Here are 100 books that Truman fans have personally recommended if you like
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If you want to live your best life, youāll need to face some fears. Iāve faced a lot of my fears: great white sharks, sky-diving, caves, spiders, meat sauces. Iām still scared, but what else can I do? Stay in bed my whole life? I love writing and illustrating for kids. Itās how Iāve spent the last twenty years. Iāve written and/or illustrated almost fifty books. The scariest part is figuring out how to start. Thinking of an ending is scary too. Then thereās all that stuff in the middle. Ugh! My first books about facing fears were Hippo and Rabbit. Now, Scaredy Cats. Fear gives me ideas!
I feel like I lived this story as a kid. Iāll bet a lot of kids do. A young boy overcomes his fear of the high dive.
Step by step, Gaia Cornwall takes us through Jabariās jump. Jabari starts by telling his dad heās not scared at all. He clearly is. He delays, makes excuses. Dad never pushes. He wants this to be Jabariās decision, Jabariās victory. Itās so relatable, the perspective even changes to first person once Jabari is high above the pool.
Everything rings true. Itās exactly what a scared kid would say and do. Itās exactly what I said and did when I was Jabariās age trying to summon my own courage on the high dive. Except when I hit the water, my swim trunks fell off.
Working up the courage to take a big, important leap is hard, but Jabari is almost absolutely ready to make a giant splash.
In a sweet tale of overcoming your fears, debut author-illustrator Gaia Cornwall captures a moment at the swimming pool between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can't help but root for. Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swimming test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared at all. "Looks easy," says Jabari, watching the other kids take theirā¦
Iām a picture book writer who struggles with anxiety. Some things that seem like no big deal to most people can become a very big worry for me (like Giraffe worries about Spider in It Will Be OK). I found that identifying and naming our emotionsāin this case fearāmakes it easier to address our feelings and work through them. I want to share my experience of being fearful of things, both big and small, with children to let them know they are not alone and they can have power over scary emotions.
I love this bookās unique approach to sharing a story about fear ā it lists all the wild ruminations that can run through our minds. In this case, itās a dog Sukie who is not enjoying a trip to the beach because, among other worries, there might be lobsters! Sukieās list of fears grows and grows as the story goes on, and she is paralyzed in the sand ā until her precious toy Chunka Munka is swept into the water. Sukie lets love overpower her fear and jumps into the water without a worry to save her precious friend. Itās a wonderful story about what we are willing to do to overcome our fear for the sake of others.
Come on, Sukie, you can do it! A little dogās paralyzing anxiety gives way to bravery when someone smaller is in need in this humorous, tenderly sympathetic story.
Lots of things at the beach scare Sukie. Lots. Because she is just a small dog, and the stairs are big and sandy, and the waves are big and whooshy, and the balls are big and beachy. And besides, there might be lobsters. With endearing illustrations and a perfectly paced text that captures a timid pupās looping thoughts, here is a funny and honest read-aloud about how overwhelming the world can beā¦
Iām a picture book writer who struggles with anxiety. Some things that seem like no big deal to most people can become a very big worry for me (like Giraffe worries about Spider in It Will Be OK). I found that identifying and naming our emotionsāin this case fearāmakes it easier to address our feelings and work through them. I want to share my experience of being fearful of things, both big and small, with children to let them know they are not alone and they can have power over scary emotions.
As an expert worrier, I really related to this book about a spunky girl named Ruby who one day discovers a worry. What I love about this book is that the worry is illustrated, so we can see its intimidating facial expression and watch it grow in size. The worry follows Ruby to all her favorite placesāthe school bus, the swing set, the moviesāand it prevents her from doing what she loves. But itās not until she spots another worry sitting with a boy that she is able to face her fear about the worry and do the best thing ever ā talk about it. I love how this story shows children that talking about our feelings gives us power and strength to work through them.
The beloved picture book about what to do when a worry won't leave you at alone -- perfect for reassuring young readers in times of stress.
Meet Ruby -- a happy, curious, imaginative young girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger . . . and a little bigger . . . . Until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about.
But when Ruby befriends a young boy, she discovers that everyone has worries, and not onlyā¦
Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: āAre his love songs closer to heaven than dying?ā Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard itā¦
Growing up in an Iraqi Jewish immigrant family in Sydney, Australia, meant that I was always different, without the words or emotional tools to navigate the world around me. Luckily, I was a reader, and so I learned through books Social Emotional Learning (SEL) tools to deal with anxiety and loneliness and develop qualities of empathy, bravery, and the understanding that we donāt have to be the same but can celebrate our cultural and personal differences. Reading with children is a wonderful opportunity to enter their worlds whilst building their social and emotional skills, such as managing emotions, problem-solving, and creating positive relationships.
