New and Fabulous

Toys Meet Snow is a new story from Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Caldecott winner Paul O. Zelinsky. Three toys venture out into the snow one afternoon while their owner is away. This is the toys’ first time outside on a wintry day and they each muse about their own unique take on what they see. One is rather poetic, the next scientific, and the third asks a lot of questions! The illustrations are gorgeous and you and your children will enjoy talking about the different ways of looking at and responding to winter. Pegged for ages 3-7 years.

Oldie but Goodie

The Mitten is an old Ukrainian folk tale in a classic telling by Jan Brett. When a little boy goes out to play one winter day, he drops one of his new white mittens onto the soft white snow. He doesn’t immediately spot the glove. But the animals scuttering around on the frosty ground see it and decide the warm wool is a good place to huddle. What I like best about this book are the pictures that evoke just the feeling I had when I was a kid playing outside on a snowy afternoon: The sounds of the world muted by the softness of the snow, little animals scuttering across my path as I played in the winter wonderland. A good winter read sure to inspire your young children to head outdoors.

New and Fabulous

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg and illustrated by Judy Love is one I can identify with – the first day of school arrives and the heroine of the story just wants to stay under the covers! Even kids who don’t find hiding in bed the best way to procrastinate will recognize the universal feeling of anxiety about starting something new. The surprise ending adds a level of comfort on that score. Pegged for kids K-3rd grade.

Oldie but Goodie

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a classic board book for tiny tots. In words and images that small children can understand, it explains the metamorphosis of caterpillar into butterfly. The caterpillar eats, eats, eats – starting with fruit, then moving on to pie and sausage. And it all leads to the emergence of a beautiful new stage of life. The illustrations are in gorgeous bright colors. No wonder it sells a copy every 30 seconds!

New and Fabulous

Chanukah Lights by Michael Rosen illustrated by Robert Sabuda is a stunningly beautiful, just the right mood book for this season of festivals of light. It’s a pop-up book with gorgeous white pop-ups and a beautiful poetic musing about candlelighting through time around the world Pegged for K-4th grade but it’s really for all ages.

Oldie but Goodie

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowki illustrated by P. J. Lynch is a family favorite. It’s the story of a woodcarver who buries himself in a life of solitude after the death of his wife and child. Then one day a widow and her little boy appear at his door with a special request – one that brings a miracle to them all. The illustrations are drawn in warm golden brown tones, just right for the rich, strong story of transformation. This story might not at first appear to be about a festival of light but it is, indeed, a story of the regeneration of inner light. Pegged for ages 6-12.

New and Fabulous

Fast Break by Mike Lupica is a good read for middle school athletes – especially if you have a soft spot for basketball. Fast Break is hot off the press, the latest from a popular author who knows his sports. This one has a twist – the hero is in foster care.

Jayson is the new kid on the block, living with foster parents, and he’s hiding a secret about how he got there. As he tries to adjust to his new life, he struggles to figure out exactly where he fits in: on the school basketball team, with the wealthy girl he’d like to get to know better, with his foster parents. And something holds him back: he doesn’t know how he can ever come clean about his past.

The book is being compared to The Blind Side. Enjoy!

Oldie but Goodie

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner was a favorite in our household, one we read over and over again. The sport here is dogsledding. Young Willy’s grandfather owes $500 in back taxes and he doesn’t have the money. So he stands to lose his Wyoming farm. Then Willy learns about a dogsledding contest. The winner gets a prize of – you guessed it – $500. Willy gives it is all. But he’s up against Native American champ Stone Fox. This is a story about putting in hard work to win for someone you love. The book is engrossing from beginning to end and pulls on the heartstrings like few others. Pegged for ages 8-12. It won lots of prizes when it came out in 1980. A great read!!!

Do you have other sports-themed books to recommend?

New and Fabulous

Painting for Peace in Ferguson by Carol Swartout Klein is a great tool for parents wanting to discuss with their children the unrest in Ferguson Missouri and other cities around the country. The book does not go into the details of the rioting itself. Instead it focuses on the coming together of people from diverse backgrounds to rebuild through art.

By the time I got to the last pages of this picture book, I felt the power of the mosaic of paintings – a statement of community and healing that defies the desolation of the boarded up windows on which they are painted. Recommended for kids 6 and up.

Another Not-so-Oldie but Goodie

So I’m breaking the mold a little here with a not-so-oldie but certainly a goodie.

The Little Bit Scary People by Emily Jenkins follows a little girl as she watches people that act different than she does…and are a little bit scary. But, she knows, if you were to visit these people at home, you would see they are actually nice…and not even a little bit scary. Maybe still a little bit different in how they do things. But underneath it all, not so different really.

This is a simple book that gives us characters that look and sound an awful lot like people we know. I think that is what makes the book so effective (and comforting). As the little girl in the story concludes, they are people, just like her… not really scary at all. Recommended for ages K-3rd grade.

Share books you recommend on the revitalizing power of empathy.