Dear Readers,

School’s out!! Or almost. We’ve had a wonderful time this year sharing children’s books we admire about accepting differences, families in change, intriguing people, historical fiction, sports, humor, poetry, and of course, favorites—ours and those of our young reader friends.

For now the ReaderKidZ team goes on hiatus until August.

We’ll use this time to scour new and old releases, diligently search high and low for the best fiction and nonfiction for young readers K-5, and plan for an exciting 2013-14.

We’ll also go to the beach.

We wish you a summer filled with family and friends, some water, picnics, sunshine, and lots of books in any of their many forms. See you in August!

Yours,

Ann, Deb, Dianne, Nancy, Stephanie, Kristen, and Jeanette

The ReaderKidZ

ON A BEAM OF LIGHT: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, pictures by Vladimir Radunsky.

For the first three years of his life, Albert Einstein barely said a word. “He just looked around with his big, curious eyes. Looked and wondered. Looked and wondered.” He seemed different than the other children and perhaps it was because, even at a young age, Albert understood that the world was full of mystery. He spent much of his time thinking about the hidden things of the universe. “He asked questions never asked before. Found answers never found before. And dreamed up ideas never dreamt before.”

Part of the genius of this book is the way Berne leads a young reader to understand that the ways in which Einstein was “different” from other children, were the same traits which allowed him to later influence accepted scientific understandings. He was an ordinary baby in some ways, and not-so ordinary in others, but he was, like most children, an asker of questions, a dreamer of big thoughts, a person of unlimited imagination.

Gouache, pen, and ink illustrations are sure to captivate young readers, planting the seed alluded to on the dedication page, that our own extraordinary and fascinating interests may lead any one of us to be “…the next Einstein…”

THE HAPPY OWLS by Celestino Piatti (North South, 2013)

The origins of this timeless picture book reach back over 100 years ago to Dutch artist, Theo van Hoijtema’s words and illustrations. Piatti, known for his many memorable representations of owls, first published his version of the fable in 1963. He loved owls and wrote,”You can draw an owl a thousand times, but you will never find out its secret.” Piatti’s ability to capture an owl’s secretive, all-knowing gaze is, in part, what makes this picture book so incredibly powerful. Those eyes, to whom a rowdy crowd of fowl ask, – “… how can they live together so peacefully?,” reply with a story of all there is to love in the world.

With the same contemplative cadence as John Moffit’s poem, “To Look at Anything,”  THE HAPPY OWLS may not be a book for every child, but many children (and adults) will find it a lovely entrée to a conversation about the beautiful things of our world, and how an appreciation of them might, indeed, be the answer to most problems.

NO BATH, NO CAKE! Polly’s Pirate Party by Mattias Weinert (North South, 2013)

Students love this book for many reasons. For starters, it’s got silly pirates who take baths, wear smart new clothes, and come up with very pirate-like and (decidedly inappropriate) gifts. Things like wooden legs, sabers, and cannons. But when they finally arrive at Polly’s, all gussied up and beautified, they’re quickly turned back. What should they do? Young readers will delight in this surprising turn of events!

999 FROGS WAKE UP by Ken Kimura, illustrated by Yasunari Murakami (English Translation: North/South, 2013)

A sequel to the celebrated 999 Tadpoles, 999 Frogs Wake Up is a call to Spring and sleepyheads of every flavor. It’s a story of friends working together through the mundane and the unusual. The story of 999 frogs who happily awaken others from their winter’s nap. Sure, kids will enjoy predicting what comes next in this light-hearted story. But most of all, when it comes to frogs, kids love Kimura’s. On each page, full of expressive eyes and mouths, the froglets make the reader want to take out a pencil and draw. In fact, what student wouldn’t thrill to write and illustrate her own 999 Frogs’ story?

LITTLE BUNNY’S SLEEPLESS NIGHT by Carol Roth, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev (North South, 2013)

A classic circular story, Little Bunny’s Sleepless Night tells the tale of an only child so lonely that he struggles to sleep, eventually turning to Squirrel, Skunk, Porcupine, Bear, and Owl for help. Pen-and-ink watercolor illustrations in soothing pinks, browns, greens, and blues hold just the right note to captivate a young sleepy reader and carry him off to his own sleepy bed.

