childrens book list

Book Recommendations for Emergent Readers

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Do you have a young child in your life that is just starting to ‘get’ reading? Emergent readers are those that have developed an understanding of the alphabet, phonological awareness, and early phonics. They have command of a significant number of high-frequency words, reads in a left-to-right and top-to-bottom progression, may tell the story from memory, may invent text, and are developing a firmer grasp of comprehension strategies and decoding skills. They can recognize fiction and nonfiction, and understand that there are many reasons to read.

Books for these readers should have increasingly more lines of text per page, a more complex sentence structure, less reliance on repetitive pattern and images, as well as more detailed looks at familiar topics. These books are typically Fountas & Pinnell Levels D-J or DRA Levels 6-16.Our library has labeled and cataloged a number of paperback books in levels A through G. However, our hardcover easy readers and higher level books are not leveled in the same way, and it sometimes takes a little extra time to find books that are interesting to your emergent reader and of the correct difficulty to help them continue to enjoy reading and still advance their skills. Here are some recommended books for emergent readers.

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and more by Bill Martin Jr.

2. Hop On Pop,  One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,  and many more by Dr. Seuss

3. Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka

4. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins

5. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

6. Frog and Toad Are Friends (and the entire Frog and Toad series) by Arnold Lobel

7. Look by Ted Lewin (I Like to Read series)

8. See Me Dig by Paul Meisel (I Like to Read series)

9. Bronzeville Boys and Girls by Gwendolyn Brooks

10. Let’s Go for a Drive! (and the entire Elephant and Piggie series) by Mo Willems

Did you think I could stop there? There are more and more worth while books for readers of all skill levels and ages out there every day. While many recommended books on my list are classics, there are new offerings as well. If the books already suggested have already been devoured, there are plenty more to add to your reading list. Do not forget to comment with any of your favorites that I might have missed! You might also want to check out:

Car Goes Far by Michael Garland, Perros! Perros!/Dogs! Dogs!: A Story in English and Spanish by Ginger Foglesong Gibson,  Please Say Please! Penguin’s Guide to Manners by Margery Cuyler, Eight Animals Play Ball by Susan Middleton Elya,  Froggy’s Best Babysitter (or any Froggy books) by Jonathan London, SuperHero ABC by Bob McLeod, Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas, No, David! by David Shannon, Mr. Putter And Tabby Bake The Cake (or any Mr. Putter books) by Cynthia Rylant, or Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All (or any Henry and Mudge books)  by Cynthia Rylant.

 

 

 

 

Recommended Wordless Picturebooks

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

A great picturebook does not always need words to make it worth sharing. Wordless picture books can still help a young child learn to love books and set them on the path to being a great reader. Enjoying a well-done picturebook with no words can help a child build their comprehension skills, predict what will happen next, and enhance their ability to take words and meaning from pictures. These are important tools to have as reading skills develop and grow.
Most importantly, they can show even the youngest and most challenged readers the beauty of being drawn into a new world through the pages of a book.

Chalk by Bill Thomson
A wordless picture book about three children who go to a park on a rainy day, find some chalk, and draw pictures that come to life.

Shadow by Suzy Lee
A little girl uses her imagination and a light bulb to go on an adventure in a dark attic.

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.

Journey by Aaron Becker
Using a red marker, a young girl draws a door on her bedroom wall and through it enters another world where she experiences many adventures, including being captured by an evil emperor.

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
The enduring friendship between a dog and a robot is portrayed in this wordless graphic novel.

Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage
In this wordless picture book, follow Walrus on a happy-go-lucky spree through the big city, as he tries on different hats to disguise himself from the chasing zookeeper.

Tuesday by David Wiesner
Frogs rise on their lily pads, float through the air, and explore the nearby houses while their inhabitants sleep.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan
In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family.

If you are still looking for more you might also want to check out; Unspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole, Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd,  Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola, Daisy Gets Lost by Chris Raschka, The Line by Paula Bossio, The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, Bluebird by Bob Staake,  The Adventures of Polo by Regis Faller, Home by Jeannie Baker,  Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman, Time Flies by Eric Rohmann, Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu, The Red Book by Barbara Lehman, The Secret Box by Barbara Lehman, Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle, Free Fall by David Wiesner, or  Flotsam by David Wiesner.

The “I Survived” Series and Related Book Suggestions

/ Sharon Tyler / 2 Comments

Is historical fiction or survival fiction something that intrigues you or your child? Then you have probably heard of the I Survived series of children’s chapter books by Lauren Tarshis:

This series consists of historical fiction that is plot driven and faced paced. It grabs the attention of most willing readers with stories about courage and survival. According to Scholastic the books are best suited to those reading and a second grade reading level and up, with Lexile ratings around 600 and higher. For more information on the I Survived series check out the Scholastic’s webpage dedicated to the series. The series includes:

1. The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
2. The Shark Attacks of 1916
3. Hurricane Katrina, 2005
4. The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
5. The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
6. The Attacks of September 11, 2001
7. The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
8. The Japanese Tsunami, 2011
9. I Survived the Nazi Invasion,1944 will be released in late February but you can place a hold on it now!

