I am loving this time of year...the air is crisp and you find yourself wanting to snuggle up under a warm blanket after a long day of leaf peeping, apple or pumpkin picking, or just enjoying the beauty of fall with the family. We make it a point to turn off the television after dinner, and the girls each choose 3-4 books each, to read or have me read to them, as we snuggle under a blanket on the couch. It is a great way to unwind after a busy day, before we get ready for bed. And, as part of my annual "Welcome in Fall with a Good Book" feature, I have been getting a wonderful selection of children's books in the mail to review and feature, and many of these new releases have become popular with my girls during our evening reading together. I wanted to share some recent releases (June-August 2018) from Simon & Schuster for children of all ages, that would make great bedtime or anytime reading with your kids, as you welcome in fall.
---
About this Book:
"Daisy brings her totally true imaginary friend, Posey, to visit her totally real school in this seventh Daisy Dreamer chapter book!
Nerd alert! Guess what? I, Daisy Dreamer, have a big confession. I love school. You know what else I love? Posey. He’s my totally true imaginary friend. So if I were to mix school and Posey together, then I would have the absolutely, most perfect day. Obviously. Unfortunately, sometimes mixing two great things together makes for an absolutely huge mess, like grape juice and fluffy carpets, or lollipops and long hair. Well, I would not recommend mixing school and Posey together, unless you love having a classroom pest.
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Daisy Dreamer chapter books are perfect for emerging readers."
- Little Simon |
- 128 pages |
- ISBN 9781534412682 |
- July 2018 |
- Grades K - 4 |
- Lexile ® 590L
My Thoughts:
This was the first, and definitely not the last book in this cute Daisy Dreamer series, that my girls will read. After reading this chapter book together a couple of weeks ago, I made a point to pick up other titles in this popular chapter book series, for my girls to enjoy, and build their Daisy Dreamer book collection. In this particular book, Daisy's made up friend, Posey" becomes the class pet, as he gets into everything and makes a huge mess.
Every page in this emergent chapter book is filled with black and white illustrations, that will keep even the most reluctant reader engaged, and wanting to reading more. Like I shared in a past post, my youngest daughter is not a fan of sitting still to read a book, so I have to find books like these, that will keep her attention, and get her excited about reading. She ended up reading this book on her own the day after we read it together. Her eyes lit up, and she had a big grin on her face, when she came to tell me she read the book in one sitting, and was eager for the other books in the series to arrive, so that she could read them, too.
If you have a struggling reader, or a beginner chapter book reader in your life, then I highly recommend you checking out this and other books in the Daisy Dreamer series. These books will make your kids want to read them cover to cover in one sitting. :-)
---
About this Book:
"New from beloved author Joan Holub, Hello Knights! is a fun, playful board book about unexpected friendship!
Knights run up.
Knights run down.
Take the queen her royal crown.
Knights march here.
Knights march there.
Take the king his underwear.
Perfect for reading out loud, Joan Holub’s hilarious text and Chris Dickason’s lively illustrations will have little ones huff-puff laughing as the knights and dragons run up and down the castle wall.
A clever, interactive approach to first concepts, this board book series also introduces important “next-step” concepts like opposites in a hilariously engaging way."
- Little Simon |
- 26 pages |
- ISBN 9781534418684 |
- August 2018 |
- Grades P - P
My Thoughts:
When you think of knights and dragons fighting in a castle, I doubt a king's underwear comes to mind. Well, you and your child will giggle as you read and see his underwear being waved as a flag in this cute rhyming board book by Joan Holub. Even though my girls are reading on their own, they sat and listened as I read this book, and then grabbed it to read it a few times on their own, laughing each and every time they got to the underwear parts.
If you have little ones and are looking for a cute book to share at bedtime, then you will want to check out this new board book, with a couple fold out pages in the end, to engage young listeners further.
---
About this Book:
"New from beloved author Joan Holub, Hello Ninjas! is a fun, playful board book about sneaky ninjas!
Hello mask
Hello boots
Hello ninjas wearing suits
Ninjas ten point to the sky
A challenge from the samurai!
Perfect for reading out loud, Joan Holub’s hilarious text and Chris Dickason’s lively illustrations will have little ones learning and laughing as they try to find all the sneaky ninjas hidden on each page.
