How did it get to be the middle of July?  We’ve had a whirlwind summer, hosting our niece’s wedding shower, several trips to Michigan and then finally attending our niece’s wedding last weekend. It was a very special day and such a fun wedding. We were able to reconnect with many old friends and spend some extra time with family. It all meant so much to us, but by Sunday, we were exhausted!

As for what’s happening here in Naperville, our town’s summer sports are over and the park district activities are winding down. The streets are much quieter, because so many families are on vacation.After all, school starts again in just three weeks! However, there’s still time to get some summer reading done before the middle of August rolls around. Now that I am finally recovered after our big weekend, I want to share some wonderful books with you for your midsummer reading pleasure! I’ve found these books by connecting with my many Instagram friends, through many trips to our local library, through reading reviews and following publisher’s announcements. It’s always so much fun to track these books down and read them myself. I think I have some memorable ones for you!

chapter books for midsummer reading

I am sure many of you are as concerned and upset as I am about what has been happening in our country this summer. As I learned about yet another act of violence, I was reading this book and I realized this is a perfect title to add to my list of Kindness books that I wrote about in the spring. In The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days by Michele Weber Hurwitz, Nina is spending her summer between middle school and high school pretty much on her own. Her parents, both lawyers, go to work early and return late, her older brother is always busy, her best friend has discovered boys and only wants to talk about clothes and makeup and her beloved grandma has died. So Nina spends a lot of her day in her room looking at all of the houses in her cul-de-sac. On the first day of summer she watches her next door neighbor, Mrs. Chung who lives by herself, struggling to plant her garden full of marigolds as she always does, even though she has a broken leg. After Mrs. Chung gives up and goes inside, Nina remembers something her favorite teacher told the class on the last day of school. He said, “It is very often the ordinary things that go unnoticed that make a difference.” At that moment, Nina comes up with a plan that will change her summer and change her neighbors’ summers, as well. Nina decides to do something unnoticed every day for the 65 days of summer and see if she can really make a difference. This is an inspiring story that I wish I’d found earlier, because it would make a good beginning of summer read aloud. However, the principle idea holds true in any season of the year. And maybe that’s what we all need to do right now. We need to decide to do something ordinary and unnoticed for someone and see if it makes a difference. I’ll bet it does!

Kindness, caring, middle school

In the thing about jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, we are introduced to Suzy Swanson. Suzy notices many things about the world that others don’t even realize exist, and she can quote scientific fact after fact to anyone who will listen. So to Suzy, the fact that her lifetime best friend has drowned while on a beach vacation, makes no sense at all. Especially, since the last time she saw Franny, Suzy had played a terrible trick on her. And now Suzy would never be able to apologize. As a result, Suzy has decided never to talk again.

The story follows Suzy through seventh grade and describes her struggle to understand about Franny and to find a way to live with her grief. Suzy insists that Franny couldn’t have drowned, she was much too good of a swimmer, so Suzy sets out to find a reason. And along the way, she discovers that there are still people out there who love her and want to help her to find a way to forgive herself.

Grief, healing, friendship, middle school

The Tale of Rescue by Michael J. Rosen, is a perfect book for the dog lovers in your life who might be looking for an exciting story, but are interested in reading something that is a bit shorter than the average chapter book. This selection received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.

The Tale of Rescue tells the story of a cattle dog and how he rescued a Florida family caught in a blizzard the the Appalachian Mountains. The book is full of suspense and adventure, and offers proof of a dog’s tremendous will and why a dog is truly man’s best friend.

Adventure, dogs

picture books for midsummer reading

In A Perfect Place for Ted by Leila Rudge, introduces us to Ted, who has always been a pet store dog. He longs for somewhere to call home, somewhere that is perfect for him. However, the circus doesn’t like his tricks and the pet pageant doesn’t like his looks. However, when he sees a sign advertising for “A furry friend for Dot. Must enjoy long walks and ball games”, he thinks he might have found his perfect place! This is another ‘perfect’ story for the dog lover in your house!

