The last month of school! And also the last flyer for this school year. I’d best get on with it then…
Elf
You Are My Sunshine – These sweetly illustrated, but not too saccharine, and I love books of songs for kids. The rhythm and rhyme are great for literacy, they help you remember the words, and they get to see the words on the page as you sing. I have this copy of You Are My Sunshine and quite like it.
Canadian Favourites Pack – truly, this is a great pack full some some of our most fun children’s authors and illustrators. If you haven’t got these titles, pick this one up.
Favourite Stories on DVD – I don’t often recommend DVDs, but these are seriously great picture books brought to life in animation that is faithful to the original text and images. They are originally from Weston Woods, who wins awards for their work all the time, and come with great pedigree. Really great stuff, but it is worth keeping in mind that the full set with something like 30 DVDs will likely show up over the next year at some point, so if you really want to invest in these, it’s worth thinking about whether this set is the one you want.
Chicka Chicka Pack – The letter and number books are nothing short of modern classics, a term I use sparingly. They are bold and bright in their illustrations, have great rhyme and rhythm (Bill Martin really is a master), and introduce letters and numbers in a fun way. I also like that the alphabet features both upper- and lower-case letters, which is not always the case.
Kissing Hand Pack –The Kissing Hand is a favourite of moms and teachers everywhere for dealing with separation anxiety and missing your mom/kid. If you like that story, the other two extend the gentle, loving relationship between mother and (slightly anxious) child.
Best Books for Kindergarten Pack – this is another great pack this month (!), with lots of serious classics and a few really wonderful new titles. not a loser in the batch, these are well worth having on your shelf.
How Do Dinosaurs Go To School – I love this series. This is a rare example of teaching manners and so on done really, really well. They are funny and silly, but then get around to pointing out how this should go, all illustrated by Mark Teague’s comical, and very human, dinosaurs.
Jane Cabrera Sing-Along – I love song books. they remind you of the words, help give your kid something to focus on and lets you show your child how you are following the text as you sing. Simple, but good stuff.
Little Critter’s Big Collection – Little Critter is one that takes the right sense of humour, for sure, but I quite enjoy him and his exasperating but well-meaning foul-ups. he’s been around forever, so you may even remember him from when you were a kid, and that nostalgia may be a little part of why I love him so, as well as the laughs. This is a big pack, so you could wait for a smaller one if you’re not sure, but if you enjoy him, there’s a bunch here, though not some of the true classics.
Pigeon books – Pigeon books are major hits with kids for their silliness, comic style, and interactivity. Get ready to get rowdy as you read them – it only makes it better that way! These are what Mo Willems a household name, for very good reason, so if you have none on your shelf, this is a good opportunity to grab the first four at once. The newest, (|Pigeon Needs a Bath) is also on offer here and fans will enjoy it, though I must admit, I don’t think it’s as riotous as the earlier ones.
SeeSaw
Mighty Dads – not even necessarily the best book ever, but cute and certainly charming, and can I just say, trucks and dads? Winning combination.
Mommy & Me Start Cooking – I say it all the time – cooking and cookbooks are great for kids. They learn measurement, it uses math and science, and learning to follow instructions carefully is a discrete literacy skill that is totally worth practicing. And? Good bonding time! This is a good starter, with simple recipes, for younger kids or the not-too-ambitious. *raises hand*
The Usborne Big Doodling Book – Doodle books are a hot thing lately, allowing kids to take an idea and run, a sort of halfway point between a colouring book and a blank page. I’ve reviewed some similar ones here, if you are curious about this idea. I will say, if you are going on any summer trips or need some activities to waste some time over the summer, this would be a pretty good pick.
Pete The Cat Pack – Pete the Cat has quite the following, and they are fun books. If you are a fan, this is a totally good buy.
David Shannon Listening Library – There is a lot more to David Shannon’s work than just the No, David books,and a couple of my favourites are included in this little pack. He’s a phenomenal illustrator with a great sense of humour (his faces are fantastic). These come with CDs as well, which makes this more costly for a small pack. Pro – going on a car trip? These are great. Con – less books for the price, and he is on frequent offer, so if you want more, you could check back next fall.
