Written by Peter H. Reynolds

Peter H. Reynolds is a favorite children’s book writer who has started a social change agency called FableVision with his brother, Paul. Their idea was to help “create stories that matter, stories that move.” This book is full of words that describe different characteristics that lead humans to their own uniqueness. They are phrases that always start with “be.” What a wonderful verb. He uses phrases such as be ready, be kind, be okay with reaching out, be persistent, and many more. This is an enjoyable and inspiring book for people of all ages.

Written by Kat Zhang

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

This would be a great book for four- to 7-year-olds, especially when studying Asia. The story begins in an Early Childhood or Lower Elementary classroom when their teacher reads them a story about dragons and then asks them to make dragons of their own. Amy became frustrated because the dragons were not turning out as she wished they would. After school she and her friends went to her house and her grandmother read them a story about dragons. Gramma’s story triggered a memory of something up in the attic. Teachers will love this story for cultural studies, art projects, and developing reading skills. Parents will like it, too.

ALL THE COLORS WE ARE: THE STORY OF HOW WE GET OUR SKIN COLOR

TODOS LOS COLORES DE NUESTRA PIEL: LA HISTORIA DE POR QUÉ TENEMOS DIFERENTES COLORES DE PIEL

Written by Katie Kissinger

Photographed by Chris Bohnhoff

On every page of this book the text is in English and Spanish. What a joy! This book was written in a way that 4-year-olds to 8-year-olds will get something age-appropriate from it. For the 4-year-olds, they’ll learn something they may not have known about each other and for the 8-year-olds it may spark some interest in further research about biology or maybe genealogy. Oh… and the photographs are magnificent! The author has also included activities for children at the back of the book. Again, I think this book would be good for home or school.

Written by Carolinda Goodman

Illustrated by Mariia Luzina

Carolinda Goodman’s book is written as a poem. She describes in a rhythmic way all the full moons around the year. She gives the name of the moon and why it got that name. Mariia Luzina beautifully illustrates each moon and the earthly surroundings according to the name and season. The illustrations really enhance the poetry from the author. Wonderful for at home or school for children ages 4-8 years.

Written by Ellen Galinsky

Have you ever wondered if there are stages to parenthood like there are for childhood? The answer is, “Yes. There are.” Ellen Galinsky did an in-depth study of parents during different times from when their children were “imagined” to when their children were grown and leaving home.

My children are in their 30s and I now have a grandson who is seven years old. It was interesting to me to think about him when my daughter-in-law was pregnant, then in the first months after he was born, and on into the elementary years. As a grandparent I can see him differently than when my own children were growing and changing but there are many similarities to the parent stages. You are probably in the midst of a parenting stage or stages, depending on whether you have one or more children. This book may help you sort out and better understand your own feelings and thoughts as well as your parenting partner’s.

WATER LAND: LAND AND WATER FORMS AROUND THE WORLD

Written by Christy Hale

I love this book for the classroom or at home! Christy Hale based this book on our land and water forms from the cultural area of Montessori classrooms. She not only wrote the text (of which there are just the names of each land or water form on that page) but also, she is an artist and did a wonderful job with the colors and illustrations. The way she designed the book is so clear and crisp. Children will not be distracted by too many words as they discover this part of our natural world. It’s so much fun, like magic, when the reader carefully turns the page and sees how each water form has an opposite landform.

To top it all off, Ms. Hale has included a fold-out chart at the back of the book with more information about the land and water forms and a map to see where the large ones are located around the world. Children ages 4-8 years will love this book!

Written by Faye Lundberg

This book is a paperback booklet originally created to fill a need in the author’s school. She found that parents were interested in knowing more about their child’s classroom experience. Her idea was to share information about the basic principles of a Montessori classroom and the activities within the 3–6-year-old (Early Childhood) classroom.

Ms. Lundberg briefly describes each curriculum area and then some of the key lessons in those areas. She has included photos of the materials along with their descriptions. She has also added a short biography of Dr. Montessori and some ideas for the home.

This is a great little tool to get parents started in their knowledge and understanding of Montessori at the Early Childhood level. You can purchase this booklet at amazon.com.

