I loved reading this book with Gage when he was younger. There are so many ways to be inspired, so many fabulous activities to do with your little ones. The most important thing about this book is the lesson that there’s magic in imagination. This magic may come from creating your own world through art or words. Or the magic from getting lost in a story from someone else’s imagination. Art is subjective. Art is your own point of view. Embrace it.
The illustrations are simple, just a black and white Harold and everything that comes from his purple crayon. It encourages enchantment of the mind. There is magic in the every day, the mundane. He draws himself into comforting situations and into danger equally and manages to be zen about it.
Gage and I went to see the movie this summer starring Zachary Levi as Harold. It maintained some of the magic and much of the simplicity of the book. I thought it was cute, although I did take issue with the bad guy being a librarian/writer.
May was a great reading month! I read these 9 plus a picture book. That brings my 2024 total to 57.
❤️
The Women by Kristin Hannah. Historical fiction about the women nurses that served in the Vietnam War. 480 pages, 2024
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey. Romance between a king crab fisherman and movie director’s assistant with a nod to the comfort of music. 353 pages, 2023
Nat Turner by Kyle Baker. Nonfiction graphic novel about Turner and the slave rebellion of 1831. 213 pages, 2006
⭐️
The Secret Place (541 pages, 2014) and Broken Harbor (450 pages, 2012) by Tana French. Books 4 & 5 in the Dublin Murder Squad mystery series.
Toxic Prey by John Sandford. Latest thriller in the Lucas Davenport series that also features his daughter Letty who has her own series. 400 pages, 2024
👍🏻
Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer. A romance set in a Jewish bakery in Brooklyn. Learned a lot about Jewish traditions and living with a chronic illness. 432 pages, 2023
🤷🏻♀️
How To Walk Away by Katherine Center. Fiction set in the aftermath of a plane crash that leaves one half of a couple without a scratch and the other partially paralyzed. This has been my least favorite of hers so far. 302 pages, 2018
And a fun picture book too…
I Want to Be a Vase by Julio Torres. This is so colorful it demands to be reads. A delightful book about accepting people for whoever or whatever they want to be.
The Decomposition of Jack by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb. 5 stars!. Middle Grade Fiction, 208 pages, 2022
Let’s talk about roadkill. Who picks it up? What happens to the remains? What if you were in middle school and known as Roadkill Kid or Jack Splat because you helped your mom shovel the bloody carcasses off the road? And what if you then took those specimens to your back yard and took notes on how they decomposed every day for your mom’s research?
Jack is dealing with a lot. His dad has left and he’s trying to hold his mom together while also pushing down his own confusion and anger. He has his first crush. He has discovered a cougar just past their back yard.
I’ve never loved and been so grossed out by a book before. On the back , Margaret Peterson Haddox says, “This book is disgusting-and I mean that as a compliment!” And I couldn’t agree more.
It’s also very funny while still dealing with tough things. I’m not sure I’ll ever get the image of a ham in the church collection plate out of my head.
Gage and I read this together and we learned so much. This would be a fabulous science class read! On a more practical note, it mentioned a bone collector who sold roadkill bones on Etsy. We spent a good hour laughing at the amount of bones we found sold on Etsy. Reading the descriptions and reviews was a hoot.
It’s been another crazy year of reading, with my current total at 343. Much of that has been kids/teens reading through homeschooling and Cybils Awards first round panelist reading. So, like last year, I’m not picking favorites but highlighting my 5 star reads by category.
Since I read over 100 nonfiction picture books for Cybils alone, this will be two separate posts (part one is here) SO MANY fantastic books!
This little forgotten story was made great fun by the humor of the words and illustrations. The mother and her son lived in the house as it was being rolled to a different location – for a whole month!
An American Story by Kwame Alexander, illustrator Dare Coulter. 56 pages, 2023
It’s a beautifully illustrated book that will generate great discussion no matter how old your child is. Alexander wrote this book after a conversation with his daughter’s teacher when he asked why she was teaching about the 13 colonies without talking about slavery. It belongs on all of the shelves! The illustrations were a mix of sketches, paints, and clay figures.
We Are Branches by Joyce Sidman, Beth Krommes illustrator. 40 pages, 2023
I’m obsessed with the illustrations in this book! Perfect for early elementary nature lovers.
