Dogs try to win your heart much more so than a cat, and these dogs in children’s books have won untold hearts the world over. Even if you are not a dog person, these dogs will convert you! These dogs are either rescuing someone or being rescued, getting kidnapped or preventing robberies, or just a dog-about-town. Please meet some dogs to fall in love with!
Tag: Kate DiCamillo
Life-Changing Librarians in Children’s Books
Librarians are amazing people and it’s time they are recognized for their super hero qualities: an encyclopedic knowledge of everything, ability to open doors to new worlds, cultures and civilizations, and finally the keeper of a safe and inclusive sanctuary. In this way, librarians change lives and make the world a better place. Hooray for librarians… the unsung heroes of our communities!
Massachusetts Book Awards 2012 For Grades 3-7th
The fifth graders at my kids’ elementary school are challenged to try to read all the books for the Massachusetts Book Award. I’ve noticed many of them have won Newbery awards so it’s a great list. I found a breakdown for age appropriateness and have organized the books that way. I am excited about this list because there are beloved and acclaimed authors on the list as well as some who are new to me. What about you? Have you or your child read any of these books? Please share what you thought about these books as well as any other book you’d recommend for 5th grade (plus or minus two grades!).
Best Books for Boy Readers, Reluctant or Otherwise (ages 7-14)
Reading list for boys, grades 1-6. I love to find books that excite reluctant readers. The key is to find that magic intersection that marries your child’s just-right level with content that matches their interest and a layout that is visually appealing (small chunks of text broken by pictures, larger font size, etc.). Alas, this is a moving target. I have an actual person that I select these books for, my youngest son’s best friend’s older brother who is a 4th grader with my oldest. My mom friends have had success with these books for their reluctant boy readers and suggests you try them. If you want to purchase a book, click on the image of the book to buy at Amazon.com.
Top 10: Best Timeless Newbery-ish Chapter Books Set in Florida
There’s a glamour to Florida set back back in time that rivals Hollywood in California and maybe that is why these talented children’s book authors firmly set their books here. To be sure, some are from Florida and/or from the South and seem to know every nook and cranny of their small towns. But even more interesting are the characters they create; characters who have lived hard and stoic lives but never really told their stories to anyone, except now, in these books.
There must be something in the waters of Florida that makes almost all these books award winning, from Newbery to National Book Awards. And I feel strongly that the books on this list that don’t have a special sticker on the cover are all deserving of one!!
Best Easy Readers: Geisel Award (aka Dr. Seuss)
The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. It was founded in 2004 and the first award year was 2006, so it’s a fairly new award. That’s great because it’s a list that is actually plausible to work through! What Easy Readers have you and your kids enjoyed? Let’s add it to the list!
Top 10: Best Summer Coming-of-Age Books with Girl Characters
This is what I was thinking when I came up with this kooky list:
-Summer read, preferably on the beach or on vacation
-Has to be a good read but not too strenuous
-The book is about the summer and/or beach and/or beachy vacation vibe
-A great lead GIRL character
-Counts towards summer homework book assignment but was thoroughly enjoyable
For incoming grades 4-6