Top Kids Reads This Summer

The summer is coming to an end and Facebook is filled with back to school pictures, blogs, ideas, etc. While school has been on-going for us, we did participate in our local library's reading program and so I am posting here a short overview of our top favorites during this journey and I may (by the time I get to the end) share my excitement for a few books we are in the process of reading or planning on purchasing soon.

1.

Touch the Brightest Star we actually just read tonight. It was so simple and yet so magical, I could see the sparkle in my daughters eyes as she "lit" up the sky. It would be neat if the things they touched were more than just paper, and perhaps there is a version of this book that might have texture to it, but even so, it was a very neat and simple bedtime story. As the sky gets dark, you touch different animals and parts of the sky, make discoveries and make the sky light up. At the end there is a very simple explanation for different parts of the night sky and nocturnal animals. For my daughter who was entranced by seeing Saturn through a telescope just a month ago, this was an incredible way to drift to sleep with cute illustrations, bright ideas and just a bit of that night time magic in words that lulls her into a sparkling sleep.

2.

Uni the unicorn is another very sweet story about a unicorn who believes that there is such a thing as humans regardless of how many of the other unicorns laugh at her, and how she believes that there must be that one special little girl meant to be her very best friend.

If you've ever talked to my daughter, chances are you've noticed that while part of her is wanting to know if anything and everything is real or fake, another part of her doesn't care what the answers to your questions are, she will tell you that God absolutely created unicorns and she wants to know how and why she has never seen one. She loves unicorns and cannot imagine a just world without unicorns, so needless to say she loved this book and if you know about my obsession with cute illustrations (and if you read my last book review post, you can't miss it), you must know that I fell in love with not only the sweetness of the story but the beauty and sweetness of these very cute and colorful illustrations.

3.

A Ticket Around the World is a cute book that can be read all at once, but which I would suggest reading two cultures at a time. The illustrations (yes, again) are incredible, colorful and imaginative and the details take you through a boy's journey to visit friends and families from different countries. This book is written as a creative way to interact with many different cultures, but if you read it straight through it could turn into brain overload. Two cultures at a time, however, is just plain exciting and I am in love. I'm starting to think that adult books are overrated and perhaps I shouldn't rush quite so fast into chapter books.... (okay, so we're already on chapter books, but I believe now that adults should balance their master level reading with some fantastic kid's books with great artwork.

4.

Breathe was a book my daughter chose that I thought would be one of those books I would just scan through and return after the first read. After reading this the first time, however, there was no way either of us were going to let that happen.

Can you guess what my favorite part was? Yup! Illustrations! They were beautiful and wonderful while at the same time colorful and simple. The words were also simple to the point that I decided that after the first read-through I would let my daughter read the book on future read-throughs. This is a fantastic book for the story, the simplicity and the ever so cute illustrations!

5.

The Who Was series is a fantastic series for young readers and especially great for parents wanting to read chapter books to young readers. This was the first chapter book we actually completed, and it was so successful that we are now reading Who Was Galileo and my daughter keeps asking for Who is Queen Elizabeth (she gets wrapped up in the grandeur of royalty as any princess would).

The chapters are not at all overwhelming for the child nor for the parent and there is usually at least one illustration per chapter and a page of interesting fact or related information about the times or an object or person mentioned.

This is also a particularly good series for those working with the TOG curriculum (or any home school, but especially ones dealing with history). While I didn't start off by reading according to the time period we are studying, I am starting to look ahead at coming units to plan these books to overlap somewhat with the school work. I believe the next one will be Who Is Julius Caesar (I will have to ask Audrey to wait a few months to be in the Elizabethan time period).

IN PROCESS:

While I have decided to make you wait for the books I'm planning to purchase, this is a book I am excited to be reading with Audrey currently. Seeing as the Who Was series was going well, I dug into my favorite books from my elementary school years and remembered this one as being particularly fascinating and fun and decided to start her on a chapter book she could sit back and relax to.

The story is about a girl who decides to run away from home in a rather intelligent and well-thought-out manner. She knew she couldn't just run away, but that she had to run to somewhere. She also knew the running away was just to teach her parents a lesson, so it wouldn't be permanent. She then chooses which of her siblings would best be fitted to be her partner in it all and the two of them run away to the Metropolitan Musem of Art.

We are only on the second chapter but I am tempted to jump ahead and can't wait until the action truly starts. She is already taking bathroom breaks, but telling me not to read ahead without her and today she announced to me (at perhaps one of my prouder moments) her love for books!

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