This is one of my favorite books about how to deal with fear. Fear is such a natural emotion, and sometimes it can be really intense; I loved how Francesca Sanna introduces Fear as a cute character, which children and adults can both relate to.
I know what itās like to be a new kid in a new country, so when Fear grows so big that Fear overwhelms the little girl and takes over, I really felt for her. Of course, bravery is called for to overcome Fear and make friends with a new boy. For me, the most reassuring message was that the new friend also has his Fear character, who he carries with him, as we all do.
A beautiful tale of conquering fears and spreading empathy from award-winning author and illustrator Francesca Sanna.When a young girl has to travel to a new country and start at a new school, her Fear tells her to be alone and afraid. How can she hope to make friends if she doesn't understand their language?
A heart-warming and relevant new tale from the bestselling author and illustrator of The Journey, this book shows us the importance of sharing your Fear with others - after all, everyone carries a Fear with them, even if it's small enough to fit into their pocket!
As a kid, I was obsessed with the fantastical, especially when it came to books. I was constantly trying to find my own door to Narnia to go off on an incredible adventure. While I never found a door that led to another world, I found that books offered me a similar experienceā¦and all from the comfort of my fave places to read. Magic is still something Iām enthralled with and love exploring in books I read as well as the ones I write. And these are some of my favorite magical graphic novels.
This story plays more on our own insecurities and how that can take on a form of its own that torments us. Young people donāt always have the experience to put to words the things theyāre feeling but not knowing if weāre good enough and the anxiety that stems from that is very relatable and universal. Lorena Alvarez does an incredible job of telling a story that weaves that in while presenting stunning, jaw-dropping art to her audience.
Every night, tiny stars appear out of the darkness in Sandy's bedroom. Sandy catches them and creates wonderful creatures to play with until she falls asleep, and in the morning brings them back to life in the whimsical drawings that cover her room. One day, a mysterious pale girl called Morfie appears at school and is fascinated by Sandy's drawings in a way that no one else has been before. But there is a price to pay for this new friendship...
Iām someone who has had a lot of pets in my lifeāādogs, fish, birds, turtles, tortoisesāāwhich means Iām also someone who has had a lot of pets in my life die, because the worst thing about pets is they donāt live as long as we do. I spent ten years writing Good Grief, but really, Iāve been researching Good Grief my whole life, ever since my first pet died. This list includes some classics I loved when I was a kid, and some newer titles that I learned about while researching Good Grief. All are wonderful and will be a balm during a hard time.
I have always had a soft spot for turtles and tortoises (I currently have two pet red-foot tortoises, Terrence and Twyla) and so I love this book because it deals with the loss of a more unusual pet.
Lots of people have dogs and cats, so often the death of a canine or feline pet is easier for others to understandāābut people get sad about all kinds of pets dying, everything from tortoises to tarantulas. I wish Iād had this picture book when my first pet tortoise, Aristotle, ran away when I was in middle school.
Even people I know who love, love, love their dogs and cats didnāt fully get why I was so upset about ājust a reptile.ā But Nan Forler totally gets it! Tortoises are the best.
This comforting and gently humorous picture book about bereavement and the strength of friendship shows how a child overcomes the sadness of her beloved pet's death.
Bernadette and Rodney are the best of friends. Rodney's not so good at playing cards, but he's great at staring contests. His favorite food is lettuce, though he eats it VERRRRRRY SLOOOOOWLY. And he's such a joker! When Bernadette goes to sleep at night, Rodney is always there, watching over her from his tank.
As the seasons pass, Rodney moves slower and slower, until one day he stops moving at all. Without Rodney, Bernadetteā¦
Neuroscience PhD student Frankie Conner has finally gotten her life togetherāsheās determined to discover the cause of her depression and find a cure for herself and everyone like her. But the first day of her program, she meets a group of talking animals who have an urgent message they refuseā¦
The Windward Road is a whimsical yet eye-opening account of the lesser-explored communities who hunted and ate turtles along the Caribbean coast of Central America and islands in the Caribbean Sea. Although Archie Carr was a renowned herpetologist, he was also a superb storyteller. His adventures will undoubtedly make you laugh, squirm, and empathize with the turtles and the communities that hunted them.
