The holidays are upon us! Are you ready? Do you follow the five gift rules for Christmas? Are you looking for something for your younger readers to get for the Read gift? Today I am sharing five different books for different ages and interests. They include two board books and three picture books. I will start with the youngest kids first. The first book is '80s Baby by Hannah Eliot and illustrated by Alyssa Nassner. It is a board book and is recommended for preschool and up.
From the Publisher:
It’s the eighties, baby! This adorable, electric board book features everything from neon legwarmers to totally rad rock music, and plenty of eighties slang!
I’m an eighties baby,
check me out!
I’m tubular, I’m radical,
I’m chill, no doubt.
From shoulder pads to fanny packs, Walkmans to VCRs, this baby’s got your eighties dreams covered!
From Me:
This is a fun, multicultural board book. It takes the reader through many of the 1980s trends from scrunchies, Walkmans, and so much more! The children in the book are both boys and girls as well as various races. If you are a child of the '80s you will love reading this book to a child in your life. I can imagine older parents and younger grandparents loving sharing this book with the kids in their lives and talking about the trends. It is a fun book and a walk through memory lane for this child of the '80s. The words are simple and include much of the language from the '80s like tubular, radical, gnarlier, etc. Plus the fun trends include things like leg warmers, Rubik's cube, microwave popcorn and so much more! If you are ready for a fun book for little ones to be read while adults reminisce, this one is for you!
Our next book is also a board book. It is Let Her Be by Mackenzie Porter and illustrated by Katie Cottle. It is also recommended for preschool up.
From the Publisher:Encourage young girls to be anything they want with this lyrical and empowering board book!
When the world is whispering
what she should be,
let her be…
free
to feel the warmth of the sun.
Let her be playful,
let her twirl and run.
Mackenzie Porter, author of In My Heart, shares a meaningful message that reads as both a love letter from a hopeful parent and a mantra for young girls, showing them that they can be both curious and certain, gentle and strong, and anything else they imagine!
From Me:
This book is about girl power! Or at least giving the girl in your life the chance to develop and believe in girl power. The book is about letting a girl be herself. Let her discover the world without putting the societal pressures of what a girl is supposed to be. It is truly what I want for my daughter, and I am guessing what you want for yours or another girl in your life. The book follows the same girl throughout it, but the pictures of others are multicultural. I love that it emphasizes girls being curious, smart, brave, silly and loving herself as well as loved. The message of this book is great for any girl to hear.
Our next book is a picture book. It is perfect for those who ship gifts to their beloved children in their lives. The book is Gift and Box by Ellen Mayer and illustrated by Brizida Magro. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
From the Publisher:
Follow the adventures of Gift and Box as they travel from Grandma's house to Sofia's front door!Gift and Box are a package, dropped off with love from Grandma at the local post office. But being a package together on a long postal voyage is not always easy. There are ships to board, oceans to cross and bumpy truck rides! Can Gift and Box arrive in one piece?
Come along for the ride on this delightful journey of friendship that showcases the wonder of receiving a gift by mail, and the love both a grandma and child feel as they’re connected by a simple package from far away.
From Me:
This is such a cute book about a gift and box that are sent from a grandmother to a child. The gift and box travel as one but once the package as arrived what will happen to each? Throughout the story they are there to help each other calm fears and such on the long journey. What will happen when they are separated? The young girl is very excited when her gift arrives in box and in the end plays with both the gift and the box. As we all know a box can be an amazing toy for kids with strong imaginations. The book is multicultural as you can see from the sample pages. I love how this book adds to the reader's imagination with the thoughts that the gift and box may have as they travel to their destination.
Our next book is a picture book biography. It is Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage by Lisa Rogers and illustrated by Il Sung Na. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
From the Publisher:
Open this unique picture book and meet John Cage, the pioneering, inspiring composer who believed all sound—from the crash of a slamming door to the whirr of a blender to the whoosh of the wind—was music.For John Cage, music was everywhere: in the hum of the refrigerator, the screech of a garbage truck, the patter of the rain. But other people disagreed. They felt that, surely, a pianist on stage must actually play their piano to create music...not just sit there. And in no way was it melodic to turn a musician's mic on and off as they do play their instruments--it was just chaos!
John Cage found sound in silence, and knew that all noises were unique. All you had to do was listen to hear it.
Told in second person and paired with exciting illustrations as innovative as Cage's music, here is a picture book--perfect for any budding musician--that celebrates the genius of a nonconforming musician who always stayed true to his artistic vision.
