Grab your flyers and start marking them up – it’s the March edition of Scholastic Decoder!
Elf
*Eric Carle Spring Picture Book Pack – Eric Carle is great, classic stuff. Wonderful stories that sneak in learning about weekdays, months, and much more are accompanied by his signature collage art. This is a great pack of Carle favourites. A can’t miss, if you don’t have some of them already.
We Share Everything – I tend to like Munsch’s older stuff better, but this tale of kindergarten is a really fun one. I like!
Cook it Together – Cooking is a great way to combine reading, math, and together time in one activity.
Rhyme and Repetition Pack – I generally am wary of themed packs, but this one has some great titles by solid authors, and makes for a nice little collection.
The Sleepy Little Alphabet – this does remind me a bit of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in the way it makes the letters into characters, but I like the bedtime aspect, and there are lots of cute details hidden in the pictures to find.
Mighty Machines: Construction Pack – Diggers. Great photographs and full-bore focus on digging machines. Need I really say more?
Baby Bear, Baby Bear – If you have a big fan of the Brown Bear, Brown Bear series, this is a nice addition about baby animals
Knuffle Bunny – I love this story. The art is great, the sense of humour is wonderful (hello, it’s Mo Willems), and it is also more touching than most Mo. Fantastic.
*Where the Wild Things Are – a must, if you don’t have this. Classic, amazing, gorgeous, fantastical, and one of those perfect picture books. I still remember nearly every word from when I was a kid. (And that’s been a while now. Ahem.)
SeeSaw
I Spy Spectacular – if you don’t have any I Spy books, this is a nice big one to get you going. It does repeat pieces from earlier books, though, so if you have a collection, this is likely not the one you want to add to it.
Magic School Bus DVD Library – the Magic School Bus books, which I love, come to life in these animated
versions. I have a couple of these, and find them consistently good at
retaining the feel of the books and the mix of learning and adventure
that make them so fun.
Scholastic Canada World Atlas – atlases are great reference tools for school, but also a nice
introduction to the rest of the world. Having one aimed at children
makes it more user-friendly, which is appealing.
Hockey Legends Pack – Mike Leonetti is a major hockey fan, but also writes a decent story, making these perfect reading for your own little puckhead.
*The Paper Bag Princess – alpha and omega of princesses with minds of their own, this very early Munsch tale is a hands-down classic that has earned a place in the hearts of nearly every parent and child I know for its combination of humour and message, and a perfect twist on the fairy tale genre.
Magic Tree House Super Pack – This is a giant set, with the first 28 books! I still really enjoy these, and put them head and
shoulders above most series, especially once they have grown to this
size. These continue to be interesting, magical, and informative,
all at once, and they make a good bridge to fiction for readers who
usually prefer non-fiction.
Klutz Cat’s Cradle – I’m glad to see string games making a comeback, and these are a lot of fun. The best part is that klutz are masters at making their directions easy-to-follow, so even the truly klutzy, like myself, can manage this without getting tied up in a knot.
*Stone Soup – This newer version of an old tale reimagines it was taking place in a Chinese village, with three monks tricking the populace into opening their hearts and pantries. This is beautifully told, but it’s Jon Muth’s stunning paintings that really make it a work of art. Highly recommended.
Lucky
Complete A to Z Mysteries Collection – the A to Z mystery series is a popular one, though this is a big pack, so be sure your kid is really into that much mystery!
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Pack – Scaredy Squirrel is a major hit with kids, and he is really very funny. Love these books, and totally recommend this pack if you don’t have any Melanie Watt yet.
Magic Tree House #1-8 Boxed Set – as above, but a smaller set. A nice starter pack!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Pack – These books
are funny, and a monster hit with kids, spawning a movie last year that
only made them bigger. They are only in hardcover in stores, while these paperbacks are priced
slightly below the hardcover price.
*Ralph Mouse Collection – The trio of books about a mouse and his motorcycle is an old favourite by the author of the Ramona Quimby books, Beverley Cleary. They are great early chapters with appeal to both boys and girls.
*Complete Adventures of Charlie and Mr. Wonka – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. These are wonderful for reading aloud to your kids. Dark humour, of course, but most kids adore them, and the movies only add another layer once they are familiar with the stories.
The Missing Golden Ticket – more Roald Dahl about Charlie! Life is good, people.
Star Wars Character Encyclopedia – I
don’t love all the various readers and novels and spinoffs, but if you’ve got
a true fan, the Character Encyclopedia will knock their socks off.
Guinness Book of World Records: Amazing Pet Records – from the bizarre to the heroic, there are amazing
things in this for everyone. I haven’t met a child yet who doesn’t find these
thrilling – you might remember poring over them yourself? An excellent choice
for an animal-loving reluctant reader.
Arrow
They are funny and irreverant, but not as outright rude as, say,
Captain Underpants. Nate manages to walk a nice balance between totally
amusing kids and not grossing out parents! I really enjoyed these when I
devoured them recently. The first two are offered as a pack here, and the new one is offered on its own.
*Rules – This book about coming to terms with an autistic brother and your own discomfort with it while navigating the perilous waters of early adolescence and middle schools is simply excellent.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Pack – as above
Percy Jackson Set – these books are worth the hype, truly. Based on greek mythology, they
follow the familiar quest archetype (cough*HarryPotter*cough) through
five books in which Percy becomes quite the hero. No surprise that they
turned the first one into a movie – these are so full of action, you can
see it happening as you read.
Haunted Canada Pack – lots of kids love to give themselves the creeps, and what is better than “true-life” ghost stories from your very own country? It could be in your back yard!
National Geographic Kids Almanac – an almanac is a collection of information, great for perusing without committing to a block of reading time. A really good way to get some information into a reluctant reader or to spark an interest in the wider world.
Dear Canada: Exiles From the War – These diary-format historical fiction titles are popular, very readable, and written by top-shelf children’s authors, in this case, Jean Little. If the time and topic are of interest, this is a good way to introduce it to a child and to spark more discussion or research.
My Story Megapack – like the Dear Canada series is its diary format, this series is aimed at boys, and contains more action and battle than the others, but is equally compelling and well-written. A terrific way to build an interest in history. This is a big pack, though, so again, you may want to try one before you make this investment.
Cat’s Cradle – as above
Usborne Book of Art Ideas – I am slowly buying all these Usborne art books, because I really like their interesting range of ideas, their very simple and clear directions, and the images of what is happening that make them even easier to follow. If you like to make art with your kid, you are sure to find some inspiration in here.
*Bone series #1-9 Pack – This graphic novel series combines quest myth and fairy tale with a nice dose of fantasy to create its own world. They are a lot of fun, and kid-friendly for about grade 3 and
up. Funny and adventurous, kids ask
for them often.
That’s it for another month, kids!
Love collecting ALL the Usborne craft books too! The kids love the projects & I love the ideas- simple but look fantastic&
Hi, Racheal –
yes, i have read a couple. I love that they are written by really solid authors, and the format is a pretty compelling way to look at history. As much as we hate to slap on these limiters, they do tend to have more girl appeal, which is why they’ve started a separate series “for boys” with more action, and mostly set in wars.
As always, love the feature. Have you read any of the Dear Canada books?