Need a good book for March break? Even though they get a break from school, kids should read regularly during their holiday from school. Below are some good books for children!
Sue Kim, photos by Tilde
Little Simon
2010, 12 pages
ISBN: 9781416994350
ages 2+
How Does a Seed Grow? provides simple needs for seeds to grow into plants. The seeds featured in the book are tomato, blueberry, bell pepper, pea and orange. For each plant there is a large, foldout page showing a photo of the plant growing on one side with a photo of a child holding the fruit or vegetable on the other side.
This is a good book to get young children interested in gardening.
Alison Inches, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli
Little Simon
2010, 22 pages
ISBN: 9781416995142
ages 3+
I Can Save the Ocean!: The Little Green Monster Cleans Up the Beach is an entertaining and educational book about how Max, the Little Green Monster, discovers garbage in and around the ocean and vows to help clean up all of the trash. First, Max must learn how all of the pollution reaches the ocean. After investigating where all of the trash in the ocean originates, Max sets about making things better. Not only does Max set a good example of how to be green, he teaches his friends how to be green monsters.
The informative story is complemented with fun illustrations. Definitions for such words and terms as "recycled paper", "biodegradable", "pollution" and "tide pools" are included.
Besides the important message of the book, I liked the fact that the pages are printed on 100% recycled paper.
Emily Sollinger, illustrated by Jo Brown
Little Simon
2010, 10 pages
ISBN: 9781416978213
ages 3+
Another fun, "green" book for young children is This Is Our World: A Story About Taking Care of the Earth. This simple 10-page book shows how we can make the Earth a more beautiful place by planting trees, cleaning up pollution, recycling and planting vegetables. The colourful book is made "from 70% recycled material" and includes two puzzles. By collecting puzzle pieces found throughout the book and placing them in a designated spot on the last page of the book you will create two puzzles.
Ursula K. Le Guin, illustrated by S. D. Schindler
Orchard Books
2009, 26 pages
ISBN: 9780545042161
ages 3+
What does a cat dream about? When a cat falls asleep after playing he dreams. He dreams of raining mice, he dreams that all of the dogs have run away. He dreams of kibbles and cream and of climbing a catnip tree. When his dream has him falling out of the tree, he wakes up and goes to sleep in his human guardian's lap.
The fun story is complemented with excellent illustrations.
Jim Arnosky
Scholastic Press
2009, 32 pages
ISBN: 9780439903646
ages 3+
I'm a Turkey is an informative book for young children that provides some basic information about wild turkeys. Tom is a wild turkey in a flock of 102 wild turkeys. Young readers will enjoy the good illustrations while learning such things as how wild turkeys communicate, how they fly and how much they weigh. I'm a Turkey is a good nature book for young children.
Natalie Russell
Macmillan Children's Books
2009, 26 pages
ISBN: 9780230701472
ages 4+
Moon Rabbit is an entertaining book for young children about a rabbit, Little Rabbit, who enjoys living in the city. At night though, Little Rabbit wonders if there might be another rabbit out there who she could play with. When Little Rabbit meets Brown Rabbit in a park they become good friends. But Little Rabbit longs to return to the city that is her home that she likes so much. What will happen when Little Rabbit returns home?
Moon Rabbit is a nice book with colourful illustrations that young children will enjoy.
Richard Brassey
Orion Children's Books
2000, 24 pages
ISBN: 9781444000573
ages 4+
A good children's book by Richard Brassey is Greyfriars Bobby: The Classic Story of the Most Famous Dog in Scotland. Brassey tells of Greyfriars Bobby - a Skye Terrier who spent 14 years "faithfully guarding his master's grave" in Scotland.
Besides covering the dog's loyal act, Brassey also looks at the small dog's life and friends that he made. Brassey also addresses some of the wrong information associated with the story along with a statue of Greyfriars Bobby that was put up in Edinburgh of Scotland's most famous dog!
Richard Brassey
Orion Children's Books
1996, 24 pages
ISBN: 9781444000566
ages 4+
Another good book by Richard Brassey is Nessie: The Loch Ness Monster which provides a fun history of the world's favourite "monster". Children will enjoy the illustrations as well as how Nessie may live in Loch Ness, how she possibly came to be there as well as some of the reported sightings of her.
Magic Pickle and the Creature from the Black Legume
Scott Morse
Graphix
2009, 121 pages
ISBN: 9780545138864
ages 7+
Jo Jo Wigman is a girl with a fairly normal family that includes parents and her brother Jason. What's not normal is Jo Jo's roomate who lives under her bedroom floor. Jo Jo's roommate is a super hero. He's the Magic Pickle!
In the latest Magic Pickle book by Scott Morse (Magic Pickle and the Creature from the Black Legume), the Magic Pickle and Jo Jo fight the Black Legume who has gone on a field trip to Pete's Perfect Peanuts, a peanut butter factory, where Jo Jo and her class were going to learn how peanuts became peanut butter, peanut oil and peanut-filled candy bars. Unfortunately, the evil Black Legume immobilizes everyone by covering them in chunky peanut butter. The Black Legume's goal is to rule the world. Can he do it or will Jo Jo and the Magic Pickle save the day?
This fun chapter book with humourous illustrations is the latest Magic Pickle book.
