Spring is sprouting all around us and that means it isn’t all that long until summer break. But hold steady and keep those kids reading. Kids need to read on a regular basis all year long.
The school year is a good time to establish the reading habit as a family and keep it going even in the summer. When I visit classes at the end of the year to talk about the summer reading program and all that the library is doing over the summer, I encourage kids to continue reading. They are encouraged to read for 15 minutes in the morning before they crawl out of bed and then to find someone to read to them for 15 minutes at the end of the day as part of their bedtime ritual. Reading should be as regular a part of the routine as brushing the teeth.
Here are some new books in the junior room that are great whether you read them aloud to your kids or they read the books by themselves.
Blackout by John Rocco is a 2012 Caldecott Honor book and follows a young girl as she tries to find someone to play a game with her. But until the lights go out everyone is much too busy. Another story of a young girl wanting attention is Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes. This story revolves around Penny’s attempt to sing her new song but the time doesn’t seem to ever be right. The babies are sleeping, it’s meal time, will Penny ever find someone to listen to her sing?
Patricia MacLachlan, well-known for her sweet, tender stories of intergenerational families struggling through life together, has another beautiful tale in Kindred Souls. Jake and his grandfather Billy are kindred souls but when Billy gets ill can Jake do the one thing his grandfather still wants done?
The school has just been through a quick moving flu bug that took down a sizable portion of the school but imagine if your class only had one student left. Finn Reeder, Flu Fighter by Eric Stevens is just such a tale of woe.
A great tale of the spring thaw is Little Dog Lost by Monica Carnesi. Baltic was a dog stuck on a sheet of ice in a river. He is swept down river and travels over 75 miles before being rescued.
Graphic novels continue to grow in popularity. Tower of Treasure by Scott Chantler is volume one in “Three Thieves.” Dessa is an acrobat in a traveling circus but is recruited along with the circus strongman to help rob the queen’s treasury. Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard is a new volume in the “Mouse Guard” series, a sumptuous tale of medieval mice.
A new children’s biography of Jim Henson, the Guy who Played with Puppets is now available. It is written by premier biographer Kathleen Krull. And if you’ve ever watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade be sure and borrow Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet.
