'New' Children's Classics

[chumblefish]

I'd like to recommend a wonderful wonderful book by Mark Isaacs called "The Greatest Blessings".

Here's my review:

******************

When I first saw this book, I thought the cover looked a bit like an issue of Watchtower and wondered if it would be a story with a heavy religious message. But then I read the reviews, learned that the book was a humanistic and not religious allegory, and decided to take a closer look.

I'm glad I did. This book is an absolute gem. The message is simple, timeless and inarguable - people crave fame, fortune and power, but what really matters and makes people truly happy is the company and love of family and friends.

If the message can be stated so easily in a single sentence, why bother to read the book? Because it's a compelling, beautifully written and perfectly crafted work of 'proper' literature and one of those books where, once you start reading, you have to drop everything else to carry on to the end.

The stated age range says 6 to 8, but I'd say 6 to infinity as it has the same universal appeal as, say, a fairy tale like Oscar Wilde's 'The Selfish Giant'.

Thoroughly reccomended!

[3chicnP]

Has anyone read The Book With No Pictures? I read it to my toddlers and they laughed the whole time.

[readwritereview]

"First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg is an excellent book for children and new elementary school teachers alike. "First Day Jitters" follows the morning of Sarah Jane who is nervous about her first day of school, and at the end of the book readers are shocked to find out the true identity of Sarah Jane as she introduces herself to the class.

-- 25 Dec 2014, 20:57 --

I recently purchased "The Book With No Pictures" and found it to be an absolute delight. This book really helps show reluctant young readers that reading can be extremely fun (and funny!) and is fun for adults to read aloud. Children and adults will laugh together as they read this book.

[fmetheny]

"The Day the Crayons Quit" is adorable. My son is too old for picture books anymore, but I keep my 23 month old great-nephew frequently and this is one we have read. The illustrations compliment the story perfectly. One that my son and I loved when he was younger was "I love you Stinky Face" by Lisa Mccourt (Author) and Cyd Moore (Illustrator). It's an adorable book about a little boy and his mom. At bedtime the child asks his mother if she'd still love him if he were an alien or a swamp monster or a variety of other colorful characters. The mother reassures him that she'd always love him no matter what kind of creature he could think up. We certainly read that book many, many times and loved it always.

[rcratty]

Children have problems with how much a million is. How Much Is a Million? 20th Anniversary Edition by David M. Schwartz brings the concepts of million, billion and trillion into focus for children. As the illustrations by Steven Kellogg will not only delight all, but bring the concepts to life. A recommended book for building both number sense and reasoning.

[Tayner01]

'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donaldson! It is one of the greatest children's books I have read and kid's love it. Also has anyone read 'How to catch a Star' or 'Lost and Found' by Oliver Jefferies? The stories are beautifully told and warming. Children I work with adore reading these stories.

[Chris Dutton]

Where the wild things are, by Maurice sendak. But that might be a classic classic?!!

Some of my kids books are wildly amazing, some are, frankly, bloody awful. Though me and the kids don't always agree. I'll dig out some examples off the book shelf!

[wendymm]

Personally I will always and forever read as a children story "Love you Forever" by Robert Munsch published in 1986. To me, that will always bring out such wonderful memories as well as encouraging a relationship with parents after being an adult. Touching and compassionate it makes my heart warm.

I cry every single time I read that book!

[Nell Bean]

The "sheep books" by Nancy Shaw have wonderful creative rhymes and great rhythm to read aloud to little ones. They are about 5 sheep who get into tons of misadventures. The illustrations are fabulous as well. Some titles to start with are Sheep on a Ship, Sheep in a Shop, Sheep Take a Hike, etc. I didn't like Sheep in a Jeep as much as the others, even though it is the book that I read first.

-- 22 Jan 2015, 09:36 --

Here's another great series for young children: the Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney. These books focus on topics and emotions important to pre-schoolers such as getting mad, feeling anxious about leaving parents, sharing etc. The rhymes and rhythms are excellent. The illustrations are incredibly expressive; they are whimsical yet convey so well what the character is feeling. Some titles are Llama Llama Red Pajama, Llama Llama Misses Mama, Llama Llama Mad at Mama, Llama Llama Holiday Drama, Llama Llama Time to Share

[Ams339]

As a Kindergarten teacher I see a lot of children's books. I have to say that my favorite has to be The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I LOVE the fact that it opens up several doors to several subjects such as: Food, Animals and Insects, Seasons, Counting, Colors etc and all these will benefit the child. I also love the book Let's go on a bear hunt! It helps a lot when it comes to teaching prepositions. The children just love this book! I also have to say that I love the classics such as Goldilocks, Pinocchio etc.

[Melanysookazian27]

I must say "Love You Forever" is an extremely emotional book expressing the love between a mother and child. I first read this book to my nephew after I put him down and let me just say I couldn't get through the book without crying on each page. As I was reading to him I felt all this love for my mom. This is the best children's book yet!!!

[Sav Sparkman]

The Pete the Cat books are the new series that all my younger students love. They follow the adventures of a blue cartoon cat named Pete as he goes through life. The stories are simple and geared toward younger audiences with simple life lessons (like sharing or learning how to be okay if little things go wrong ie losing a button). They also include some rhymes and repeated phrases that are engaging for little ones to join in with. The illustrations are also very charming!