Ian Graham
Silver Dolphin Books
2007, 31 pages
ISBN: 9781592237586
ages 7+
Solar System is another book in the "3-D Explorer" series. Recommended for children 7 years old and older, it includes such topics as: the solar system, Earth in space, landing on Mars, orbiting Earth, space rocks, gas giants and much more. The illustrations are very good and the text is informative and presented in an easy to understand manner. The text and illustrations are complemented by five very cool, 3-D pop-up scenes of the planets, landing on Mars, orbiting the Earth, moon missions and a comet strike.
Solar System: A Journey to the Planets and Beyond will keep children who are interested in space entertained and informed!
David Suzuki and Kathy Vanderlinden
Greystone Books
2001, 127 pages
ISBN: 9781550548235
Looking for some eco-activities to keep your children entertained? Eco-Fun: Great Projects, Experiments and Games for a Greener Earth is full of interesting activities and experiments that children will enjoy while they learn about the environment.
Some of the projects in the book are: watching plants make oxygen, making "green" cleaners, making soil, making a composter, making veggie chili, making a solar water heater, making paper, planting a tree and making a diary of a tree.
The instructions (including illustrations) for doing the various activities are good and there is an informative glossary at the end of the book.
One criticism that I have pertains to some activities where animals are kept in captivity, even briefly, e.g. "Worm World" where a wormery is created and "Autumn Bug Hunt" where insects are captured. While the authors do say to return the animals where they were found, I think it is important not to capture them in the first place.
Meredith Badger
Scholastic Canada Ltd.
2006, 151 pages
ISBN: 9780545989756
ages 7+
Fairy School Drop-Out is a fun book about a fairy, Elly, who doesn't like all the things that go together with being a fairy. Elly likes to skateboard to school, which isn't allowed, as opposed to flying with other fairies. Elly also doesn't enjoy learning spells, which also is important for fairies, and she doesn't look after her wand very well. Elly's less than good behaviour (she even turned one of her teachers purple - twice) got her expelled from two fairy schools.
For Elly things began to get better when she met Jess, a human neighbour. Although fairies aren't supposed to get caught in a human's house, Elly broke the role when she attempted to retrieve her younger sister.
Will Elly and Jess become friends? Will Elly get expelled from her third school?
You'll have to read Fairy School Drop-Out to find out.
Chris D'Lacey
Orchard Books
2009, 104 pages
ISBN: 9780545168151
ages 7+
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Chris D'Lacey's "The Last Dragon Chronicles" which contains the books: The Fire Within, Icefire, Fire Star and The Fire Eternal (highly recommended, ages 9+).
The Dragons of Wayward Crescent: Gruffen features characters in that series, namely Lucy Pennykettle and her mother Elizabeth and the dragons created by Elizabeth Pennykettle.
In this book Lucy is scared of a monster in her bedroom and Mrs. Pennykettle makes a guard dragon, Gruffen, to protect her. Once Gruffen finds out who the "monster" is, he helps the animal find a new home which she so desperately needs.
Interesting story about dragons is mixed in with information about nature. Children who enjoy "The Dragons of Wayward Crescent" series will enjoy "The Last Dragon Chronicles" series.
The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Completely Fantastical Editiion
Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2009, 594 pages
ISBN: 9781416986850
ages 8+
The Spiderwick Chronicles is a wonderful story told in a
series of five books: The Field Guide,
The Seeing Stone, Lucinda’s Secret, The Ironwood Tree and The
Wrath of Mulgarath.
The exciting adventure features three children – Jared
Grace, his twin brother Simon and their sister Mallory who, along with their
mother, have moved into an old, ramshackle mansion. While in their new home the
Grace children discover the book “Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the
Fantastical World Around You” which describes faeries and other creatures who
live in and near the Grace mansion. The field guide was written by Arthur
Spiderwick – a distant relative of the children – and contains information on
boggarts, goblins, elves, sprites and other beings. Unfortunately, discovering
the field guide brings with it lots of trouble as it is a much wanted book and
places the Graces in immediate danger.
This impressive collection contains all five books in the
series along with “three recently unearthed bonus chapters”, a Spiderwick gallery
and “Tony DiTerlizz’s Sketchbook” which contains lots of sketches of the
characters in the book. Numerous wonderful illustrations are featured
throughout the story.
Children of all ages will enjoy this wonderful adventure!
Lucy and Stephen Hawking (read by Hugh Dancy)
Simon & Schuster Audio
2009, 5 CDs
ISBN: 9780743583701
ages 8+
If your March break includes lots of travel, a good audio book might be just the thing. Recently our family enjoyed George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt by Lucy and Stephen Hawking. This is the second book featuring George, Annie, Eric and the supercomputer Cosmos and their space travels. (The first was George's Secret Key to the Universe.) We listened to the unabridged story while going to and from our children's hockey games and practices.
In this story Annie seeks the help of her friend George to help solve a mysterious message found on Eric's (Annie's father) supercomputer. Could the message be from an alien? Helping George and Annie is Emmett. Their attempts to learn about the weird message left on Cosmos takes them deep into space on a cosmic treasure hunt!
The fun and entertaining story (well read by Hugh Dancy) contains recent "...scientific knowledge about our Universe, including special essays from some of the top scientists in the world!"
This audio book will entertain the whole family.
Comments