These books are great to read aloud to a younger reader, and is an especially fun time for grandparents. It’s never too early to start!
Published: 2014 Theme: Family Best for: 7 to 9 "I write, "Wrapped in the moon." I can't write any more. But I know that this won't be a rhymed poem. That is too slim for what I want to say. That is too slim for the cow." Reading Fly Away was somewhat like stepping into a child's dream, an ordinary child, living an ordinary life, with the heart and soul of a poet...
Published: 2006 Theme: Perseverance through obstacles Best for: 7 to 10 "Just as Su Shih's writing followed the laws of nature, do did his rulings, where were just and as brilliant as the sun. He was guided by the ancient Chinese book of wisdom, the Tao Te Ching..." It's an interesting challenge to create a historical fiction children's book that young children would be able to take in...
Published: 2010 Theme: First Chapter Book Best for: 5 - 8 “The cat ran out of the kitchen. The pig ran after him. It was a chase. Mercy loved a chase.” It’s easy to love Kate DiCamillo’s writing, as she seems to know just what children enjoy...
Published: 1997 Theme: First Chapter Book Best for: 5-8 “It was still raining! 'This is terrible,' you said. 'What am I going to do all day?' You sat down and gave yourself a bath." Here’s a sweet little early reader/first chapter children's book especially for kids who have cats they love...
Published: 2013 Theme: Imagination Best for: 5 to 9 "The hole in space opened again. A voice shouted, "Catch!" and the milk came rocketing through. Fortunately, the milk struck me in the stomach..." The best description for this new children's book is wacky and fun. It reads like a kid making up a story...
Published: 2013 Theme: Creativity Best for: 5 to 8 "In school, we have lots of rules. At home, there are lots of rules too. I'm learning that with with art, there really are no rules. That's what makes it so great. Artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso created new ways to make paintings... " I encourage any adult who loves bringing art to children to consider this book. It illuminates the value of bringing a child into the world of creativity.
Published: 2009 Theme: Gratitude Best for: ages 5 and up "Minli gaped at the dragon in front of her. It was brilliant red, the color of a lucky lantern, with emerald-green whiskers, horns, and a dull stone-colored ball like the moon on his head. He was half-covered by...the silvery lake of water his tears had formed all around him." What joy, to find such a superb collection of Chinese folk tales, woven together into one adventure story with a beautiful message about gratitude.
Published: 1918 Theme: Nature Spirits Best for: 5 - 8 "Ivra was different. Because she was only half-fairy, any human could see her whether his eyes were shadowed or not, if he would only look hard enough...When a human did see her, he was likely not to believe in her. He would just think he was day-dreaming." Here's a children's book that understands and loves the unseen folk: the fairies, the tree sprites, the good witches, and more. Ethel Cook Eliot was a master storyteller...
Published: 2013 Theme: Artistry Best for: 5 to 8 "Each day something new and surprising dripped out of Daozi's brush. His straight lines splintered into trees. His hooks caught fish. His dots burst into eyes, then pigs and monkeys. From a stroke, a horse's tail flew by." This children's book is exquisite from beginning to end, from front cover to back cover. The story is an imaginative version of the life of the great Chinese artist Wu Daozi...
Published: 2007 Theme: Contentment Best for: 6 and up "The Queen could always tell when the King had visited the hermit, for he would be, for a short time, calmer than usual, not straining at his restrictive clothing, not complaining or yawning. She would find him sitting mute on his throne,...gazing placidly around the room." This children's book is just pure and simple fun. I found the book in a used book store, and was immediately struck by its beauty...
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