May! Spring! Asian Heritage Month! Mothers’ Day! All in this month’s flyers… 
Elf Diary of a Bug pack – Imagined diaries of insects make up a series of three silly stories from the same author as Click Clack Moo – who knows from funny. These are a little more sophisticated, but grades 1 to 3 quite enjoy the humour. National Geographic non-fiction – Nat Geo is turning out great non-fiction for kids these days. The pictures are everything you’d expect from them, the facts are solid, and they have pitched them well for browsing and more thorough reading alike, depending on the kid. I recommend these if your kid would find the topic interesting. Peas pack – Alphabet and Counting books for slightly older children, these feature fun, detail-filled small images of peas plying various trades related to the alphabet and activities with numbers. They are fun to share, and full of little funny bits for parents to enjoy as well. . Little Critter: Just Go To Bed – 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. In this case, he just. won’t. go. to. bed. (and, er, dad’s getting a little grumpy.) Bear and Friends Collection – I love the bear stories, which are set in a great rhythm and rhyme, and feature really, really good friends. These do show up in various different packs on and off through the year, so if you want more of them, hold off. Very Best Board Books Pack – This little collection of board books contains a few of my favourites, as well as a nice nursery rhyme, making it a good way to get a nice little handful of board books for less. I’d also look at this as a great baby gift. Magnetic A to Z – playing with physical letters is a great tool for teaching the alphabet, and the alphabet magnets are a classic method for this kind of hands-on learning. My kid spelled her first word with a set of these! Jillian Jiggs pack – Jillian Jiggs is a bold, imaginative girl who is always up to hatching some new plot and taking her friends along with her, as this set shows over and over again. The stories are told in a bouncing rhyme and illustrated with Phoebe Gilman’s signature charm. These are classic Canadian fare by now, and worth looking at if you are looking for some fun new additions. Peek-a-Zoo – Kids looove guessing in these sort of books, so if you don’t have anything like that yet, it’s a pretty sure bet for a toddler or preschooler. Llama Llama Collection – I’m not crazy about Llama Llama myself, but I’ve seen first hand how it speaks directly to toddlers and young preschoolers and totally captures their frustrations and how their emotions can get out of control. Maybe not the stuff of classics and memories, but it really works for them. SeeSaw The Pigeon Needs a Bath! – 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, and this new one is primed to be another winner. Ocean Fun pack – three really, really funny stories perfect for preschool to about grade 2. If I didn’t own a couple of these already, I’d be all over this pack. Klutz window art / Twisted Critters – I am a big fan of Klutz kits. They have clear, easy-to-follow instructions, contain everything you’re going to need, and I’ve always gotten good results from these obviously well-tested projects. They aren’t all about reading, but it’s worth noting that following instructions is its own particular reading skill. I like buying these from the flyers, too, because they make great gifts, and come a little cheaper this way. Scooby-Doo pack – yeah, I know. Commercial, not great, and the sort of things that get requested by kids who watch TV instead of reading. All true. But at the same time? Fun stories with a predictable arc that kids enjoy at this age, even kids who read better stuff as well, so if you have a little Scooby nostalgia going on somewhere in you, go ahead. We can all use a touch of candy now and then, can’t we? There’s a Hole in My Bucket – This isn’t necessarily the most fantastically illustrated book, but 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. Excellent all around! Fractured Fairy Tales Pack – This version of Little red hen is really fun and sassy, I love the Gingerbread Girl and how she outfoxes the fox, and The True Story of the Three little Pigs is one of Jon Scieszka’s best. The fourth one I don’t know, but by the time I’m solidly behind on 3/4 on a pack, I’m guessing whoever picked it has some good taste! National Geographic non-fiction – Nat Geo is turning out great non-fiction for kids these days. The pictures are everything you’d expect from them, the facts are solid, and they have pitched them well for browsing and more thorough reading alike, depending on the kid. I recommend these if your kid would find the topic interesting.
