There were so many biographies in my library that were never touched by the kids. Mostly those were the ones that were at least an inch thick and contained very few pictures. Although I had based my purchases on the respected reviews that I had read in a variety of library sources, these books were ignored. The
kids taught me very early in my career which biographies I should be buying or the books would simply sit on the shelf! They liked the to read the ones which gave them lots of facts, but not using too many words to relay the information. They liked indexes and table of contents. And most importantly they liked pictures!

 BIOGRAPHIES FOR YOUNG READERS

 

In the Common Core Curriculum, which is now found in schools across the country, children are being exposed to many more biographies. I found when I shared biographies with first and second graders, they were fascinated and rushed to check them out. A series that is great for this is First Biographies from Capstone Press.These books are available in public and school libraries, as well as from Capstone Press. The books are 32 pages in length, contain many pictures, as well as an index and table of contents. They are perfect for pleasure reading or research.

BIOGRAPHIES FOR oLDER rEADERS

Another publisher I really like for nonfiction is Bellwether Media and their Blastoff Readers. A great series for older readers, third grade reading level and above, who are looking for biographies about authors, is the Children’s Storytellers Series. These books are 24 pages in length and contain a table of contents, index, glossary, timeline and fun facts about the authors. They are perfect for both pleasure reading or research. 

JANE GOODALL BIOGRAPHIES for home and school

A new biography that I recently discovered is Untamed The Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey, with a foreword by Jane Goodall. Lexile Level 1100, Accelerated Reader 7.4

I was initially drawn to this book when I read a review on the site, The Nonfiction Detectives. I have been an admirer of Jane Goodall for many years. When my son was a freshman at Beloit College, he had the opportunity to attend a lecture given by Ms. Goodall. Immediately afterwards, he called me to tell me all about it. If you have ever been a mother of a college boy, you may recognize the importance of this call! First of all, he actually called me immediately after hearing the lecture and was extremely excited! He was very impressed and motivated after hearing about her work in Africa and her mission to make the world a better place for animals. He wanted to buy some of her books for me! His enthusiasm led me to read many books about her and to share picture biographies with the children in my elementary library every year to introduce the biography section of the library. This included early reader biographies, as well as Me, Jane by Patrick McDonnell and The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter.

However, I never had a Jane Goodall biography to offer to the older students. Untamed is that book! It reinforces the stories the children learned in the previous biographies, and then expands on that. It follows Ms. Goodall from childhood through the present as she travels the world to teach about conservation. It includes many photographs on every page with very descriptive captions. The vibrancy of these photographs and the engaging text will appeal to children and inspire them to continue reading.

What are some of your favorite biographies? Is your child looking for biographies about a particular person? Please let me know in the comments and I’ll try to help them find that “perfect book”!

 

 

 

 

 CHILDREN’S BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS

Part 2: children’s Chapter Books

Here is the promised second post about children’s chapter books that would make good holiday gifts (or at any other time of the year!). It took me a little longer than the four or five days that I promised in my post on Sunday, but I’m sure you all know about this time of year. The days just seem like they go by so quickly! On top of that, the weather here has been amazing for December. We’ve had fifty degree days all week. This means that Dennis and I had to get outside and enjoy it while we can. This included many walks to our local downtown area. It’s about a two mile walk each way and we always reward ourselves with a stop for tea or coffee, so it makes it extra fun! In fact it was such a good day on Thursday, rather than drive downtown to do some Christmas shopping we decided to walk down and stop for lunch. Every time we do this, we feel like this might be our last opportunity for several months, so we’re loving it while we can!

There are so many chapter books for me to suggest. My niece Sarah and I brainstormed a list and it’s way too long for one post! Some of the titles have been around for a long time, but are still available and are still great books. Others are newly published within the last few years. What I thought I would do, is list the title, the author, the genre, the level and a short summary. This is similar to the “Book Blasts” that I used to do with my classes at my school. After one of these, the books flew off the shelves! So here goes – hope you find one or more that might appeal to the children in your life!  Oh, by the way, these are in random order and there are links for each one which leads you to one of the many places where you might purchase these books.

The Witches by Roald Dahl.   Lexile 740; AR 4.7

Fantasy

This is a fantasy about a seven year old boy and his encounters with a REAL WITCH and how he tackles his problem with the help of his magical grandmother.

This is just one of Roald Dahl’s many amazing fantasies that will intrigue and entertain your child.