It’s been another crazy year of reading, with my current total at 343. Much of that has been kids/teens reading through homeschooling and Cybils Awards first round panelist reading. So, like last year, I’m not picking favorites but highlighting my 5 star reads by category.
Since I read over 100 nonfiction books for Cybils alone, this will be two separate posts. SO MANY fantastic books! Let’s start with the ones told about specific people. The first two are my favorites.
Gage and I studied Antarctica this year so I was so excited to see this book on the Cybils first round reading list. I love everyhing about this book. Tom has many dangerous adventures exploring Antarctica. If cats have 9 lives, I think Tom may have been part cat. Sure to please any adventure loving kid.
What a beautiful, heartbreaking, gut wrenching, hopeful picture book about Sachiko Yasui, a survivor of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan during WWII.
Sachiko and her family always ate out of her grandmother’s bowl, filling it with the delicacies of the region, until the war forced plainer fare. At 6, she was half a mile from ground zero. It killed all of her playmates and one of her siblings. Two of her brothers died soon after from radiation exposure.
When the family went back 2 years later they found her grandmother’s bowl in the rubble of their home, unscathed. Every August 9, first her mother and then she, put ice in the bowl to remember those last.
I cannot recommend this book enough for your middle schooler, but be prepared to talk about death and the ugliness of war. Gage knew the details of the war but this story really brought the people to life.
Sachiko outlived her family and died in 2021 at the age of 83. I’ll be feeling this book for awhile.
In 1820, at just 12 years old, he made his way from Philadelphia to the White House to work in the kitchen. He served 3 presidents before heading home and opening up his own ice cream shop where his innovation led to shipping ice cream to other cities.
Performing in the air from a young age, Tiny Broadwick became the first woman to parachute from an airplane. Often overlooked because of her size, she proved underestimating her only made her work harder. Inspiring.
“Beulah’s brain worked differently. She had hyperphantasia, which meant she saw things in extreme detail in her mind, as well as synesthesia, which caused words and numbers and even music notes to show up as different colors in her brain. Beulah’s unique way of seeing the world helped her think up vivid solutions to problems—her hunches came to her fully formed with gears whirring and wheels spinning. She invented everything from a new and improved parasol to cuddly stuffed animals and from ice cream makers to factory machinery. Beulah’s inventions improved daily life in lots of ways, earning her the nickname “Lady Edison,” and she became one of the most prolific inventors in American history.” from Goodreads.
My Night in the Planetarium tells a bit of the country’s history and politics (like a few pages worth, so it’s not overwhelming) with true experiences of the author’s childhood during the resistance.
Gage and I both loved the humor and conversational flow. I especially loved the real photos that were included and what happened after the night in the planetarium when the government police came for his family. Highly recommend for the older elementary and above reader.
In the 1960s she became a trailblazer as the first black woman on the TV show Star Trek, and she used her platform to make a huge impact for women in STEM. I loved reading Martin Luther King Jr.’s influence. And I just this cover!
The Emperor tasks Zhang Zheng with finding a way for the those in charge to know when deadly earthquakes have taken place. Great story and fabulous illustrations.
A fantastic book with excellent illustrations. The recurring theme was no matter what people said Salvador Dali just kept being himself. This was one of those quick reads when we studied Spain.
“She became fascinated by science as a child and grew up determined to find a way to use messenger RNA―a copy of a part of DNA that provides cells with instructions to make proteins―to help fight illness. An mRNA vaccine had never been made before, and she faced frequent criticism and was told by other scientists she would never succeed. Kariko refused to give up her research, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she played a critical role in developing the successful Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine faster than any other vaccine in history.” from Goodreads
It’s been another crazy year of reading, with my current total at 343. Much of that has been kids/teens reading through homeschooling and Cybils Awards first round panelist reading. So, like last year, I’m not picking favorites but highlighting my 5 star reads by category. Here are the 12 nonfiction and 2 fiction middle school books that I rated 5 * on Goodreads.
