All month, the ReaderKidZ are recommending summer reads for kids grades K-5 and NPR’s The Ultimate Back Seat Bookshelf: 100 Best Reads for Kids 9-14, (August 2013) is a great place to start if you’re looking for a solid list of novels to choose from. Don’t let the given age-range throw you. Many of the books are appropriate for a… Read more »
New & Noteworthy
A heroic story about a young boy during war
It’s Alfie Summerfield’s fifth birthday when Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne opens. By the end of this short, affecting middle grade novel, Alfie’s only nine, but in the intervening four years he’s been every bit as brave as his Dad, who’s gone off to fight for Britian in WWI. Alfie’s… Read more »
Map Art Lab: 52 Exciting Art Explorations in Mapmaking, Imagination, and Travel
Taking a trip this summer? Why not preserve the memories of your travels in a creative, project-based way? Map Art Lab: 52 Exciting Art Explorations in Mapmaking, Imagination, and Travel is filled with plenty of intriguing labs that can do just that! Co-authored by siblings Linden McNeilly and Jill K. Berry, this book offers fifty-two… Read more »
Librarian’s Corner: Cool Summer Reads!
Summer reading is, for me, all about reading for pleasure. Don’t worry about taking notes for book reports – just grab one of these titles, find a sunny spot, and enjoy! For the youngest readers: Duck, Duck, Moose! written by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones (Disney-Hyperion, 2014) This super-silly book is great… Read more »
The Many Voices of Poetry
Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More!: Poems for Two Voices by Carole Gerber, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (Henry Holt & Co., 2013) Perfect for spring, these poems for two voices introduce the “blooming, bursting, and buzzing” world of plants and insects. Students will find inspiration to write their own conversation poems for two voices based on these whimsical offerings. With poems… Read more »
The Good-Pie Party by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
Moving is never easy for a child. The anticipation of loss can be overwhelming, most especially the loss of friendship. The fear of losing friends and the worry that, perhaps, the child might not find friends as dear as those she is leaving behind can be down-right depressing. The Good-Pie Party addresses these all-too painful issues… Read more »
PLANT A POCKET OF PRAIRIE
You can count on any book by Phyllis Root to surprise and delight, maybe stop you in your thinking tracks. PLANT A POCKET OF PRAIRIE … what is this you might ask, a book about planting a prairie? Yes! This is a lyrical, thoughtful and inspiring book about all that a prairie offers – butterflies… Read more »
