Book Recommendations, Middle Grade

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

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Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Do you have a favorite last line from a book? I usually think about my favorite leads, or first lines, in books. I mean, it doesn’t get much better than when Fern asked her mother “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” to open Charlotte’s Web. How could you not keep reading after that, because you just have to know where Papa is going and what he’s going to do with that axe! But, I shared two closing paragraphs from some nonfiction I’d read recently last week, and today’s recommendation, Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina has another incredible closing line. The kind of finality that sticks with you after you close the book. One that makes you think and makes you want to return to the book again and again.

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12 Character Traits: 2020, Book Lists

30+ Terrific Thankfulness and Gratitude Picture Books

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30+ Terrific Thankfulness and Gratitude Picture Books

If you’ve been following along on our Family Focus Traits adventure in 2020, you might have been able to guess that thankfulness and gratitude would be our chosen traits for November… While we assigned some traits to their months randomly (like honesty in May), and some because our girls needed them at that moment (teamwork and cooperation in March), others connected to themes we might already be talking about in a given month (such as growth mindset in January or compassion and empathy in February). While we want our girls to practice and develop attitudes of thankfulness and gratitude year-round (in fact, I wrote a post about this last November!), these traits fit perfectly in with conversations our family would already be having throughout Thanksgiving month. If you want to join us, check out the booklist below of more than 30 terrific picture books to help foster an attitude of gratitude!

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random

An Honest Review of Literati Kids Book Clubs — Round 2

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An Honest Review of Literati Kids Book Clubs — Round 2

You may remember that a few weeks ago, I posted an unsponsored review of Literati Kids Book Clubs. That review served as a broad overview of the company, as my older daughter and I learned more about it in general. Today, I’ve got Round 2 of our honest Literati reviews! We received our second Literati Kids box last week, and I thought that this time, I’d focus on the variety of books they send you and their price points, as well as the ease of the return process (if you choose to take advantage of it). After all, I think the “try before you buy” aspect of Literati Kids is what sets it apart from other children’s book subscription boxes! Read on for more about the variety of books, prices, and return process!

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Parenting Resources, random

A Calendar to Give Children Control of Their Days

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A Calendar to Give Children Control of Their Days

How do your kids keep track of what is happening and when it will happen in their lives? For probably three years now, we’ve used this little beauty (it lives on one of our kitchen cabinets next to our eating table)… When the girls were really little, I’d just write their initials and draw a little picture representing what they were going to do each day (since they couldn’t read). When quarantine hit, I took it off of the cabinet, because there was no reason to have it up. But, we dragged it out again a few weeks ago, because we finally have a few (socially distanced, outdoors, and safe…) things to do these days, and we realized both children benefited from having control over knowing what to anticipate each day and week.

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Book Recommendations

The “A Kids Book About…” Series

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The “A Kids Book About…” Series

Have you seen the “A Kids Book About…” series yet? I had seen the books floating around Instagram for a while and been intrigued, so I decided to take advantage of a 25% off sale (plus free shipping on 3 or more books) that they had this summer and give them a try. With more than 25 titles to choose from, it was a tough decision which to buy, and I could have spent a small fortune on these. But, I managed to narrow it down to A Kids Book About Money, A Kids Book About Empathy, and A Kids Book About Racism. Read on to learn a little about the series, to see our impressions based on these three books, and to get a quick peek at which titles I have my eye on next!

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12 Character Traits: 2020, Book Recommendations

Hunter’s Best Friend at School by Laura Malone Elliott

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Hunter’s Best Friend at School by Laura Malone Elliott

Okay, so we all know that it’s important — and hard — to stand up to people we don’t know well, or strangers we don’t know at all, when they are doing something wrong, hurtful, or mean… But let’s be honest for a minute. It’s just as important, and often much harder, to stand up to our friends when they do wrong. And unfortunately, children’s books about standing up to our friends are often much harder to find! For an elementary audience, you all know that I love The Hundred Dresses (you can read my full review of this gem here). Today, I’ve got a delightful picture book aimed at younger readers and listeners about doing the right thing when your best friend is trying hard to pull you off track — Hunter’s Best Friend at School by Laura Malone Elliott, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger.

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Book Recommendations

Bedtime on Noah’s Ark by Brock Eastman and Declan Eastman

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Bedtime on Noah’s Ark by Brock Eastman and Declan Eastman

Okay, everyone, I have an extremely delightful bedtime board book for you today, and to make it even more lovely, Bedtime on Noah’s Ark was written by a father/son duo, Brock and Declan Eastman! Read on to learn a little about their inspiring book.

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Book Lists

A Dozen Delightful Math Books

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A Dozen Delightful Math Books

Ah, math… I personally loved math classes. The idea that there was one right answer and I could easily know if I was right or wrong really appealed to me. But, I know many people don’t feel the same way about math and worry about passing their feelings on to their kids, especially their girls. I also know from my teaching days that many parents are more than a little confused about “new math” and feel lost trying to help their children solve problems without just “putting a zero there” or “putting a little one up here.”

So, whether you love math and can’t wait to share that with your kiddos, you fall into the second group mentioned above, or your thoughts are somewhere in between, this post is for you! I searched high and low and read a TON of books about math to find the very best. I wanted books that were well-written and engaging, but that also a) used accurate mathematical thinking (for example, the number 10 is NOT a zero added to a one, which many a children’s book like to let kids think… Come on! 0 + 1 is 1, not 10!) and b) encouraged children to think in unique ways about numbers and other mathematical concepts.

Below, I’ve got a dozen delightful math books for your mathematical pleasure. Check them out, and then let me know if I missed any of your favorites!

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Book Recommendations

Our Favorite Day of the Year and Hats of Faith

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Our Favorite Day of the Year and Hats of Faith

When everyone was sharing first-day-of-school books, Our Favorite Day of the Year popped up on tons of lists. I had to wait for our library to get it in and processed, but I was first in line for it when they did… and it’s just delightful! We paired it with Hats of Faith, a terrific board book, for a wonderfully informative and diverse storytime. Read on to see what makes these two books so special!

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12 Character Traits: 2020, Book Recommendations

Say Something by Peggy Moss

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Say Something by Peggy Moss

On Sunday night, we had our next Family Focus Trait family meeting about being upstanders. During this meeting, we read the book Say Something by Peggy Moss, illustrated by Lea Lyon, and we went through a few role plays in which we practiced what we might say or do to be upstanders. If you don’t know the book Say Something by Peggy Moss, please read on to learn about it, as I think it’s a valuable book for both home and classroom libraries!

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