Baby First Words!
2013, 14 pages with flaps
Baby First Words! looks at a variety of items that babies and young children will find interesting. For example, hiding behind a picture of a shiny robot are a ball, a teddy bear and a toy train. Hiding in a laundry basket are a hat, a coat and a pair of pants.
Young children will enjoy looking through the book with its thick pages and bright, colourful photographs. By lifting a tab they can look behind the pages to see various objects. At the back of the book the items are shown on two pages where young readers are encouraged to say the words again.
Babies and young children will enjoy learning words in this simple book.
Big Box of Boynton
Children of all ages like the fun books by Sandra Boynton that feature silly, funny characters. Pajama Time! was first published in 2000 and has animals putting on a variety of pajamas as they prepare for Pajama Time! Kids will enjoy reading this board book and it might even get them excited about getting ready for bed!
Barnyard Dance!, first published in 1993, has more funny animals. This time they are preparing for a barnyard dance. Hilarious illustrations and rhyming text will keep young children (and those young at heart) entertained.
Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! (first published in 1993) features more silliness from Sandra Boynton that children will adore. Rhyming text and colourful illustrations describe a variety of dinosaurs, including good, bad, cold and hot. Children will learn various words that describe the dinosaurs in this book.
This Tree Counts
Alison Formento, illustrated by Sarah Snow
Albert Whitman & Company
2010, 32 pages
This Tree Counts is a good nature book for young children that educates them about the importance of trees. Mr. Tate's class has decided to plant more trees near the lone oak tree behind the school. Before the children begin digging, Mr. Tate tells them that the oak tree has a story to tell. The children learn about various animals who depend on the tree as well as how trees provide shade, take in dirty air and release oxygen, provide food for animals and are used to make things. After the story the children and Mr. Tate plant 10 oak saplings near the large oak tree.
Colourful illustrations, informative text and 10 animals who live in and around the tree will hold a child's attention as he/she learns about the importance of trees in this educational nature book that is ideal for parents, teachers, librarians and other educators.
The Book of Cards for Kids: 35 Classic Card Games
1992, 144 pages plus a deck of cards
Card games are fun and The Book of Cards for Kids: 35 Classic Card Games contains information on how to play 35 card games for kids along with a deck of oversized, durable cards "...designed for smaller hands." The symbols and numbers on the cards are extra large and each suit's background colour is different.
During an era when many children spend too much time playing with electronics, introducing them to card games can make a nice change. At the beginning of the book there is a playing card history (did you know that the standard deck of cards has been around for at least 500 years?) as well as sections on playing games, shuffling, dealing, cutting, keeping score and more.
For each of the card games included there is information on the number of players, starting, playing and variations. I was somewhat familiar with some of the games including Snap, Go Fish, War, Concentration, Crazy Eights and Hearts, but I hadn't heard of the majority of card games in the book including Animal Noises, Chase the Ace, Spit, Knockout Whist and Linger Longer. Some of these will be fun to learn.
The Book of Cards for Kids is a good book to introduce children to entertaining card games.
The Dork Diaries Set
Rachel Renee Russell
2012, six books, more than 1700 pages
Nikki J. Maxwell is a girl in middle school who wants to fit in with the CCP (cute, cool and popular) group at the new private school she is attending. It soon becomes obvious that Nikki isn't part of this group and considers herself a dork. Nikki lives at home with her parents and her six-year-old sister, Brianna.
At school Nikki is good friends with Chloe and Zoey while not getting along with her "arch-nemesis" the very popular MacKenzie and her friends. Then there is Brandon who Nikki has a crush on.
The popular series is aimed at girls in the 9 to 13 range. The first book in the series has Nikki getting a diary from her mother (she was hoping for a cell phone) and the series is about Nikki's diary entries about what has been happening at school and at home. The easy-to-read pages filled with illustrations will appeal to many readers (even some who don't like to read) as they read about Nikki's highs and lows of everyday life.
Some of the plots include topics such as popularity and material things providing parents with a good opportunity to discuss with their children how it is not important to be part of the popular group or to have the most expensive objects or designer clothes.
I like the concept of a diary and encouraging kids to keep their own. Book 3 1/2 in this series shows how to make your own diary filling it with "...daydreams, drama, and doodles." There is information on using things such as code words and illustrations along with other tips for creating a diary. There is even approximately 95 blank, lined pages at the back of the book for the reader to keep her own diary.
The books in this series are: 1. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life; 2. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl; 3. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star; 3.5 Dork Diaries: How to Dork Your Diary; 4. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess and 5. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All.
With March break coming up soon, this set will keep some children busy reading while on vacation.