Posts Tagged ‘Recommended’

Grimes uses poetry to tell the mirrored stories of two boys: a modern day child of divorce and biblical Ishmael. This amazing book should help convince teens that poetry does not have to rhyme, and can be a great read.

Watch Out For: Both stories call upon God and include prayer and church, but there are few specifics. Divorce, remarriage, hypocrisy and betrayal by the father, and forgiveness are major themes.

The story of a dentist mouse who compassionately treats a toothache-plagued fox, Doctor De Soto is a delightful book that holds the attention of both toddlers and independent readers. The plot is relatively complex for a childrens’ book, and the characters rather nuanced. Recommended.

Watch out for: There are a wealth of themes addressed by Doctor De Soto, including: honor, compassion, trickery, and (of course) dental hygiene.

In this hilarious picture book, an alien named Dr. Xargle teaches his alien classroom about “earthlets” (what we would call infant humans). Both the text and drawings are laugh-out-loud funny. The importance of perspective is highlighted, as most children (and adults!) have probably never thought about how they might appear to someone very different from them (for instance, a space alien).

What to watch out for: This book should instill an appreciation of different perspectives. It may also prompt a discussion on the existence of aliens.

We need more books like this!  Wonderful Earth! celebrates the wonder of God’s creation, with excellent writing, hilarious illustrations, and the most integrated, well-done use of pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, and mirrors I have ever seen. Truly a joy to read and re-read.

What to watch out for: A pop-up lion might startle younger readers. The book describes life on Earth as created by God, but the book is not hostile to either an evolutionary or creationist viewpoint. This book will provoke some discussion of environmental problems (e.g. pollution, global warming).

The popular Magic Tree House series begins with protagonists Jack and Annie find a tree house in the woods that allows them to travel through time. Their first visit is to the age of the dinosaurs, where they meet mommy anatosauruses, run from a tyrannosaurus rex and ride on a pteranodon.

Watch Out For: Big brother Jack is careful and cautious while little sister Annie is more adventurous. Jack gradually realizes that without his sister, he never would have gone into the treehouse. Annie just begins to learn to be careful and listen to her brother.

From the popular “How Do Dinosaurs…” series, a bedtime book for your little dino. With large, beautiful drawings and simple rhymes, this books will amuse all little kids. Each page features a different dinosaur and older children can have fun trying to find (and pronounce) the name of each.

Watch Out For: Like all books in the series, the bulk of this book is dinosaurs behaving badly. The book ends with a “big hug, and then one kiss more”, but you may not want to give your little one the idea to “up and demand a piggy back ride.”

This recent hardback collection of eight Curious George stories take George on a train, to the city, camping and more. A wide selection of stories will make this a popular book for kids and parents.

Watch Out For: As always, George gets into a good deal of trouble including emptying a dump truck and acting like a ghost. But everything always works out in the end, and children might learn a lesson in trying to fix their mistakes.

Probably the world’s greatest children’s book, and possibly one of the best for adults, too.  Memorable characters, intriguing adventures, and some of the more advanced philosophical thought of the 20th century.  Readers will learn about friendship, resourcefulness, moderation, sacrifice, and of course, the East Pole.  Highly recommended.

Watch out for:  You may have to remind younger children that woozles, wizzles, and heffalumps are not  real.  The one negative theme in the book comes when Kanga and Roo come to the forest — despite the whimsical story, you may want to discuss with your children the right way to treat new people and new situations.

53 years old and still inventively ridiculous, The Cat in the Hat reminds young and old of the need for responsibility and the perils of disobedience.  In the words of the Cat himself, “It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how.”  Indeed.

Watch out For:  The Cat and his crew are quite the bad example.  The unnamed narrator and his sister, Sally, remain responsible throughout — a good example for children (and adults) everywhere.  You might want to ask your child how s/he would respond to the question posed at the end of the book: “Should we tell (mother) the things that went on there that day? … What would you do if your mother asked you?”