February! And with it comes lots of holiday and theme month goodies to cover Chinese New Year, Black History Month, 100th day, and Valentine’s Day. These flyers are jammed with stuff for these, but also some of the usual mix of good stuff, not so good stuff, and some of our usual repeaters. Getting out my circling pen…
Elf
Celebrate Our Differences! Pack – Books with purpose can be difficult – often, they are not great reading, and preachiness is a pet peeve of mine. These, however, are more celebratory or straightforward. I like the photos of people of all colours in Shades of People, especially. I think this is a great pack if you are going to talk about the range of colours and shapes that people come in.
Sesame Street Readers Pack – I’m generally not a fan of branded books, but I really quite like B is for Books, which is very cute, and these are of course sure winners with kids who live the Street.
Very Hairy Bear – cute and sweet, but not saccharine, I love a good story of friendship. These illustrations are also full of expression, the subtle palette keeping the focus on the story’s good humour.
A Kiss Means I Love You – another book that could have been too sweet, if it weren’t for simple, modern photographs that show the connection between real people in an unromanticized, real way. Lovely.
Duck Trio – these are hilarious, and great for reading aloud. This group of friends gets into all sorts of silly situations, and it’s always a great ride. Highly recommended for kids with a big sense of humour.
Mr Men and Little Miss collection – I think these may have to contain some nostalgia to be loved, quite honestly. Mr. read a few and thought they were awful, but I and some other people I know love them because we loved them when we were young. Either that, or they may be better for older kids who will understand the humour. This is a “with caution” pick.
Duck! Rabbit! – This simple and fun book introduces the idea of optical illusions where the image can be interpreted two ways – is it a duck or a rabbit? Voices from off the page argue about it right to the very end. From a favourite of mine, Amy Krouse Rosenthal.
Repeaters: These Titles and packs are starting to show up on a very regular basis
Llama Llama Home With Mama – These Llama Llama books are, to be honest, not the favourites of
parents, but young kids love them, because they really capture the way a
toddler works, that is to say, Llama throws a fit when he is
overwhelmed with emotion, and then reassured by his mama.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom 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. The third book here is equally fun, if not as instantly recognizable.
SeeSaw
One Love – I like this adaptation of Bob Marley’s classic song to have a message about community spirit. I’ve got a full review of this here from last year!
The Big Wide-Mouthed Frog – This is a story that is a joke – about the wide mouthed frog who encounters a wide-mouth frog eater and suddenly purses his lips up. You remember that one? Well, don’t give away the ending when you read it to your kid, but make a point of exaggerating the differences in your speech, and once they get it, they will probably find it pretty funny – most kids I’ve read it to feel pretty clever when they get it, too!
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Space Book – What little kid doesn’t love space at some point? and National
Geographic puts together a nicely-leveled, attractively photographed,
and solidly informative book on the topic aimed just for them here.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day Pack –
The Kissing Hand – This is a favourite of moms and teachers everywhere for dealing with separation anxiety and missing your mom/kid. It’s a nice one for a lovey Valentine’s Day story to read your little darling, too.
Little Bear Pack – you do know Little Bear, right? Classic early readers about a sweet little bear and his gentle adventures, these are nice read alouds for bedtime, each containing a handful of smaller stories. Illustrations by Sendak don’t hurt, either!
***Classic Family Favourites Collection – this really is a phenomenal collection. usually with packs, you are looking at a couple of weaker titles that are being carried by the majority, but there is not a loser in this bunch. The only one I don’t love is The Little Engine That Could, but that’s just me – it really is a classic, whether I like it or not. If you don’t have these already, you should get this, and your bookshelf will be richer for it.
Alexander Pack – Alexander keeps having things go awfully wrong, and he reacts, like any
kid, in ways that are not always productive. Fortunately, even if his
brothers make things worse, his mom helps out, and he also discovers
that tomorrow is another day. These are classic fare for kids on the
upper end of this range and even into SeeSaw territory.
Usborne 50 Things o Draw & Paint – I like these little Usborne books of art ideas. The pictures and
instructions are nice and clear, so kids can do much of this on their
own by this age, and my own little grade 2 loves looking through them
for ideas.