What happened to Muzoon, age 14, and her family when the civil war in Syria started to hit too close to home? An escape that leaves the reality of ‘home’ a question. I think this will appeal to a lot of middle schoolers as well as teens. We need more Muzoons as role models for our kids (and even for adults like me!). Inspiring. (Amazon)
Do you have a political or current events kid? This is a visually inviting non-partisan book full of excellent information about the things Americans hold dear; freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition. Told in a conversational manner with fun examples. (Amazon)
Do you have that kid that enjoys gross stories or interesting facts? This is sure to please. Full of fantastic illustrations and written with great humor and fun. It will teach them loads of history without them even realizing it! (Amazon)
A gorgeously illustrated book about the Japanese American incarceration during WWII, a terrible time in this country’s history. The photos and art make this feel like a graphic novel. While this is a middle school book, older teens would probably appreciate it more. (Amazon)
I ❤️ illustrator Jerry Pinkney and any fan of his over 100 children’s books is going to want to pick up this memoir. The copy was almost done, but only sketches of the final artwork were done before he died in 2021. The sketches were used in the book. This is for the artist in your life. (Amazon)
The story of the children put on trains by their parents to escape Nazi controlled homelands. The Kindertransport movement took almost 10,000 children to Britain at the outbreak of WWII. Most of them never see their families again. An important book. This is a picture book, but the content is best for middle schoolers. (Amazon)
A perfectly illustrated memoir about growing up in Cold War Russia. His observations on communism and his experience as a Jewish boy in Russia during the 1980s make this a compelling read. Told with great humor. (Amazon)
Timely. Important, Inspiring. Tackled big things with approachable ways to make a difference at home. Science is always evolving and it’s imperative that we all stay up to date. For that kiddo who loves science or is interested on conservation. Colorful layouts make it fun. (Amazon)
A fascinating look at the old, the new and everything in between. It’s an oversized picture book, but with lots of reading on each page with huge pictures and graphics. This covers things like mapping out a city, getting around, water, electric, food, at different points in history. (Amazon)
I loved the mix of women in this book! Most I’d heard of, but not all. I also loved the full page drawing of each. An entertaining and well laid out book sure to hold your musical middle schooler’s attention. (Amazon)
This oversized, illustrated picture book was SO MUCH FUN. The professions start with the oldest and end with a job that Jason had when he was a teen, sadly extinct now. And, no, it wasn’t a professional fartist, walking toilet, or ornamental hermit, althought those are all in here! Buy it for a kid, but make sure you read it yourself first. (Amazon)
Presents 50 quotes from Poor Richard’s Almanac with a bit of history. I loved the full page illustrations. An appealing book that has bite-sized life lessons. (Amazon)
This book was so good I didn’t even mind that it made me cry twice. Not just tears in my eyes, but having to close the book and grab some tissues.
Conor’s mom has been sick awhile and he’s having trouble at school. When a monster appears he’s scared, but nothing can be as scary as his nightly nightmare. The monster tells his stories and Conor’s life continues to get worse.
This is the illustrated version and it’s so good! This is a kids book, but it goes to dark places. I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s so much to say!
This is a middle school book, but with teen issues. (Amazon)
Ann-Marie and her best friend Ellen are making the best of growing up with Nazis on every corner of their town, until one night the unthinkable happens at the local Jewish synagogue and now the Nazis have a list of Jews. Ellen’s parents leave her with Ann-Marie’s family as they flee and what happens next is so emotional and horrifying that I became attached very quickly. Ann-Marie and her family take extraordinary risks to do the right thing.
Historical fiction at it’s finest. This is was a Newbery Award Winner for a reason. (Amazon)
It’s been another crazy year of reading, with my current total at 343. Much of that has been kids/teens reading through homeschooling and Cybils Awards first round panelist reading. So, like last year, I’m not picking favorites but highlighting my 5 star reads by category. Let’s start with Elementary Picture Books (fiction) that I rated 5 * on Goodreads.
I’m recommending you put these under the tree for your littles, middles or put them on hold at your library. If you head over to my Instagram I’ll be including a quick video of each so that you can see some of the pages inside.
Your kid is never to old to read picture books. Give them one at breakfast and talk about it. Read it before dinner and discuss. So many picture books have great things to discuss. In particular, Addy’s Cup of Sugar and Last Flight will benefit older kids and the discussion will probably stick with them.
As I ‘tallied’ this list I was pleasantly surprised at how many countries are represented!
