First Book’s book experts picked their favorite spooky stories that will frighten and delight young readers. Don’t be afraid to pick up any of our recommended titles!
Pre-K –K (Ages 3-6):
Ghosts in the House! written and illustrated by Kazuno Kohara
At the edge of town lives a clever girl with a spooky problem: Her house is haunted! Luckily, she happens to be a witch and knows a little something about taking care of ghosts.
We love this book because: it’s got just the right amount of sweet and scary for the youngest trick-or-treaters. Fresh and charming illustrations in dynamic orange, black and white bring this resourceful heroine and these spooky ghosts to life.
For 1st and 2nd Grade (Ages 6-8):
Los Gatos Black on Halloween written by Marisa Montes and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Follow los monstruos and los esqueletos to a Halloween party in a fun and frightful bilingual poem. Accompanied by illustrations that are as gorgeous as they are creepy, this is a great Halloween-themed read-aloud book that kids will want to read and re-read all year long.
We love this book because: this book introduces young readers to a spooky array of Spanish words that will open their ojos to the chilling delights of the season.
For 3rd & 4th grade (Ages 8-10):
Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie by Bill Doyle
After Keats and Henry lose their bikes, they need money – fast. So the help-wanted ad at the supermarket seems ideal for them. All they have to do is weed Hallway House’s garden, find some light bulbs in the attic, sweep the garage…and battle a shark-headed zombie.
We love this book because: With an imaginative youngster as its main character, this book weaves the tale of an exciting and fun adventure that will keep kids turning pages and entertain even reluctant readers.
For 5th & 6th grade (Ages 10-12):
Ghost Fever / Mal de fantasma (Bilingual, English/Spanish) by Joe Hayes
Elena Padilla’s father didn’t believe in ghosts, and that’s a shame, because his disbelief ends up making Elena a very sick girl. The story starts in an old rundown house in a dusty little town in Arizona. Nobody will rent that house because … well, a ghost haunts it. The landlord can’t even rent it out for free! That is, not until foolish old Frank Padilla comes along thinking he can save some money.
Lucky for Elena that her grandmother knows all about the mysterious ways of ghosts. With her grandmother’s help and advice, Elena solves the mystery of the ghost girl, recuperates from her ghost fever and, in the process, learns a valuable lesson about life.
We love this book because: It’s really scary! The incredible details of this story – with English and Spanish on opposite pages – will stay with readers after the story ends. Children who enjoy a good fright will really love this book.
Grades 7 & up (Ages 13+):
Lockwood & Co. #1: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren’t exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see—and eradicate—these supernatural foes.
We love this book because: Complex and endearing characters navigate an alternate reality wherein the dead don’t die – what’s not to love? The book’s fantastic world is sure to hook readers – even we can’t wait to pick up the next title in the series!
The post Monthly Book List: Our Five Favorites for October appeared first on First Book Blog.
The following is a guest blog post from Michael H. Levine & Lisa Guernsey, authors of the book Tap, Click, Read.
Kids today use a wide variety of tools to learn. How do educators adapt teaching tactics to effectively use modern day tools?
New America and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop have become known for our joint research and analysis on how digital technologies could be used to improve, instead of impede, early literacy. We have collaborated on the book Tap, Click, Read and developed a toolkit designed to help educators put these insights into practice. The Tap, Click, Read toolkit – comprised of fourteen research-based resources including tipsheets, discussion guides, ratings lists, and a quiz—are now downloadable for free on the First Book Marketplace.
On the First Book Marketplace you’ll find resources for educators, caregivers, and community leaders:
- What Educators Can Do—A list of recommendations for updating teaching methods, working with libraries and public media, and more.
- What Parents Can Do—A list of ideas for parents and caregivers, including the importance of listening to and talking with children about the media they use and why.
- How to Use Media to Support Children’s Home Language—Used well, media can spark opportunities for children to converse with their family members at home in their native languages. This helps them build a foundation for learning English too.
- How to Promote Creation and Authorship—Children need to learn what it means to be a creator, not just a consumer, of media. New tools bring this concept to life.
- How to Find Apps for Literacy Learning—Choose wisely. Use app-review sites and advice from literacy experts to find materials that match your students’ needs.
- The Three C’s—Content, context, and the individual child. Become more mindful in using digital technology with young children by taking this quiz.
- A Modern Action Plan for States and Communities—A guide for community and state leaders on how to make progress in solving America’s reading crisis and strengthening family-centered approaches that will endure over time.
- 12 Actions to Take Now—A one-page list of “must-dos” for community leaders, district administrators, and policymakers to break out of the literacy crisis and bring opportunities to all children.
We are so proud to team up with First Book to provide the children you serve with access to quality 21st-century literacy opportunities. Click here to learn more about our partnership, and visit the Joan Ganz Cooney Center blog for more resources that guide learning through digital tools – including bilingual video vignettes and discussion guides.
The post “Tap, Click, Read” Toolkit – Promoting Early Literacy in a World of Screens appeared first on First Book Blog.
Experts say that one way to help your kids get a jump on learning is to help them, well, JUMP! Boosting students’ physical activity not only supports health and wellness and makes kids feel better, but it turns out that it can help them learn better, too.
That’s why First Book is excited to announce a brand new addition to the First Book Marketplace lineup of resources: sports and fitness equipment provided through Target.
“Whether it’s dribbling a basketball, playing softball, or maneuvering through an obstacle course, physical activity can improve academic achievement, boost cognitive skills and improve concentration and behavior for kids – both in and out of the classroom,” said Kyle Zimmer, First Book president and CEO. “Thanks to Target, many more schools and programs serving kids in need will have the resources to encourage healthy activities that also foster learning.”
Through Target funding, First Book will now offer brand new softballs, soccer balls, bean bag toss games, playground balls and more on the First Book Marketplace.
If you’re a teacher serving children in need, you may be able to take advantage of special funding from Target that will provide credits that educators can use to access sports equipment from the First Book Marketplace site. So run – don’t walk – to find the sports and play equipment you need to support learning and wellness for the children you serve.
The post Active Bodies, Active Minds: Boost Wellness & Learning with Sports Equipment appeared first on First Book Blog.
Use Guided Reading Levels to find the perfect books for every child you serve. Thanks to the feedback from our community of educators, First Book Marketplace users can now utilize our Advanced Search tool to find books with Guided Reading Levels (GRLs). GRLs are great for both students and educators.
Here’s why:
GRLs help educators:
- Assess the fluency and reading level of each child
- Track student progress over time
- Organize school and classroom libraries so that educators and kids can access the best-fit books for every child
GRLs help students:
- Find books at their level of confidence
- Develop the skills they need to read increasingly challenging books
- Discover books they will love to read again and again
Watch the short video tutorial below to learn more about how to the First Book Marketplace’s Advanced Search to find books by GRL:
If you’re an educator serving kids in need, click here to register to receive brand-new books for the children you serve for free or low cost.
The post Use Guided Reading Levels to Find the Perfect Books on the First Book Marketplace appeared first on First Book Blog.
Once you’ve registered and logged into the First Book Marketplace there are so many new features to explore!
As we’ve shown, you’ll find new navigation and menus. You can use gift cards and promotional codes. But you’ll also find a new dashboard for account information, a new wishlist feature and a section highlighting topics that are important to educators and program leaders serving children in need.
In today’s video, you’ll learn how to explore the dashboard, how to make a wishlist and learn more about popular topics.
The post How to Use the First Book Marketplace: Wishlists, the Dashboard and Popular Topics appeared first on First Book Blog.