The ABCs of Yoga for Kids – Little kids need some work on their gross motor skills and on their paying-attention skills, and yoga makes for a nice activity to help in both these areas. This book walks through a good number of poses, and works for older or younger kids as a pretty solid introduction.
Leo Lionni Pack – Lio Lionni is solid gold if you ask me. He is one of those rare authors who manages to teach little life lessons that are completely hidden in his wonderful stories, and his distinctive art makes them uniquely his. Swimmy is a favourite.
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book Boxed Set – These are great books, and kids love them. They mesh factual information with fun adventures that a class goes on with their wacky teacher and her magic bus. The kids are consistent characters, and each has a personality that you come to know. There are lots of little extra bits with factoids, little jokes, and so on that makes it fun for kids to peruse. These do show up in various different packs often enough, as well.
Elephant and Piggie: Watch Me Throw the Ball! – I love these books. They are cute, sweet, easy to read, and truly hilarious. Mo Willems’ gift for animation and facial expression is used to its fullest extent in these, where words are fewer.
Lucky
Guinness Book of World Records – These books have been favourites for browsing for decades, and appeal to nearly every kid out there. There is a new one every year, though you don’t need to replace them annually, really. They are also offered fairly often, as they truly are popular. They also make for great gift material!
Get Outside – Like any parent, I’m all for kids getting outside, and with the help of
some good ideas, it can be so much fun that it outweighs the bugbites and sunburn, if you play your cards right! This should help those of you who, like me, are not inspired to create organized fun by temperament and need a little nudge.
Ralph S Mouse Trio – Ralph Mouse and his motorcycle are a great hit with readers of early chapters. A classic trilogy by the author of the Ramona Quimby books, these are stories of friendship and small-scale adventure that are also wonderful for reading aloud.
Big Nate – This is one of those imitators I mention below – sort of the natural successor to Diary of a Wimpy Kid – half-graphic, sassy, and great kid appeal. A touch cheekier, but still funny, any fan of the former is pretty sure to enjoy these.
Clementine Pack – There are lots of books about spunky, precocious girls for these grades, and one of my favourite stars among them is Clementine. She is a good kid at heart, who just has trouble with her self-control, and gets into some pretty funny messes because of it. her family, though, is wonderful, and her teachers do pretty well at working with her, too, so I like that the overall is a picture of warmth and understanding, rather than a bratty kid at odds with exasperated adults.
Ramona and Henry Pack – I LOVE Ramona. The original sassy young girl, and still one of the very best, this set of stories about Ramona and her sister Beezus is great for reading aloud or alone and enjoying the scrapes she gets herself into. This is a big pack, but it’s got alllll the books, so if you think you are going to want them all, it’s worth it at this price.
Classroom Classics Pack – Because of Winn-Dixie and Frindle are both excellent titles, stellar examples of books for kids in around grade 3-4. If you don’t have them, I highly recommend this pair.
LEGO Play Book – Ooh! I’ve been wanting one of these to show up so I can grab it for my kids, who are fully Lego-obsessed. This one is full of ideas to get them using their bricks in different ways and start them thinking about what else they could turn them into. With Lego getting more specialized all the time, this is a great return to building from the basics.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid – This series has been a massive hit with kids and spawned a few imitators, as well. It is very funny, and the half-graphic format makes it a favourite with reluctant readers. This is a pretty nearly monthly offering, so you can count on being able to pick them up at any point through the year.
Captain Underpants – Okay, I know. he’s rude, crude, and enough with the fart jokes. But? He’s also hilarious and plenty of boys love him, not to mention the half-graphic format works really well for reluctant or less confident readers. As much as they make some parents crazy, these really are fun and a great hook for the kid who needs something a little sillier to get engaged.
Arrow
belly laughs reading them together!
Leave a Reply