Fun read aloud, dogs

The Three Questions is a beautifully written and illustrated story by Jon J. Muth and is based on Leo Tolstoy’s short story, The Three Questions. Tolstoy’s story was written for adults, and in this version, Mr. Muth tells the story with kindness and warmth so that children can understand Tolstoy’s ideas. Jon Muth strives to help children understand that showing compassion for those around them, and for living in and appreciating the moment, is the secret to how a person should live. In fact, a good friend of mine, who is a retired third grade teacher and is one who always cared about her kids and strived to help them grow in kindness during the year, would begin the school year by reading and discussing this story. Maybe that is why so many of her kids were always the caring ones.

Kindness, caring

                           

One of the most touching books I’ve read recently is The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers. I’m a huge fan of Mr. Jeffers and I always share his books with my kindergarten classes and first graders. This selection tells the story of a little girl who appreciated, and was always amazed, by the world around her. Every page, beginning with the amazing end papers, gently and tenderly shows the little girl and her Grandpa together, whether its telling stories, looking at the stars or wondering about a flower.  These wondrous times continued until one day she found an empty chair, instead of seeing her special grandpa ready to help her understand the curiosities of the world. So the girl decides she must keep her heart in a safe place, in a bottle she wears around her neck. She no longer sees the wonders of the world as she grows up, always with the heavy bottle hanging around her neck. But she knows her heart is safe. This goes on until she meets a little girl who teaches her that maybe it’s safe to let her heart come out, and to let her enjoy the wonders of the world once more.

Grief, healing, grandparents

The Happiest Tree by Uma Krishnaswami. Meena is excited that her class has written, and is going to perform an updated version of Red Riding Hood. When she eagerly starts working on the sets, she dumps a can of paint. After she receives her part in the play, she immediately falls on stage during rehearsal causing all of the other trees to moan, “Meee – na!”

At dinner that night, she laments about her clumsiness to her parents. Her mother assures her, it’s okay because she’s growing so quickly and her dad insists it’s okay not to be perfect. But Meena still feels miserable. While shopping with her mother the next day, she sees a yoga class for kids going on nearby. After a few classes, she begins to gain some confidence and not topple over. She learns about breathing and relaxing. She even learns how to do the tree pose!

I’m always so glad to find a book about yoga. Because it’s becoming more and more popular, I always had requests for yoga stories. I’d definitely recommend this one!

Yoga, confidence, read aloud 

The Bell in the Bridge by Ted Kooser tells the story of Charlie. Charlie is visiting his grandparents on the farm for two weeks in the summer while his parents go on vacation. Unfortunately, his grandparents are too busy with cooking, cleaning and driving the tractor to spend any time with Charlie. This meant that he was bored and lonely and the two weeks seemed like a really long time. So Charlie goes fishing, plays along the stream and drops stones from the bridge. When he decides to hit the bridge railing with a large stone, it rings like a church bell and then pretty soon the echo returns to him. He visits the bridge every day, and on one visit, after he hits the bridge railing with the special rock, he not only hears an echo, but also another sound as well. Could it be that there’s someone down stream who is returning his bong? Maybe he’s not really alone? Suddenly his summer becomes a lot more fun!

The warm illustrations enhance this cozy story of a little boy’s solo summer adventure. It makes you wish for the peacefulness of the countryside and the time to go exploring.

Read aloud, Summertime, bridges

 

When I first checked out Reach for the Stars by Serge Bloch, I thought it would be a perfect graduation gift. It would be, and in fact Amazon includes it on a list with many other graduation picture books, but it’s also a wonderful choice for a read aloud in a classroom to introduce idioms. When this book is shared, it can provoke a discussion not only about life and the obstacles you might encounter along the way, but also about the true meanings of the idioms that are found on every page. From “you won’t always be top dog” to “when you have all your ducks in a row, you’ll fly”, your kiddos will be thinking and asking “just what does that mean?” The simple illustrations are delightful and are great depictions of every thought.

graduation, idioms

I found this book at my library just before I left for a vacation in Michigan, which included many trips to the beach. I love Lake Michigan and have so many fond memories of family times during our yearly trips to Manistee to visit my great grandmother every summer. Lake Michigan might not be the ocean, as this book describes, but it has its own wonder, and the cover of this book immediately brought those fun times to mind! This book is written by Alison Lester, one of Australia’s most popular authors, and is the 20th anniversary addition. The soft colors in the cozy illustrations describe the part imaginary and the part real world of a day at the beach. You feel the peacefulness, the joy and the adventure that such a day might include. After rereading it just now, I’m yearning for a day at the beach!