A clever, interactive approach to first concepts, this board book series also introduces important “next-step” concepts like counting in a hilariously engaging way."
- Little Simon |
- 26 pages |
- ISBN 9781534418691 |
- August 2018 |
- Grades P - P
My Thoughts:
This is another fun board book by Joan Holub, that will have kids smiling all the way through. Like the title suggests, this book is filled with ninjas, and is written in a rhyming scheme like Holub's other book, "Hello Knights!" I just reviewed. Do you know what ninjas like? Nope, nope and nope. They liked like tacos. Yes, you read that right. And, as you and your child count down from 10-1, you will be greeted by ninjas and tacos, as you flip through and enjoy this cute board book. And, like the "Hello Knights!" board book, the last two pages have lift the flap sections that will expose none other than ninjas eating tacos. Yum! :-) This really is a cute story, and one your child will ask you to read over and over again. My girls got a kick out of it, and I know your kids will, too!
---
About this Book:
"Get to know the gorilla who was raised like a human in this “captivating” (School Library Journal) picture book classic inspired by a true story from the brilliant mind that brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.
Gertrude Lintz loved animals. And she had dozens, never mind that she lived in New York City. But one baby was her favorite, and she took care of this baby just like any other mother would. Except there was one difference: The baby was actually a baby gorilla named Buddy. Gertrude raises Buddy like a civilized human, but can—or, rather, should—wild animals be civilized? Based on the true story of Gertrude Lintz, the most famous dog breeder of the 1930s, Buddy is a moving, high-spirited adventure about a gorilla’s life in the city, and how the urban jungle can’t really compare to a real one."
- Atheneum Books for Young Readers |
- 48 pages |
- ISBN 9781481489614 |
- June 2018 |
- Grades K - 4 |
- Lexile ® 740L
My Thoughts:
My youngest daughter is all about history and learning about famous people in history. So, when I heard the folks at Simon & Schuster were releasing a book about Gertrude Lintz and her famous gorilla, which lived with her in her Brooklyn, NY apt., I had to get my hands on a copy of this book to share with my girls.
"Buddy" is based on a true story, and will pull at your heart strings as you read this book with your child, and learn about Gertie Linz. I love books like these, as they are not only fun to read with your children, but as a parent you also learn a thing or two. I had no idea who Gertie Lintz was until I read this book, and now want to learn more about this socialite who lived back in the 1930's and kept exotic animals including Buddy the gorilla.
You will notice that this is a chapter book, and geared towards children ages 5-9 years old. I ended up reading this book at bedtime with my girls over the course of a few days. And, on the day following the last night of reading this book, we researched Gertie Lintz further online, to see photos of her, Buddy and the other amazing animals she had. If it wasn't for this children's book wonderfully written by William Joyce, my girls and I would never have known about Gertie Lintz, and her gorilla friend, Buddy.
---
About this Book:
"Dogs love to dig but one dog named Doug takes digging to new heights (and depths) in this laugh-out-loud picture book from New York Times bestselling author Karma Wilson and celebrated illustrator Matt Myers.
Meet Doug. Doug is a dog that loves to dig. But when Doug digs he doesn’t just dig holes in the backyard.
He digs…ditches the size of tractors!
He digs…tunnels through gold mines!
He even digs his way into…the White House!
But not even the Secret Service can stop this digging doggy, because when Doug digs, oh boy, does Doug DIG!"
Robert Goddard may be known as the father of US rocketry, but back in the 1880s, he was just a kid in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Even as a youngster, his eyes glimmered with scientific interest and the thrill of discovery. With BAMS! POPS! BANGS! he experimented time and time again with one mission: make his rockets fly!
Join Kristen Fulton and Diego Funck as they take you on one explosive journey about a young kid who shot for the moon, never gave up, and let his creative sparks of curiosity burn bright."
- Margaret K. McElderry Books |
- 40 pages |
- ISBN 9781442449312 |
- June 2018 |
- Grades P - 3 |
- Lexile ® 500L
My Thoughts:
My oldest daughter loves anything and everything about dogs. And, whenever we visit a library or bookstore, she is quick to find and pile up books about dogs to read, and usually ask me to buy for her. So, when I saw this cute children's book on the Simon & Schuster website a couple months back, I knew someone who would love to read it. And, when my daughter took this book out of the box last month, she was all smiles, as she quickly ran to the couch to read it with her sister.