Princess Posey and the New First Grader offers an insightful peek into a tender first grade girl’s social nuances. In it, Posey has a problem. There’s a newcomer in the first grade class, one who threatens Posey’s close friendships, causing her to question her sense of belonging. Grace, the new girl, is the personification of everything that Posey feels she can never be – pretty, charming, and very smart. As the story progresses, Posey discovers Grace’s secret weakness. When Posey slips on her pink tutu, she is empowered to respond to Grace’s special need in kindness, rather than in retribution.

This charming chapter book is the sixth in a marvelous series written by highly-acclaimed author and fellow ReaderKid, Stephanie Greene. Each book in the series is unique in theme and premise, yet consistent in commitment to serving young readers with age-appropriate sincerity and purpose. Greene possesses the remarkable skill of illuminating the emotional resonance of tiny literary moments – important life-changing moments of social and personal awareness.  Princess Posey and the New First Grader will be available for purchase at the end of June, making it the perfect summer read for those gracing the foreboding halls of First Grade in the fall.

Nicole, Janelle, and Dominic are third graders from California. Check out their favorite books and see what they’re planning to read this summer vacation!

Nicole, age 9, recommends… 1) Holes   2) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’ Stone   3) Legend of the Ghost Dog  4) A Coyote’s in the House  5) Big Nate in a Class by Himself  6) The World According to Humphrey  7) The Underneath  8) The Summer of Riley  9) If Only.

“My favorite books on the list are Legend of the Ghost Dog and The World According to Humphrey.  Legend of the Ghost Dog is about a twelve year old named Nee who has just moved to Nome, Alaska with her writer father and her irritating little brother, Jack.  Jack isn’t happy about the idea of living in the middle of nowhere, but Tee and her dog, Henry, are thrilled with so much space to run and sniff.  But, on a walk near their new house, Henry spots something that has him seriously spooked.  Tee sees a mysterious shadow and it seems to be following them.  Have they disturbed a restless spirit?  And what other secrets might this dark place be holding?

“The World According to Humphrey is about a hamster named Humphrey who was brought to room 26, Mrs. Brisbane’s class.  Humphrey has many adventures with all the students, because every weekend Humphrey goes home with one student in room 26.  Humphrey has friends, adventures, and a cage with a lock-that-doesn’t-lock.  His life is almost perfect, if only Mrs. Brisbane wasn’t out to get him!”

Jinelle, age 9, shares these thoughts : “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel is an amazingly funny book!  It makes you want to turn the page, and once you are done you’ll want to read it again and again.  The school dance is coming up and love is in the air.  But, what does that mean for Greg Heffly?

“The World According to Humphrey is great, great, great!  Humphrey is a hamster that has many adventures after Ms. Mac leaves and Mrs. Brisbane comes back.  He meets many challenges, like dogs, and overcomes them.  The World According to Humphrey is a wonderful book.”

Annie and Simone are in Sharry Wright’s Mother Daughter bookclub in San Francisco. Here are some of their favorites:

The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

I like this book because the friendship was so strong between the two main characters. I Thought the book was written well because the author used so much detail in everything she described.I loved that it was full of imagination and I didn’t want it to end. I think you will enjoy it too! - Annie, age 9

Simone, age 9,  could not choose just one book. She recommends three!

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

In The Girl Who Could Fly, Piper McLeod lives with her Ma and Pa in Lowland County.  One day Piper decides to jump off the roof, and when she jumps off, she expects to have a hard landing and is bracing herself for the fall.  But instead, she is floating in the air.  She can fly!  When Piper goes to school I.N.S.A.N.E., she meets a sweet-at-first Dr. Hellion but then finds out that Dr. Hellion won’t let her fly and is actually mean inside.  I like this book because I like the concept of flying and of people who seem sweet but are really mean inside.  I find it interesting to read about characters who switch personalities during the story.

The Trolls by Polly Horvath

The Trolls is very interesting because it has a lot of stories from Aunt Sally’s and their father’s childhood, and the children get to do really fun things and have a great time.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter series is very special to me because I love it and I take it on trips everywhere with me.  I love it so much because it is funny and interesting and sad, and you have to figure things out that are complicated.

What are your favorite summer reads?

D IS FOR DESERT: A World Deserts Alphabet by Barbara Gowan and illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

Think you know something about deserts?  Think again and enjoy the fascinating information in this book which will take you to the many deserts around the world.