Summer, beaches, read aloud

Part of my joy of summer, is sitting outside as it’s getting dark and watching the lightening bugs come out. I imagine this grows out of so many favorite memories from my childhood and from my boys’ childhoods. How many nights did I spend outside with my sisters and brother catching fireflies and filling up our glass jars? Our dad, of course had punched holes in each our of the lids so our new little pets could breathe. What was so unusual about these evenings was the fact that I was normally an inside girl who would much rather be curled up reading a book instead of going outdoors, but those summer evenings would lure me outside and I (who would NEVER, EVER touch a bug) would happily catch lightening bugs and fill my jar. I think my kids found just as much joy as I did, when it came to catching fireflies. So many summer nights, they begged to stay up and wait for the lightening bugs to emerge. The only difference was that they had bug boxes, rather than glass jars (of course, they would never have been allowed to run around with a glass jar! Haha!). So when I discovered this new book recently, Among a Thousand Fireflies by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder I was immediately a fan. Ms. Frost’s poem describes how one firefly discovers a very special friend in the midst of thousands of lights one starry summer evening. Her lyrical words are illustrated with Mr. Lieder’s amazing photographs. This is one you don’t want to miss!

Summer, fireflies, read aloud

Finally, I want to share some links with you that you might find helpful when you’re looking for books for your kids, when they’re saying “I don’t know what to read”!

midsummer reading websites

Brightly is a wonderful site that I really enjoy following. You can find wonderful lists of all types of books divided by age, genre, and interests, as well as interesting articles about books and reading by many different authors. I suggest you check it out!

Finally, if you are looking for some new titles for your youngest kiddos, or for baby gifts, School Library Journal, one of the best source for kids’ book recommendations, has assembled a great list of the newest and best board books, Across the Board: The Latest for Small Readers.  

In closing, I wish you many lazy summer days filled with lots of time for midsummer reading adventures! What books will you be reading? What books do you suggest? Let us know in the comments below.

 Well, it’s Mother’s Day and I just received phone calls from both of my sons, so it’s been a good day! This book, This is Sadie, is all about a child and her imagination. I loved this book for many reasons, but probably most importantly because it reminded me of my own kids when they were growing up. Just like Sadie, they had lots of toys and art supplies, but some of the most fun they had, at least in my memory, were the times when they were lucky enough to have an appliance box to play with. It would morph into so many different things from a ship to a Millennium Falcon to a castle. In the winter there were always pillows and blankets, along with the dining room table to help them hatch a new idea for another adventure. I hope your Mother’s Day was as special as mine, and your days are full of happy memories with your little ones. 💕

My last post was about new picture books and chapter books for kids. There were so many picture books that I wanted to include in that post, but the list was getting a little lengthy, so I decided to write about some more new picture books this week. I’ve included ideas about using the books, which I hope are helpful. These are books that were published recently, and I didn’t want you to miss them!

I WISH YOU MORE BY AMY KROUSE ROSENTHAL AND TOM LICHTENHELD

This is a heart warming story that would be a perfect graduation or baby gift. The narrator wishes the children many things from “I wish you more ups than downs,” to “I wish you more stories than stars.” And each wish is accompanied by a darling picture which perfectly illustrates the wish. In fact, I just put it into my Amazon cart so I’ll be prepared for those graduations!

Read aloud for all ages; great baby or graduation gift

ASK ME BY BERNARD WABER

The illustrations in this book by Suzy Lee captivated me when I first saw it on the book store shelf. The golds, oranges, and reds are so alive and so happy. Ask Me is a heartwarming story about a walk that a father and daughter take through the park and woods. We learn that this is just an ordinary walk on an ordinary day, but each of them are delighted to be with one another, to be outside and to be enjoying and observing everything around them. The little girl keeps up a running narrative telling her dad to ask her lots of questions about everything from ice cream cones to lightening bugs. This continues until Daddy tucks her in with a good night kiss.

Read aloud preK – grade 2, illustrations, families.

