Beginning readers will enjoy the sweet relationship between Cowgirl Kate and her beloved horse, Cocoa, in Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman. Each short chapter tells about an interaction between the two of them, some more mundane than others. But all made exceptionally delightful by colorful watercolors by Betty Lewin (Click, Clack, Moo: Cows... Continue Reading →
Letty Wright is beside herself. The British are coming, and she doesn't have time to catch her flock of geese. Instead, she tries to chase Solomon, her gander, and his wives out of the barnyard. But he won't listen, and her family is about to leave without her. Letty gives up the chase, and instead... Continue Reading →
As Penny plays outside with her doll, she spots a beautiful blue marble in her neighbor's yard. She wonders if she should take it, and she decides she can. But Penny hadn't asked permission to have the marble, and as her conscience nags her, she loses interest in life. When she finally decides to return... Continue Reading →
Author Arthur Geisert succeeded in writing an engaging picture book using just one word, and that one word is really a sound: oink. Oink is about a mama pig, her litter of piglets and their life on the farm. Geisert's near-black-&-white illustrations are beautifully delicate and detailed in telling the pigs' story. I can imagine... Continue Reading →
Children ready for short chapter books will enjoy the I Survived... books by Lauren Tarshis (the author of Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree). These action-packed adventures tell the story of a child, usually a boy, who has survived a catastrophe - like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, etc. The stories... Continue Reading →
The small fish in This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen is very proud of the fact he has a hat. But, as you can surmise from the title, the hat is not his. He took it from a much larger fish. This tiny fish is confident that he can outwit the larger fish,... Continue Reading →
Children just beginning to read will greatly enjoy reading any Elephant and Piggie book by Mo Willems - and better yet, their parents will enjoy listening to them! Mo Willems has a great sense of humor, which comes out in all his books. I reviews his Pigeon books earlier, but felt that the Elephant and... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 