Book Lists – Page 6

Our Favorite Valentine’s Day and Love Books

February 1, 2020February 20, 2025by childrenslitlove5 Comments

Ok, something you’ll learn about me over time is that while I love a good themed bookshelf, I really love when the books I choose for said bookshelf can serve multiple purposes throughout the year. So, when it comes to holiday books, I get pretty excited when I find books that work for a given holiday, but can also be read anytime over the course of the year (like this list of my favorite Halloween-y, but not Halloween, books; this list of gratitude books to read for Thanksgiving; or this list of awesome books to read at the beginning of the school year that aren’t specifically about the first day of school). So, when it comes to Valentine’s Day, our shelf has a few Valentine’s Day books, but we read mostly love stories with wonderful year-round lessons.

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Book Lists, holidays

Six Fabulous Chinese New Year Picture Books

January 16, 2020January 15, 2020by childrenslitloveLeave a Comment

For many, many years of my life, I admittedly knew little about Chinese New Year, aside from the fact that it changed dates each year, people did dragon dances or watched dragon parades, and if you were lucky, you might receive lucky money in a red envelope. As an adult, I’ve learned a little bit more, but as my girls began to learn about these traditions in school, I desired to find good books (of course) so that we could all better understand the Chinese New Year and its history and traditions. This year, Chinese New Year is on Saturday, January 25, 2020, so I’m hoping this list gives you time to snag one or more of these books from your local bookstore or library, so that you and your loved ones can either learn more about or more deeply celebrate the Chinese New Year! Continue reading “Six Fabulous Chinese New Year Picture Books” →

Book Lists

Our Favorite Books About Loose Teeth

January 15, 2020by childrenslitloveLeave a Comment

Our first grader has been waiting a LONG time to lose a tooth… Her first friends started losing their teeth almost 2.5 years ago, when they were in preschool, and watching everyone else lose teeth in kindergarten, along with having a class chart tracking how many teeth the class had lost, almost did her in. So, you can imagine the excitement in our house at the beginning of the month when she discovered that she has a loose tooth!

And, making my book-loving heart proud, one of her first questions about it was, “Mommy, do we have any books about loose teeth? I want to read them all tonight!” We had a few to pull out immediately, and I asked on Instagram for more recommendations, which I gathered from the library over the next week or so. So now, we’ve been reading loose tooth and tooth fairy books on repeat in our house! (Easy literacy tip here — when your child is really interested in a topic, whether it be loose teeth or a famous person or the moon, gather those books from your shelves and the library! Children will, of course, read more if they’re interested in the books!). I’m excited to share today our favorite books about losing teeth. Continue reading “Our Favorite Books About Loose Teeth” →

Book Lists, holidays

25 Christmas Books for 2019

November 19, 2019November 15, 2019by childrenslitlove5 Comments

While I love all things Christmas, I especially love Christmas music and Christmas books. I come by it honestly — my dad used to play Christmas music throughout the month of December, and my mom had, at one point, what might have been the largest collection of various versions of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. I remember spending hours as a child curled up on the couch, listening to Christmas music and reading Christmas books. So, of course, one of my favorite things once I became a parent myself was to build my Christmas book collection, as well as to find new titles from our local library. Publishing a Christmas booklist was one of the tasks I was most excited to complete when I started my Instagram account a little over a year ago. Last year, I made what I think is an amazing list of 25+ Christmas books to read… This year, I’ve got a completely new list of 25 Christmas books for you to enjoy with your little ones this season! Continue reading “25 Christmas Books for 2019” →

Book Lists, holidays

Books to Foster Thankfulness and Gratitude Year-Round

November 4, 2019November 13, 2019by childrenslitlove7 Comments

It’s Thanksgiving month here in the United States, which means many of us are spending time with our loved ones, reflecting on what we are thankful for and recognizing our gratitude. As you follow me more, you’ll learn quickly that I LOVE a good themed bookshelf, whether for a holiday or something we have going on in our lives (when we get ready for a week at the beach we read beach stories, and when we realized my oldest was terrified of dinosaurs we spent some time with dino books!).

