Image by Niek Verlaan from Pixabay
It’s cold (even VERY cold) in many parts of the country. It’s not exactly great weather for children to go outside and play (or at least be outside for too long). This means that most children are stuck inside.
Most kids are content to waste time on iPads watching videos, movies or playing games. That is fine, but you certainly don’t want them doing it for 10-12 hours per day. They need other activities, such as reading a good book. Even if your child is not proficient in reading, YOU can still take the time to read to them.
If you are interested in adding some new books to your family’s library, check out these titles from Candlewick Press.
By Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
Ages 3 to 7
Two starred reviews! ⭐⭐
Barnes & Noble Book of the Year finalist
“Pages are filled to the brim with tiny details for eyes both young and old to find and enjoy. . . . With hijinks and hilarity hidden on every page, this is a sweet, strange, wordy tale bound to delight all who pick it up.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Dictionary wishes she could tell a story like other books. So one day, she decides to bring her words to life. How exciting it is to finally have an adventure on her very own pages! But what will she do when her characters collide and everything gets all in a jumble, causing the most enormous tantrum to explode? This isn’t what she wanted at all! Luckily her friend Alphabet knows exactly what to do and sings a song that brings calm and order to Dictionary’s pages once again.
This is a fun and crazy book. Each page features a dictionary with actual words. But in addition there is also a story to be read on each page, along with fun and engaging illustrations.
I like that this book also teaches children easy to read and understand words and what they mean. It’s a book within a book.
I think kids will not only enjoy the story, but also learning about dictionaries. I work with children and it saddens me that many of them have no clue what a dictionary is (I’m referring to my 3rd and 4th graders). I’m an adult and I still need to look up words from time to time.
By Randy Cecil
Ages 3 to 7
Three starred reviews! ⭐⭐⭐
“Randy Cecil strikes a beguiling balance between innocent prose and pictures that tell a fuller story. . . . [An] absolute sweetie of a picture book.”
– The Wall Street Journal
A tiny Spaceman arrives on a new planet, ready to perform his monotonous tasks—collecting samples, labeling and filing them, and moving on to the next planet. But pausing to look around, the Spaceman is dazzled by the beauty of his surroundings. And when a large bird makes off with his ship, he’s forced to venture out into this new world—planet Earth—on foot. Marveling at a varied landscape of flowers, butterflies, and other wondrous creatures, he finds a pond to float in and a goofy, slobbery beast who seems to want to be his friend. Could it be that the Spaceman has found a new home? This simple and sophisticated story filled with deadpan humor offers surprises on each lively spread. From a veteran creator comes a delightfully droll story radiating warmth and the wonder of the new, reminding us to look up from our mundane lives and embrace discovery.
This is such a charming book and I LOVE the illustrations. The Spaceman is adorable!
I think this book, aside from entertaining, also teaches children to appreciate and enjoy the little things in life.
By Natalia Shaloshvili
Ages 3 to 7
“Featuring brilliantly rendered visuals with a tactile quality that will have readers eagerly poring over the pages, this clever tale captures the intensity of a youngster’s bad mood—and the speed with which it can transform into a good one. Young people will readily respond to this skillful rendition of free-floating unhappiness—and to its satisfying antidote.”~Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Pavlo does not feel like going to the park. Not today. He does not want to go swimming. He even says no to the movies. What’s going on, Pavlo?
Pavlo has the grumps. Though Mama suggests one fun activity after another, Pavlo doesn’t want to do any of them. Can anything cheer him up on this down day? Capturing a range of emotions through nuanced expressions and a simple text, Natalia Shaloshvili’s comforting picture book looks at familiar childhood feelings, suggesting that grumpy days, sadness, and even anger happen to everyone. But that’s OK—good friends and family will love you anyway. And who knows what might happen if you decide to give that big slide a try after all?
Working with children, as well as being a parent, I know that children, especially young ones, can experience a world of emotions all in one day. I have kids that feel the “grumps” as well as sadness and anger, among other emotions. Sometimes they are able to pinpoint the reason why they feel the way they do, other times they honestly cannot understand why they feel the way they do. I tell my “work kids” that it’s okay to feel what they are feeling, and that it’s normal – it happens to everyone, including adults.
The illustrations are adorable, and the story is cute. I also love that this book also provides a bit of learning about emotions too.
These are just a few books from Candlewick Press. If you are interested in checking out more books, visit CandlewickPress.com. You can also check them out (and follow) on social media.
These books are available on the Candlewick Press website as well as other retails such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Kimberly
*I received free samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