LITTLE RED BY BETHAN WOOLLVIN

The illustrations are all black and white except for a tiny bit of red on each page, which gives a sinister feel to the story from the very beginning of this “fractured fairy tale” about Little Red Riding Hood. This Little Red isn’t at all afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. She sees through his disguises and his trickery and decides to play along, which leads to an unhappy ending for the wolf. The story requires a lot of inferences throughout the book, which will lead to many discussions whether it be one on one or in a class setting. In fact, I am using this as an example of an updated fairy tale when I am a guest teacher in some second grade classes.

K – 6; fractured fairy tale example; inferences

FINDING WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLDS MOST FAMOUS BEAR BY LINDSEY MATTICK

From the amazing end papers through the family photo album at the end of the book, the story and the illustrations in this year’s Caldecott Winner,tell the story of the little bear who inspired the Winnie the Pooh books, It was written as a true story for the author’s son about his great great grandfather and his bear who became Winnie in the A.A. Milne books. I think this is going to be my new “go-to” gift! This is one to keep!

Read aloud for all ages; baby gift

LITTLE TREE BY LOREN LONG

Little Tree loves his life in the forest and especially loves his leaves. When autumn arrives, he refuses to let his leaves fall, although all of his friends surrounding him have shed theirs. In the spring, he notices his friends have grown a bit, but he’s just the same. This continues for many years until Little Tree is by far the smallest tree in the forest, which finally convinces him to let go of his leaves and to begin to grow. This sweet story encourages us to have the strength and the bravery to face change and to welcome the future. Loren Long, the author of the Otis books, has given us another very special book to add to our libraries.

Read aloud for all ages; growing up; bravery

IDEAS ARE ALL AROUND BY PHILIP STEAD

The newest book from Caldecott Medal winning author, Philip C. Stedman, which has earned four starred reviews, is a remarkable and simple picture book with a mixture of photographs and splatter art, as well as ink and watercolor drawings. It is the story of the author and his dog’s wanderings through their neighborhood as they notice everything around them from the frog in his pond, to the line at the soup kitchen, to a train roaring by. As the author sits and talks with his friend, Barbara, and his dog, Wednesday, chases squirrels, he realizes that thoughts lead to more thoughts and that ideas are truly all around. You just need to know where to look!

Read aloud for all ages; imagination; creativity

Octopuppy by Martin McKenna

Edgar wanted a dog for his birthday, but somehow he ended up with an octopus named Jarvis. Edgar does his best to make Jarvis into a puppy, but Jarvis just doesn’t fit in. After disappointing Edgar many times, Jarvis leaves. This book teaches a great lesson that we need to appreciate our friends for their talents and not expect them to change into someone we want them to be.  Be sure and check out the amazing end papers!

PreK – grade 2; friendship

last stop on market street by matt de la pena

This book won almost more awards than you can count. In addition to the 2016 Newbery Medal, it also won a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book Award,  a 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book Award,  a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book Award of 2015 and a Wall Street Journal Best Children’s Book of 2015. It tells the story of a boy and his grandma’s bus ride through the city on a Sunday after church. Grandma’s appreciation of everyone and everything they encounter helps CJ to find the beauty in the world that he never thought about before.

Read aloud PreK – grade 5; appreciation of beauty; optimism

please mr. panda by steve antony

I learned about this book through an Instagram post by Appyreading.com. By following Appy Reading, I have learned about many wonderful books, including this one. Mr. Panda has an entire box of donuts he wants to share with his friends. He asks each friend, and they always have an answer, but it’s never the right one until one friend knows the perfect way to ask for a treat! Your little one will be willing each animal to ask the “right way”. The story provides a great opportunity for a conversation about the polite way to ask for something, whether it’s at home or when they’re at the library or a restaurant!

Read aloud preK – grade 2; manners; sharing

this is Sadie by sara O’Leary

The charming illustrations of this book pulled me in and then the story captivated me. As you can tell, I love this book! It describes all of the places and all of the things a child can do with imagination. It’s tells about the childhood that we dream about, and wish for all of our children. It’s definitely on my baby gift list!

