What do you get when you combine a book of mazes, a "search-and-find" type of feature, and an accompanying text that provides appealing and interesting information? I'm holding the answer in my hands right now, and it's the new cute, fun and informative over-sized picture book by Roxie Munro, EcoMazes: 12 Earth Adventures. The maze concept of this book is played out on a template of twelve different ecosystems- from a steamy tropical rainforest to a frigid arctic polar landscape and several more in between. At one level, young readers can trace their fingers along the visual paths in the ecosystems to go from point A to point B. Along the way, they can also choose to search through the ink-drawn illustrations to find the listed wildlife appearing in the spread. Think less cartoonish and hidden ...
Category Archives: Children’s Books
Kids’ Picks — April
Has the nice spring weather driven your children outside to soak in some natural Vitamin D and breathe in some fresh air? Are they reading less as they engage in more active pursuits? Or like my children, do they manage to combine the best of both -- reading outdoors. I'm certainly not going to criticize good ol' running and playing. But if your kids read less as they get outside more, then it's even more important to get a good book in their hands. That's what the monthly Kids' Picks carnival is all about. The third Tuesday of every month, we meet here to exchange ideas and suggestions. Ask your kids which books they read ...
The Last Survivors by Susan Beth Pfeffer
I loved the first book in the "Last Survivors" series by Susan Beth Pfeffer Life As We Knew It. Amanda read it last year when it was nominated for our state's book award. Then because she loved it, I listened to the audiobook. It made for a good audio "read," because it's in the first person. Sixteen-year-old Miranda's point of view is strong as she journals her family's life after a meteor collides with the moon, wreaking havoc with weather patterns, electricity, and everything that used to be normal. Pfeffer's reach at imagining what the issues would be in this post-disaster world are creative and compelling. I didn't even know that there was another book about this crisis, but I heard that a ...
The Tighty Whitey Spider
"Can we read another poem?" How can a mom say no to that? My (almost) six-year-old son and I have really been enjoying The Tighty Whitey Spider: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up by Kenn Nesbitt. I like it because we can read a few poems at bedtime or breakfast or anytime during the day. He likes it because they are silly and ironic, with many of them setting a scene and then revealing a surprise twist at the end. Another big hit are the poems that are sung to the tune of songs, such as the title poem, "The Tighty Whitey Spider" sung to the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." For the first week, each time we opened the book we had to sing that one before we read any new ones. ...
My Brother Charlie
My Brother Charlie is a great book conceived by Ryan Robinson Peete, who is 13 years old and whose twin brother has autism. Callie tells the fictional story of her brother Charlie, explaining that at first she didn't understand why he acted the way he did, and how she wanted him to act like other brothers, but then coming around to share what is special and unique and wonderful about "my brother Charlie." Coinciding with Autism Awareness Month, I am so pleased to be able to offer a copy of My Brother Charlie to three of you (U.S. addresses only) -- one of you will receive an autographed copy! Read my full review and enter to win at my review column over at 5 Minutes for Mom. Jennifer Donovan loves receiving review copies of books that she might ...
Picture Books for 2010!
I've been receiving a plethora of newly released children's books and have I got a treat for you! I've skimmed from my stack and selected my favorite new releases (thus far) for 2010 and not only do I get to share a little bit about them, but I have a copy of each to giveaway to one of you! Check these out! Where Is Catkin?, Peachtree Publishers, Written by Janet Lord, Illustrated by Julia Paschkis Catkin belongs to Amy (or maybe it's the other way around?) and is sitting outside with her in the garden one day when he decides to hop off her lap and go exploring. The entirety of this children's picture book concerns Catkins explorations in the garden. Each page spread is covered in bold ...
Books on Screen: A Wrinkle in Time
Earlier this year, my nine year old son and I read Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me, the 2009 Newbery Medal recipient and an overall amazing book. With an incredible book-within-a-book connection, the main character treasures the book A Wrinkle in Time, and there are some thematic commonalities between the stories as well. When we completed Stead's truly fantastic book (you can read Jennifer's review of When You Reach Me linked here, for a second, also gushing, opinion!), we decided that it was only logical to try out Madeleine L'Engle's novel, too. Okay, I don't think I'm an Albert Einstein or anything, but I do consider myself to be at least semi-intelligent, and yet I have to say that this book gave me a run for my money as we read it aloud together! More ...
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Jennifer Donovan
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