Book Recommendations for my Grandkids

A Fox Found a Box by Ged Adamson   Fox finds a radio in the snow. The forest animals enjoy the music until the batteries run out. Then they miss the dancing and fun it brought them. The animals  discover there is music all around them. Drip- drip of the rain. Chirp-chirp of the birds. The pencil drawings create a mellow atmosphere, perfect for a bedtime story.

Listen  by Cheri J. Meiners illustrated by Penny Weber Read aloud board books from the series by Cheri J. Meiners. In addition to I Listen and Listen and Learn, read I Feel, I Share, A Speak Up, and I Play.  These books introduce listening skills and making the connection that listening helps them get along in the world. We love snuggling up with these books.  

Douglas, You Need Glasses by Ged Adamson  Douglas is a dog. He loves chasing things, especially squirrels. He realizes those aren't squirrels he is chasing- they are leaves. His friend Nancy encourages him to get his eyes checked and helps him pick out new glasses.  Fun illustrations.

 Baking Day at Grandma's by Anika A Denise illustrated by Christopher Denise The little bear cubs are so excited to go to Grandma's house to bake cookies. The cubs bundle up and tromp through the snow.  A delightful read a loud book for baby - 3 year olds. 

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.   A delightful book about the alphabet climbing a coconut tree. The repetitive text will elicit many giggles. Fun rhythm for preschoolers. This is a must read.

I'm Sticking With You by Smriti Small illustrated by Steve Small   Bear and Squirrel do everything together.  Squirrel decides he needs some time to himself. Squirrel quickly realizes he misses Bear. A good story to talk about feelings. Nice, simple pictures to generate connverstaion.

 Your name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow Illustrated by Luisa Uribe If you have a name that no one can pronounce, this book is for you! Kora-Jalimuso gets frustrated at school when not even the teacher can pronounce her name correctly. She solves the problem by singing everyone's  name and the students loved this solution. A glossary of names with pronunciations at the end.

 Mary Had a Little Lizard Written and illustrated by Kayla Harren A clever take on a classic Mary had a little lamb. Lizard and Mary are best friends. Lizard can not to to school with Mary. Follow along with Lizard's antics when he does mange to go to school with Mary. Mt grandkids thought this book was hilarious. No text, you let the kids make up the story as you go along.

 Bruce's Big Storm by Ryan T Higgins Meet Bruce. He is a bear that does not like neighbors. Read these delightful books with vivid pictures of grumpy Bruce and his adventures. Little ones will love turning pages and seeing all that is going on in the illustrations and laugh along with the woodland creatures befriending Bruce.

 Sometimes you Fly by Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate Illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt This book got a starred review in BOOKLIST! "A natural successor to Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"  This book is a nice gift for any milestone or accomplishment - even graduation. Simple text and warm pictures remind us it's what we learn from life that matters.

 The Baby-sitters Club Graphic Novels Based on the series by Ann M. Martin The age old debate: Are graphic novels "real" books? Does this count as reading? YES! Everyone loves comics. This is what keeps readers engaged in their favorite characters. My daughter read the Baby-sitter series  (190 million in print) in paperback way back in the day and she loved them. Now her daughter is reading the same series in graphic novels.  "Jessie's Secret Language" is adapted by Chan Chau.  This book is about the newest member of the Baby-sitters Club, Jessi, who recently moved to Stonybrook. Jessi babysits Matt who has been hearing impaired since birth and she learns sign language to communicate with Matt. Soon, Jessi has all the neighborhood kids learning sign language.

The Night Box by Louise Greig and Ashling Lindsay A magical adventure perfect for a bedtime story. The animals come out after young ones go to sleep. Young ones will be asking a lot of questions about the pictures and what goes on after dark.  

 Finding Kindness by Deborah Underwood illustrated by Irene Chan A book with full color, full page illustrations and minimal text that describes acts of kindness that can be found in all of our neighborhoods.  Preschoolers will love to find familiar things that they could do to be kind. A must read.

Animal Bus by Helen Hughes   Babies will love this board book will holes for windows for little fingers to turn the pages for you. Numbers, colors, shapes and animals to learn about. Highly recommended.

Monsters Love Cupcakes written and illustrated by Mike Austin   With large font, colorful pictures, and funny monsters, preschoolers and emerging readers will love this book. "Two cups of love, a scoop of Yum, a spoonful of Wow and a pinch of fun! We all laughed through this book.