Lucky 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. They are like the ones above, but more text-heavy for older and stronger readers. Ramona 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 isn’t the full set, but if you want to start with a taste, it’ll work. Different sizes of pack do show up, though, so if you’ll want them all, you could wait. Scooby-Doo Reader pack – yeah, I know. Commercial, not great, and the sort of things that get requested by kids who watch TV instead of reading. All true. But at the same time? Fun stories with a predictable arc that kids enjoy at this age, even kids who read better stuff as well, so if you have a little Scooby nostalgia going on somewhere in you, go ahead. We can all use a touch of candy now and then, can’t we? Chronicles of Narnia Boxed Set – Another series that needs no introduction, because not only is it a serious classic, but the movies have been coming out over the last few years, bringing it a whole new audience. It’s seven books strong, a perfect introduction to fantasy, and should be read by or to everyone. Big Nate pack – This is 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. This isn’t the full set, however, so if you’re going to want them all, you could wait for a bigger pack to show up. Clementine and the Spring Trip – 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. I haven’t read this new one yet, but I’m still confident it’ll be great, and I’m probably buying it myself. Captain Underpants pack – 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. Magic Tree House Library – This long-running series is still going strong, and I’m still enjoying the adventures of Jack & Annie as they explore times, places, and major historical figures. It’s a nice bridge between fiction and non-fiction, and though definitely on formula, still an enjoyable, decently-written read. This is a massive set, with books 1-45, but if you’ve got an avid reader, it’s a great price given the amount of material. I certainly know kids who’ve read every last one. Arrow Origami Yoda #1-4 pack – This popular series is made up of “case files” from a series of weird episodes that occur after Dwight, 6th grade misfit, makes an origami Yoda finger puppet that predicts the future and gives surprisingly good advice. Figuring out how this happens and battling other origami forces and even bigger outside forces get the kids in these books doing some pretty interesting and unusual sleuthing! 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 set has all 8, so for a fan, it’s a good pick, but a lot for someone who might just want to check it out. Fudge Collection – Good old Fudge by Judy Blume chestnut has acquired classic status, and is still much-requested by kids in grades 2-4. A good read for boys and girls alike, kids very much relate to Fudge, it seems! Jerry Spinelli pack – these two Spinelli titles, Jake & Lily and Loser, are pretty different books. Loser traces a kid as he grows up and tries to identify what separated him from the other kids, and at what point. It’s not a light read, and focuses on his frequent theme of misfits and what makes them so different. Jake & Lily is about twins trying to find their separate selves and who they each are as they grow up and apart. These are always really interesting character studies. Bud, Not Buddy – In the 1930s, a young motherless boy hits the road in search of his father with only a flyer for a band as a clue about who he might be. Filled with jazz, the realities of the Great Depression, and a healthy dose of humour, this Newbery winner is a great read. Percy Jackson & The Olympians – This series has been HUGE, and with very good reason – it’s excellent. The writing is solid and fast-paced, to almost cinematic effect, the characters are enjoyable, and the action is based on Greek mythology, which I love. They are a pretty classic quest story, and a perfect follow to other fantasy series if you haven’t read them yet. (And you really should.) Lego Play Book – I’ve been meaning to buy this one for my kids, who are fully Lego-obsessed. It 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. Scholastic Classics pack – This is good collection of solid childhood classics for reading together or for your kid to dive into themselves. If you’d like more serious lit on your shelf, it’s a good set to start with for not too much money. My Story pack – a fine pick to extend Remembrance Day, feed curiosity about history, and provide tales of adventure and survival. These diary-format books relate stories from real World War battles, as if told by someone who was there. These are generally quite well done. Haunted Canada: Ghost Stories – These are accounts of reported hauntings from across the country, making for perfect ghost stories to share, tell around a campfire, or set the mood for Hallowe’en. Got a ghost lover? This should keep them happy! There are a few volumes, so for the hardcore, you could hold out for a pack to appear again.
Leave a Reply