Flora and Ulysses by Kate Dicamillo.   Lexile 520; AR  4.3

Fantasy

This is a story with lots of comic book type illustrations and lots of humor. Flora is a girl who discovers Ulysses (a squirrel) and after a terrible accident with a vacuum cleaner, Ulysses is born anew as a squirrel with super powers. This was the 2014 Newberry winner (best chapter book of the year). If your child enjoys Flora, be sure and introduce Kate Dicamillo’s other books, especially The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

 Great Illustrated Classics AR 4.2 – 6.0

Historical Fiction

I first learned about this series when I was looking for books for my son many years ago. These are adapted versions of many of the classics. The books are so popular with children, because in addition to the great stories (big favorites are always 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Moby Dick, Treasure Island and The Secret Garden, among others) there is a full page illustration on almost every other page. This is especially good for those children who are resisting leaving behind the illustrations of their picture books and early chapter books.

The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall.  Lexile 800 – 940; AR 4.7 – 5.6

Realistic Fiction

This series is a refreshing, cozy tale of four sisters, two rabbits and their friend named Jeffrey. The first book takes place during one summer on Jeffrey’s seaside estate and describes lots of adventures and lots of fun.

Love that Dog and Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech. AR 4.5 – 5.0

Realistic Fiction

These are short books, which are great for reluctant readers, because they are both written in poetry form. Therefore, there isn’t as much text on the page (which helps with those children who are resisting reading a chapter book), but the story will still draw the reader in. If your child enjoys these, Sharon Creech has written lots more books, many with a meaningful message.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien.  Lexile 790; AR 5.1

Fantasy

This book holds a special place in my heart, because my husband read this to my two sons many years ago and they loved it. This is a perfect book for the animal lovers in your family. It is a story of a widowed mouse and her family who are helped by the Rats of Nimh, highly intelligent extraordinary creatures, to solve their life threatening problem. This is the first of three books in the series. If your child enjoys these, you can suggest The Redwall series by Brian Jacques next.

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Lexile 700; AR 4.1

Realistic Fiction

This is one of my all-time favorite books. Claudia and her brother Jamie decide to run away and Claudia insists that their destination be an elegant one. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City! The story describes their adventures as they hide from the guards and avoid detection for several days, as well as their investigation into the mystery statue the museum purchased at a bargain price. Is it really by Michelangelo and therefore worth millions?

If your child enjoys this, be sure and look for many other titles by E.L.Konigsburg.

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass; Lexile 770; AR 4.5

Realistic Fiction

It’s a little difficult to choose the genre of this book or any of Wendy Mass’s other books. They are predominantly realistic fiction, but there is always a little bit of magic or fantasy in each one that will leave the reader wondering long after they’ve finished the book!

In this book Jeremy is going to turn 13 in a very short time. He and his friend, Lizzy live in New York City and are on their own for much of their days while their parents work. Jeremy would rather not venture more than a few blocks from his apartment, but Lizzy is already to go anywhere for an adventure. Jeremy’s life suddenly changes when a mysterious wooden box arrives. It is a gift from his late father and is said to contain the meaning of life, but there is a problem. The keys to the fascinating box are missing. This is the story of Jeremy and Lizzy’s adventures as they explore the city to find the keys and how they meet some intriguing people along the way.

Counting by 7s by Holly Sloan. Lexile 770; AR 5.6

Realistic Fiction

This is a relatively new book, and it was probably my favorite of the past year. Willow, a 12 year old genius, loses her parents in a car crash very early in the story. Hearing that, you would assume this is going to be a sad and grief filled book. There is grief, but there is so much joy as well, as Willow fights through her sadness and finds a loving home in a totally unexpected surrogate family.

 

Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull. Lexile 700 – 790; AR 4.8 – 5.6

Fantasy

Kendra and Seth are sent to spend the summer with their grandfather, who they barely know. He warns them to stay out of the woods surrounding his house, but of course, Kendra and Seth can’t help but venture into the forest. Their explorations lead them into many adventures after discovering the mythical and magical creatures that live there.

 

As I said in the beginning, there are far too many wonderful chapter books to be included in one post! Be assured, I will write more in the new year and add some titles to the list. Meanwhile, please have a wonderful time choosing some books for the children in your lives, either at the library or the bookstore. I look forward to your comments about these titles and your suggestions about more titles to add to the list!

Finally, I wish you a holiday season full of love and peace with your family and friends!