Read Aloud; PreK – grade 2; imagination, illustrations, baby gift.

who done it?  by Olivier tallec

I learned about this through an online friend, who writes amazing book reviews on her blog and on Instagram, averyandaugustine.com. This book provides lots of opportunities for conversation with your preschooler, which in turn gives them practice in conversing, and helps teach inferential and early reasoning skills. It’s going to be a favorite for both of you, because you’ll love hearing your child’s different answers every time you read, Who Done It?

Read aloud; PreK – grade 2; inference, questioning, early reasoning skills.

the dark by Lemony snicket

I was first attracted to this book because of the author, Lemony Snicket. He was a favorite in my library for many years, because of his chapter book series, A Series of Unusual Events. I was curious about what his picture book might be about. As it turns out, it is just what the title suggests! It tells the story of Laszlo who is afraid of the dark (as I sometimes am during the dark winter days in northern Michigan!). It would be a great read aloud with your child who might be feeling the same way. It brings up lots of thoughts and ideas about the dark and why we need it. A wonderful bonus for this book, are the illustrations by Jon Klassen. You may recognize his style from another very popular book during the last year, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole.

Read aloud preK – grade 3. Fear of the dark.

raindrop rolls by april pulley sayre

I first learned about this book, through a review on A Storybook Year blog. This is an ambitious family project where they read aloud a new storybook every day and then share a review on their blog. I’m sure you’d find some new books, if you browse through the posts.

The cover photograph of Raindrops Roll gives you an idea of the delight you will feel as you turn the pages of this photo illustrated nonfiction book. Raindrops Roll tells the story of what happens to all of nature in a forest, both during a rain shower and after the rain stops. It includes a brief science section at the end of the book that explains what is happening to the water on each page.

When I was with a three year old this past week, who was fascinated with taking pictures of his aunt to be as she tried on her wedding gown, I had an idea about this book. This would be a great introduction to your children about photography and science, and perhaps they could make their own photographic science book!

Read aloud all ages; science of water cycle; nonfiction; photography

Are there some new picture books you’d like us to know about? Please let me know in the comments!

 

Spring has come to the Midwest! We’ve had an amazing weekend that felt more like summer than spring and so far this week, we’ve held on to the warm weather. I was even able to take some of my pictures outside, which seems to be easier with better results. As you all enjoy our great weather, here are some new kids books you that you might want to investigate.

As most of you know, I’m a recently retired elementary school librarian. Throughout the over 20 years in my job, I kept up with book reviews through library magazines and more recently online sources. However, because I was also trying to save some time during the evenings and on the weekends for my husband and family, I missed learning about some books.  One of the best parts of my retirement, is that I now have the time to peruse the online sources, social media and literature blogs to learn about new books and authors. It has been so much fun! I spend a part of each day reviewing these sources and making notes about ones I want to try. I’ve become a very frequent visitor to our wonderful public libraries (which amazingly always seems to have the books I am looking for!) to check out these books so I can determine if I agree with the reviews. Most of the time I do! I have found that the quality of the writing, as well as the illustrations, is impressive. Therefore, because of my past experiences, I understand how hard it is for you busy moms, teachers and grandmas to keep up with it all and to find some special books for your kids. Hopefully this list will help! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll recognize some of the titles, but there are lots of new ones as well. Here we go!

new Middle grade kids books  

El deafo by Cece Bell

This book won the Newberry Honor this year and after reading it, I think it was an excellent choice. It’s a graphic novel memoir which is very touching, but full of humor. Cece became deaf after contracting meningitis when she was four. She describes her experiences and the reactions of those around her. She just wanted to be accepted and have friends, but it wan’t always easy. It would be a great book to read with your child. It would also be a wonderful choice to share with hearing impaired kids and their friends. I think it helps all of us have empathy and a better understanding of the world of a hearing impaired child.

Hearing impaired, empathy, kindness, graphic novel, humor

Escape from Basters’ Barn by Rebecca Bond

 

This new kids book will be a winner with fans of Charlotte’s Web. The Story is told from the animals’ perspective and describes their friendship, loyalty and teamwork as they try to solve a life threatening problem in the barn.

Animal story, friendship, loyalty, teamwork, adventure, read aloud for all ages

The wild robot by Peter Brown

This fantasy book is the first chapter book from the award winning picture book author, Peter Brown. Roz, a robot, finds herself alone on a deserted island with no way to get home. Roz is very intelligent, and very adaptable, however, so she quickly learns how to cope with living in the woods by observing the unwelcoming animals on the island. After a while, the island begins to feel like home when Roz and the animals become friends. This novel is both heart warming, and full of action, and is one you won’t want to miss!

