elementary school | Page 6 of 7

The Story of Climate Change, a first eco primer for Mother Jones kids

The Story of Climate Change, A First Book About How We Can Help Save the Planet is the fifth book in the series by Catherine Barr and Steve Williams. It’s an engaging book that introduces second through fourth graders to the history of climate change. The illustrations by Amy Husband and Mike Love are playful, have lots of movement, and certainly keep the eyes of those young readers busy in the best of all possible ways. Most of the target audience will enjoy the book and its approach to global warming is unique in its visual presentation.

The illustrations are great, the text casts a wide net with mixed results

Everything You Need to Know When You Are 10 is apt, effective and fun

What better place to ask kids about Everything You Need to Know When You Are 10 then to a fourth-grade-class? I looked over the book and enjoyed its approach towards dealing with this age. It balances a wide variety of topics and interests, some of which are quite silly, while others let themselves be known that it’s a serious subject. The book deftly weaves between them all in a manner that’s entertaining and educational. But is the book as on point with that elusive 10-year-old audience as I think it is?

Turning 10? This is a book you need to see

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light-teaches softly and fun for 4-9

I’m a firm believer that the answers to the problems that you’re currently having are usually right in front of you. In the case of our nine-year-old, he’s reading Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light. He’s on the tail end of the reading level for this book. The book’s key audience is pre-K through third grade. However, this is one that he can easily read for the most part. For him, it’s more about the message and the soft lesson that the book is illustrating.

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light is a great good-night book that shows selfless giving and how to make friends the right way.

disarmingly sweet, lovingly crafted and a great message

Who is the Bucks Bandit? stumbles in this otherwise engaging series

As a family, we are knee-deep in the struggles of getting an elementary-aged student to learn to love reading. One series that he does enjoy is the Diary of a 5^th Grade Outlaw series by Gina Loveless with illustrations by Andrea Bell. The third book in the series is Who is the Bucks Bandit? and it feels very different than the first two. Elementary-aged students who are already enjoying the series will gamely follow along. However, those passive readers who were reading the book just to placate their parents will feel like they’ve been here before. The result will leave librarians and parents of those younger kids who are coming into the series hoping that the fourth book in the Diary of a 5^th Grade Outlaw series finds its mojo again.

The third book in this series feels too familiar

Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw, upper elementary go-to fiction

The presentation is one of the first things that elementary aged readers will notice about Diary of a 5^th Grade Outlaw by Gina Loveless and Andrea Bell. It’s much more of a rectangular prism than other books. This allows smaller hands to easily grasp the hardback book and look at its cover. From there those readers will see the rough notebook like appearance to the book and might erroneously presume that it’s cut from the same cloth as Wimpy Kid. It’s not and once you open up the book you’ll see that Diary of a 5^th Grade Outlaw is exactly what some kids need in order to become better readers.

Its text, layout and subject are perfect for mid-elementary ages

Ravi’s Roar, teaches through fun and not guilt

There are two current illustrate book series on kid’s emotions that have been in our wheelhouse lately. For our money, and for a couple of reasons the Big Bright Feelings series is much more enjoyable and effective. The later term is more important for us now because our 8 year-old is having issues processing certain things. Currently his ‘thing’ is anger, thus it was a perfect time for us to read Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival.

Ravi’s Roar lets early elementary aged kids know that they’ll get angry and that’s OK, but it also lets them know how to deal with it.

Teaching about anger is tough for kids, Ravi’s Roar does it w/out preching

Lola Dutch! I Love You So Much, #3 in a must-read series for 3-7

Oh, Lola Dutch, you are too much. If you’ve got a kid who is between three and seven this series of books needs to be on your radar. Lola Dutch!, I Love You So Much is the third book in this series by Kenneth and Sarah Jane Wright. These books will skew a little more for girls than boys, but that’s only because Lola is a girl who wears a tutu. When our son was six he laughed along with us as we read Lola Dutch, the first book in series to him. He’s old enough to where he can read them by himself, laughing as he looks at the art.

Lola Dutch I Love You So Much is the third book in this imaginative and art heavy series about a young girl and the power of pretend play.

This book series is imaginative play and rhyming at it’s cutest

I’m Gonna Push Through!, inspirational and divisive

How can something be inspirational and divisive? Before we dive into that, I’m Gonna Push Through! is not meant as a threat. It’s meant as a way for kids to become empowered. This is something that they can think or say to themselves when things get challenging. You can do it! I’m gonna push through, who doesn’t want their child-or themselves to have that can-do attitude?

Great message, preachy book