Originally published in 1956, The Windward Road helped set in motion a movement to protect sea turtles that spread throughout the world and remains strong today. Archie Carr's unmatched style of nature writing, accessible to experienced naturalists and laypersons alike, explores some of nature's darkest mysteries with humour and much delight. His delightful stories of exploring the Caribbean while researching green turtles brings to life his deep passion for the people and biological diversity of the tropics.
Iāve loved both nature and writing since childhood. My birdwatching and prior work as a geologist have taken me to the coasts, forests, and grasslands of New England, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Brazil, and beyond. Through it all, Iāve kept my pen busy writing about my adventures. A former writer-in-residence at the Shoals Marine Laboratory in Maine and beach naturalist with the Seattle Aquarium, I now teach at Smith College in Massachusetts, where I live with my family, many notebooks, and a garden full of native plants and wild birds.
This story about two kidsā efforts to save endangered Blandingās turtles reminded me of beautiful days in my childhood.
One summer, I worked for a biologist on a census of rare spotted turtles. Milesā and Piaās adventures, and all this bookās careful details, brought me back to the sound of our paddles cutting the water, monstrous snapping turtles floating past, and the elbow-deep plunge to pull the black shell and gleaming yellow spots of our target from the weeds.
I also related to the struggles of Rennās protagonist, Miles, as he flips between the hyper focus and distractibility of ADHD. I rooted for him all the way through his mistakes and victories to protect the wildlife of Turtle Pond against a mysterious enemy.
When eleven-year-old Miles moves to Marsh Hollow, heās desperate for a fresh start. At his last school, his ADHD-related challenges earned him a reputation as a troublemaker and cost him his friends, especially after he lost a beloved class pet. With just one chance to make a first impression, āMayhem Milesā is determined to do something great in this town. Like solving a mystery. After witnessing people burying something in his neighborās backyard one night, heās sure thereās troubleāand this time, itās not his fault. When his other neighbor, Pia, invites him to join the Backyard Rangers to help protectā¦
Iām a contemporary mystery junkie. Realistic tales always grab my attention. A touch of romance never hurts. In college, one professor suggested the old āwrite what you knowā approach. I donāt know everything, but I know what I like. Mysteries! I thrive on distinctive characters, those who are willing to put every effort into getting to the bottom of the situation. Sharp, tight dialogue and descriptions are essential. Give me that, and Iāll be back for more. This is my passion. Come along if you want a thrill and a surprise or two.
This book has all the ingredients for an engaging story. I loved the way Mannersly sets the stage, with Dylan, the slightly older supervisor, whoās obviously smitten with the lovely Kyra and the bossās spoiled son, Max, who seems to have caught her eye as well.
Using the marine science center in Australia as the setting works perfectly. Identifying and stopping poachers from stealing turtle eggs from their nests puts a nice twist on the usual crime-related stories. Mannersly does a wonderful job of creating realistic and believable characters. Great dialogue and descriptive passages tie this story together.
Dylan OāDay has been an exemplary marine biologist for years, constantly devoted to the protection and preservation of the natural world. Yet lately, he has a new passion, one thatās distracting his once focused thoughts. Though a decade older than her and her trusted mentor, Dylan hasnāt been able to stop thinking about the new intern. Heās never met a person quite like Kyra before, someone so genuine and caring, and who understands his love of environmental conservation. Itās just too bad his age and situation put him in an ethical dilemma. Should he risk it all for a chanceā¦
Forsaking Home is a story about the life of a man who wants a better future for his children. He and his wife decide to join Earth's first off-world colony. This story is about risk takers and courageous settlers and what they would do for more freedom.
The role of the parable is an important one to help understand the roots of right and wrong. We live in such a fractured and untrusting world, that I think itās important to rediscover the simple truths of honesty and integrity over-ambition, and the pursuit of power for its own sake. And so, I have an interest in the topic because I am a citizen hoping for a better world, and an expertise in the subject because Iām a father raising two children in that same fractious environment.
Dr. Seuss is the master of the parable. Yertle the Turtle is a classic example of an illustrated picture book with a point about the pitfalls of unbridled ambition, and while I chose this book to highlight, The Lorax is another great example of a story with an equally consequential moral.
In this hilarious book, featuring three timeless fables, Dr. Seuss explores the pitfalls of growing too big for your boots!
King Yertle the Turtle soon learns the pitfalls of becoming too big for your boots, in the first tale in this hilarious trio of classic Dr. Seuss fables!
As part of a major rebrand programme, HarperCollins is relaunching Dr. Seuss's bestselling books, including such perennial favourites as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and Fox in Socks. In response to consumer demand, the bright new cover designs incorporate much needed guidance on reading levels, with the standardā¦