To say Doug the Dog is a dig master is an understatement, when you sit and read this book with your child. We all know dogs like to dig, but Doug goes far beyond digging to find a bone. As you flip through the pages of this book admiring the colorful and playful illustrations, you will see just have much trouble Doug can get into with his digging. He digs non-stop and finds himself at the White House of all places. Does his digging stop there...no it doesn't. So, where else does he turn up? You will just have to pick up this cute picture book to find out. :-)
---
About this Book:
"Blast off with this bright, energetic nonfiction picture book from Kristen Fulton and Diego Funck all about Robert Goddard, the inventor of US rocket science!
Robert Goddard may be known as the father of US rocketry, but back in the 1880s, he was just a kid in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Even as a youngster, his eyes glimmered with scientific interest and the thrill of discovery. With BAMS! POPS! BANGS! he experimented time and time again with one mission: make his rockets fly!
Join Kristen Fulton and Diego Funck as they take you on one explosive journey about a young kid who shot for the moon, never gave up, and let his creative sparks of curiosity burn bright."
- Margaret K. McElderry Books |
- 40 pages |
- ISBN 9781481460989 |
- July 2018 |
- Grades P - 3 |
- Lexile ® 690L
My Thoughts:
This is another great book, like "Buddy" I reviewed above, that kids who are into history and learning about famous people in history, will want to read. This book introduces children to Robert Godard, also known as the father of US Rocketry. This is another true story book that will engage and educate children who sit to read or listen to this story.
We are learning about space right now in school and made our own rockets the other day. Before going outside to launch our rockets, I sat down and read this book with my girls. They were excited to learn about Robert Goddard, and about his contributions to US rocketry. My husband's family lives in Worcester, MA and that is where my husband and I met in college, so when I shared with the girls that Robert Goddard was from Worcester, MA, their ears perked up, and they wanted to learn more about him, and wondered where he actually lived in Worcester, MA.
It is funny, this is yet another famous person in history that I didn't learn about in grade school, nor heard of while in college in Worcester. I wonder if there is a monument or statue in Worcester, MA for Robert Goddard? After reading about his trial and errors with getting a rocket to shoot up into the air, and finally succeeding, it made my girls have a better appreciation for US rocketry and what went into making our Space Shuttles program successful, and it started with this man, who came from Worcester, MA.
As you read this story about Robert Goddard, you will learn that his extensive rocket research "launched the way for every shuttle that has blasted into space." Curious kids and adults will enjoy this book, about a little boy whose curiosity and determination paved the way for rocket science. The US Dept. of Defense still uses Goddard's designs in building rockets to this day, as they plan new and fascinating space exploration journeys. Without Goddard, I wonder where our NASA space program would be today.
---
About this Book:
"Heidi the stick insect prepares for her first day of school in this “whimsical and warm” (Children’s Book Daily) picture book in the tradition of Where’s Waldo.
Heidi is a stick insect, tall and long like the twig of a tree. It’s her first day at a busy bug school, where she hopes to learn and make new friends. But finding friends isn’t easy when no one can find you!"
- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers |
- 32 pages |
- ISBN 9781534424685 |
- July 2018 |
- Grades P - 3 |
- Lexile ® AD540L
My Thoughts:
If your kids like Where's Waldo or I Spy books, then they will love this new book about a stick insect named Heidi. She looks just like a twig, and as you read through this cute picture book, will see she is hard to spot. Will her first day of school be a disaster, and will she have a hard time making friends, if no one can see her? Kids will have fun searching and pointing out Heidi the stick insect as you read "Twig" to them.
My girls really enjoyed this book, especially one a few of the pages where it took a little longer to spot Heidi, who does a great job in blending into her surroundings, even though she doesn't mean to. This is definitely one book your kids will want you to read time and again. It has become a favorite of my girls, and I have lost count on how many times we have read it.
---
These are just handful, well actually seven recent releases from Simon & Schuster, that would make great additions to your child's growing book library. And, stay tuned as I will be sharing more seasonal releases soon, that will make for great books to count down the holiday with. But, in the meantime, why not head on over to http://www.simonandschuster.com/ to learn more about the books mentioned above, and other recent children's book releases, as you and your family welcome in fall with a good book. :-)
Disclosure: I was sent review copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
No comments :
Post a Comment