From Me:
This book shares the essence of John Cage and his music. It introduces the reader to the world of John's music in everyday sounds. It is written in second person which gets the reader thinking about each sound and whether they hear music by it or not. It is a creative telling of the story of a life of creative man who truly thought outside the box. It encourages the reader to be like John Cage and hear music everywhere. It is also a great book to show younger children about second person versus first and third person. I could see it used in a classroom for this as well as for learning about John Cage.
Our final book for today is a picture book that actually recommends other books for various ages (all elementary ages). The book is Books Make Good Friends by Jane Mount. It is recommended for ages 5 to 8 but may become a book an older reader looks back at for book recommendations!
From the Publisher:
This new picture book from beloved author-illustrator Jane Mount celebrates the avid reader, demonstrates how books make you better, and reassures anyone who has been anxious or uncertain about facing the real world.Lotti isn't sure she wants to make friends. She's shy, and she doesn't really know how. While everyone around her is playful, outgoing, and loud, Lotti prefers a quiet place and a book to read. Lotti LOVES books. To her, books are full of magic and aren't as scary as new friends. But perhaps Lotti's books can show her how to find magic in everyday moments, and maybe the friends she can share this magic with are closer than she thinks.
Iconic Bibliophile creator Jane Mount makes her children's book debut in this imagination-driven story of a shy booklover's attempts to open her mind and find joy with the people around her. This journal-esque narrative-which includes fun recommended reads on each page-explores the process of book discovery for bibliophiles-in-training, and is perfect for enthusiastic and reluctant readers alike!
FOR ALL TYPES OF READERS: The story's main character, Lotti, is shy and struggles to make friends, but her imagination and love for reading take her to faraway places and introduce her to new friends. Readers of all tastes will find a relatable character in Lotti and enjoy the diverse books she reads-from fiction and nonfiction to novels and picture books. There's a book for everyone!
PROMOTING LITERACY: The concept behind this book is timelessly important: promoting literacy. It is especially helpful for reluctant readers who may need to learn how to navigate resources like libraries and will teach them how to find books in their communities. In each scene, the main character is reading a new book. She visits her school library and her public library and has a tote bag from an independent bookstore. This book encourages kids to literally go out and read, broaden theirhorizons, and immerse themselves in the rich world of books.
INTERACTIVE & VIBRANT: Readers will love discovering new books as they engage with the interactive format of this journal-style picture book, which features book recommendations, book lists and stacks, and lots of bookish commentary and questions in Mount's signature hand-lettering. Her recognizable and vibrant art style achieves a new level of playfulness that will hold endless appeal for young readers.
PERFECT FOR FANS OF BIBLIOPHILE : Jane Mount is the creator behind the beloved Bibliophile line of products ranging from journals to stationery to decor for book lovers. Fans will be excited to share this with young ones in their lives!
OVERCOMING SHYNESS: Highly autobiographical, this book reveals that Jane was a shy kid, very much like Lotti. She tells her story in the Author's Note. The backmatter also features a stack of all her favorite books, with her charming commentary.
ENGAGING RESOURCE TOOL: Aside from being a wonderful tool for excited young readers, this book will be a welcome resource for those who care about making reading more accessible to children-including teachers, librarians, parents, and family members-and fostering connections with young readers.
Perfect for: • Parents, teachers, and librarians seeking resources for voracious readers and reluctant readers
• Kids who love reading and enjoy stories about friendship, bookstores, and bookish cats
• Gift giving for birthday, holiday, graduation, spring break or summer reading
• Fans of Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany and Bibliophile: Diverse Spines
• Readers who cherish classic children's books old and new, like Charlotte's Web, Ivy + Bean, Harry Potter, Wonder, The Golden Compass, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and so many more included on Lotti's shelves
• Anyone who LOVES books
From Me:
In this sweet story there is shy Lotti. She sees her classmates all having friends but sits by herself with her book everyday. Throughout the book she talks about books and her desire to read all the time. Even when her family goes on a hike she wants to read but her mother got her a nonfiction book about the outdoors so that was exciting to see things she was reading about. She loves library day where she gets to get new books to read. She runs into a classmate at the library and slowly discovers that other kids enjoy reading as well. And yes, she makes friends by the end. Throughout the book there are suggestions of books to read and books Lotti enjoys reading. They range from picture books to novels.
This book is great for the person who loves to read as well as the shy kid who is sometimes afraid to step out of his or her shell. It is also a great book for a classroom as it recommends many different books on many different topics. There is something for everyone! The books range from classics to more modern books.
So if you are looking for your READ gift I hope you will check out some of these great books. And even if you are not, you should check them out as they are some great ones! Also in case you are doing the five gift rule and want tags for your gifts check out this post over at Frugal Coupon Living.
