I am a writer, educator, and mother. Finding books in local libraries or bookstores is necessary so children will read a diverse assortment of stories that teach a lesson and engage their interest. I’ve found that all young children at home and in schools like books with interesting pictures that they can follow along. Children want to share stories and have time to read and absorb the content. Sometimes children see details in illustrations that adults might not notice. Kids learn in different ways. These books will capture the child’s attention and teach about kindness, friendship, and determination.
This story about the love between siblings warms my heart. After an older brother makes a promise to his younger brother regarding a keepsake toy that had been in the family for generations, the toy is found in disrepair. The older brother is heartbroken that the toy which meant so much to him cannot be cherished by his brother. Unbeknownst to the older boy, his father and grandfather work all day before Christmas to repair the toy and place it under the tree on Christmas. A great story about how important a special toy is for children and adults.
New York Times bestselling collaborators Mary Higgins Clark and Wendell Minor tell a touching Christmas story of a heartwarming family celebration and the meaning of Christmas.
Johnny's wish had come true. His family would be visiting his grandparents for Christmas. His grandparents lived in an old house in New England where his father had been born. The family together, the smells of the cookies baking, the snowy Christmas tree farm with trees of so many shapes and sizes, and most of all the wooden horse he had told his brother Liam about would make this the best Christmas ever. In…
I like how Santa Mouse, Santa’s little mouse friend, wrapped a special present and took good care of it, despite falling from Santa’s sleigh and getting lost. Santa Mouse wouldn’t let the present out of his grip until he found a special Christmas tree inside a house with a special light to set the present on. The book shows the reader the importance of using care to protect something treasured. Santa Mouse’s determination pays off. This is a great message for kids.
Santa's littlest helper gets lost and must find his way back to Santa's sleigh in time to save Christmas in this delightful holiday picture book.
Every Christmas, Santa Mouse becomes Santa's little helper. This year, when Santa's ready to take off in his sleigh, Santa Mouse scurries onto his shoulder-only to fall off into the deep, dark snowy ground below. How will he ever find Santa and help him deliver presents to the children?
1184 BCE. Ramesses III, who will become the last of the great pharaohs, is returning home from battle. He will one day assume the throne of the Egyptian empire, and the plots against him and his children have already started. Even a god can die.
I loved this story and how Suzy was willing to go the extra mile to make Christmas special for her friends. Suzy is a caring goose who would do anything to make the outside Christmas tree aglow with the brightest star in the sky. When she flies off hilltops and wanders far away from her friends, she doesn’t stay lost very long as her friend's onomatopoeia calls lead her back home, and Suzy discovers a special surprise on the tree. The book shows miracles do happen.
Suzy, the silly goose with a mind of her own, returns in a brand new read-aloud Christmas picture book.
When Suzy Goose decides that the Christmas tree is missing a star, she sets off on a journey to fetch the shiny star in the sky. No matter how far she travels, she never reaches it. But when she finds herself back at the tree, everyone has a beautiful Christmas surprise!
Snow Sounds may seem like a simple book on onomatopoeia, but the beautiful illustrations tell their own story of community workers, a boy, and the boy’s family working together to make sure the boy can get to school on time and deliver a specially wrapped gift. Readers will smile at the illustrations as they absorb the story’s message.
Sweep, crunch, swoosh, scrape . . . All night long, snow falls silently, bringing forth a world blanketed in white—and a very noisy day. For at dawn’s light, machine, man, and child begin to dig out: first the big highway grader and snowplow, then the smaller town plow, a father’s snow blower, and a boy’s shovel . . . But will the streets get cleared in time?
Spare poetry and elegant watercolor paintings cleverly bring to life this unique story of snow removal and the fun onomatopoeic sounds accompanying it.
Two women, a century apart, seek to rebuild their lives after leaving their homelands. Arriving in tropical Singapore, they find romance, but also find they haven’t left behind the dangers that caused them to flee.
Haunted by the specter of terrorism after 9/11, Aislinn Givens leaves her New York career…
Bear Stays Up for Christmas skillfully portrays how friends will work together to help each other achieve their goals. The book also shows that each of us is unique, and we cannot be expected to do everything exactly the same as our friends. The message of kindness, friendship, acceptance is clear throughout the story.
Celebrate the holidays with Bear and his friends in this sweet picture book from bestselling author Karma Wilson!
Bear’s friends are determined to keep Bear awake for Christmas! So they wake Bear up and have him help them find a Christmas tree, bake cakes, hang up stockings, and sing Christmas songs. Bear stays up—by discovering that giving is one of the best Christmas presents of all!
When a new visitor comes to the North Pole, Piper the Elf learns about patience as she struggles to teach the stubborn reindeer, Stomper, how to fly. Throughout the story, Piper shows perseverance and a growth mindset in helping her new friend learn how to fly. Despite Piper's efforts, Stomper refuses to cooperate, and Santa leaves on Christmas Eve without the little reindeer. When Piper discovers Santa forgot to pack a special gift, Stomper pushes past his fear and flies Piper and the gift to Santa. Piper and the young reindeer discover the special gift was for Stomper. Santa can be tricky as well as jolly!
Dolça Llull Prat, a wealthy Barcelona woman, is only 15 when she falls in love with an impoverished poet-solder. Theirs is a forbidden relationship, one that overcomes many obstacles until the fledgling writer renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his bestseller.
Brother. Do. You. Love. Me. is a true story of brotherly love overcoming all. Reuben, who has Down's syndrome, was trapped in a care home during the pandemic, spiralling deeper into a non-verbal depression. From isolation and in desperation, he sent his older brother Manni a text, "brother. do. you.…