I usually check out books for our themed shelves from the library, because I prefer to spend my money on books that we can enjoy year-round, not just for specific holidays. If you’re like me, and you want Thanksgiving books that can be read year-round, then this is the post for you, as it’s full of wonderful books on gratitude and being thankful that can be read any time of year! Continue reading “Books to Foster Thankfulness and Gratitude Year-Round” →

Book Lists, Book Recommendations, holidays

National Diversity Day and Three New Mirrors in Children’s Books

October 4, 2019October 2, 2019by childrenslitlove4 Comments

Today, October 4, 2019, is National Diversity Day, a day established in 2005 “to celebrate and embrace who we are, despite our differences… A day to reflect on and learn about different cultures and ideologies. A day to vow acceptance and tolerance…” (from the National Diversity Day website). Fifteen years before that, almost 30 years ago today, Rudine Sims Bishop wisely challenged diversity and representation in children’s literature, giving us the ideas of books as windows, sliding glass doors, and mirrors. She wrote:

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.” (Rudine Sims Bishop, 1990, quoted from the National Council of Teachers of English)

To honor both National Diversity Day and the emergence of more mirrors for more Americans, I bring you three important recent publications for children: The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali, Under My Hijab by Hena Khan, and Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow. Continue reading “National Diversity Day and Three New Mirrors in Children’s Books” →

Book Lists, Book Recommendations

Jack B. Ninja by Tim McCanna

September 20, 2019September 18, 2019by childrenslitlove3 Comments

Do you love stories with surprise twists at the end? We do! From Chris Van Allsburg’s ever-present twist of fate to the laugh-inducing surprise at the end of one of our newest favorites (Spencer’s New Pet by Jessie Sima), we’ll read these books over and over and over again, even once we know what to anticipate. Once the magic of the surprise draws us in, we reread and reread again, looking for clues or ways that we may have predicted that twist all along. Jack B. Ninja, by Tim McCanna and illustrated by Stephen Savage, is another recent find with a delightful surprise at the end! Continue reading “Jack B. Ninja by Tim McCanna” →

Book Lists, Book Recommendations

Three Wonderful Books Highlighting Socio-Economic Diversity and Kindness

August 12, 2019August 12, 2019by childrenslitlove6 Comments

Last week, I posted lists of our favorite first day of school books, as well as our favorite school stories for building empathy, kindness, awareness, and self-love. Today, I thought I’d highlight three of those favorite stories: The Hundred Dresses, Each Kindness, and Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse. All three of these stories build around similar themes (socioeconomic diversity, inclusion, and kindness among others!) but can target different ages or interests, and all three are absolutely worth reading! Continue reading “Three Wonderful Books Highlighting Socio-Economic Diversity and Kindness” →

Book Lists, Book Recommendations

A Kite for Moon by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple (and other moon books)

July 1, 2019September 23, 2020by childrenslitlove1 Comment

Do you love Owl Moon? Do you have kids who love all things space? Are you trying to teach your children about America’s first moon landing as we approach the 50th anniversary of that momentous accomplishment? Or maybe you remember exactly where you were on that magical day? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, then be sure to get your hands on A Kite for Moon by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple, illustrated by Matt Phelan, before July 20, 2019! Continue reading “A Kite for Moon by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple (and other moon books)” →

Book Lists, Book Recommendations, holidays, Uncategorized

Our Flag Was Still There: The True Story of Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner by Jessie Hartland

June 30, 2019March 13, 2024by childrenslitloveLeave a Comment

Our Flag Was Still There: The True Story of Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner, written and illustrated by Jessie Hartland, was released just last month (May 21, 2019, to be exact). I had read advance reviews of it throughout the spring and requested it from the library months ago, so that I could be first in line to read it when our library got it… Unfortunately, it didn’t make it to my hands before I published my 4th of July booklist, but I have it now, and it’s wonderful! Continue reading “Our Flag Was Still There: The True Story of Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner by Jessie Hartland” →