Book Recommendations (March 2021)
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Book Recommendations (March 2021)

I can't believe we are in March already! I'm falling behind in everything, but I still wanted to share some awesome books I've read lately. I hope you enjoy reading about them and will check them out, if you haven't already. I also wanted to share a nonfiction book about writing this month, as I've been preparing for my writing workshop this coming Easter, so the list is longer than usual!




Book Description:

Ages: 3 to 8


This book is a stream of thoughts from the main character, a little boy who is growing more confident in sharing his faith. He reasons through what Jesus gives him, what Jesus has done for him, and how he will show his friends. This book will help your children to grow and share their faith.



From Our Main Character: "Hi! I’m excited for you to read this book because it’s how I realized that I’m not weird. I used to think that people might think I’m weird for loving Jesus and talking about him. Now I know I’m not and this is the story of how. I hope you know you’re not weird too after hearing my story!"


Why I like this book:

I love that this book teaches kids how to share the gospel with their friends. It's not an easy thing to do, even as an adult, but the ideas included in the book are very simple for kids and introduces and encourages them to be confident in their faith, after all, we as Christians want to bring more people to Christ because we are blessed and moved by His love. It's all about spreading that joy and love to others. It's really not that scary or difficult! And definitely doesn't make you weird to love God!



Anxious Annie by Leo Zarko (Author), Laura Reyes (Illustrator)

Book Description:

Ages: 6 to 12


Annie and Cameron are best friends. While Annie is all wiggles, Cameron stays calm and cool. When Annie’s world gets a little overwhelming she can count on Cameron to help slow things down. She in turn lifts his confidence and raises his spirit.

Full of wisdom and heart, Anxious Annie is a book that will help your children talk about their anxieties and overcome their fears.



Why I like this book:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could relate to it so much. I had the same kinds of fears and anxieties growing up (and still do), and wish I had a book like this to help me get through those challenging times. I love the friendship between Annie and Cameron that was also highlighted in the story, and how they help encourage each other. Cameron may appear to be all calm and cool, but he experiences the same kinds of fears and anxieties, too. He has found ways to cope, and helps encourage and support Annie through her struggles. It's beautifully written in rhyme and is very engaging from beginning to end. It is a lovely early reader for kids. It is also very heartwarming, seeing their friendship grow stronger. I recommend this for school counselors and parents. Even if you don't have anxiety, it is a great story to learn how to help and encourage someone who does. I definitely benefited from reading this story!


by Sarah Beliza Tucker (Author), Adam Ihle (Illustrator)

Book Description:

Ages: 5 to 9


Ringo Weasel wants to be the best at everything. But when things don't go his way, he gets angry…very…VERY…ANGRY!

This little weasel is used to getting what he wants. So when his plan to dominate in every sport fails, his ego is crushed, he has the ultimate meltdown, and he wants to quit! Instead of ignoring Ringo's cries of envy, his friends and mentor help him see another path to achieving his goals. Will Ringo quit or persevere to be the winner he dreams of being?

"I Quit!" is a must-have anger management book for children, parents, teachers, and counselors, helping your child find healthier ways of dealing with big emotions, reach a positive outcome when dealing with disappointment, and understand the importance of self-regulation strategies; all children must learn to overcome life's challenges.


Why I like this book:

I have enjoyed several books in the Adventures with Harry & Friends series and this is just as good as the others! I love that this is all about Ringo, and we see things from his perspective - a different tone from the previous books. Ringo often comes off as the 'bully' teasing others but we find out that he is struggling with anger and envy, and readers get a glimpse of how he is feeling and the reasons behind his behaviour. It's a great story that teaches us not to be envious of others, and even though we may fail or not win at something, we need to keep trying and working hard and not give up so easily, because WINNERS DON'T QUIT! What makes this book and series stand out is the way the main character speaks directly to the readers, making the whole experience engaging and captivating - like you are part of the story too! I am absolutely in love with this series, and highly recommend it to everyone!


Book Description:


Lenny the lemur lives among the trees and loves spending his days with his friends. What he loves most though is looking up at the stars and dreaming one day to soar through the skies.




