Newbery Books Worth Reading: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

I loved the Ramona books when I was a child. I was excited to see that there would be reprintings of some Beverly Cleary books to celebrate her 100th birthday. One of those was Ramona Quimby, Age 8. I just started reading it with my daughter. Childhood memories came flooding back and I really saw why Beverly Cleary is such a great children's writer: she remembers what it's like to be a kid.

If you or your kids have never read Beverly Cleary books, you need to add them to your to be read list. Ramona appeals to girls because she's a girl, but Cleary has many books with boy protagonists too. Check the shelves for her books the next time you're at the library.

Did you grow up alongside Ramona?

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Ramona Quimby, Age 8
By Beverly Cleary
Illustrated by Jaqueline Rogers
Foreword by Amy Poehler
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2016
Ages/Themes: Early Readers, Newbery Honor Books, Newbery Books Worth Reading

A Stick is an Excellent Things: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer

I love poetry, and I think if you expose children to it early, it won't seem so intimidating when they're adults. In first grade, my daughter learned about a new poem each month and she thought they were really cool.

A Stick is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer is the perfect book of poems for children during the summer months. The poems are great for reading out loud together, and as the subtitle says, they celebrate playing outside. I rarely follow illustrators, but I'm beginning to recognize LeUyen Pham's work and I love her illustrations.

Do you have a favorite book of poems for children?

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A Stick is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play
By Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Publisher: Clarion Books
Year: 2012
Ages/Themes: Picture Books, Early Readers, Poetry

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

My first grader and I took a break from Magic Treehouse books and read Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman together. It's a silly story that a dad tells his kids to explain why it took him so long to go to the market to get the cereal for their milk. It's full of dinosaurs, aliens, pirates, time travel, and a volcano god.

I love Neil Gaiman and I'd read this book on my own before. My daughter thought it was fun and loved the silly illustrations. She also thought it was a little weird, which Neil Gaiman is. I like a little weird. And if you or your kids do too, you'll like this book. It's easy enough for some early readers to read alone, but it's fun to read together.

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Fortunately, the Milk
By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Skottie Young
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2014
Ages/Themes: Early Readers, Silly Stories

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

I came late to reading all the Harry Potter books, and so am just now getting around to reading the companion book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I love Harry Potter, but I don't think I would have read this book if it weren't for the movie version coming out in November.

The book is small and as a pretend text book, it would read a bit dry if it weren't for the bits of humor added throughout, both by the "author" and by the pretend notes written in it by Harry and his friends.

This book is definitely for Harry Potter fans, and would make a good gift for a child who already had all the Harry Potter books. The movie trailer looks really good and I'm interested to see the plot they attach to a book with no plot at all.

What about you? Are you a Harry Potter fan? What level of obsessed are you?

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
By Newt Scamander (aka J.K. Rowling)
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Year: 2001
Ages: Early Reader, Middle Grade Books

Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park

In this fun book yaks yak and bugs bug bugs. My first grader has loved reading this book together. The fun homograph word play makes her laugh and has opened up discussions about linguistics and where words come from.

This book is great for early readers, but it would be fun for any elementary aged child.
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Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs
By Linda Sue Park
Illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt
Publisher: Clarion Books
Year: 2016
Ages: Young Children, Early Readers, Picture Books, Word Play

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link), at your local independent bookstore, or at your local library.

Happy 100th Birthday to Beverly Cleary

Image from Powells.com, one of my favorite independent bookstores.

I'm a day late, but children's book author Beverly Cleary turned 100 yesterday. I grew up with Ramona. I remember reading her squeezing all the toothpaste out of a tube and pulling all the tissues out of a box and really wanting to do those things too. I was a rule follower and was envious of free-spirited Ramona. Through her, I got to experience things I was too timid and cautious to do myself.

To celebrate Cleary's birthday, three of her books are being released with special new forewords. I have the new edition of Ramona Quimby, Age 8 hiding in my closet waiting for my daughter's 7th birthday next month.

April has also been declared D.E.A.R. month--Drop Everything And Read--to encourage kids to make reading a priority.

Did you read Beverly Cleary books growing up? Which was your favorite?

Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino

My first grader just finished a school project called State on a Plate. She chose a state, researched it, and then made her presentation on a paper plate. (She chose my home state, Utah, which we visited last Christmas so it was fresh in her memory.) We researched by talking to her cousin who lives in Utah, looking things up on the internet, and getting books from the library.

One fun book we found is Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino. A fictional family travels through all fifty states and each page includes interesting and out of the ordinary information about that state. (Did you that Utah has the highest literacy rate in the U.S.? I'm not surprised. Reading is a big deal there.) This book has been a favorite for night time reading as well as day time perusing. One of our favorite features is the table of contents.

My girls flip open to it and say, "Where do we want to visit next?" I love how it sparks their imagination and gets them interested in all the different places that make up our country.

Early readers will enjoy this book because the information is given in small bits, so they can read as little or as much as they like. The facts are funny and strange enough that this book would entertain even up to a middle grade reader.

So, where do you want to visit next?

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Go, Go America 
By Dan Yaccarino
Publisher: Scholastic
Year: 2008
Ages: Young Children, Picture Book, Early Readers, Middle Grade Books
Themes: Nonfiction, United States, Geography

Best Mother Goose Ever by Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever really is the best collection of Mother Goose ever. Here's why: It's the Mother Goose collection I grew up on. Once I had children and saw this in a store, I had to get it. To relive my childhood a bit, and to enrich theirs. What's a childhood without Mother Goose?

What's your favorite edition of Mother Goose rhymes?

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Best Mother Goose Ever
By Richard Scary
Publisher: Golden Books
Year: 1999 (this printing)
Ages: Young Children, Early Readers
Themes: Rhymes

You can find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent book store.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

In celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday, March 2 is Read Across America Day.

We love Dr. Seuss because his nonsense words are fun to read aloud. Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? is one of my favorites because of all the funny sounds you get to make with your kids. Dr. Seuss books are also good for early readers, especially repetitive ones like Green Eggs and Ham. And what would Christmastime be without reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas?

What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

Little Critters I Can Read! Books

If you've ventured into the realm of early reader books, you probably know how annoying many of them are. My daughters love princess ones . . . but I really, really don't. They also like Pinkalicious early reader books. But I find those ones not only annoying, but also too advanced. They're too long and have too many words that are hard to sound out. My young reader gets tired and frustrated and I end up reading more of the book than she does.

The Little Critters I Can Read! books by Mercer Mayer are a remedy to that. They are less annoying than some kids books and the writing is simple. My daughter doesn't get overwhelmed with the length of the story or with too many long words that are hard to sound out. And all of my children like the stories.

What are some of your books for reading with your young readers?

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Little Critters
By Mercer Mayer
Publisher: I Can Read!
Year: Various

Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo

Before rest time each afternoon this week, my four-year-old daughter and I have gone on an adventure with a chicken. Louise the chicken longs for adventure and often finds it. Though in the end she always yearns for the safety and comfort of home.

When we finished, my daughter asked what Louise will do if she wants to go on another adventure. I said she'd probably go on one, but will always return home. And then I made her promise to do the same when she's older--always return home to her mom after going out on adventures. She can write her own name now, so I really need to start getting her to sign these promises she's making me.

Kate DiCamillo is a great children's author. What I like about her books is that she has many short chapter books to start kids on (check out the Mercy Watson books). Even this picture book came in four chapters, which made it fun for my daughter to be able to wonder about what happens next and be excited for a new chapter each day.

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Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken
By Kate DiCamillo
Illustrated by Harry Bliss
Publisher: Joanna Colter Books
Year: 2008
Ages: Young Children, Picture Books, Early Readers

Find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

2016 Newbery Winner: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena

"Sometimes when you're surrounded by dirt, CJ, you're a better witness for what's beautiful."

After church CJ and his grandma travel by bus. At first he's jealous of his friends who get to hop in their cars and go home. But as they journey, his grandma helps him see all that he would miss out on if they didn't take the bus.

