Notes from the Reading Nook: July 13
Early chapter books with diverse protagonists · Resource books for you
Good morning!
What we’re reading
Blue on Blue by Dianne White
Pass It On by Sophy Henn
Big Sister and Little Sister by Charlotte Zolotow
Anna’s Garden Songs by Mary Q. Steele (poetry — my kids really enjoy this one)
Inch by Inch: The Garden Song by David Mallett
I reviewed the last two titles in my special edition on summer in 2020, if you’d like to take a peek at them.
Links of possible interest
I loved this recent booklist from Brightly (which has short-but-good suggestions on all kinds of topics when you subscribe to their newsletter), “11 Excellent Early Chapter Books With Diverse Protagonists.” Other than the excellent Juana and Lucas series by Juana Medina, I actually don’t know many of the books here (though I’ve heard great things from a subscriber and her 7yo son about the Planet Omar series by Zanib Mian — it looks so fun!)
To this list I’d add a few others that I am familiar with, all of which are the first in a series:
Zoe and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro
Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqi (this is somewhere between an early reader and an early chapter book and would be great for a reader just making that transition)
Polly Diamond and the Magic Book by Alice Kuipers
Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley (I’ll be reviewing this in August)
Mia Mayem is a Superhero! by Kara West
Resources for you
Some of you have mentioned how much you like it when I cover books for adults about children’s literature, raising readers, and sparking children’s creativity — I love covering these too! and I try to include one of those titles every 4-5 issues. I have a few on deck between now and September but in the meantime, I wanted to point you to some of my past and current resources.
Read my reviews of books about children’s literature and raising readers:
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell, issue No. 21
Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook: Eighth Edition by Cyndi Georgis, issue No. 12
The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah McKenzie, issue No. 33
Raising a Reader: A Mother's Tale of Desperation and Delight by Jennie Nash, issue No. 42
Show Me a Story: 40 Craft Projects and Activities to Spark Children's Storytelling by Emily K. Neuburger, issue No. 39
Read my reviews of books about sparking children’s creativity:
Tinkerlab: A Hands-On Guide for Little Inventors by Rachelle Doorley, issue No. 25
First Art for Toddlers and Twos: Open-Ended Art Experiences by MaryAnn F. Kohl, issue No. 18 (my favorite process art book of all time, way beyond “toddlers and twos”)
20 Ways to Draw a Cat and 44 Other Awesome Animals: A Sketchbook for Artists, Designers, and Doodlers by Julia Kuo, issue No. 35
Out of the Box: 25 Cardboard Engineering Projects for Makers by Jemma Westing, issue No. 22
I also included a list in my recent Spotlight On: Makers and Making issue called “Books for grownups” that may be of interest.
See also
On my Bookshop.org storefront I have a list called Resource Books for Raising Readers — I have read and recommend all of the titles listed there. To that list I’d add Tender Topics: Picture Books About Childhood Challenges by Dorothy Stoltz, Elaine Czarnecki, and Buff Kahn (which is not available via Bookshop.org).
I hope this helps a bit. I will continue to cover these books as often as I can (I really do enjoy it!)
Read good books and take good care 😘
Sarah
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