Picture a Tree – Barbara Reid’s latest is a lovely tribute to trees filled with
delightful visual jokes and her incredibly detailed plasticene
illustrations. Marvelous!
Repeaters: These Titles and packs are starting to show up on a very regular basis
Silly Pigeon Set – The pigeon books show up Mo Willems’ background as an animator to
perfection, written entirely in dialogue that shows a perfect ear for
the hilarious. Kids love these, and if you are willing to ham it up a
bit, they are fantastic read-alouds.
Magic Tree House Library – I’m not always a fan of big series for kids, although they very
definitely serve a purpose. They are by nature formulaic, and often not
well-written. These definitely follow a formula, but the writing is
better than it has to be, and the various times and places visited give
kids a nice little taste of history and different cultures, which I
like.
Franklin Classics Library – These are some of the original Franklins, written by the author before
the television show. These ones are still repetitive, being a series,
but I like the quality better. Franklins often appear in various
differently-sized packs and collections, so while this is huge, others will definitely appear.
Lucky
Judy Blume pack – Fudge, Fourth Grade Nothing… these are not the girly Blume books, but ones with unisex appeal for grades 2-4. These are still much-requested and somehow, these
good old favourites are still relevant, funny, and totally relateable.
I Have a Dream – a beautifully illustrated picture-format book of Martin Luther King’s famously moving and important speech.
A to Z Mysteries Pack – This series does, as the name suggests, have a mystery for each letter.
Nicely pitched for grades 2-3, these are fairly popular and will work
well for a kid who likes mysteries.
Cam Jansen Detective pack – I haven’t seen these in the flyers before, but I still might pass this up unless I had a kid who was into the sleuth thing enough to want that pen. Otherwise, I’d see if these are going to start showing up more often.
The Indispensable Calvin & Hobbes – these are funny – you might remember them from a good 20-25 years ago?
They still appeal. Readers and reluctant readers alike enjoy cartoons, so if your kid won’t
gravitate to a full-on novel just yet, these might grab his/her
attention in the meantime, not to mention that you can share some good
belly laughs reading them together!
Socks & Ribsy Pack – Beverly Cleary, of Ramona fame, has a few other books about animals,
including these, about a cat and a dog. Ribsy is part of Ramona’s world,
belonging to her neighbour, Henry, but this isn’t really a Ramona book.
If you have a kid who loves animals, these would be a good place to
start feeding that.
Scary Stories Pack – these books of ghost stories have been favourites for a generation at
least, and are classic, go-to books for campfire and Hallowe’en fare. If
you have a kid who likes to get the shivers, these are a sure bet.
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.
Repeaters: These Titles and packs are starting to show up on a very regular basis
Magic Tree House – I’m not always a fan of big series for kids, although they very
definitely serve a purpose. They are by nature formulaic, and often not
well-written. These definitely follow a formula, but the writing is
better than it has to be, and the various times and places visited give
kids a nice little taste of history and different cultures, which I
like.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid – both a boxed set and the new #7 are on offer here. This series has been wildly popular with kids from about grade 2 up to
grade 6, even among the most reluctant of readers, who appreciate its
humour and its half-graphic format. It’s an easy read, and his school
troubles resonate with kids. The pack is on frequent offer.
Chester Pack – Chester is not pleased with the direction his author is taking, and
tries to steer things his way in these very funny picture books that are
a
big hit with kids. Chester is likely to appear again, though he is not a
constant, so if don’t necessarily want them all, you could wait it out.
Magic School Bus 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.
Arrow
Ungifted – I only rarely will suggest a book i haven’t read, but in this case, well, Gordon Korman is a standard suggestion for kids looking for a funny but
well-written novel, most of which are set in or around school. Korman’s been a
Canadian favourite for a good 30 years now, and is still going strong
for good reason!
Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger – The Wayside stories books are each a collection of totally silly stories
set in a school where the ridiculous is the norm. They are funny,
short, and easy to read, making them favourites among younger kids and
kids who are not strong readers or like lighter fare.
