Kids Picks
Summer is here and things are heating up. Hopefully you have a lot of fun-in-the-sun days ahead of you, but some lazy days as well. It’s nice to have a break from practices, games and schedules. If you happen to find yourself looking for something to do to pass the time, pick up a good book! Summer is a great time to find a nice spot in the shade and read for a while. Here are some great new titles to choose from.
Ages 3-5
“Lily Leads the Way” by Margi Preus
Lily lives in a harbor filled with enormous cargo ships, fishing boats, and tugboats. She’s just a little sailboat, but she’s sturdy. Everyone bullies her, telling her to move out of their way. When she tries to go under the drawbridge to get to the lake, no one can hear her horn blowing. The large boats are so loud! She finally makes it under the bridge before it goes down. That’s when she sees a majestic barquentine, a schooner, and other ships heading toward the bridge. They are completely silent, though. How will the bridge know it has to rise? Lily just might be strong and persistent enough to save the day!
“Summer Song” by Kevin Henkes
Summer is filled with its own noises and smells. Bees are buzzing, birds are singing, and children play in the grass that is warm from the summer sun. With beautiful imagery, repetition and alliteration, “Summer Song” is an excellent teaching tool for all readers. What better way to introduce a season than to almost be able to see it and smell it before it even happens?
Ages 6-8
“The Library Fish” by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Mr. Hughes finds a fish in the library, so he names her Library Fish. Library Fish loves living in the library. She makes lots of friends, checks the returned books, loves story time, and gets to listen to all kinds of poems and learn about wonderful characters. One day, the world seems to be covered in snow and no one can travel to the library. This is Library Fish’s best chance to leave her fishbowl and explore the rest of the library. But will she be brave enough?
“Noodle and the No Bones Day” by Jonathan Graziano
Noodle is an old pug. He’s silly and sweet and loves doing everything with Jonathan. One day when Jonathan goes to take Noodle on his morning walk, Noodle is still in bed. He tries to pick Noodle up, but he just flops over. It seems like Noodle doesn’t have any bones! Noodle isn’t sick and he isn’t depressed, but he also doesn’t want to go outside. Noodle is having a day! He just wants extra love, extra belly rubs, and some extra snacks, of course. Noodle is having a no bones day and sometimes we all need one.
Ages 9-12
“The List of Things That Will Not Change” by Rebecca Stead
Divorce is a big change for everyone involved. After Bea’s parents get divorced, her life changes in a lot of ways. She tries to keep herself grounded by remembering the things that won’t ever change. She writes these things down in her green notebook. No. 1, her parents will always love her and each other. Then she finds out her dad is getting married. Bea is excited to finally have a sister! She never met Sonia, but she knows they will be the best sisters and best of friends. As the wedding gets closer, Bea learns that forming a new family also means lots of questions, surprises, laughter, and sometimes sadness. They can tackle anything that comes their way if they do it together.
“Remarkably Ruby” by Terri Libenson
Ruby and Mia used to be best friends. Now that they are in middle school, everything is changing. They don’t seem to have much in common anymore; in fact, they are complete opposites. Mia is type A, on the popular side and is aiming to be class president. Ruby is much more awkward, spends time writing poetry, and isn’t a fan of the “in crowd.” Can their relationship survive middle school? Maybe the two have more in common than they realize. After all, there’s more to everyone than what you see on the surface.