Written by Pat Prisk,

Illustrated by Jason D. McIntosh

This is a wonderfully fun, imaginative story of getting cleaned up! The illustrations are very colorful and fanciful! They make cleaning up a joyful adventure rather than drudgery. Pat Prisk shows (down in the corner of each page) the steps to washing hands. She then reinforces the process by putting each of the steps to handwashing on one page at the end of the book. She also includes ideas for parents, caregivers, and other adults involved in caring for children. I think youngsters 2 to 7 years old will love this book.

Written by Andrew Newman,

Illustrated by Alexis Aronson

Our friend and author Andrew Newman has added another bedtime book to the collection, including Snuggle Breathing. This is a lovely story for just before going to sleep about the power of hugs to help ourselves and others stay disentangled from negative thoughts. It also reminds us that hugs have a ripple effect in our families and throughout the world.

This whole series by Andrew is filled with books that help children fill their minds with positive, warm emotions when they are getting ready for a peaceful night’s sleep. They are available from www. consciousstories.com.

Written by Karen Robbins

Illustrated by Rachael Brunson

Karen Robbins has written two sturdy books for two- to four-year-old’s about animals: Think Farm Animals and Think Zoo Animals. The pages can be easily turned, and the flaps easily opened by young hands. The illustrations are colorful, visually pleasing, and realistic.

Each book is set up similarly with a hint and a question on the left page and an opening that allows the child to see part of the animal on the right page.

For example: In the Farm Animals book on the left page, it reads, “I have a swishy tail and say ‘Moo!’ What can I be?” And on the right page, an opening shows a white and black tail with the word “Think” written below. I love that!

Remember children at this young age are still developing impulse control. The adult can help them with that in a fun way by saying something like, “Hmmmm. I’m ‘thinking’ about animals on a farm. Do we know a song about that? ‘With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there.’ What could it be?” All the while holding the flap closed as the adult and child “think” together. You could even say to the child, “Let’s keep the flap closed so that we can ‘think’ for a minute.”

Lovely books for young children. I wish there were more!

Written by Karen S. Robbins

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened this book for young children. I was expecting a book that has too much to sort out on a page, is visually distracting for young children, and could easily be torn or damaged by accident.

The author of Think Circles! isolates each illustration on the pages to answer the hint. For example: On page 1, the hint is “Bouncing Circle” and the question is “What can it be?” On the opposite page, there is a hidden object with just one opening to view part of the pictured answer with the word, “Think.” Adults get to have fun with this, too, as they read the words to the child and maybe, if needed, add another hint to play along with “thinking” about what the hidden object might be. I love that she invites the child to “think.”

Ms. Robbins also adds in another level of difficulty by adding objects to each page. So, on page 1, there is just one hidden object. On page 2 there are two hidden objects. On page 3 there are three objects, and so on to 10. On each page, there are the corresponding openings, so that children can count the openings and then count the objects when they open the flap to see the answer.

As a teacher, I would present one concept at a time. I would either introduce the book as a problem-solving lesson or as a counting lesson but not both at the same time. Both concepts are higher-level thinking. Either could be presented first. I would probably introduce the “thinking” concept first just because I like it.

The pages are quite sturdy, so that young children can use these books without accidentally damaging the books, assuming the adult has given the child a lesson on carefully turning/opening pages in a book. That’s important since we want children to be successful as they use books and other activities. The illustrations are colorful, attractive, and quite realistic.

There are two other books in this series – Think Triangles! and Think Squares! These books would be enjoyed by children 3-6 years old.

Written by Britta Teckentrup

This is a little board book for your infant or toddler. There is one quite realistic, colorful picture and one word on each page. Pages that are opposite each other in the book are opposite sizes. As you read this book together, your child will increase their vocabulary as you identify the picture images and begin to get some sense that there is a difference in the sizes of things. This is a difficult concept for a little one to really understand from a two-dimensional picture. However, you can put together an activity using objects that show the same concept in a three-dimensional way. For example: a big ball and a small ball; a big spoon and a small spoon; a big stuffed animal and a small stuffed animal; etc. Have fun reading this with your child!