If you have read all of the books currently available in this series or are looking for more books about courage, hope, and survival for children then I would recommend also checking out: Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko and its two sequels, Pirate Hannah Pritchard: Pirate of the Revolution! by Bonnie Pryor and its sequels, Will at the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 by Laurie Calkhoven and the entire Boys of War series, Survival in the Storm: the Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards by Katelan Janke (part of the Dear America series), The Winter of Red Snow: the Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart by Kristiana Gregory (part of the Dear America series), Rex Zero by Tim Wynne-Jones and its sequels, The Journal of Jesse Smoke: a Cherokee Boy by Joseph Bruchac (part of the My Name is America series), Sophia’s War: a Tale of the Revolution by Avi, and Waiting for Anya by Michael Morpurgo.

I know that I have barely touched the surface of historical fiction that deals with children facing times of war, environmental catastrophe, and other situations with include a struggle to survive. Do you have a favorite, series or stand alone, that you would recommend?

Great Poetry Books to Share with Children

/ Sharon Tyler / 2 Comments

Do you love poetry and want to inspire the same love in your child, are trying to teach young children to read and write poetry, or simply looking to spark your own enjoyment of the genre. Poetry can seem intimidating at first glance, but knowing where to start, and starting simple, are often a good idea. These books are full of poetry that is suited for all ages, the young and young at heart. So, regardless of the reason you might want to venture into the worlds of poetry, these books are a great place to start.

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  1. Falling Up (or any collections) by Shel Silverstein
  2. The World of Christopher Robin; the Complete When We Were Very Young and Now We are Six by A.A. Milne
  3. A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
  4. Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
  5. Sad Underwear and Other Complications: More Poems for Children and Their Parents by Judith Viorst
  6. Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer
  7. A Pizza the Size of the Sun by Jack Prelutsky
  8. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
  9. Forest Has a Song: Poems by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
  10. A Dazzling Display of Dogs by Betsy Franco
  11. It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles by Jack Prelutsky
  12. Kids Pick The Funniest Poems by Bruce Lansky
  13. The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry by Bill Martin Jr.

There are, of course, many more fantastic books of poetry and novels in verse out there for us all to enjoy. If you have a favorite that I missed please share it with us in the comments so that others can discover it too!

Foreign Language Books for the Younger Set

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Did you know that there is a small collection of nonfiction books, picturebooks, and chapter books in the children’s section in languages other than English? From dictionaries to long time children’s favorites, we have something to interest most readers that either speak two or more languages or want to learn. We also have some DVD’s to teach foreign languages to children, or adults like myself that have trouble learning new language. Here is a small selection of the books from some of the languages we have on the shelf.

French:
ABC x 3 : English, Español, Français by Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter.
French Phrase Book by Jane Wightwick and Wina Gunn with illustrations by Leila Gaafar and Robert Bowers.
Bonsoir Lune by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrations de Clement Hurd.
Babar a New York by Laurent de Brunhoff.
Le Hibou et la Poussiquette (freely translated into French from the English of Edward Lear’s “The owl and the pussy-cat.”) with illustrations by Barbara Cooney.
Le Bon Lion by Louise Fatio with images by Roger Duvoisin.

Spanish
Nancy la Elegante by Jane O’Connor with illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser, translation by Liliana Valenzuela.
De Colores (Bright with colors) pictures by David Diaz.
Me llamo Gabito: la Vida de Gabriel García Márquez (My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez) by Monica Brown and illustrated by Raúl Colón.
El Ratoncito de la Moto by Beverly Cleary with translation by Lydia Permanyer Netto
La Ardilla Listada by Patricia Whitehouse with translation by Patricia Abello
Te Amo, Bebé, Little One by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Maribel Suárez.
La Araña muy Ocupada by Eric Carle.
Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosofal by J.K. Rowling and translation by Alicia Dellepiane

Chinese
Milet Picture Dictionary, English-Chinese text by Sedat Turhan and illustrations by Sally Hagin.
To Grandmother’s House: A Visit to Old-Town Beijing with text and photographs by Douglas Keister.

Hebrew
The Jewish kids’ Hebrew-English Wordbook by Chaya M. Burstein.
Count Your Way Through Israel by James Haskins,

Italian
My First Book of Italian Words by Katy R. Kudela with translation by Translations.com.
Count Your Way Through Italy by Jim Haskins with illustrations by Beth Wright
Italian Bilingual Dictionary: A Beginner’s Guide in Words and Pictures by Gladys C. Lipton and John Colaneri.

Japanese
My First Book of Japanese Words by Katy R. Kudela with translations by Translations.com
Where Are You Going? To See My Friend!: A Story of Friendship in Two Languages by Eric Carle
A Place Where Sunflowers Grow (Sabaku ni Saita Himawari) by Amy Lee-Tai
Count Your Way Through Japan by James Haskins

For even further language resources come check out our foreign language shelf in the children’s room, the instructional DVD’s, or either of the two electronic resources our library offers access to; Muzzy Online and Transparent Language Online.