Fantasy, adventure, great read aloud for all ages

paper wishes  by Lois Sepahban

This historical fiction book is Manami’s diary from 1942 which describes her family’s experiences as they are relocated from their home on Bainbridge Island to a Japanese American camp in the California desert. She is very sad to go, but refuses to give up her dog, as is required. She tries to smuggle Yujiin onto the train that will take them to their new home, but he is taken from her after he is discovered. From her new home, Manami writes letters and draws pictures for Yujinn everyday promising to take good care of him when he returns home.

Historical fiction, World War II, good read aloud for grades 3-5

brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline woodson

This is another Newberry Honor book. It is Ms. Woodson’s autobiography about growing up in South Carolina and New York in the ’60s and ’70s, and is all told in verse. Each poem vividly describes her experiences as she deals with both discrimination and the Jim Crow Laws. However, her love of writing shines through in the poignant verse.

Historical fiction, Civil Rights Movement, poetry, autobiography, good read aloud for grades 3-5

new picture books

have you seen elephant? by david Barrow

This book is sure to become a favorite that you will reading over and over again. The charming illustrations from this first time author just give you a warm feeling. You might notice that it is all dialogue, with the best line being when the elephant tells the little boy that “I must warn you though. I’m VERY good.” when they begin to play hide and seek together. Your children will soon be emphatically (and probably very loudly) pointing out the elephant in each hiding place, as the dog is doing on each stop along the way, but the little boy just can’t find Elephant. A School Library Journal starred review, which will be enjoyed by all!

 preschool – grade 2 read aloud

When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes

The latest book from Kevin Henkes, is beautifully illustrated by his wife, Laura Dronzek (I’m not familiar with her illustrations, but this book definitely makes me want to see more. Actually, I think I’d like for her to decorate my house!). This is a lovely, sweet story that pulls you in through the beautiful and vibrant illustrations covering the end papers and then keeps you turning each page to learn what’s coming next. It made me feel so joyful and cozy, as it engaged all of my senses. It’s a wonderful read aloud for preschool children, which will lead to an understanding of what to expect as Spring emerges all around them.

seasons, preschool – grade 2 read aloud

bear and bunny by daniel pinkwater

This is another book which received a starred review from School Library Journal. That happens to be the best recommendation a book can have, in my opinion! If a book received this, the book was always at the top of my “to be purchased list” for my library. Of course, now, this is really dangerous, because I want to add every starred title to my home library! This is a sweet story about friendship, as the two friends are on their quest through the forest to find the perfect pet. As they consider each possibility, it’s a great opportunity to talk with your child, or with a class, about the reading strategy of comparing and contrasting that occurs in the story as Bear and Bunny come to a conclusion.

read aloud preschool – 2, compare and contrast, friendship

boxes for katje by Candace Fleming

This isn’t a new book, but it’s new to me and I wouldn’t want you to miss it! The historical fiction story is set in Holland immediately after the second World War. Food and clothing were extremely scarce, due to the fact that nothing could be farmed or manufactured during the war. One day, a little girl, Katje, receives a box from America containing socks, soap and chocolate. It caused a huge celebration in Katje’s family, and she sent a thank you note to the little American girl who sent the package.This prompted another box to arrive which was so large that Katje could share the contents with her neighbor. This continued, until the Americans had sent enough food, soap, warm clothing and chocolate for the entire town! And then Katje sends a thank you gift to America. This story will lead to an understanding of conditions after the war, and how the kindness of a few people can help so many.

read aloud for all ages, historical fiction, World War II, empathy, kindness

the first step: how one girl put segregation on trial by susan e. goodman

Sarah Roberts was attending a school in Boston in 1847 that was near her home, had lots of supplies and books and many teachers. Then she is told she can’t attend, because it is a school for white children. Sarah is sent to a a school for African American Children, which is a long distance away and has only one book. Out of concern for Sarah and their anger at the situation, Sarah’s parents go to court and “put segregation on trial.” This story describes the long battle that Sarah’s family and some hard working lawyers fought to achieve integration in Boston schools. Fairness was finally schieved in 1855 when the mayor declared Boston to be the first city with integrated schools. The story continues to describe the journey toward integrating schools in all of the United States, which concluded with the 1954 Supreme Court Decision which declared all schools must be integrated.