First of all, did you know that deserts cover nearly one-third of our earth – and they are rapidly growing?  Oceans cover over another half of Mother Earth.  That doesn’t leave a whole lot of space for all the billions of people.  Something else to think about.

We need to take care of the land we have.  Over-use, greedy consumption of water, and weather changes are creating more desert and less liveable land.

First, enjoy a slow read-through of, D IS FOR DESERT.  You’ll be surprised. HABOOB!  What is that, can you guess?  Certainly you never want to see one – be in one.  A haboob is a monstrous wall of “whirling wind and swirling sand.”

For over four hundred years not a drop of rain fell in the Atacama Desert.

Ergs are wide seas of sand. The largest erg in the world covers an area bigger than Texas and is located on the Arabian Peninsula.

Desert dwellers in some parts of the world harvest the fog for water.  They use “rain nets” to gather droplets brought in from the sea and cooled from fog to dew with the early cool air.

This desert book has many layers to enjoy while sitting in the shade of a tree on a hot summer afternoon and will take you to many strange and unusual places in the world.

Caroline, Anna, Delancey, and Lyali are the daughters in a Mother-Daughter Book Club in San Francisco. They read a LOT and are recommending some of their favorites.

Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker is a great series about a girl who is always paying attention to things, maybe not the things she should be paying attention to, and is very curious. I like this series because it is very funny. For example, she calls her brother vegetable names because she thinks it is unfair that she was named after a fruit and her brother was NOT.

 - Caroline , age 9

I suggest A Series of Unfortunate Events because it is extremely well written. It is mysterious and the author (Lemony Snicket) writes in such a way that it’s like he’s talking to you–and humorously.

- Lyali, age 9

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper is a book about a girl that has cerebral palsy and the challenges she faces. I loved this book because it is very inspiring and makes you step into her shoes. I hope you read it!

- Anna, 12 years old

Special thanks to Sharry Wright, the book club’s fearless leader.

Spring has finally sprung here in Michigan, and as the kids abandon their snow boots for flip-flops, these are the books they’re bringing with them to the beach.

First grader Gabby recommends the Kylie Jean series by Marci Peschke and Tuesday Mourning.

“Kylie Jean is always supportive and good with everything. She spends most of her time with her Grandma, who has a farm. She calls her dog Ugly Brother – it’s a funny series. Boys and girls will both like it.”

Gavin, 7, suggests readers try Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot series. These graphic novels by Dav Pilkey and Martin Ontiveros are favorites because:

“Dav Piley always writes funny books. There are crazy characters like mutant mosquitos and giant stink bugs. The flip-o-rama thing they do in every book is awesome.”

Alexander, 11, recommends The Name of This Book is Secret By Pseudonymous Bosch and the series that follows.

“It’s a great, hilarious book that talks to the readers. It’s a fun mystery/comedy series with insane twists that just gets funnier and funnier… even the titles are funny.”

Thanks to Gabby, Gavin, and Alexander for sharing their go-to summer reads. Do you have a favorite book? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Preschool and kindergarten teachers know that one of the best ways to develop life-long readers is to introduce young ones to books with lots of repetition, books that encourage young listeners to engage with the text by chanting along, adding motions, and predicting what comes next. Kale, 3, already has a list of favorites. Here are several of his current “best reads.”

Chock-full of memorable lines, WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT retold by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury has everything a good read-aloud offers. Want to hear Michael Rosen read the book? Check out the video!

Who doesn’t love the snappy rhythm of the familiar BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? by Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle. No wonder it’s a classic. The simple predictable pattern made it easy for Kale to memorize and there’s nothing better for encouraging a love of reading than the joy and sense of accomplishment a young one feels when he gets to read all by himself.

Much like Brown Bear, a jaunty rhythm introduces animals and color words in I WENT WALKING by Sue Williams, illustrated by Julie Vivas. Clues in the illustrations helped Kale predict which animal would be next to join the walking parade.

Kale loves robots and his favorite book at the moment is SEE OTTO by David Milgrim. He loves “the monkeys that paint Otto.”   He also enjoys pouring over and talking about the different insects in STEP GENTLY OUT by Helen Frost, photographs by Rick Lieder.

Thanks so much to Kale for sharing his latest favorite books! Do you have a favorite read-aloud? Tell us about it in the comments below.