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.
We’ve been fans of the Abrams Block Books since AlphaBlock came out and taught our then three-and-a-half-year-old his letters. Internally, I’m going whaaa, it’s really been eight years? That comes for both the age of our oldest son and how long it’s been since we received AlphaBlock. That book series evolved into dinosaurs, numbers, building, Disney, Marvel, and more. With LoveBlock the series from Christopher Franceschelli with art by Peskimo has changed again, albeit in a very subtle way.
There’s a surge of illustrated books coming out now about COVID and how it impacted people or the places that we live. Brian Floca is an author and illustrator who works in both aspects with equal ease. In Keeping The City Going he’s the author/illustrator and has captured what New York City looked like during the peak COVID pandemic time. While the book takes a look at that city specifically, the labels or departments could easily be thought of as “Any City USA” and the heartfelt lessons of thanks and sacrifice are just as valid.
Parents of a certain age will remember going to Spencer’s. It was the cool store where you could find those pop-culture items, Greg Brady beads, and blacklight posters. Spencer’s is still around, we have one at our local mall, but the teens we know don’t have as magical an impression as we did with it back in the day. To an extent, Magical Creatures and Mythical Beasts is a book that channels aspects of that black light magic. It’s an immersive seek-and-find illustrated book that looks at worldwide mythology, putting them on display using the UV flashlight it comes with.
When I lived in Japan I saw civilians wearing masks in public for the first time. Sure, the pollution wasn’t great, but I just couldn’t get comfortable with wearing them. Fast forward to today and manufacturers have made quality, comfortable masks that you can purchase as many stores. Unfortunately, this was due to the worldwide pivot that everyone had to make due to COVID. Sharing A Smile is an illustrated book that looks at a neighborhood during this through a young girl’s eyes. It’s a sweet book that has a very calming vibe for early through middle elementary school students. However, is this just a COVID book, or does it have legs to push to a more universal and timeless appeal?
I’m at the beach, reading a book for mid- elementary-aged and up students about unicorns. Shouldn’t I be putting my feet in the sand, walking, and looking for shells or something? Instead, I’m under an umbrella, willingly reading Unicorn Island, and enjoying it immensely. I could speed read it, but I’m taking my time reading the book, digging into the vivid descriptions and adventure that Sam is experiencing in Foggy Harbor.
Dana Simpson is the author of Phoebe and Her Unicorn. When you visit a middle school or elementary school library you’ll be lucky to see any of them in their collection. They are certainly in the collection, but there’s usually a line of people who are trying to read them. Ozy and Millie are two foxes who have lived in Simpson’s mind since before Phoebe or her unicorn saw the ink of a printer. Perfectly Normal is the second collection featuring Ozy and Millie.
Chris Ferrie is smarter than us and that’s ok. It’s his books that we like and if you have a newborn through twelve years old they are books that need to be on their radar. Quantum Physics for Babies is light reading. It’s a board book that presents concepts that many adults, including myself, would have zero chance of understanding if Ferrie were to take the material and explain it to me as an adult. My First 100 Space Words takes the same faith that babies are able to learn things the more that they’re around it and apply it to space.
Sunrise Summer is an illustrated book that is such a welcome treat. From the artwork to its story and concise words; it’s a book that entertains and educates in such a way that some people might consider contrary to the way things are in certain circles. And that is a great thing indeed.
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