 Kids Can Cook Anything! by America's Test Kitchen I love these books. They are geared toward "young chefs", but are so eye-catching I caught myself paging through the super simple recipes and tips. I like the reminders throughout the books such as Secret #1: Read the Recipe Carefully ; Secret #2 Stay Focused; Secret #3 Practice Safety; Secret #4 Mistakes are Ok. There is a section called KitchenSpeak with such topics as Things to do with a Sharp Tool; Thing You do in a Bowl; and Things you do with Heat.  The Essential Kitchen Gear is helpful. It tells you the name of all the kitchen equipment and what they are used for: small appliances, prep tools, knives, cookware and bakeware. 

 Big Truck, Little Island  By Chris Van Dusen A big semi truck with a full load is barged over to a small island. The twenty ton load was too heavy for the skinny road. The truck gets stuck in the mud and blocks traffic on the only road. Everyone stops to see what is going on.  My grandson loved this book with a lot going on in every picture.

A Hat For Minerva by Janet Morgan Stoeke  A timeless tale about Minerva, a hen, that loved snowy days. Minerva wants to go out exploring. She has to go by herself because her hen friends want to stay in their cozy nests. Minerva goes out in search of a new hat. Does she find one? You will have to read this book to see!

I Don't Want to be a Frog by Dev Petty illustrated by Mike Boldt   Frog wanted to be a cat, a rabbit, a pig, or an owl. Frog had valid reasons why he could be any one of these animals. His friend had a reason why he couldn't be couldn't be any of these animals. At the end, he was just glad we wasn't as fly, as he whipped out his long tongue and ate a fly. Little kids will find this funny.

  Battle of the Books by Melanie Ellsworth Illustrated by James Rey Sanchez Just like my grandkids, the main character Josh, gets to chose what books to read at bedtime. This delightful tale is about the books squabbling to get picked that night. This book is perfect for voicing the different characters. 

 My Octopus Arms by Keith Baker What could you do if you had eight arms? Delightful book with large, colorful illustrations. Little one with laugh along with you at the silly antics of the octopus.

 Cat Kid & Dog Man  Graphic Novels by Dav Pilkey I guarantee your young reader will love the Cat Kid and/or Dog man series of graphic novels by Dav Pilkey. The stories are silly and relatable. The illustrations are drawing and so colorful.  I even went to the author's website planetpilkey.com to read more chapters and play games.

 Brain Candy "Welcome  to Brain Candy, a sweet selection of juicy tidbits, telling truths, uncanny connections and mind-blowing facts."  Examples: A million is a lot - a million ants weigh as much as one human. A million days ago the first Olympics were taking place in ancient Greece. If you live a million hours, you will be 114 years old. Your grandkids, as do mine, will love this trivia. Lots of colorful pictures with large text to page through without a big time commitment. 

 I Like This, You Like That by Linda Ashman Illustrated by Eve Coy This is a perfect book to read aloud to your grandkids in voices. Overexaggerate the characters to get the message across. It's okay to be different. Find common ground with your friends. You do not all have to like the same things.

 Baby Loves fall; Baby Loves Winter by Karen Katz Littles ones love these colorful lift the flaps books. These are meant to be read to the little ones with them participating by lifting the flap and getting the surprise every time. Tt gives you a chance to use your "other voices"  to create drama and the love of reading!

John's Turn by Mac Barnett illustrated by Kate Berube  Every Friday at school, a student gets up in front of the whole school to do something. It could be playing an instrument, tell a joke, or sing a song. Today was John's turn.  John danced.

 Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin Pete the Cat says  “ My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons . My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons." Don't miss Pete's other adventures, including  Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes,  Pete the Cat Saves Christmas, Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses, Pete the Cat and the Bedtime Blues, Pete the Cat and the New Guy, Pete the Cat and the Cool Cat Boogie, Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes,  Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party,  and  Pete the Cat: Crayons Rock! Kids and adults will like Pete's low key voice and adventures!

 Corduroy by Don Freeman This book will be a favorite bedtime story for all grandkids. The delightful take of Corduroy, the department store teddy bare that has been on the store a long time before being rescued by Lisa. Corduroy goes on many adventures in the store and then is much-loved by Lisa. A definite heartwarming book to be treasured.

We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems

 Catstronauts The Series by Drew Brockington Read all about the adventures of the Catsronauts as they save the galaxy from danger! Perfect read a chapter a night to savor the suspense. Also available in graphic novel and audio  and video media. Elementary school kids will enjoy these books.