 

 

 

 

 Children’s picture books for

Christmas gifts 

Holiday Gift Ideas

Last week sixteen members of our family gathered at my sister, Lisa, and brother-in-law, Scott’s home to celebrate Thanksgiving. We were fortunate to have such a large group, but we were certainly missing some who were unable to join us. However, we still had a fun time together! During the after dinner conversation, talk turned to my blog and there were lots of questions… When was I going to announce it on Facebook? When was I going to announce it to my friends? I was having a hard time answering, because I’ve been really nervous about announcing to the world that RedCanoeReader.com existed! But then finally a question that I could answer: Would I write a post about book gift ideas for kids of all ages? So here is my first list, which is a compilation of children’s picture books.

Board Books

Whenever I’m invited to a baby shower or I need a baby gift, I turn to concept board books. After all, it has been proven that babies need to hear thirty million words by age three to best develop their brains and what better way to accomplish this, than to read aloud to your child whenever you have the chance! The board books I choose have very simple content or have a concept on each page, such as counting, animals, the alphabet and opposites. Here are a few examples with links to Amazon. I’ll probably also add a few classics to the gift box such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?  Children love the language in this book and it can become a game as you read it aloud. And finally I might include On the Night You Were Born, which is a simple story that tells children how much they are loved.

                      

  Dr. Seuss’s ABC          first 100 animals       Baby Touch and Feel Animals  

                                                                       

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?                  On the Night You Were Born

Early Picture books

When it comes to early picture books, there are literally thousands of books to choose from. If you are interested in a newly published title, I suggest going on Amazon and reading about the best picture books of 2015. There are some wonderful ones, both humorous stories and those with a message. Probably my favorite of the year, is Waiting  by one of my favorite authors, Kevin Henkes. The story tells about toys that are each happily waiting for something amazing to happen.

                                                                                                           

     Waiting                                                                                                                   Lenny and Lucy

My other favorite is Lenny and Lucy by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead, the author and illustrator of the 2011 Caldecott award winner, A Sick Day for Amos McGee. This is a special book about the uncertainty and scariness of moving to a new house and it’s also a great lesson in empathy.

Now I’d like to tell you about some “oldies, but goodies”. These are books which may have been published after you were reading picture books so you aren’t familiar with them (and the children receiving them won’t probably already own them), and because they are somewhat older, aren’t showing up on the “best of” lists and in the library displays.

Journey by Aaron Becker

This tells the story of a lonely girl and the magical world she creates with a red marker. It is a wordless picture book that was the Caldecott winner in 2014.

That is NOT a Good Idea!  By Mo Willems

I’m sure many of you know the Piggy and Elephant books by Mo Willems, but this is one you don’t want to miss. It is a very fun read aloud that keeps you guessing until the very end!

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

I decided to add this book to my list after a holiday dinner with my local nieces and nephew. Although, they are teenagers and beyond, they have many fond memories of picture books and we had a lively discussion recalling their favorites. While we were talking about the blog they told me that this was an extra special one because of the characters and the humor. It was a favorite of the Caldecott committee, as well, because it won the award in 1996.

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers; Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers

You really can’t miss with any of Oliver Jeffers books, but these two are especially touching stories about the importance of friendship between a penguin and a boy.

children’s Picture Books 

When I first opened my elementary school library 22 years ago, I needed to make a decision about how I would refer to the picture books. Many libraries call it the “Easy” section, but I disagreed with that for two reasons. First of all, many picture books are written on fourth grade level and higher. Secondly, and perhaps most important, I didn’t want the older kids to consider them just for K and 1. So the picture book section became the “Everybody Books”. I’m a firm believer that picture books are truly for all ages. I always keep two or three on my coffee table to share with my guests. When my nieces and nephews visit someone is always reading one (and they are just about all grown up now)!

Here are a few more of my favorites with concepts that might appeal to children beyond pre-school age.

How Rocket Learned to Read  by Tad Hills. This is a delightful book about friendship and the power of learning to read.

The Night I Followed the Dog by Nina Laden. After waking up early and seeing his dog hop out of a limousine, a little boy decides to follow his dog the next night. A great read aloud!

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein.  This is another great read aloud. Papa tried to read some favorite bedtime stories to Little Red Chicken, but before Papa can finish, little red chicken jumps into the story and interrupts. Will he ever get to sleep?

Say Hello to Zorro! by Carter Goodrich. This book tells the story of what happens when a new dog joins the family. It’s a story of friendship that any dog lover can identify with.

Courage  by Bernard Waber. This book explores and celebrates all kinds of courage, big and small.

Ask Me by Bernard Waber. When I was checking to make sure Courage was still in print, I saw this book, which was just published in July. I couldn’t help but add it to the list. The illustrations are amazing – very soft and comforting. The story tells about a father and daughter, their walk through their neighborhood and all of their many questions about what they see and what they like. It would be a great conversation starter for you and your child.