Historical fiction, Civil Rights Movement, segregation, read aloud for grades 2-5

a tale of two beasts by fiona robertson

This is a fun story told from two points of view – a little girl on her way home through the woods from Grandma’s house and a strange little beast she finds along the way. First of all, be sure and notice the end papers. They will put a smile on your face before you even begin reading the story. They are also a good discussion starter with your child. Then as you proceed, there are so many details in every illustration for you to find and to point out. It would be a lot of fun to share this story with a child while you are curled up together, or with a class. It would definitely be high on my list for a read aloud with my kindergarten or first grade classes!

Point of view, read aloud preK – grade 2, kindness, friendship

 There are so many more books I want to share with you, but I’ll save those for next time. What are some new books you would like to share? Let us know in the comments below.

P.S. One of my favorite bloggers, Modern Mrs. Darcy, recently published a post titled, Twelve Terrific Books for Tween Girls. Be sure and check it out. It has some terrific recommendations!

Author, Peter Brown

In early 2006, I was reading my school email one Sunday evening (yes, yes, I know I should have been relaxing and not doing school work, but that’s just not what teachers do!) and found a request from a local independent bookstore addressed to all of the librarians in the two city school districts. She was asking if anyone would be interested in hosting a first time author for an author visit in their school later in the week. Because author visits are usually so costly, I jumped at the chance to host a free one even though the author was new, young and inexperienced at presenting to kids! The author/illustrator was Peter Brown and his new book, was The Flight of the Dodo (AR, 4.1, Lexile 870).

It turned out to be a very good decision! Peter was easy to work with and great with the kids. He even drew several poster size illustrations to demonstrate his techniques and left the posters with us. Those posters have been framed and hanging in my school for many years. In fact, every time I share one of Peter’s books, we enjoy looking at the posters and I tell the story about Peter Brown visiting Patterson before they were born!

Since that time Peter Brown has gone on to illustrate many more picture books, both ones he has written and ones written by other authors. This includes the book, Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, for which Peter won a Caldecott Honor award in 2013 and The Curious Garden, as well as the Chowder series about a lonesome dog who finds his true calling once he discovers the joys of a trampoline!

In The Curious Garden, (AR 4.4, Lexile 840) a little red head, Liam, who loves life and is full of optimism, discovered some deserted, raised railroad tracks in his dreary, drab city as he was out exploring on a rainy day. After he climbed the steps to the top, he found a small patch of dying wildflowers which obviously needed a gardener’s help. Liam became that person with inspiring results. His work and optimism transformed a depressing place into a welcoming spot for all of his neighbors to gather, visit and join him in supporting the blossoming gardens. Mr. Brown was inspired to write this book after noticing the raised train tracks near his home, which are now a beautiful and welcoming walkway for New Yorkers, The Highline, thanks to the kindness and hard work of many volunteers. When I shared this book with my class we would look at the website for The Highline, http://www.thehighline.org, which includes photographs and videos about how the walkway came to be. You may also find an excellent lesson guide at the following site to support you, parents or educators, as you share the book.       Curious Gardens Group Guide 

You will want to read several of Peter’s books. His more recent ones, such as Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, (AR 1.5, Lexile 170), winner of the 2014 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for picture books, and You Will Be My Friend, a New York Times Bestseller (AR 1.7 and Lexile 260) are written on a lower level but still include his amazing illustrations. They would be perfect books for partner reading between mom or dad and an early reader. As you read the books, you can discuss the different styles of the illustrations and why your child thinks Mr. Brown made the choice to change styles from book to book.

Peter Brown is now working on his first chapter book,  The Wild Robot, which will be published in the spring. Be sure and look for it! If you would like to learn more about Peter Brown, visit his website, www.peterbrownstudio.com.

I hope you will appreciate and enjoy Peter Brown’s books as much as I do and as much as my students did during read alouds. We had so much fun and shared so much laughter. I remember it fondly!