Alphabet Kids
The Alphabet Kids books follow the adventures of Allegra, Elena, Isaac, Oni, Umar and Yang, a group of children having fun while learning about their diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
There’s lots to like about the Alphabet Kids series, and I absolutely love the theme of helping children gain a better understanding of the world around them while also developing an appreciation for their neighbors. Right now, there are six books in the series, starring one of the “Alphabet Kids.” As an added incentive for reading the Alphabet Kids book series, for every book you buy, they will donate one to a child in need!
Chicken Butt's Back by Erica Perl
In this cheeky (sorry!) sequel to the wildly fun Chicken Butt!, the young jokester and his chicken muse are back, but this time they’re trying to trick Mom. She thinks she has caught on to the gag, but as she distractedly does the grocery shopping, she falls victim to a flurry of jokes using homonyms and homophones—words such as “dear” and “deer,” and “which” and “witch.” Wordplay has never been so much fun.
If your kids like to laugh and be silly, you may need to introduce them to this fun reads from Erica Perl.
Daddy’s Heroes: Unforgettable Sports Moments to Share With Children by Tom Garcia and Karun Naga
The goal of the Daddy’s Heroes book series is to foster stronger bonds between sports fans and their children. Retelling these unforgettable, historical sports moments will not only build these bonds, but will also help parents introduce their favorite sports to their children.
I love the vision and story behind Daddy’s Heroes. Whether you’re a fan of sports or of reading, it will be hard to resist any of the books in the Daddy’s Heroes series. And what’s not to like? The books not only do a terrific job of bringing sports memories alive for dads to share with their kids, but also help strengthen the bond between fathers and their children.
Hartlyn Kids
Hartlyn Kids has two books currently in publication: The Bamboo Dance and Adventures That Lead Home. Both books are designed to give a true and authentic snapshot of the day in the life of a child from various regions around the globe. The books are not only representations of the culture of the region but also each one is written by local authors who have immediate access to knowledge of the area.
The books are beautifully designed and makes a fantastic educational tool for parents, teachers and librarians. Don’t forget about the passport book and sticker. Children can collect the stickers from each of the books and put them into their very own passport book.
Pirate vs. Pirate
I loved this book! It’s just plain fun and dads who love to read aloud to the kids will have an absolute blast with this one. It was great to see a pirate of each gender (Bad Bart and Mean Mo) competing against each other for the title of best pirate and the healthy competition which results. No matter the contest though, whether it’s arm-wrestling, cannonball throwing or swimming, each one results in a tie. A final contest (treasure counting) is to decide the winner, but you and your kids will never guess what happens in a wild and surprising finish.
Should I Share My Ice Cream?
In this book, readers get to enjoy Elephant’s argument with himself over whether he should share his ice cream with his best friend Piggie. Hilarity ensues as Elephant gets in a back-and-forth over what he should. As always, the illustrations (especially the facial expressions) are terrific and this is an excellent book to read with little ones who might need help learning a bit more about how and why we sharing is a good thing to do.
Willems’ books are terrific to read aloud and Should I Share My Ice Cream? just may be one of his best. I read it during the dad/child story time I do at my local library and it was a hit. One of the librarians shared with me that many of the Dads went out afterwards scooping up Willems’ books to take home with them.
The I'm Not Scared Book
With his signature blend of playfulness and sensitivity, Todd Parr explores the subject of all things scary and assures readers that all of us are afraid sometimes. What I was most pleased about though while reading this book was the little light bulb which went off in my head as I was reading this book. I can use the same wording and style as Todd uses in his book when I’m trying to teach my daughter how to put words to the things she might be afraid of. I thought this was really cool and I continue to be amazed at the continued genius displayed in Todd Parr’s picture books. Todd really is in tune with the emotions and needs of young children, and this book is another fantastic addition to our home library.
The South Wind
A shifting southern wind transforms the life of an aging, solitary polar bear. In The South Wind: A Story of Best Friends, author Les Hazen tackles the difficult job of explaining a broken family unit to blameless, tiny ears from a fresh perspective—that of the man. Using metaphors that avoid adult blame for the cruelties of life, The South Wind, set against a backdrop of polar ice, poignantly speaks for absent men everywhere by telling a heartwarming and reassuring story for their beloved best friends.
The book is incredibly poignant and I was very impressed with the writing, the beautiful illustrations and most of all, the lessons taught through the metaphor of the relationship between the old and young polar bears.
Tickle Monster
This book is a perfect choice for all little children who love to share laughs, giggles and tickles with their parents. In my first reading with my own daughter, she was not only beaming at the big, bright illustrations, but also squealing with delight at the Tickle Monster. By our third reading, my daughter started squirming and laughing before the page was even turned as she knew I was about to play the Tickle Monster! With its combination of the clever rhymes and wonderful illustrations, Tickle Monster is not only a perfect read aloud, but the bright, colorful illustrations make this an excellent gift for young readers.
Toyland Express
CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? TOYLAND EXPRESS, the eighth title in the bestselling search-and-find series, follows the life of a toy train from the workshop to the attic, only to be rescued at a yard sale and brought to life once again in a new home. As readers search for more than 250 hidden objects, they will also notice how the train takes on various transformations along its journey.
This is a great book for all ages. My young daughter loves looking at the vivid photographs and it’s so much fun for me to see her describe the things she sees. It’s also fun to see her find objects I don’t expect her to find!
