These are books that kids will want to read-or should read, but will enjoy doing so. Board book, picture books, kid lit, elementary school books, middle school books, high school books, all age comic books and more will be talked about here.
If there’s one thing that Jurassic Park taught us it’s that chicken-sized dinosaurs, even if they had feathers, were vicious creatures that did not play around and could kill you in a number of different ways. Prehistoric Pets takes that idea, puts it into a pop-up book, and creates a colorful, read-to-me book that will entice readers aged five and up.
It’s great to be teaching in elementary schools. I get to see what they’re learning and hopefully add to that in a manner that makes some kids get it, or further their knowledge. I also get to see what they’re reading and in every ELA classroom, there’s at least one Bad Kitty book. Author and illustrator Nick Bruel’s latest installment is Bad Kitty Gets a Phone and he was kind enough to answer 14 questions from some of my ELA students.
Rodrigo – Why is Bad Kitty the only bad cat in the book?
Find out the answer to this and other kitty-inspring qustions after the jumpMoles Present The Natural Tolls of Digging Holes ironically reminds us of Dirt. That book was a vertical, poetic, look at something that we see every day. The art was varied and the whispy text showed how the tiny things that live in dirt can be a world unto itself. The Natural Tolls of Digging Holes takes that same spirit, has a more animated form of illustration, adds simpler text that rhymes and opens up its world to anyplace that you might see that’s been dug. This is an illustrated book that feeds curious young minds, softly teaches them and gets them to think while they’re smiling.
Recently I wrote about how an illustrated book, in some cases, can be for older audiences. They can provide talking points for people or events in history or pop culture in a way that’s more direct, effective interesting, and softer. Early and emerging readers are certainly familiar with the Ready-To-Read book series. There’s a book in that series for any student in pre-k through middle elementary. Those readers who like a challenge, or for those aged seven and up need to check out books in the most advanced series, Level Three-Superstar Reader. These books have the same format but have a more complex story, lots of three-syllable words, challenging vocabulary, and a story that requires those readers to pay attention. You Should Meet John Lewis is the first book that we’ve seen in this series and it really fills a gap that many elementary school readers have.
Sometimes we write about all-age comic books. What distinguishes a great comic book from a great all-age comic book is that the latter doesn’t dumb down the content in order to be appreciated by younger audiences. It’s a great read that just happens to not have any content that would prohibit it from being voraciously enjoyed by elementary or middle school readers. City Spies is a book series that’s mglit, middle-grade literature, and one might presume from that categorization that it’s only for grades three through eight. That’s where the catch-all description of leisure reading kicks in and puts the series, including City Spies: Forbidden City, into the age-defying group of mglit without boundaries.
Board books can take on many forms in children’s literature. These are the feel good, comfort food books that crawlers will learn to love. My Mighty Marvel First Book Doctor Strange, as well as My Mighty Marvel First Book The Mighty Thor are two board books that are loaded to the gills with classic art, blazing action and thick pages for those kids to chew on….if they need to.
Middle-grade books about tragedy don’t need to be a drag. Some topics and some characters certainly need to have their story presented in a book that’s clearly dramatic and mglit readers can still learn from them. Take for example the topic of school shootings. It’s an event that happens at schools and students have drills to prepare for them. However, because they happen, they occur too often, and when it does happen it impacts the kids in that particular school in ways that others can’t fathom. AfterMath is mglit that deftly walks the line of drama, feelings of melancholy, school shooting, coming-of-age, and death of a family member in a way that readers can empathize with and learn from.
Graphic novels can get a bad rap with some audiences. Some parents might take issue with what they see as being the sole topic of graphic novels, superheroes. Of course, librarians and young readers all over know that graphic novels encompass so many more topics than just superheroes in tights. For a while, Maus was considered the go-to graphic novel for upper-middle school readers. The March trilogy of graphic novels is another one that made the genre more respected in the eyes of reluctant educators or readers who might’ve been averse to the medium. Run: Book One picks up right where March, Book 3 left off, immediately grabbing readers by the pages into this story of ‘good trouble’ that set John Lewis on his way.
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