It’s time to go back to school! Get your kids excited about reading with First Book’s five favorite books for the new school year.
If you work with kids in need, you can find these titles on the First Book Marketplace by clicking on the pictures next to the description of each book. Also be sure to visit our Back to School section for more great reads.
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
by Kevin Henkes
Lilly loves everything about school, especially her cool teacher, Mr. Slinger. But when Lilly brings her purple plastic purse and its treasures to school and can’t wait until sharing time, Mr. Slinger confiscates her prized possessions. Lilly’s fury leads to revenge and then to remorse and she sets out to make amends.
Mr. George Baker
by Amy Hest, illustrated by Jon J. Muth
George Baker (a hundred-year-old musician with the crookedy fingers) and Harry (a young schoolboy whose shoelaces always need tying) don’t seem the likeliest of friends. Yet, sitting side by side on George’s porch, waiting for the school bus to come, the two have plenty in common. They’re both learning to read, which is hard – but what’s easy is the warm friendship they share. In an inspired pairing, a best-selling author and illustrator pay tribute to the power of language and intergenerational bonds.
Alvin Ho: Allergic To Girls, School, And Other Scary Things
by Lenore Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Alvin Ho is a Chinese American second grader who is afraid of everything – elevators, tunnels, girls, and, most of all, school. He’s so afraid of school that, while he’s there, he never, ever, says a word. But at home he’s a very loud superhero named Firecracker Man, a brother to Calvin and Anibelly, and a gentleman-in-training, so he can be just like his dad.
From the author of the ALA Notable Ruby Lu series comes a funny and touching chapter book – perfect for both beginning and reluctant readers – that introduces a truly unforgettable character.
Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading
by Tommy Greenwald, illustrated by J. P. Coovert
Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he’s managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he’s in middle school, avoiding reading isn’t as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he’s tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.
The Tequila Worm
by Viola Canales
Sofia comes from a family of storytellers. Here are her tales of growing up in the barrio, full of the magic and mystery of family traditions: making Easter cascarones, celebrating el Dia de los Muertos, preparing for quinceañera, rejoicing in the Christmas nacimiento, and curing homesickness by eating the tequila worm. When Sofia is singled out to receive a scholarship to an elite boarding school, she longs to explore life beyond the barrio, even though it means leaving her family to navigate a strange world of rich, privileged kids. It’s a different mundo, but one where Sofia’s traditions take on new meaning and illuminate her path.
The post Five First Book Favorites for Back to School appeared first on First Book Blog.
We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending March 06, 2014–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.
(Debuted at #3 in Hardcover Fiction) Bark: Stories by Lorrie Moore: “These eight masterly stories reveal Lorrie Moore at her most mature and in a perfect configuration of craft, mind, and bewitched spirit, as she explores the passage of time and summons up its inevitable sorrows and hilarious pitfalls to reveal her own exquisite, singular wisdom.” (February 2014)
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#52 Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth (2005)
36 points
This book was important for me to read. When I am lonely or sad or struggling, I come to Stillwater as if he is a friend. “I know how that is,” said Stillwater. “But there’s always the moon.” – Emily Myhr
Need I tell you? Beautiful in all respects. – Cheryl Phillips
Right now my daughter is at that phase where sometimes the pronunciation of a word will strike her as funny. The other day that word was “panda”. She just couldn’t get enough of it. Pandas show up periodically in works of literature for children but the iconic ones can be sometimes hard to conjure up. Stillwater is one of the few that folks can sometimes name off the bat. And why not? This 2006 Caldecott Honor winner
On her Children’s Book-a-Day Almanac Anita Silvey has a lovely write-up of the book. At one point she says, “In an Author’s Note, Muth explains Zen Buddhism and his sources for these stories from Zen Buddhist literature and Taoism. In this book he has introduced young readers to an entirely new way of looking at the world—just as Stillwater introduces these three children to a different way to perceive reality. The text, that lingers long after the book has been closed, is accompanied by Muth’s stunning watercolor and ink art. Relying on Muth’s childhood fantasy of having a real panda as a friend, Zen Shorts takes readers into sophisticated concepts, but those as young as three years old have appreciated Muth’s blend of realism and spirituality.”
Okay. You have to see this. It’s kind of an adorable booktalk produced by Scholastic. All professional and stuff. I was amused. They also provide all kinds of questions to ask kids.
PW said of it, “Readers will fall easily into the rhythm of visits to Stillwater and his storytelling sessions, and many more will fall in love with the panda, whose shape and size offer the children many opportunities for cuddling.”
Said School Library Journal, “Appealing enough for a group read-aloud, but also begging to be shared and discussed by caregiver and child, Zen Shorts is a notable achievement.”
Booklist gave it a star saying, “Stillwater’s questions will linger (Can misfortune become good luck? What is the cost of anger?), and the peaceful, uncluttered pictures, like the story itself, will encourage children to dream and fill in their own answers.”
Still, the highest praise probably came from Kirkus, saying, “The Buddha lurks in the details here: Every word and image comes to make as perfect a picture book as can be.”
And the most baffling but fun praise came via a The New York Times review, “Muth attributes the third to a Taoist tradition, but for me it calls to mind most vividly the popular picture book Fortunately, by Remy Charlip, with whom Muth has also worked. In any case, the cultural blurrings won’t reduce the pleasure with which this book is received, and most children would surely vouchsafe Jon Muth the pleasure of a one-handed round of applause for his elegant tale.”
There has been a stage adaptation, you know. You can’t see much of it here but what you can see looks swe
Scholastic has opened an auction to benefit its global literacy campaign, “Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life.”
The auction features pieces created by twelve celebrated children’s illustrators: Norman Bridwell, Bruce Degen, Edwin Fotheringham, Mary GrandPré, Barbara McClintock, Jon J. Muth, Sean Qualls, Stephen Savage, David Shannon, Jeff Smith, Mark Teague, and Raina Telgemeier.
USA Today posted a slideshow with all twelve pieces of art. The money generated by the auction will go to two children’s literacy organizations, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Reach Out and Read. The auction will close on June 5th.
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The 2010 installment of Children’s Book Week—an annual event that has been running since 1919 in the US—is starting today. Hurray!
The Children’s Book Council website has a list of official events taking place across the country, including the the Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala, happening tomorrow in New York. You can see some of the finalists here, and by visiting A Story Before Bed you can enjoy three finalists reading from their nominated books (A Story Before Bed is a cool site that allows you to record yourself reading a children’s book and to share your recording with others). Those on Twitter can keep tabs on the week’s various happenings by following the hashtag #kidsbookwk.
This year’s lovely poster was created by artist and author Jon J Muth, of Zen Shorts and Zen Ties fame. The lovely fuzzball on the poster is Stillwater, “the panda with a calm, Buddha-like demeanor”, who appears on both these books.
Now get into the spirit and follow Stillwater’s lead: snuggle up with your children and read books together!
San Franciscan Daniel Handler, also known as Lemony Snicket, reviewed several children’s books in a New York Times piece not too long ago, including Zen Ties, writer-illustrator Jon J. Muth’s sequel to his Caldecott winner, Zen Shorts. Handler is allergic to preachy moralisms of the sort often smuggled into children’s so-called spiritual books (and dissed in this blog on a few occasions), and while overall he finds Muth’s new book undercompelling, his thoughts on how it goes wrong are compelling. (Muth comes to writing from his background in graphics, however, and Handler heartily approves his visuals.)
Both Muth books have been widely and appreciatively reviewed by bloggers. A quick perusal of the blogosphere indicates one obvious reason why: spiritual books for children provide busy parent readers with spiritual sustenance as well.
