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Our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books has a lot to offer!

Take a look at our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books and let us know which titles and covers catch your eyes. There are so many amazing new kids books coming in 2016!

Our best selling picture book from our affiliate store is one of our all-time favorite books: Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell!

This month, our selection of books picked from the nationwide best selling middle grade list, as they appear on The New York Times, remain the same. We love the powerful story I Am Malala.

Ooh, the weather outside is ... perfect for snuggling inside with one of these best selling picture books. Snow, by Cynthia Rylant, is this month's best selling picture book from our affiliate store—it's a beautiful book.

After taking a look at our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books ... it's more than likely we're suckers for picture books about love, kindness, and compassion.

Pat Zietlow Miller, author of Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story, selected these five family favorites.

This month, our selection of books picked from the nationwide best selling middle grade list, as they appear on The New York Times, includes the powerful story I Am Malala.

Hot New Releases & Popular Kids Stories We think our list of the best new kids books for October is sensational! It highlights some amazing books from many different genres: non-fiction, reality fiction, and fantasy. Take a gander and let us know which titles and covers catch your eye ... Read the rest of this post

Right on time for back to school, KidLit TV is teaming up with Pragmatic Mom, Jump into a Book, Franticmommy and Multicultural Children’s Book Day to give parents, teachers, and librarians a chance to win a multicultural book bundle for their school library.

School libraries play an integral role in the life of students. Many students can cite their school library as a place where a love of reading and learning is fortified. Throughout the country, budgets for school programs are being slashed, school libraries have been heavily hit. Hours for library time are cut in some schools, and non-existent in others. Furthermore, the tight budget impacts a school librarian’s ability to secure funds to purchase new books.

Starting today, September 15th and through September 30th you can enter to win a curated bundle of multicultural books featuring StoryMakers guests and additional kid lit authors.

Watch this fun video, to see some of the kid lit your school library can win!

Books featured in the giveaway bundle include:
The Whale in My Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan
Beauty and The Beast by Pat Cummings
The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh
Gone Crazy In Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia
The Seeds of Friendship by Michael Foreman
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat

PLUS three more to be announced soon!

Current and former librarians share why they believe school libraries are essential:

Happiest is the school that provides its children with access to information in all its myriad forms and has a professional on hand to help direct them. — Betsy Bird
Collection Development Manager, Evanston Public Library
School Library Journal (Fuse8)

Every child should have access to a school library accessible throughout the school day and well-stocked with materials to engage, entertain, educate, and inspire. — Matthew Winner
Library Media Specialist
The Busy Librarian
Let’s Get Busy Podcast

As a retired school librarian, I certainly know the importance of school libraries. With more and more school librarians being eliminated it is of the utmost importance that we advocate and publicize the important role they play. — Rocco Staino
Contributing Editor, School Library Journal
Director, Empire State Center for the Book
Host, KidLit TV’s StoryMakers

Here’s how it works:

• Enter to win via the Rafflecopter widget below.
• Winners are chosen randomly. We’ll notify all winners via email.
• You’ll give us the name of your librarian, and address of your school library.
• We’ll send the books to your school library, in your name!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entrants must be at least 13 years old and reside in the United States

More than 60 education and library research studies have produced clear evidence that school library programs staffed by qualified school librarians have a positive impact on student academic achievement. Yet, many students are returning to school without a resource essential for success: a strong school library program lead by a certified school librarian. — I Love Libraries

We couldn’t have done this without wonderful publishers who’ve graciously donated books. Please give a round of applause to the publishers participating our giveaway!
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
HarperCollins
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Candlewick Press
Abrams Books
Dreamscape Media
Dial Books

Want to increase your library’s chances of winning? SHARE this post with other librarians, parents and educators in your area!

ABOUT
Pragmatic Mom
Pragmatic Mom was born of several circumstances; one child’s lackluster academic year, a mishap during a reading session, and realizing it was okay for a mom to love kid lit more than adult fiction. Mia Wenjen chronicles her family’s journey through education, parenting, and children’s literature via Pragmatic Mom. Mia is a leader in literacy and parenting. She is one of the co-founders of Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

Connect with Pragmatic Mom on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Jump into a Book
Jump into a Book (JIAB) is a site about the love of children’s books and how they can be incorporated into our everyday lives through play, crafting, cooking, movies, games, traveling and author visits. At JIAB, they strive to pull books off shelves and stories off pages to create reading experiences for families. Amazon and iTunes best-selling author and founder of Audrey Press, Valarie Budayr is a play and reading advocate, whose mission is to inspire children, families, and communities to experience and create a world together through books while having fun.

Connect with Jump into a Book on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Franticmommy
Rebecca Flansburg (a.k.a Franticmommy), is a freelance writer, blogger and virtual assistant. Franticmommy.com, is filled with laughter and love about the joys of parenthood. Rebecca is also committed to helping women realize their work-from-home dreams, enjoying life beyond the cubicle, and find clarity in the work/life/family balance.

