Published: 2013 Theme: Robin Hood Best for: 10 and up "Killing wolves is supposed to teach me to be a great lord of men? Aren't there any books on the subject?" This children's book is full of action. While it's not written as a historical fiction, it gives a good view of the class disparity, and why one would rob the rich and give to the poor.
Published: 2015 Theme: Homelessness Best for: 9 and up "Robin asked what is a keepsake. My mom said it's an object you treasure. Then she said things don't really matter, as long as we have each other."The most interesting part of this children's book is that it allows us to see that perhaps homeless people are just the same as you and me, but having a very difficult financial time.
Published: 2015 Theme: Following a Dream Best for: 7 to 9 "Firefly didn't know if she should zoom straight up into the air or take shelter behind Cricket. There was no time to think, because with one step of his huge legs, the miniature giant was there." If you are looking for a message about staying in one place where you belong, this is not the children's book for that. This is adventuring, a la Wind in the Willows.
Published: 1947 Theme: Childhood Behavior Best for: 5 to 8 "Pretty soon down the stairs came a terrible old witch with a long black dress, a tall black hat and a big gnarly black cane. Mary Lou was very scared until she saw the sparkly eyes of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle under the black hat." Everything about this children's book reminds me of Mary Poppins, and a spoonful of sugar with the medicine...
Published: 2015 Theme: Overcoming Worry Best for: 9 and up "The pencil didn't look magic. It looked the opposite of magic. It was the kind of pencil a parent might bring home from some boring financial-planning convention." This very clever and heart-warming children's book offers a novel approach to knowing the future... a pencil which can answer any factual question.
Published: 2015 Theme: Self-confidence Best for: girls 8 to 10 "Sadie imagined Jess and Maya calling from the road and asking what she was up to. 'Oh Nothing much. Just doing magic with a friend. Nobody you know.'" With a little imagination, and the help from the Backyard Witch, "a most magical and mysterious visitor, who always appears just when you need her," Sadie's summer, and her own sense of self-worth is transformed.
Published: 2010 Theme: Fairy Tale adventure Best for: 9 to 11 "It's a Story Book. It's actually pretty rare... My grandfather got this one when he rescued an old woman who used to ride a giant goose... The book writes down any stories you tell it..." First, the recommendation and review by a fifth-grade reader that led me to this children's book: “I liked how funny May was."
Published: 2015 Theme: Value of Community Best for: 9 and 10 "Burdock knew perfectly well he was strictly a barn cat. A barn cat, not a house cat, not even a sometimes-allowed-in-the-house barn cat. But Burdock loved warmth more than just about anything..." The banding together of the animals for a common cause - to save themselves from an impending fire- is the heart of this newly published children's book.
Published: 1998 Theme: Science Fiction Best for: 11 and up "Be quiet! You know the words of Arnold Bros. (est. 1905)! Everything Under One Roof. Everything! Therefore, there can be no Outside. Therefore you're from some other part of the Store. Corsetry. Or Young Fashions..." The first children's book in The Bromeliad Trilogy is filled with humor, puns, social commentary, and a clever plot. I admit to laughing out loud ...
Published: 2010 Theme: Irish Fairies Best for: 7 to 9 "Strange, sweet music came from the whistle. The music was both sad and happy. It was full of beauty and hope, pain and sorry. Like the fog over the river, the music seems to blend everything together." I personally learned a lot more about leprechauns and Irish fairytales after I read this delightful children's book.
Litkidz 