Best Books for Children

4th of July Picture Books with an Asian Twist

Posted on July 4, 2010June 13, 2026 by Pragmatic Mom

Happy Birthday United States on this 4th of July! To celebrate with picture books, I hope you enjoy two picks with an Asian twist. Both families are immigrants from China. The children in each book , like all children of immigrants, straddle between two worlds trying to be “more-American-like-their-friends” while immersed in the culture and traditions from their home country. But what is lovely in both these books is an acceptance that there is no one correct way to celebrate being an American. This is a homage to the United States of America, the great melting pot nation. Happy Birthday!

Best Non-Fiction for Kids: Fangs!

Posted on June 30, 2010June 11, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

Fangs! is an appealing non-fiction series for preschoolers through 1st graders, particularly for reluctant young boy readers. The text is larger than most books and is composed in short sentences, usually about 3.

Top 10: Picture Books That Teach Life Lessons

Posted on June 29, 2010June 11, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

I read the loveliest Top 10 Picture Books that Teach Life Lessons on the Simple Mom blog. She’s out on maternity leave so this post was from Simple Homeschool editor, Jamie Martin of Steady Mom. Click here for the link.

Picture Book Teaches Perseverance Through Karate (ages 4-8)

Posted on June 26, 2010June 11, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

Julie Black Belt, The Kung Fu Chronicles by Oliver Chin is the kind of picture book I wished we read as we were taking karate. I really like that the main character is a girl who has dreamy notions of becoming a black belt like her favorite movie star but gets daunted by the actual training. This is the reality of karate — it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Percy Jackson + King Arthur = The Dark is Rising

Posted on June 22, 2010June 12, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

I’d describe The Dark is Rising series as a mix of Tolkein (Lord of the Rings series) and Lloyd Alexander (The Black Caldron series) with difficulty level between the two series. Also, I’d describe it as mix of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, again with difficulty level between the two series. It’s an epic series pitting good versus evil and light against dark with the epicenter around an 11-year-old boy named Will Stanton who is the last of the six “The Old Ones” who are time-travelers and protectors of the world. The time traveling aspect is great because it introduces English history amidst a backdrop Celtic lore.

11 Birthdays, chapter books, middle grade chapter books,

Use My Library Summer Book List; It’s on Your Shelves!

Posted on June 20, 2010June 12, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

If you don’t live in Newton, MA, use my list. It’s a great list. It also comes with great resources of websites to keep you learning, reading and having fun. Please see Capability Mom’s post on that! I have to hightail it to the library the next town over to get books for my kids!

58 Great #OwnVoices Native American Children’s Books

Posted on June 19, 2010December 30, 2025 by Pragmatic Mom

These Native American children’s books help to depict a portion of their story and I would urge you to share these stories with your children so that their stories are not lost and their rich history becomes mainstreamed. It was both an education and a great pleasure for me to find and read these stories include Abernaki, Iroquis, Mohawk, Lakota, Navajo, Cheyenne, Creek, Cherokee, Potowatami, and Sioux Native Americans.