This year's Newbery Award winner is Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena. It was also a Caldecott Honor Book and won lots of other awards and made it to the top of numerous lists. (View them all here.) It's not unheard of, but also not incredibly common for the Newbery winner to be a picture book. It's a good book to read with your kids because it exemplifies gratitude for the things you have and seeing beauty anywhere.
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Last Stop on Market Street
By Matt De La Pena
Pictures by Christian Robinson
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Year: 2015
Ages: Young Children, Early Readers, Picture Books
Awards: Newbery Winner, Caldecott Honor

Find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems

Mo Willems is one of my favorite children's authors. I wouldn't have guessed that this book was by him because he doesn't do the illustrations (they're done by Tony DiTerlizzi) and it's really nothing like his other books. Diva and Flea is the story of an unlikely friendship between a small dog and a large cat living in Paris. It's told in thirteen short chapters with color illustrations throughout.

Even though it wasn't what I expected, I enjoyed reading this book with my six-year-old. It's one she could read on her own in a year or two. It doesn't have the same humor as other Mo Willems books, but it retains his charm. I loved the illustrations and this may sound strange, but I loved the texture of the paper. This is definitely one to pick up as a printed book.

If you're looking for a easy chapter book to read together or for your child to read independently, this is a good one.

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The Story of Diva and Flea
By Mo Willems
Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Year: 2015
Ages: Early Readers, Middle Grade
Themes: friendship, dogs and cats
Source: our public library

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce is the book that inspired an Academy Award Winning short film that you can see on YouTube here.

It's a magical book, beautifully told and illustrated. It's a book for book lovers of all ages. The book and the short film are both wonderful, so watch the film now and find the book at a library or bookstore soon.
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The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
By William Joyce
Illustrated by William Joyce & Joe Bluhm
Publisher: Antheneum Books for Young Readers
Year: 2012
Ages: Picture Books, Young Children, Early Readers

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

Princesses don't run. Princesses don't wear black. Princesses definitely don't fight monsters. Or do they? As the mother of girls who love princesses and superheroes, I loved reading this book with my girls. There has been a little bit of effort in recent years to include female superheroes (though they're still by far the minority), but I appreciated that in this book, you don't have to choose. You can be a princess and a superhero.

This book was written by wife/husband team Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. Shannon Hale is one of my favorite YA authors. And it's illustrated by LeUyen Pham. I rarely recognize an illustrator's work, but I'm beginning to recognize her and have another favorite picture book that she illustrated that I'll highlight soon.

This book is told in short chapters with large type so it would make a good first chapter book. With my early reader, I read some pages and she read some pages. She's reading pretty good, but she gets overwhelmed quickly, so I take the pages with lots of type and give her the ones with more pictures and fewer words. It's a fun, quick read. Give it a try with your girls. Or with your boys--there may be a goat boy who takes inspiration from the Princess in Black that they can cheer for if they shy away from princess stuff.

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The Princess in Black
By Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Year: 2014
Info: color illustrations
Ages: Picture Books, Early Readers, First Chapter Books
Themes: princesses, superheroes, monsters
Source: our public library

Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

We just finished reading our first Magic Tree House book out loud together. In these books siblings Jack and Annie go on adventures and get to travel to different times and places. I've heard about them for a while and I wanted to start with #1, Dinosaurs Before Dark.

A quick perusal of the Magic Tree House website shows that the series was originally written by Mary Pope Osborne and she was joined by her husband Will Osborne and her sister Natalie Pope Boyce in writing later books and spinoffs. The first 28 books are short and have large type, so they're the best ones for early readers to start with. Later books are written at a higher reading level so young readers can advance along with the book.

It was perfect for reading out loud together. The chapters were short enough to keep even my three-year-old's attention. The chapter endings made my kids gasp and ask what was going to happen next.
The writing was simple and perfect for early readers. My first grader read a few pages with me and I think this series will be perfect as first chapter books for her to read on her own. If you're looking for good books to read aloud or for your early reader to start chapter books on, check out the Magic Tree House series.

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Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark
By Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca
Publisher: Random House
Year: 2014
Info: B&W Illustrations
Ages: Early Readers, First Chapter Books
Themes: adventure, time travel, siblings
Source: our public library