Children

I have a crush on Pam Munoz Ryan, as she is one of my favorite authors and a delightful speaker. She may be best known for her young adult book Esperanza Rising, but this is probably my favorite of her works. It stems from a Mexican folktale her grandmother used to tell her about a pitacoche bird (beautiful for its multicolored feathers) that falls in love with a much smaller swallow. Lovely and heartwarming, I rate this up there with Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever among my favorite read-alouds.

The cover art alone will mesmerize you, and you and your children will add this to your favorite books to read at bedtime – GUARANTEED.

Just in time for the start of the school year, this clever take on miscommunicated idioms reads like a long Amelia Bedelia adventure. Terrific tool for making language arts fun.

Can you tell I have a baby girl yet? Again, here is a fun tale for children to hear during that most difficult of transitions: from diapers to “the potty.” There is a children's book written about anything, I tell ya.

How could you pass up a book with a title like that? Charming story of a scrawny alligator tired of eating bananas, with fun illustrations from Dorothee de Monfreid.

Timely book to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the devastating hurricane to hit the Gulf in 2005.

I have my sister to thank for this book, as she gave it to my baby Kate for the holidays. Madonna shares a nice tale that illustrates the power of one’s words. A good lesson that children (and people in the media) should hear. Wonderful illustrations by Loren Long.

Great book for reluctant readers, as it follows the adventures of a boy who reluctantly reads a book that “nabs” him and carries him away.

Another in the delightful series of two dogs, Down Girl and Sit. Down Girl narrates her adventures with Sit as they deal with obedience school and proffer important advice like “ cats and squirrels are dangerous” and “dogs need attention.” Kids get a giggle, and they especially enjoy Mike Reed’s illustrations.

Part of the funny Zinc Alloy graphic comic novel series, this episode follows Zack Allen as he constructs his very own robot suit to combat noogies and super-slimy wet willies.

Great introduction to the history of “picture writing” and how to crack different writing codes. Also provides some fun writing activities for kids.

If you have not yet read one of DiSpezio’s books and are trying to find a way to get your kids jazzed up about science, you are in for a treat. This book has over 70 experiments for kids, and DiSpezio is truly a gifted teacher in that you catch his infectious passion for all things science. Truly, a wonderful author.

A lot of teachers and parents have asked me about non-offensive books for kids that help them understand the war in Iraq. I am not sure that any books dealing with wars are non-offensive (or should be), but this true story of one librarian’s heroic efforts to preserve her library in Iraq sends a lot of important messages that I want people to remember. Namely, books are one of society’s greatest resources. Have you ever noticed the correlation between the number of books that are available to a citizenry and their literacy rate? FYI – America’s inner-city libraries are in worse shape than many libraries in Iraq. That’s why organizations like BookEnds, The Wonder of Reading and Reading Is Fundamental are so essential, in my eyes.

Winter creates a fictionalized account of the 1987 story of a New York City barge loaded with trash and sent on its way to find a place to dump it. The story is funny and the message is important (“don’t make so much garbage!”), but the artwork by Red Nose Studio is the real star.

This month I speak at the International Reading Association’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida, and I am thrilled that Super Bowl champion coach Tony Dungy will be speaking there, as well. This book is pure Dungy, offering inspiration for all children searching for what they are good at, and the illustrations by Amy June Bates are lovely.