Connect with Franticmommy on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day
Multicultural Children’s Book Day’s (MCCBD) mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries.Children’s reading and play advocates Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book and Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom have teamed up to create an ambitious (and much needed) national event. On January 27th, 2014 Jump into a Book and Pragmatic Mom presented the very first Multicultural Children’s Book Day as a way of celebrating diversity in children’s books. The results and support overwhelming as authors, publishers, parents, teachers, bloggers and librarians joined forces to offer up an online event designed to shine the spotlight on diversity in children’s literature.

Connect with Multicultural Children’s Book Day on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

KidLit TV
KidLit TV is a community of authors, illustrators, educators, and parents all working together to bring great books to kids. We hope to reinforce an appreciation of reading that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Click here for more.

Connect with KidLit TV on Facebook (page), Facebook (group) Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube. Sign up for the newsletter too!

Like it? Pin it!

The post Back to School Library Book Bundle Giveaway! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

It’s a tough assignment, and the best I can do is choose five YA books that, if I were shipwrecked today, I’d want with me.

Our list of the best new kids books for September highlights some amazing books from many different genres: non-fiction, reality fiction, fantasy, and even a beautiful picture book that addresses gender identity. Take a gander and let us know which titles and covers catch your eye ... Read the rest of this post

This month's best selling kids series from The Children's Book Review's affiliate store is perfect for getting ready to go back to school, it's the new popular series Star Wars Workbooks.

This month, our best selling picture book from our affiliate store is the entertaining If You Happen to have a Dinosaur, written by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Colin Jack.

For many kids, August is back-to-school month. The stories in this month's hot new release kids books will make back-to-school (and anytime) reading a breeze.

Today I make my way to revisit an old friend, the redwood trees of Northern California. In celebration of this very fun trip, I’m re-sharing an old Jump into a Book favorite about a great read called Operation Redwood.

This is one of our favorite books and every time we read it we feel that we want to go immediately to visit the redwood trees. Today we’ll be in the Muir Forest doing just that.

Enjoy!

Maybe it was the vivid memory of being a 7 year-old and being in a car that my father drove through the middle of a huge tree. Every time I hear the word “redwood” this memory comes immediately to mind. That’s exactly what happened in the bookstore as I saw Operation Redwood by S Terrell French,a new release on the counter at the bookstore.

I immediately purchased it, took it home, and started turning pages. This is a story that doesn’t disappoint. Twelve year-old Julian Carter-Li accidentally reads an email he shouldn’t be reading only to find himself in a fight to save an old growth stand of the oldest trees in the world; the Redwoods. The story unfolds with a great sense of discovery. The children discover themselves, their values, and their shared love of an old grove of trees which has become a part of their lives.

There are many twists and turns but ultimately it was the vision and spirit of team work that led this group of young people to a brilliant success. The message is loud and clear, anyone can make a difference.

One of the reasons the children felt so connected to this grove of trees was discovery and the sharing of their discoveries. Julian didn’t know that the redwoods were in trouble. He didn’t even know it was an issue. Robin, her sister,best friend had all shared countless memories in the old grove, as well as , two big brothers who had shared a secret treehouse. Only when their sisters reached a certain age would they be told the secret of how to get up the very tall tree and into the treehouse. Julian, together with his best friend Danny, discover how to stand up for what is truly important.

With that said, it is time for us to take a journey into the woods or forest and see what we can share.

Something To Do

Let’s play ‘Into the Forest”. Here’s how we play:

• Go as a family, or a group of friends.
• Bring along any or all of these items;a camera,journal,sketchbook,pencils, and crayons
• Once in the forest, set boundaries so that no one gets lost. Use the buddy system. No one is left alone.

Now we are ready for our Scavenger Hunt. Have a look at the lists below. See how many things you can find. Be sure to look, touch, smell,listen, and watch as much as you can. Please feel free to write down your discoveries,photograph them, or just sit in wonder of sharing such a grand experience.

Look  

Dead tree               Wild flowers           pine cone        Berries          Vine        Poison Ivy

Stream                    Creek                  grass                clover leaf    Moss       Pine tree

Seeds                      pods                    soil                  eroding soil  rock         mud

sand                        fern                 y shaped twig      Trash            acorn        nuts

pine needles          tree blossoms    hole in a tree        tree stump    pond         dark leaves

light leaves            small pebbles     unusual leaves      colored rocks  different shades of color

dew                   tree fungus           season changes     caterpillars       squirrels    bird

ants                    butterfly             snails                      beetles           feather      salamander

lizard                   ladybug               spider                     spider web      birds nest   insects

deer tracks          raccoon tracks      frog                     leaf eat by insect  proof of animals

proof of people

Listen to:

Leaves under your feet           wind in the trees         sound of a bee

birds singing                           crickets                      Water running

Noises in the forests               Wet mud                     rotten wood

Wind blowing                          rocks hitting water       rocks tumbling in water

Smell:

Pine tree        flowers            Mud        grass          water       fresh air         cedar tree

Watch and share:

Animals eating                   leaves falling to the ground      spider web being built

insect in a spider web         An ant moving something         Wind blowing in the leaves

fish jumping                       moving clouds                          sunlight coming through the trees

sunrise                               sunset                                      stars in the night sky

Lightning bugs                     reflections in water                  trail markers

animal homes                       shelters

After all of your discoveries today sit with your family or group and share all of the wonderful moments you felt, heard, touched and smelled. If you have some photos of your walk into the forest that you would like to share please do so here.

