Soldier's Night Before Christmas

Author: Christine Ford, Trish Holland
Illustrator: John Manders
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 2+

Over the course of four Christmas seasons at Barnes and Noble, there was something that really stood out to me. Something like 25% of the Christmas books that came in each year were all Night Before Christmas books. If you go into a bookstore kid's department right now you'll see what I mean. They're EVERYWHERE! There are dozens of different versions of this favorite, both in the form of the original poem accompanied by different illustrators' works and themed variations on the original poem(Teacher's Night Before Christmas, Louisiana Night Before Christmas, etc). A few times I actually set up entire displays that were nothing but Night Before Christmas.

When I pulled this variation out of a box one year, I instantly fell in love. This book is a great way to lift the spirits, especially for families of deployed service members. This is all the same landmarks and flow of the original Clement Moore poem, but instead of being about a father in his house on Christmas Eve, it is about a soldier in an outpost in Iraq. It is fun and silly, service members themselves will laugh their heads of at the portrayal of Santa and his sleigh. This book makes a fantastic gift for any military family. On a more serious note, this book would also be excellent for any child of a deployed service member who is worried about whether Santa will make it to their parent overseas.

Gingerbread Pirates

Author: Kristin Kladstrup
Illustrator: Matt Tavares
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 2+

I absolutely LOVE this book! It came out with last year's round of Christmas releases and it is such a fun story. It is all about the the gingerbread cookies, decorated as pirates, who come to life after being left out on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus. They run from the cookie plate and are trying to rescue their friends from the cookie jar when Santa comes down the chimney. Instead of eating them as they thought, he turns them into wooden pirates on the toy ship he had brought for the little boy who lives in the house. With lively, colorful illustrations and such a fun filled adventure story, this will quickly become a holiday favorite.

Holiday Books Galore!

Hi everyone! Now that Thanksgiving break is over and I'm back, I wanted to let everyone know that from now to New Years is going to be a holiday book bonanza here on my reading list. And I won't just be covering Christmas books. I'll also be listing some Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and general winter books. Stay tuned for lots of great holiday book ideas! 

The Westing Game

Author: Ellen Raskin
Formats: Paperback
              Hardcover 
Pages: 192
Recommended Age: 8+

Now here is a classic for the ages. This was one of my all time favorite books I read(and remember) when I was a kid! This is an old-fashioned style mystery. An old millionaire invites a number of, what seem to be, strangers to his hotel for unknown reasons. When he is found dead, it turns out that they are all beneficiaries in his will, except that they won't all inherit anything. The will lays out a puzzle, and whoever solves it gets everything! What follows is a riddle to rival any murder-mystery party, along with fun, crazy antics, and and intrigue.

This is a definite must have and, for most kids, its on at least one of those recommended reading lists they're supposed to read from. Special note, I know its a murder mystery and while their are a couple of relatively suspenseful moments, there's nothing any more scary than in a movie like Disney's The Aristocats, so no need to worry about scaring your kid with it.

Is this book the right reading level for my child?

I just wanted to take a few minutes to talk about reading levels. With practice, you can start to recognize, just by flipping through a book, approximately what reading level it is or whether it is an appropriate level for your child. Many teachers, however, actually have a basic rule of thumb for determining whether a specific book is appropriate for a specific child. This will generally work with most children/books that are no longer easy readers but are in to chapter books.

What you do is sit the child down and open the book to any full(top to bottom) page. Have the child read the page aloud and note any words the child does not know. If there are more than 5 the book is too challenging and your child is likely to get frustrated and unhappy reading it. If there are 2 or less the book is below their level and will not provide much challenge or growth in reading ability.

Hope this is helpful for everyone!

A Countess Below Stairs

Author: Eva Ibbotson
Format: Paperback
Pages: 383
Recommended Age: 8+

This is a fun, entertaining historical fiction for girls. It is the story of a young Russian countess whose family is forced to flee to England during the revolution. In order to help her family survive, Anna takes a position as a servant in noble English household. The story draws a number of parallels to the classic Cinderella as Anna develops feelings for Rupert, the young Earl whose household she works for. It even has the classic evil stepmother(in this case, Rupert's spoiled, mean-spirited fiance). This is a fun, lighthearted story rich with historical context.

While the book is technically classified as a teen book, the content is perfectly appropriate for younger girls, as long as their reading level is up to it.


Other Historical Fiction for teens from Eva Ibbotson:
   

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

Author: Barack Obama
Illustrator: Loren Long
Formats: Hardcover
Pages: 40
Recommended Age: 5+


Just out today! This wonderful book is a small history lesson in the form of a letter. President Obama finished writing it just before taking office. The book is written as a letter addressed to his daughters about the American legacy. It details the lives of thirteen prominent Americans from history, from George Washington to Georgia O'Keeffe and Jackie Robinson. He does a wonderful job of tying history to the potential the future holds in what is, for all intents and purposes, an illustration of the "you can be anything you want to be" lesson we all tell out children. It is a beautiful showcase of those in the past who helped create and follow the classic American Dream.

With stunning illustrations by Loren Long(Otis and Toy Boat), this is a must have for any child's bookshelf. And with all proceeds benefiting children of fallen and disabled soldiers, it will be money well spent!

Easy Reader Classics: Wind in the Willows

 

Author: Kenneth Grahame, adapted by Laura Driscoll
Recommended Age: 4-6
Titles: #1 The Riverbank
         #2 The Open Road
         #3 The Wild Wood
         #4 Home Sweet Home
         #5 Sneaky Toad
         #6 Restless Rat

Wind in the Willows is a great story for younger kids. Unfortunately, they're simply not at that reading level! This series solves that problem. It is a series of beginning readers of stories taken directly from the classic book and adapted for the easy reader format. Kids love the fun filled stories of Mole, Badger, Rat, and Toad(and if they've ever been to Disneyland, they'll recognize the story of Sneaky Toad from the Mr Toad's Wild Ride!). I would estimate that, based on series such as Step Into Reading and I Can Read!, these are approximately level 2 beginning readers.

Runny Babbit: a billy sook

Author: Shel Silverstein
Format: Hardcover with CD
Pages: 89
Recommended Age:4-8

A lesser known Silverstein book, this is actually one of my favorites. It is a collection of the same silly style of poetry we all know and love from Shel Silverstein, but with an added twist! In this book, all the poems incorporate word-flipping, where the first letters of words next to each other are switched, often with hilarious results. Your tongue will twist around these fun-filled rhymes and silly stories.

 

14 Cows for America

Author: Carmen Agra Deedy in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah
Illustrator: Thomas Gonzalez
Format: Hardcover picture book
Pages: 29
Recommended Age: 2+


14 Cows For America is a beautiful story of generosity in the wake of September 11th. The story is told by Kimeli, a young man from the remote Maasai tribe in Kenya. When he returns to relate the story of September 11th to his tribe, they offer the humble gift of 14 cows because, "To the Maasai, the cow is life". 

This heartwarming tale is complimented by stunning illustrations in a style reminiscent of African art. It would be a wonderful, gentle way to introduce the topic of September 11th to a child. The book would also be an asset to any elementary classroom. It is a reminder that the world community can and will rally around us in the face of tragedy, as well as a lesson that sometimes the value of a gift lies in the sentiment behind it. After all, what do you give the country that has everything?