Are you looking for some books to share with your younger children? Today we are sharing two newly released books for ages 4 to 9. One is a wordless picture book and the other is an easy reader superhero book. The picture book is The Boy and the Elephant by Freya Blackwood. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. Our years at a Waldorf School showed me the importance of wordless books with young children.
From the Publisher:
From an award-winning illustrator comes a tender, magical, and gorgeously rendered wordless picture book about a boy who saves the trees in the lot next door from being cut down.Amongst the hustle and bustle of the city is an overgrown piece of land where trees and wildlife thrive. A boy, who lives in a house on the lot next to it, loves to visit. He has a friend there: an elephant, an animal that he sees within the shapes of the trees. No matter the weather, the boy visits. And as the seasons change so does the elephant; thick green foliage changes to autumnal colors before the bare branches of harsh winter appear. But one day, builders arrive. The land has been sold, and the trees have been marked for removal. The boy can't lose his elephant, and so he comes up with a plan.
Unbearably beautiful and moving, and with a touch of magical realism, here is a wordless picture book about conservation and children's ability to be powerful agents of change.
From Me:
Now I fell in love with wordless books when Hazel was young. I discovered how they helped the imagination grow as well as developing imagination. This book is definitely going to do that. It is a magical story about a young boy playing in the overgrown lot next to his apartment building. The trees are so overgrown they are growing together that they begin to look like animals. The trees and the animals in the lot are his friends. He feeds them and takes care of them. His love for nature is great.
When the lot is going to be built on there are marks on his trees and he knows he has to save his friends. It is magical to see him move the tree animals to a new place to be enjoyed. The illustrations are fun and beautiful. The story is imaginative and magical. It is the kind of book Hazel and I would have loved when she was young. Looking at the pictures to make up the story is a fun way to watch your child's imagination grow. The story gets to be different every time you "read" it. Ask what the child sees in each picture and what is happening. It will change story time to discuss the pictures and create the story.
Our second book is a Spiderman book. Emerging readers who love superheroes will enjoy this book. The book is part of the After-School Heroes Series from Marvel. It is Miles Morales Untangles a Web by Terrance Crawford and illustrated by Dave Bardin. It is recommended for ages 5 to 9.
From the Publisher:
Miles Morales is on the case in this original Marvel chapter book with black-and-white illustrations throughout!Miles Morales loves spending time at the new center that Tony Stark has just opened. There, he and other kids can take classes, play sports, and even work on art projects. Which is exactly what Miles is doing when he discovers that someone is trying to steal top-secret files from the Stark Center.
Luckily, King T’Challa and his sister Shuri are in New York, and Shuri is just the tech genius who can help Miles save the day. Can this team identify and capture the villain before the Stark Center is completely destroyed?
Miles is determined to untangle this web in this chapter book that’s perfect for Marvel fans beginning to read on their own or for reading aloud!
From Me:
This book is a sweet story that is easy to read. The kids are enjoying classes at the Stark Community Center when there is a technology issue. Miles however realizes that the situation calls for Spiderman. Luckily, he has his Spiderman costume in his bag. The story is full of friendship, creativity and heroism. I can see Spiderman fans loving this book and it will get even the hesitant reader to get reading.
As you can see from the sample pages it is an illustrated book. It is short and easy to read. There is also a sneak peek at the end of the book of the next story in the series. I can see it being loved in lower elementary classrooms.
I hope you will check out these fun new books for your younger readers!