The Yellow Ao Dai by Hanh Bui, illustrated by Minnie Phan. 40 pages, 2023
A beautiful story on so many fronts. It showcases the history of the Vietnamese Fan Dance and the girl’s connection to it through her mother and grandmother. The small girl tries to hide something from her mother and the resolution of this was my favorite part and further enriched the circle of past and present. And to top it off, the illustrations are so colorful and fun. A perfect read aloud for elementary kids. (Amazon)
Have you had to deal with the death of a pet (or even a loved one) with a child? It’s tough enough for adults and a child has little way of making sense of it.
Addy’s cat was killed by a car and she asks Stillwater to help bring him back to life. Stillwater says he can help, but first Addy needs to borrow a cup of sugar from a neighbor, but not from any home who has lost a loved one. Sounds easy enough but as Addy learns, loss is a part of everyone’s life.
It’s based on the Buddhist legend, The Mustard Seed, but it is a book for any faith (or none at all). (Amazon)
This oversized picture book is gorgeous. Gage loves choose your own adventure books and when I saw this I knew it would be fun lunchtime browsing material. After he chose at least a half a dozen endings he rated it a 10 out of 10.
There are a few favorite fairytale characters you can run into and some of them are scary 🐺. The illustrations are great and the reading level is maybe 3rd grade? It’s a great gift for your younger readers and one they can proudly display on their bookshelves. (Amazon)
This troll book based on a Noregian folktale about Halva and her foundling pet polar bear is a Christmas story sure to entertain the older elementary set. The troll illustrations alone are worth a look. (Amazon)
Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovita Marshall and Elisa Chavarri. 34 pages. 2016
This is everything a kids picture book should be. A story set in modern day Guatemala about a little girl born of the Mayan weavers who finds a very timely and creative way to solve more than one problem. Based on what’s really happening. Gorgeous artwork and told in both English and Spanish 😍 (Amazon)
A very creative story that will engage the older elementary kid. Ideas weren’t being shared and the inventions, songs, and performances were overwhelming the Cave of Untold Stories. Encourages creativity and putting thoughts and ideas out into the world. (Amazon)
The Pear Tree. A folktale retold by Luli Gray, illustrator Madelyn Goodnight. 40 pages. 2019
A great folktale about when Death comes to visit. I’m a sucker for a these folk retellings and this was well done. I’ll admit that the adult reading this to/with their child will get more out of it than the child. You’re welcome. This retelling is based on an old folk tale called Miseria y la Muerte. (Amazon)
Varenka by Bernadette Watts. 32 pages. 1971
A Russian folktale with the miracles of faith and the horrors of war. (Amazon)
I’m not the biggest fan of wordless books, but this is the exception. It’s a fantastical story of a tree that’s made into a brown paper bag and given to a boy at the store. It’s conservation at its finest and will make kids think about reusing instead of throwing away or even recycling. (Amazon)
Every year a boy and his parents visit his grandparents for the Dragon Boat Festival. The festival honors the patriotic port Qu Yuan. I love the inclusion of so many Chinese traditions and foods as well as the end pages that give more information. For the older elmentary kiddo. (Amazon)
Last Flight by Kristen Mai Giang, illustrator Dow Phumiruk. 56 pages. 2023
Historical fiction at its finest. In 1975 the last flight out of Saigon, over 400 children flew out of war torn Vietnam. This is written by one of the children on that flight. This is mostly fact, not fiction, so please share with your child when discussing the Vietnam War or that some heroes you’ve never heard of do miraculous things, like Allan Topping and his adoption of 463 children so that they could escape the country before its surrender. There is additional historical information in the last few pages. This is for older elementary kids because of its length. (Amazon)
Last week was New Zealand week and we read some fantastic picture books. So many I just had to share. I love to use picture books as a teaching tool, even as I teach my middle schooler. They garner interest for further learning and can be used as a part of the lesson themselves.
I am in love with the illustrations in this nonfiction book about the godwits migration from New Zealand (and Australia) to the Arctic and then back again. Great for learning about migration in general.
Such a fun and colorful story about a real octopus who was rescued and then freed himself. The story was fantastic as were the end notes. Your kid will learn so much about octopus and will most likely want to know more. This was my favorite book of the week.
Elizabeth was an elephant seal who made her home in the Avon River in Christchurch. She became a problem when she started sleeping in the middle of the road in the afternoon. Three times they captured her and took her far away to live, but each time she came back. The solution they found will make you smile. I loved the picture of the real Elizabeth in the middle of the road at the end of the book.