You can also download this list to take with or to create a checklist for your Into the Forest adventure.

For more information about the Redwood Forest and where you can see these trees of size of yourself have a look here:

• Big Basin Redwood State Park
• Muir Woods National Monument
• Humboldt Redwoods State Park
• Redwood National and State Parks

***
Looking for a unique way to keep your kids busy this summer…and engaged with nature? The At-Home Summer Nature Camp eCurriculum is available for sale!

This 8-week eCurriculum is packed with ideas and inspiration to keep kids engaged and happy all summer long. It offers 8 kid-approved themes with outdoor activities, indoor projects, arts & crafts, recipes, field trip ideas, book & media suggestions, and more. The curriculum, now available for download, is a full-color PDF that can be read on a computer screen or tablet, or printed out. Designed for children ages 5-11, it is fun and easily adaptable for all ages!

The At-Home Summer Nature Camp eGuide is packed with ideas & inspiration to keep your kids engaged all summer long. This unique eCurriculum is packed with ideas & inspiration from a group of creative “camp counselors.” Sign up, or get more details, HERE

The post Operation Redwood Revisited {Great Fiction Book for Kids!} appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

This month's best selling kids series from The Children's Book Review's affiliate store is perfect for avoiding the summer slide, it's the new popular series Star Wars Workbooks.

It's true TCBR readers are fans of Star Wars! That's why, this month, Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary - The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga is The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book.

This month, our best selling picture book from our affiliate store is the gorgeously illustrated Gaston, written by Kelly DiPucchio and pictures by Christian Robinson.

If you love books as much as we do, we know you'll love our selection of titles that highlights some of the best new kids books; including a never-before-seen picture book by Dr. Seuss and some highly anticipated sequels!

And we thought May was a tough month to select the best new kids books! June has so many awesome books to dive into this summer.

“The best book recommendations come from other people. Consider this board to be a collection of the best books you read with or to your child, or that your child enjoys. From picture books, easy readers, graphic novels, historical fiction, biography, non-fiction, chapter books, easy chapters books, young adult and more, I’d love to get your favorite books!”

For quite some time now a bunch of bloggers and book lovers (me included) have been adding our book reading gems to the Best Books for Kids Pinterest that was created and organized by the wonderful Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom.com. This Board has over 100 contributors almost 800 Pins and over 29K Followers.

I’ve gotten to where I faithfully Pin my kidlit book picks to this Board, but it’s been awhile since I’ve actually looked at the other picks from the other contributors. Once I settle into my nice comfy chair and a steaming cup of tea, what I found within the Pins of this Board did not disappoint. Here are my top picks for some great summer reading for your family:

2015 Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards & Kid Lit Blog Hop from PragmaticMom

10 Children’s Books About Composers from Look, We’re Learning!

Alice(s) In Wonderland at Julia’s Book Bag

12 Great Fiction Books For Your Teen from Home & Plate

2015 Non-Fiction Picture Books for Kids: Sports, Science, Bios, History and More!-A Book Long Enough –

Middle School Summer Reading List for Grades 6-8 from The Jenny Evolution

See for yourself and follow along!

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Best Books for Kids on Pinterest.

Looking for a unique way to keep your kids busy this summer…and engaged with nature? The At-Home Summer Nature Camp eCurriculum is available for sale!

This 8-week eCurriculum is packed with ideas and inspiration to keep kids engaged and happy all summer long. It offers 8 kid-approved themes with outdoor activities, indoor projects, arts & crafts, recipes, field trip ideas, book & media suggestions, and more. The curriculum, now available for download, is a full-color PDF that can be read on a computer screen or tablet, or printed out. Designed for children ages 5-11, it is fun and easily-adaptable for all ages!

The At-Home Summer Nature Camp eGuide is packed with ideas & inspiration to keep your kids engaged all summer long. This unique eCurriculum is packed with ideas & inspiration from a group of creative “camp counselors.” Sign up, or get more details, HERE

The post Weekend Links-the “Best Books for Kids” Pinterest Board appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

This month our best selling picture book from our affiliate store remains the same. It's the gorgeously illustrated Sleep Like a Tiger, written by Mary Lougue and pictures by Pamela Zagarenski.

This month, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Book 1, by Jeff Kinney, is The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book.

This month our best selling picture book from our affiliate store is the gorgeously illustrated Sleep Like a Tiger, written by Mary Lougue and pictures by Pamela Zagarenski.