Otis by Loren Long. There is a series of Otis books. Otis is a special tractor who loves his job and all of his friends on his farm, especially Little Calf. Happily, Otis also always manages to save his friends from disasters, as they have fun at the end of a long work day.  These will remind you of Virginia Lee Burton’s Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel and Katy and the Big Snow where Mike and Katy both save the day.

Of course there are so many more children’s picture books I would recommend, but I’m going to move on to the early chapter books. These are books with a more limited vocabulary and written on second and third grade levels.

Early Chapter Book Series

Henry and Mudge by Cynthia Rylant, AR 2.2 – 3.0, Lexile 340 – 500

Frog and Toad  by Arnold Lobel, AR 2.5 – 3.0, Lexile 300 – 400

Billie B Brown by Sally Rippin; AR 2.2 – 2.9; Lexile 400 – 500

Amelia Bedelia  by Peggy Parish, AR 2.0 – 3.0, Lexile 200 – 400

High Rise, Private Eyes by Cynthia Rylant, AR 2.3 – 2.6, Lexile 150 – 350

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows, AR 3.1 – 3.9, Lexile 440 – 520

Ballpark Mysteries by David A. Kelly and Mark Meyers, AR 3.7 – 4.0, Lexile 480 – 600

Magic Treehouse Mysteries by Mary Pope Osborne, AR 3.0 – 3.9, Lexile 250 – 500

A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy, AR 3.0 – 3.9, Lexile 410 – 590

I’m going to stop here, because this post is getting to be so long! Please look for another post within the next four or five days about chapter books!

Do you have any questions about any of these children’s picture books, or you are looking for more ideas for a great book for your child? Just let me know in the comments and I’ll get back to you soon!

 

Encyclopedia Brown Series

By Donal J. Sobol

Accelerated Reading Levels:  4.0-4.8

When my older son, David was eight years old, he was a very reluctant reader. He was a good reader, but he would much rather be outside playing instead of reading (The opposite of his mother. My mom was constantly complaining that all I wanted to do was stay inside and read!). My husband and I searched for books to entice him, but we weren’t having much luck, until Encyclopedia Brown. David read one book and was hooked on the series! He loved reading one story or chapter each night and solving the mystery. However, we had a problem. We were living in a community with a rather small library, the Encyclopedia Brown books were extremely popular and the library had very few copies. This, of course, was long before the internet, Amazon or the ability to put holds on library books online. So we had to come up with another solution. We decided to buy the books for David, although money was rather tight.

To give you a little bit more background, let me tell you about our life in the 80’s. We usually didn’t buy gifts for the kids, other than for birthday or Christmas, so to buy books for no occasion was going to be a very different practice for us. We also didn’t give the kids an allowance, with the understanding if there was something they needed (not something they simply wanted) we would buy it for them. We didn’t want to give David the idea that we would buy anything he might want, so we needed to be creative. We decided to let him earn the books. I think back on this time with fond memories for so many reasons. First of all, my son was reading and loving it! Secondly, he actually kept his room picked up (which rarely occurred again!), carried baskets of laundry up the two flights of stairs and helped with folding the clothes. He even vacuumed! All of this was done, without a complaint. In fact, he was constantly asking for more chores, because he earned a star for each chore and when he had accumulated enough stars to equal the $2.50 price of the book we headed to the mall!

One reason David loved the Encyclopedia Brown series was that each book contains ten stories and each book begins the same, with an explanation about who Encyclopedia is. Therefore, the books can be read in any order, which makes it very easy when checking them out from the library or buying the book.

We learn at the beginning of each book that Encyclopedia lives in Idaville and his dad is the Chief of Police. Whenever, the police have a difficult case they can’t solve, Chief Brown brings all of the facts home and discusses them with Encyclopedia during dinner. Usually, by the time the family has finished their dessert, Encyclopedia has solved the crime! No one knows that Idaville’s great crime solving record is due to a ten year old detective!

Each story or chapter is a complete story in itself, which lends itself very well to reading one chapter each night before bed. And the best part about the books, is that at the end of each chapter, the reader is asked the question, “How did Encyclopedia know?” Then you are instructed to turn to the end of the book to check your solution. What a great extra that is! Not only, do the books motivate kids to read, but also to practice their problem solving skills!

If you have a reluctant reader, a mystery lover or a child looking for a new series, you might suggest Encyclopedia Brown. I hope you have as much fun with it, as David and I did!