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.
You say Harlem to some people and they’ll either think of the neighborhood in New York City or the backdrop to the classic Eddie Murphy movie from 1989. Either way, they have the same setting. However, some people will associate it with Harlem Grown. I had heard about the garden in a news story a couple years ago and now it’s a fabulous illustrated book that’ll motivate some kids or simply be a great, good-night book to others.
Beetle & The Hollowbones looks like the slightly spookier sister of Steven Universe or a more linear story than one that you’d find in Adventure Time. Granted, for those Cartoon Network or comic book fans those are big things to measure up to. However, they’re also very appropriate and give upper elementary through middle school readers an instant affiliation as to what kind of reader would dig Beetle & The Hollowbones by Aliza Layne.
Eight years is a long time between sequels, especially for middle elementary school through middle school books. However, you can’t keep a good rabbit down as author/illustrator/worldbuilder Tony DiTerlizzi and his fans can attest to. Kenny & the Book of Beasts is the sequel to Kenny & the Dragon and is an utterly charming book that young readers will quickly embrace. This is also the kind of book that readers can enjoy without reading the first one in the series.
Displacement is a powerful graphic novel about the history of the United States when Japanese-Americans were forcibly place in internment camps. As a story, this period of time has many earnest and worthwhile stories that can be told. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Elsinger, Steven Scott and illustrations by Harmony Becker tells the same story, but from a different perspective. The perspective in Displacement is unique in the fact that the main reason for the story to be is due to the lead character, Kiku and her ability to jump through time.
If Our Favorite Day of the Year were an advertisement it was be from Benetton circa 1985. Their ads were culturally inclusive far ahead of today’s standard. I remember their ads from that time period as really breaking the barrier in that they reflected numerous skin tones in them. The clothes were standard and not really something that I wore, but the ads grabbed your attention from the get go. Our Favorite Day of the Year has that same vibe, but looks at a modern-day classroom and how this kid’s favorite day will be different than that kid’s.
The base theme of Time To Roar has everything that parents could want in a message-oriented illustrated book. The book can be viewed at as a pre-K look at sticking up for yourself or a cause you believe in. Time To Roar could also be seen as a not so subtle allegory about deforestation and how it impacts the animals. Unfortunately for most young readers the book tries each story arc with equal enthusiasm, which in turn makes the book preachy and as predictable as an action movie from the 80’s staring Chuck Norris.
Frannie and Pepper are two best friends. It’s a tough animal world out there and these two rabbits make the best of it. Frannie is outgoing and loves to be the center of attention while Pepper is a bit more introverted. Pepper is more the planner, while Frannie is doing improvisational songs or dancing in the street. It’s the Odd Couple for pre-K through early elementary school kids and It’s Showtime! is all about their show.
Because I teach ESL to Chinese students the mid-Autumn Festival has been in our vocabulary for many years. Moon Messenger is an illustrated book by Wei Jie, with art by Xia Xinxin that tells the story of what most of my students say is their second favorite festival. Essentially, the Mid-Autumn Festival family and is centered on the full moon at the time. There is also a large component of the holiday where you eat moon cakes. Moon cakes are kind of like mochi, which is a bean paste that some people love and others can tolerate it if it has some fruit on it. Chinese snacks aside, the book is about one child’s desire to see his father, who’s on a business trip and how the full moon plays a part in it.
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