Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
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 →
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 →
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 →
After reading Tippy Lemmey, my eight-year-old decided he wanted a chow. Tippy Lemmey is the only dog Leandra knows with two names, and Tippy Lemmey is a chow. Not just any chow, but a scary chow. This dog chases Leandra and her friends whenever they pass by his house. And his house is between them... Continue Reading →
Ling and Ting are twins, and many people say they look exactly alike. But they are not exactly the same - as the stories in Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same by Grace Lin show. In each story, Ling & Ting discover something different about themselves: haircuts, ease of using chopsticks, making dumplings, etc.... Continue Reading →
Three little Swedish sisters with blond hair and blue eyes have many adventures together - in the kitchen, at the neighbor's house, on the farm, and even in town. They dress alike, love to help people and animals. The Flicka, Ricka, Dicka books by Maj Lindman were first published in the United States in the... Continue Reading →
A friend of mine reminded me of this little storybook series after she had read my review about Mercer Mayer, one of my favorite children's authors. Although I put it in the "Read-Aloud" category, these are picture books - literally. None of them have any words - which I love! Preschoolers can 'read' these books... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 