Learning about our differences can be a powerful way for children to see from another person’s point of view. I encourage all parents to introduce some of these books or others like these to their children and use these stories as a reference when children bring up differences in school, particularly with special needs classmates. Because how great would it be if it were OUR child who can reach out like MacKenzie in The Friendship Puzzle?! The Friendship Puzzle and My Brother Charlie are a particularly powerful combination for anyone who has a sibling or classmate with autism and would be a great pair of books for any child starting kindergarten.
Author: Pragmatic Mom
How to: Survive an Earthquake – Doug Copp Triangle of Life FRAUD
Earthquake survival tips. Doug Copp Triangle of Life is Fraud; only applies (maybe!) to third world countries without building codes.
Top 10: Children’s Art Books
For the first time it occurred to me that my fear of the blank page might be just that—a needless fear. So I began to read up on the teaching of drawing, and to experiment with my children. I discovered a lengthy list of worthy resources for parents and children alike.
6th Grade Girl Reviews Middle Grade Chapter Books
Please welcome my Mom Friend and yoga teacher’s daughter Ajani who is a voracious reader, reading secretly in bed with a flashlight under the covers, way past her bedtime. She reviews four books that she borrowed from me this past summer and returns them to me along with her book reviews. Thanks Ajani!
3 Books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
My middle child, and her entire third grade class it seems, loved Roald Dahl. She worked her way through most of his books before moving on to new authors. There is something about quirky characters, children who are single parented or orphaned, and a seemingly impossible challenge that is central to a Dahl book. These books that those qualities plus that je ne sais qois of a select group of unusual children who, as fate would have it, must find a way to work together in order to do something monumentally important. It’s nice to see more books in the spirit of Roald Dahl!
24 Children’s Books about Disabilities
The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. I really like how these books let kids walk in the shoes of another and I find the themes of “trying to fit in versus accepting themselves and their family members” to be universal for all children.
10 Favorite Picture Books from a Bookstore Owner
Please welcome my guest author, Bola of SlimyBookworm.com, with her list of favorite children’s books for 2011. I am managing to make this into a short series of posts. I’ll continue with other guests’ favorite kid and young adult lit of 2011 until I run out of volunteers. Bola runs an online children’s bookstore so she is VERY qualified as both a bookseller and a mom. Please check out her eStore and her blog too!







