Live cast of the awards is here! Here are the winners and honor books!
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
2014 Caldecott Winner
Locomotive by Brian Floca
2014 Caldecott Honor Books
Journey by Aaron Becker
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner
I wanted to do a boy version of the 20 Gentle Books for a Young Girl at the request of a reader. I tried not to duplicate books but there are many on the girls’ list of 20 Gentle Books that would also be great for boys.
In making this list, I tend towards more old fashioned books but gentle books for boys can also be modern. What are your favorite gentle chapter books for a young boy? Please share! Thank you!
10. Frindle by Andrew Clements
A delightful early chapter book that every boy in 3rd grade seems to love at my elementary school. Nicholas Allen invents the word “frindle” to replace the word “pen.” For him, it not really an act of rebellion, it’s more an outlet to explore the power of ideas. Frindle catches on much to the consternation of his Language Arts teacher, but is she really upset? [ages 7-10]
My reader Natalie has a young daughter who has been reading enthusiastically at a young age:
My daughter read first books of Penderwicks and Half Magic, but I should look into their sequels to return her to a more gentle universe 🙂
My daughter is probably a little unusual since she is reading since she was 3, and it’s truly her favorite thing to do. We still read theme-based picture books (we really loved several of the kite books you recommended, by the way), but she is reading a lot of long books on her own.
She is a big fan of myths and legends as long as they don’t involve mummies and zombies – these are two things she is terrified of. She went crazy this summer about Percy Jackson and the Olympians – each book took her about 3 days to read, and then she reread all of them several times. Now she is reading through Famous Five by Enid Blyton. Last summer she read through Secrets of Droon, and, of course, she read all Magic Tree House and Magic School Bus chapter books.
I’ve arranged this list in the order of easier to more difficult books. So the 10th book is where I’d start your daughter and then I’d work down to the first book.
Readers, what other gentle chapter books for a young girl would you recommend? Thanks for sharing!
10. My Father’s Dragon series by Ruth Stiles
My kids usually get this as a read aloud in first or second grade. Teachers love this old fashioned fantasy easy chapter book series. [easy chapter book, ages 6 and up]
For the Picture Book of the Day, my 8-year-old son and I chose one of our favorite funny picture books about summer camp, A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee.
We think this is the funniest picture book ever! When James and Eamon visit Eamon’s grandparents’ house to attend a week of day camp communing with nature, they prefer the little things much more: eating waffles, playing video games, and generally staying inside despite the fact that Eamon’s grandparents live on the beach!
Marla Frazee writes with dry wit that appeals to adults as much as parents.
For example:
“In the morning, Bill [Eamon’s grandfather] took the boys to nature camp. The road was long and curvy. James and Eamon learned a lot of new vocabulary words while Bill drove.”
Her cartoon-y illustrations set off the text perfectly; in fact, she won a Caldecott Honor for this picture book! [picture book, ages 4 and up]
I excited to announce the book launch of Alphabet Trucks by Samantha Vamos! I adore her last book, The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred!
In celebration of her book launch TODAY, I am doing a giveaway of her new book and hosting a short Q and A with Samantha.
An alphabetical treat for truck lovers.
Everyone’s heard of a tow truck. And a pickup truck. An ice-cream truck? Of course! But what about a quint truck? A lowboy truck? A knuckle-boom truck? Readers will learn about these kinds of trucks—and many more—while learning the alphabet in Alphabet Trucks.
Each letter of the alphabet is accounted for in this introductory concept book for young readers. From the familiar to the unusual, Samantha Vamos writes in snappy verse to present twenty-six different kinds of trucks, explaining where they work and what they do. From a dump truck that unloads a pile of dirt containing the letter “D,” to a fuel truck filling up at a tank shaped like the letter “F,” Ryan O’Rourke’s playful and light-hearted illustrations involve the letters in supporting roles in each scene. Read more…
This is the last installment of my school’s Summer Reading 2013 list: A Collaboration of the Newton Public School Library Teachers & the Newton Free Children’s Librarians. I wanted to share my list with you since it’s likely on your library shelves. And I’ll use your list for the same reason.
