Children

Adorable book that is a MUST read aloud for young ones at bedtime, as they happily tuck-in their books.

I have featured a number of books by Steve Jenkins (and his frequent collaborator, Robin Page) in my book talks around the country, and I did not realize that I had never featured him in a single lazy readers’ pick. He is one of my favorite children’s authors, as his books always include wonderful illustrations that educate students on a wide array of subjects, from animals to geography. This book is great because it features illustrations of the actual size of different animals’ claws, wings, etc. Kids love comparing the size of their hands and fingers to the pictures. Lots of fun!

My good friend Bob Matulich gave my daughter this book on the day she was born, and it is a treat. A great reminder to all of us to keep our minds young and our smiles large.

Two of the workshops I present to teachers involve improving students’ vocabulary and poetry skills. With the exception of Shel Silverstein, there is no children’s author I consider finer at crafting fun, vocabulary-building poems for children than Jack Prelutsky. This treasure chest has more than 100 of his poems. Buy it now!

Every teacher needs to buy this book. A wonderful read-aloud for students to enjoy about Sarah Jane Hartwell’s reluctance to get out of bed and go to school for the first day. The illustrations by Judith Dufour Love brilliantly hide Sarah until the very end, when we learn that she is not a new student but a new teacher. Kids really get a kick out of this book.

First of all, I realized I neglected female authors on the list this month. Second of all, this book represents a great way to get students interested in the mathematical concept of compounding (I bet a young Bill Gates or Warren Buffett would have loved it). Third of all, I love the pictures and Demi's lovely tale of a girl who outsmarts a raja and saves her village.

One of young Stewart’s molars insists on a steady diet of candy bars in this hilarious romp that makes for lively read alouds with young children.

This month is Chavez’s birthday, a national holiday. Like most children’s books, this treasure is a wonderful biography that provides a tantalizing glimpse into the civil rights leader’s life. Any adult who reads this is sure to want to read more about this important figure of the 20th century.

Every day, reclusive Albert sticks his hand out the window to figure out what the weather is like. One day a couple of cardinals begin nesting on his hand, and Albert is reluctant to destroy their nest. So instead he keeps his arm out the window and discovers that the world outside is worth seeing. This is a beautiful story.

I am a big fan of this book, as too many of the books I read to my Mexican-American students about Mexican Americans have to do with tamales. The pictures by Amy Cordova are lovely (the bright colors remind me of a Diego Rivera painting), and I enjoy the book as a little girl uses her imagination to think of different uses for her shawl. A beautiful book.

I had to include at least one funny book on this month's list, right? Jay Leno is one of the genuinely nice people in show business, and this is one of the genuinely good children's books written by a celebrity (most stink).

With funny illustrations by Michael Emberley, this fun story about a boy searching for his lost favorite book is sure to get a lot of giggles from little ones.

Fun read aloud. Kids enjoy hearing about a swamp monster who tries to scare away a boy – only to wind up becoming his friend.

I am excited about Vicki-Ann Bush, as I just completed reading a couple of her e-books for young adult series, The Dusk Chronicles. The Queen of IT is a great book to encourage kids to go out and “do something.”

With extraordinary oil painting artwork by P.J. Lynch, this is a great book to start the year off telling your children how special they are.