Best picture books, chapter books, young adult books, graphic novels and non fiction for kids.
If you read Meteor! by Patricia Polacco with your child and it elicits interest in all things meteoric, then please explore the science of meteor links below. If you happen to find a real meteor (and a link to find out if your meteor is real is below), you can even sell it on eBay!
It caught me by surprise that the books he wanted, and bought for himself, were mostly non-fiction plus a hybrid graphic novel/easy chapter book. It was a wake up call that Boys Like Non-Fiction and Graphic Novels! Duh! You’d think I would have known that!
This week, we are exploring Africa. Why? A million years ago b.c. (before children), I designed and manufactured women’s golf apparel using natural fibers and geared to fashion forward twenty-, thirty- and forty-somethings. The first collection used gorgeous fabrics from West Africa.
One of my favorite blogs, The Fourth Musketeer, just covers KidLit Historical Fiction. I pretty much file every book review of hers into an email folder labeled “Books I Want to Read.” She posted on the Historical Association Awards Young Quills from Great Britain here. I have listed the winners as well as the short lists for this year and last year. Historical fiction is a great way to get kids excited about history! If you want to find more great books, be sure to subscribe to The Fourth Musketeer’s blog. She’s a librarian and the go to person on that!
Rana DiOrio’s book tackles all the safety issues that kids face in suburbia. She does it in a calm and gentle way, raising the right points but without any scariness. I like how she touches on listening to your inner voice and standing up to bullies. This is the kind of book that reinforces the messages that we parents give. It allows for dialogue should an issue come up, but it can also just be an easy reminder of how to stay safe. And that’s exactly the message that I want to impart to my kids.
This list is a homage to the exceptional teachers everywhere who dedicate their lives to making a difference. And they absolutely do! One day, one of their students may even write about their exception teacher as in the case for a few of the books selected below.
I’m starting a new little boy book club for my son and his best friend from when he was 15 months. The issue is that his best friend is a grade older. And his second best friend is two grades older. The moms are game to do a book club but I wanted to make sure the book selections appeal to boys in grades 1 through 3 without going into chapter book territory. I decided to delve into the world of advanced chapter books which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE for rich vocabulary and the ability to transport into another culture, time or place.