The rest of the lists are here:
Rising First Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Second Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Third Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Fourth Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Fifth Grade Summer Reading List
Out on the Prairie by Donna Bateman
A 1 through 10 counting book featuring prairie animals of the Badlands National Park.
Building Our House by Jonathan Bean
A young girl narrates her family’s move from the city to the country, where they have bought a piece of land and live in a new trailer while they build a house from the ground up.
Sophie’s Fish by A. E. Cannon
Jake starts to worry about everything that could go wrong when he agrees to take care of his friend Sophie’s fish for the weekend.
Do you have a child going into 2nd grade? Try using this great summer reading list created by the Newton Public School Library Teachers & the Newton Free Children’s Librarians because my list is likely on your library shelves. The list includes the best newly published books across all genres including picture books, easy readers, non-fiction, poetry and graphic novels. I hope this helps to keep your kids reading!
What are you reading with your child this summer? Please share!
Other Lists:
Rising Kindergarten Summer Reading List
Rising Second Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Third Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Fourth Grade Summer Reading List
Rising Fifth Grade Summer Reading List
The Other Side of Town by Jon Agee A taxi cab driver in New York City gets very confused when he picks up a guy in a goofy suit. Aston, Dianne Hutts. A Rock is Lively
Introduces readers to rocks and minerals, describing how they are created, what they can be used for, and their different forms and types.
To accompany our field trip on the Boston Freedom Trail, I’ve found 10 great American Revolution chapter books for different ages and, more importantly, from different perspectives including silversmith apprentice, Tory loyalist, runaway slave, Native American and even King George.
History is written by the victor. Can you imagine what life must have been like during this tumultous period of the birth of the United States? If you read all ten books, you might feel like you were there! These books support the 5th grade Common Core Curriculum unit for the American Revolution.
What are your favorite American Revolution books for kids? Please share! Let’s build this list together!
10. Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes
I don’t know if kids read this chapter book anymore but it was one of my favorite books as a child. Johnny Tremain is fourteen and apprenticed to a silversmith and I always pictured that this is what it must have been like to work for Paul Revere. Johnny has a terrible accident and his hand is horribly burned by molten silver destroying his dreams of becoming a master silversmith.
A depressed Johnny finds work as a dispatch rider for the Committee of Public Safety, a job that brings him in touch with Boston patriots—and the excitement that will lead to the Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington. [chapter book, ages 9 and up]
9. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
A family divided by war. Tim Meeker has always looked up to his brother Sam, who has now joined the American Revolution. His parents support King George. Tim will have to make a choice — between the Revolutionaries and the Redcoats . . . and between his brother and his father. [young adult, ages 12 and up]
8. Moon of Two Dark Horses by Sally M. Keehn
The Revolutionary War from the Native Indian perspective:
Coshmoo and Daniel have been best friends as long as the Delaware Indians and white settlers have lived peacefully along the Susquehanna River. But now the river is red with blood as people from both sides are killed in the Revolutionary War. The British king wants Coshmoo’s people to fight on his side, and holds out the promise that their land, which has been taken by the settlers, will be returned to them. As the tension grows, Coshmoo and Daniel vow-as they have so many times-to remain loyal friends, no matter what happens. Then, one day, their friendship comes up against the ultimate test. [chapter book, ages 10 and up]
It all started with a few tweets:
Bonnie of @MrsStraitsClass mentioned that she read aloud to her kids every day.
I teach elementary actually but even if I didn’t, I’d still read aloud every day. I love using accents and fun voices. 🙂
Accents and fun voices?!! I had to know more! I begged her to record it and upload to YouTube. And here she is reading Don’t Let the Pigeon Ride the Bus by Mo Willems.
I'm a co-chair of KidLitCon. It's March 22-23, 2019 (next year) in Providence, Rhode Island. Click on image for more info.