Why I like this book:

I enjoyed this cute rhyming story and illustrations. Lenny is such a dreamer. He dreams of going to space and works hard to make his dream come true. He finally gets a chance to explore space, taking off in a rocket. He has a lot of great adventures, but soon realizes that there's nowhere like home. It has a lovely and heartwarming message at the end. I like that it uses lemurs to tell the story, which are so adorable, and well-illustrated in the book. It's such an imaginative and adventurous story. It'd make a great story to introduce young kids to space travel, lemurs, and encourages them to go for their wildest dreams!


Book Description:

Ages: 1 to 8


It’s springtime in the North Pole! Sophie the squirrel and Gunny the bunny sit with their favorite human, Santa, curious as to what the Big Guy is reading.

The story of the Resurrection inspires Santa to celebrate the first Easter in the North Pole. He creates three magical eggs. As the egg hunt begins, Sophie and Gunny soon learn there is something far more valuable about Easter than chocolate-covered carrots or marshmallows.

Dive into these beautifully illustrated pages to discover how each Easter we can all REMEMBER how much God loves us.


Why I like this book:

This is a gorgeous book! I really enjoyed A Gift to Remember (the Christmas story in the series), and this Easter story is a continuation of it from Santa's home in the North Pole. I absolutely adore the illustrations and the story is one to be treasured that tells us the true meaning of Easter. As Easter is fast approaching next month, it's important to remind kids and teach them what it's all about, focusing on the resurrection of Jesus and how God gave us the gift of salvation. It is perfect for Christian families and schools, and would make a lovely gift at Easter time! Highly recommend getting this book and stocking them in your home and school libraries!

Book Description:

Ages: 3 to 8


See the world through Weaver's bright eyes, With each new day, valuable lessons arise. Life is funny and can change in a blink, So always remember to PAWS and THINK!

Today Weaver digs up a lesson on GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP.




Why I like this book:

This is an adorable story that teaches children to be kind and humble, and to play nice with their friends. Not everything is a competition, and winning isn't everything. We should still encourage others when we win and stay humble rather than being proud and arrogant about winning. I love that the story is told from Weaver's point of view and in rhyme, making it fun and engaging to read. Any dog lover would enjoy this sweet and adorable story and I'm sure they can all easily relate to Weaver! This is a lesson kids need to learn at a young age, and Weaver makes that lesson so much fun to learn, that it doesn't feel like a lesson at all. A story you can read over and over and still enjoy! It's also the recipient of the Mom's Choice Awards! It's part of series, so it's definitely worth checking out the other books too!

Book Description:

Ages: 8 to 12


Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve already written a ton of stories, practice makes perfect when it comes to writing for kids. Build your skills the fun way with Secrets of Storytelling; it’s packed with dozens of short, creative fiction prompts and plenty of space so you can write to your heart’s content.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, make mistakes, and get weird with words! Prompts and fun activities about writing for kids inspire you to get creative and help you build intriguing plots, strong characters, and vivid settings for your stories. It’s time to unleash your inner author!


Why I like this book:

Ok, this is the first non-fiction book I'm including in my monthly book recommendations, because I absolutely love this book and had to share it! I initially got the eBook version of this to learn more about how to teach creative writing, but it also gave me a lot of ideas, tools and exercises to practise for developing my own writing and stories! I don't normally comment about the format of the book, but I love how the eBook version is formatted and written to allow readers to highlight and add notes, ideas etc. related to each section and task, almost like a physical paperback book (which I'm considering ordering as well). It invites readers to be interactive, and to engage in every part. I never thought about formatting an eBook in this way, but it's a very clever idea (and will consider doing something like this for future editions of My Reading Journal!) See the example below!

And I especially like the final pages showing the Acknowledgement and About the Author pages, and also using them as examples for the reader to then write their own versions of them! Every part is engaging and interesting, and just full of great examples! I finished reading it in two days on my commute on the train and it made me want to try every task! It's easy to read and get through, but there's so much to get you thinking and excited about writing! I will definitely be using some of these tasks and exercises with my students. Highly recommended!

 

Well, that wraps up this month's book recommendations! I hope you enjoyed reading about these awesome books and find something you like to check out! If you have a good book to recommend, submit it to the Kids' Corner page to be considered in next month's list of recommendations. They can be books you have written, or books you have enjoyed. Happy reading!

 



* Disclaimer: This post contains Affiliate links.


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