Wonder – The story of a boy with an highly unusual appearance who moves into his neighbourhood school, and how everyone reacts as they get to know him. This is ultimately about acceptance, and a worthwhile read, told from multiple perspectives.
Titanic Trilogy – Korman has a few trilogies, all with an adventure/disaster/survival theme that gives them great boy appeal (think Everest, Kidnapped, and ones about being trapped on a deserted island and one about a dive). They are well done, and this was timed with the 100th anniversary of the sinking last year, when attention was on Titanic everywhere.
Stargirl – this Spinelli book is for the
older, more serious reader, I would say, but is on his frequent
theme of misfits. It’s
not a light read, being actually a teen title, and it’s one that has it’s moments of light as well as excruciating
parts. It’s a really interesting character study of both Stargirl and the boy who loves her but wants more conformity, but it would take a sophisticated reader to be able to appreciate it at this age.
Amulet – I’ve read the first three of these graphic novels, and can’t wait to
get around to the last two now. These are beautiful and full of
adventure and fantasy. I reviewed them not long ago here, if you’d like more detail on them.
Real Mermaids Don’t Hold Their Breath – this is a fun book, though I would place it more in the teen realm than here. I’m finding a bit of creep that way in this flyer, that YA items are showing up more often, though this one is not really problematic for content, it is definitely for an older reader and I tend to be conservative about leaving teen stuff to teens. For a review from last summer, read more here.
Blizzard of Glass – For kids who are into non-fiction, this is a piece of Canadian history that is not boring. This was a pick from last year’s teen summer reading programme in Toronto, but should still be in range for most older kids.
Dear Canada Pack – these diary-format books highlight major events in Canadian history from
the perspective of someone involved or affected, bringing history to
life. The
quality of these books in
generally quite high, and they are written by some top-drawer authors.
Newbery Animals Pack – Animal books. They can be wonderful, or end awfully. I luuurve Winn-Dixie. Rascal is funny and cute. Sounder… Sounder ends horribly. I’m sorry. I just think you should know. It’s a good book, definitely, all three are excellent, but I would have liked to know it would end with the dog being hurt, you know? So now you know, and you can decide if that’s going to be okay for your kid or if you want to stick with just the other ones.
The One and Only Ivan – this one just won the Newbery last week. Need I say more?
Brian Pack – a Newbery Honor book by the excellent,
multi-award-winning Gary Paulsen heads off this series, and the others follow. It is a story of survival and
redemption, and a good choice any child who enjoys the wilderness.
Repeaters: These Titles and packs are starting to show up on a very regular basis
Big Nate – This series is the natural successor to the Wimpy Kids books, having a
similar half-graphic format, school setting, and kid who gets into
scrapes. They are, perhaps, a little brattier, but the same kids who
love Wimpy Kid are eating these up, so if it’s all your kid wants to
read, it may be worth picking up this month or pretty much any other
month. This pack is just the first two of this series, though, so if you want them all, you could wait.
39 Clues – This series is written by some of the top names in adventurous kidslit,
and keep kids guessing and following along. If you get started with
these, be prepared to have an obsessed kid, but these are another
often-featured set, so you can always put this on the back burner and
know you can order later, too.
Diary of A Wimpy Kid – This series has been wildly popular with kids from about grade 2 up to
grade 6, even among the most reluctant of readers, who appreciate its
humour and its half-graphic format. It’s an easy read, and his school
troubles resonate with kids. The pack is on frequent offer.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians – I love this series. The writing moves quickly, the quests are studded
with many mythological monsters, and the overarching storyline is the
stuff of archetype. I highly recommend this series, which grabs readers
and carries along so masterfully that even a lot of reluctant boys at
work have chewed through them.
A note on The Hunger Games trilogy – I expect these to show up a lot this school year, after the massive popularity
of the movie last spring. The books had been huge with teens before that
– and to be honest, that is who I think should be reading them. If you
have a very sophisticated reader, it might be something that you could
read together and talk about, but otherwise, I believe that these are
worth waiting for when kids are old enough to appreciate them.