Children

I met Keith Baker years ago at the Oregon Reading Association’s annual conference, and I found him to be a wonderfully engaging presenter. As happens too often, I forgot to feature any of his wonderful books. He is a stupendous children’s author and illustrator, and I hope you include this title in your library. This is a beautiful story of finding one’s uniqueness that should be featured in every classroom in America.

With terrific illustrations by David Roberts, this fun story follows young Rosie as she tries to solve problems with her inventions. Any books that celebrate creativity and perseverance like this one fit nicely on my bookshelves.

I love teaching people about books that bring vocabulary words to life, and Lemony Snicket has made my life easy, as he shares my affinity for language. Along with Maira Kalman’s gorgeous illustrations, this book mirrors Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events by misleading readers to think they are in for a sad tale, only to find a happy ending. Magnificent.

Want to get young kids excited about reading? Give them a board book with lots of beautiful illustrations, courtesy of Linda Bleck. One of the best ways to help kids become readers is to repeatedly share nursery rhymes together, and this book makes a favorite staple in any home (including my own).

Laura Numeroff does not need my help selling books – her books are at Costco. When your books are at Costco, you’ve made it! She’s a friend of mine, the book is timely and a portion of the proceeds are donated to a worthy literacy charity. What’s better than that?

I LOVE read aloud books with lots of sound effects, and this delightful romp is packed with them. Perfect bedtime reading!

I love this book! Too many of my students have developed a lack of imagination, and one of the wonders of reading is to enhance students’ creativity. In this delightful tale a young boy takes his new action figure and develops incredible romps with regular household items (e.g. a cup becomes a supersonic space-cup saucer, and Traction Man scuba dives in “the foamy waters of the sink”). This book is great fun.

They say never to “judge a book by its cover,” but how do most of us select books? The wonderful mammoth illustrations by Kurt Cyrus forced me to grab the book, and Lisa Wheeler blends poetry and non-fiction in a way that brings science alive to students to keep them interested.

The most common question parents ask me is how much time they should allow their children to watch television. I always answer that it doesn’t really matter as long as parents read frequently with their children and provide lots of interesting books for their children to read on their own. Let’s face it: television is here to stay. However, there are some great shows for kids to watch on television, and one of those shows is Dora the Explorer. This book is an easy sell to kids, as it boasts a character they are probably already familiar with. And one of the great things about Dora is that she is bilingual, making her one of the best Spanish teachers in America.

You need to remember that Mother’s Day is this month. There are a lot of wonderful titles to choose from, but I wanted to include this one for its lovely illustrations by LeUyen Pham and charming store of a mother reminiscing about her own childhood with her daughter.

Maybe this is my penance for Lent this year: recommending important authors that everyone needs to read. Richard Scarry is one of the most important children’s authors of the 20th century, and, even though I read this book when I was a kid, it is just as important today as it was 30 years ago. I present vocabulary workshops around the country, and teachers often ask me about authors who are good about introducing important vocabulary in their books. Besides Dr. Seuss, I’d put Richard Scarry right up there as one of the best vocabulary teachers. This book, in particular, does a fantastic job of introducing students to the many “things that go.”

This one is a MUST BUY. Beautiful illustrations by David Diaz and wonderful poems throughout chart the life of one of my favorite painters, Diego Rivera. The colorful illustrations and poems match this artist’s colorful life. Perfect for read alouds.

Childhood obesity concerns me, as I believe that active children are healthier and smarter (if you don’t believe me, read Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Dr. Daniel Amen). Kids need to play, and this book demonstrates a number of activities for children to enjoy in all seasons.

What a wonderful story for children to follow their passions but be careful to “measure with their whiskers.” With enchanting illustrations by Jeremy Wendell, this book makes a wonderful parable to read aloud to children and adults alike.

The best part of the Fall is the return of football, and the worst part is the dwindling days of baseball. No worries, as this comprehensive guide will tell your kids everything they ever needed to know about the “first” America’s game.