Children

I have listed Greste as the author, as his photos of a baby hippo and adoptive mother tortoise are the true stars of this amazing story publicized following the Indonesian tsunami in 2004. I have been recommending this book to audiences for years and never realized I had not listed it among my lazyreaders.com recommendations. Make sure to check this one out (along with Jeanette Winter’s Baby).

Woodson is a rock star who does not need me to promote her books. I cannot resist recommending this one, though. It is a great book to introduce to students when teaching them the importance of writing their personal family stories. Woodson is one of the most gifted storytellers of our time, and I thank goodness I get to expose her works to my students. She has inspired a lot of my young writers. By the way – Hudson Talbott’s illustrations are phenomenal.

Portis has developed a delightful Not a… series of books with simple illustrations that inspire children to use their imaginations. Great motivation for young writers and illustrators.

With apologies to Margaret Wise Brown, I have never liked Goodnight, Moon. There, I said it. Please don’t hate me. Perhaps that is just one of the contributing factors to my delight in reading this clever parody. Parents and kids will get a chuckle out of this gem (clever author pseudonym, too).

One of my favorite books to introduce to students. A barnyard has a cow that only oinks, and a pig that only moos. They teach each other their languages and turn out to be better off than the other animals because they can communicate with twice as many animals. The book is filled with lessons on helping others, etc., but I love it because it shows the importance of bilingual education (which means all kids should learn two languages, not just immigrants).

We lost a true American hero recently in Neil Armstrong. All children should get to know about him and the other amazing astronauts that inspired countless people throughout the world. This book includes terrific illustrations by Mike Wimmer.

Probably one of my favorite Christmas books of all time. This is a classic.

I thought I would include some poetry books on this month’s list. I call this book “a poem with attitude.” I LOVE the illustrations, and I think this is a cool poem to show students how to let their own voices enter their poems.

Are you kidding me? I’ve never included a Walter Wick book on my lists? Yup, even I overlook masters, as Walter Wick’s books deserve a place in everybody’s libraries. His illustrations are to die for, and his books captivate all ages. He is truly one of my favorite children’s authors, and he is a blessing to any parent or teacher of a reluctant boy reader. This is a good one for Halloween.

Adults fans of Breathed’s Bloom County comic strip will enjoy reading aloud this funny tale about the penguin Opus that also strikes a sweet chord.

While on the subject of cats and in the poetry genre, I thought I’d include this classic read aloud. One of my favorite repetitions ever (I think the book was written in the 20s): “hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.” That line of poetry has stuck with me forever.

Before he hibernates for the winter, Bear is urged to stay awake by his buddies in time for Christmas morning. With beautiful illustrations by Jane Chapman, this nice story is sure to captivate your little ones before bedtime.

How I have failed to include this book on a prior recommendation list is beyond me, as I have been reading this book aloud to audiences of children, teenagers and adults for years. McPhail is a treasure, and teachers can find the full text of this book (with pictures on the PBS Kids website.

Occasionally, I like to include a classic that every parent, grandparent, guardian or teacher needs to read to children. This wonderful story of Rat, Moley and Mr. Toad is one of my favorite read alouds of all time and a perfect story for a lazy summer day.

Another in Reagan’s How to series with illustrator Lee Wildish, this book is sure to bring lots of holiday cheer. FYI – I enjoy funny books!