**For school, Gage had to write a paragraph comparing the two animals and their journeys.
Why is a book about Mount Everest on this list? Because that’s where Hillary was from! This was full of information, even with a timeline of his life at the end. Don’t let the page count fool you. Excellent resource.
I didn’t love the illustrations, but did love the concept. Sir Edmund Hillary didn’t get to the top of Everest alone and yet he always gets the credit. This book tells the story of Hillary but also the story of his sherpa Tenzig Norgay on each opposing page. By telling their stories side by side, it is giving Norgay the due he deserves.
**For school, Gage made a Venn diagram comparing the information featured in each book.
This is not a book about New Zealand, but one created by New Zealander. This is most definitely geared toward a younger audience and it was Gage’s favorite. It’s all about making art wherever you are using what nature has provided. The only fictional book (except for Ranger which is only half fiction)
**For school, Gage and I set the timer for 20 minutes and each created art from whatever we found in our yard. His was super cool with big branches sticking out of theground to look like trees and stones making a circle around it. I’m not embarrassed to say it was way better than mine!
This was our longer read and I love this series! The journey starts in New Zealand aboard the Terra Nova and, while obviously fiction since it’s based on a time travelling dog, only Ranger and the boy he was there to save were fictional characters. All the other characters were based on real life people and a real life race to the Pole. The end notes were the best part even though they were sad.
**We read this aloud as a family, each taking a chapter each night.
We took our Norway books out on a snowy day. Gage decided that he’s not cut out for the Norwegian weather!
We listened to the audio of Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan, a 1942 historical fiction book for tweens. A great story, based on stories never confirmed, about Norwegian children smuggling gold past the Nazis during WWII. 196 pages
The two troll books based on Noregian tales were fun. Sister Bear by Jane Yolen and Linda Graves is a picture book Christmas story sure to entertain the older elementary set. The troll illustrations alone are worth a look. 32 pages
The Cybils Awards announced their winners this week, so make sure to check out all of the category finalists and winners.
I had the honor of being a finals judge for the Cybils Awards again this year for both board books and picture books. The five of us exchanged a flurry of emails after we’d read these 7 finalist board books and chose a winner…
🎉Big Bear, Little Bear by Marine Schneider was universally loved and a perfect book to read and reread with your wee babes. Simple and sweet with touches of humor, it has a nostalgic feel that’s sure to please. 🎉
The other finalists were also fantastic and I can easily recommend all of them for the 0-3 crowd. ❤️ Comparrotives by Janik Coat (I was so charmed by this parrot!) ❤️ Circle Under Berry by Carter Higgins was Gage’s favorite. ❤️ Animals Go Vroom by Abi Cushman had a fun animal story with peekaboo pages. ❤️This is Still Not a Book by Jean Jullian was full of whimsy with funny pictures and pull up pages. ❤️Turn Seek Find Habitats by Ben Newman is a new take on hidden picture fun with the turn of a wheel changing what you seek every time through. ❤️ Caution! Road Signs Ahead by Toni Buzzeo and Chi Birmingham is an easy choice for your car loving toddlers with big road signs and what they mean.
For the Picture Books category we had 7 fabulous choices and between the 5 of us finalist judges we chose…
🎉 Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin 🎉 This has won many awards this past year for good reason. A quiet story with heart and an important message. Eat weeds for dinner that your family picked on the side of the road? That’s a tough sell for any kid. This was my and our favorite.
Other finalists ❤️ Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long ❤️ I loved this one almost as much but for different reasons. Want to teach your kid to celebrate everyone who contributes to building bridges or rides or parks? This is your book! ❤️ Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder❤️. Every child needs to spend some time with this book. Seriously. This book celebrates every body type you can imagine. I can’t recommend this one enough for body diversity awareness. And it’s really fun too! ❤️ The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer and Mariachiara Di Giorgio❤️ This story of animals taking over the fair at night has no words and doesn’t need them. Loved it. ❤️ Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman and Loren Long. Beautifully celebrates the difference one child can make in the world. ❤️Itty-Bitty Kitty Corn by Shannon Hale and Leiden Pham. Cat or unicorn lovers will want this one. ❤️ Arlo Draws An Octopus by Lori Mortensen and Rob Sayegh Jr, is perfect for any budding artists out there.
Stacy's Books 