Books | Page 29 of 82

A Penny’s Worth, a kid’s look at money that most wish was history

The other day our youngest son wanted to cash in all of his coins for paper money. His pirate treasure chest was loaded with jangles and clinks from various coins bouncing together. I explained to him that if he goes to one of the machines that count it for him he’ll be charged, whereas if he counts it himself and goes to the bank, he’ll get all of the money. Of course, being 10 years old and wanting to see a machine do things, he opted for the first choice. A Penny’s Worth is an illustrated book that one hopes will be a historical relic within 10 years. A book on a penny, how quaint, remember when we had that copper-colored useless coin, we’ll all sit back and think. If there’s any justice in the world, A Penny’s Worth will sit alongside the book about Daylight Saving Time as things or concepts that once existed.

A Penny’s Worth is a charming, rhyming, illustrated book for early elementary readers about money in the United States and its smallest, most useless increment.

A penny saved is two pennies that it cost to do so

Sports Heroes, illustrated book on athletes breaking barriers for 8 and up

The style of art that’s used in Sports Heroes is the type that makes elementary-aged readers effortlessly flock to it. The lines are crisp, its edges are sharp, it’s loaded with contrasting colors, the shapes are absurd-but not too silly, and everything has a retro look that’s at home for Mad Men or today’s eight-year-olds. What elementary-aged readers, as well as some middle school readers will come to terms with when they look through Sports Heroes, Inspiring Tales of Athletes Who Stood Up and Stood Out; is that sports-and a variety of them can bring about the best in people.

Sports Heroes is an illustrated book on athletes who defied their sport or the times surrounding them. It’s great for readers aged 8 and up.

(brief) Stories that kids don’t know, but want to read, they just don’t know it yet

Hardcourt, the sweet spot of making kids want to read with art and sports

“Do you know Trae Young?” I get that a lot at school. And no, elementary school students- a person with an uncommon first name does not necessarily know all other people with that same name. However, the fact that most any kid in an elementary school knows that sports figure speaks leagues about the popularity of the NBA. Hardcourt is by Fred Bowen with illustrations by James E. Ransome. They’re the same duo that produced Gridiron, an oversized book that’s this one’s sibling in the best of all possible ways.

Hardcourt is a must-own for any elementary age fan of basketball. It’s approachable and tells stories from the first 75 years of the game that will hook readers eight and up.

Smart, approachable, and one that grades 4 and up want to drive into

Rescuing Titanic, an illustrated book look at the RMS Carpathia

Often times the story that’s behind the story is as interesting and sometimes more interesting than the main one. Rescuing Titanic, A True Story of Quiet Bravery in the North Atlantic is an illustrated book that takes the line and runs with it. It’s an oversized, illustrated book that looks at the story that third graders and up to know about, but examines the after-effects and how they were dealt with.

Rescuing Titanic is the story behind the story about its sinking and subsequent rescue mission by the RMS Carpathia, great for middle elementary readers.

Mid to upper elementary readers will love this story, behind the story

The Kid’s World Factbook, the straight, smart reference book that kids need

The Kid’s World Factbook is a research book for elementary school students that’s presented in a way that those audiences might not expect. It’s also priced at a point that parents aren’t expected. Of course, the price of a book is meaningless, dependent upon whether or not kids will actually willingly read it and engage with the content. This book succeeds on both fronts, wildly surpassing the former and exceeding the first qualifier for most young readers.

The Kid’s World Factbook is a no nonsense look at every country in the world, their main stats and things kids need to know.

A smart, go-to reference for ages 10 and up

Mermaid Dance, a well built interactive board book that moves and charms

Who is the king of interactive board books? It’s not like there is a fiefdom of illustrators and authors battling it out for supremacy a la Survivor. There is no tattooed ringleader with their arms outstretched asking the world whose house this is. These are interactive board books, the kind that toddlers, crawlers and pre-K kids love to paw over, pull their levers, wonder how the object on the page moves, and try their best to make the book unusable for future generations. Mermaid Dance is by the husband and wife team of Matthew Van Fleet and Mara Val Fleet. Matthew is the #1 New York Times Best Selling Author, behind Tails and Dog, as well as the Oscar the Octopus, Chomp Goes the Alligator, Dance, and more.

Mermaid Dance is an interactive board whose quality and durability is equaled only by its enjoyment by those young readers.

hardened souls who dislike all, Resistance is futile to this book

Tilda Tries Again, fabulous art and guilt-free fun on never giving up

There a couple of ‘feelings’ books that are out there for the illustrated book audience, and they all aren’t created equal. If you’re new to the emotional book game or simply want to dig into some books that place an equal balance on entertaining, as well as the message then you need to read the series by Tom Percival. Tilda Tries Again is in the Big, Bright Feelings book series. It’s an oversized illustrated book that deals with emotions that any kid experiences.

Tilda Tries Again by Tom Percival is a brilliantly illustrated, succinctly worded and a go-to for elementary kids who need to know it’s normal to try again.

This art and the words are more than the sum of its parts

Ida B. Wells Voice of Truth, an effortlessly enjoyable illustrated book

Ida B. Wells Voice of Truth is a fabulous example of an illustrated book that is greater than the sum of its parts. Non-fiction illustrated books can sometimes be a tough read for those younger audiences. Sometimes they’re too long for the attention spans of those young readers, while other times there’s just something that doesn’t connect. Voice of Truth connects with young readers and does so in a simple, less-is-more manner that deftly balances the text by Michelle Duster, to the art by Laura Freeman, with the difficult to quantify X factor.

Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth is an illustrated book that tells a compelling non-fiction story that will inspire people for any number of reasons.

Succinct and to the point, it’s an illustrated book that young readers will enjoy