There are a couple of book series that firmly hammer things home to those who are in elementary school. One of the most popular series of books in that category is Geronimo Stilton. Our oldest (currently in 3rd grade) has been reading this series since he was in first grade. The books started out with us reading them to him and for about the past year he’s been reading them by himself. Geronimo Stilton, The Phantom Bandit is book 70 in the series and continues to entertain the elementary school set like few others.
Jorge Bergoglio. That name doesn’t exactly sound familiar. Isn’t that the guy down the street who does drywall? Wait, they own that business in the strip mall don’t they? No, Jorge Bergoglio is world famous and you know him even if you don’t think that you do. He’s Pope Francis by any other name and Pope Francis: Builder of Bridges is an illustrated book is the story of his life before becoming the Pope; and a little bit about why his time as Pope resonates with people outside of the Catholic Church.
We really liked The Witch Boy when it came out in 2017. It had age appropriate spooks with lessons that young readers didn’t know they were learning-or that they didn’t know they needed to learn. Its delivery was entertainment, fun ghost/monster driven fun that also happened to be entirely relatable to kids 7 and up. The Hidden Witch picks up, to a degree where the first book left off.
Ethan Long is onto something. We were fans of Fright Club. We enjoyed Valensteins even more and with Fangsgiving it’s like we’re welcoming a friend back into the fold again. The titular character, Vlad is back with his monster friends for Thanksgiving. They’re happily planning a low key Thanksgiving when his family unexpectedly pulls up. The chaos and frustration that ensue at Vlad’s house is akin to the stories and feelings that you probably associate to your Thanksgivings as well.
Fangsviging, by Ethan Long
Family and Thanksgiving do go hand in hand and this monster tale is great to read for several reasons. The first is that I’ve grown to enjoy reading and seeing Mumford (the mummy), Sandy (the witch), Fran (Frankenstein) and Virginia (the Wolfman). Each character has their own personality and elementary school kids will grin from ear to ear while they read the book. The text in Fangsgiving is large and such that third graders will be able to read the book with ease. Kindergarten kids will be able to make out some of the sight words and really enjoy looking at the illustrations.
Secondly, this is a story that parents will relate to at some level. While they might not have unexpected visitors on Thanksgiving they will relate to the back seat driving as they prepare the big meal. Sure enough, Vlad’s family offers up their own ‘improvements’ to each aspect of the meal. Just as in real life, those ‘improvements’ only serve to ruin or delay the meal, which makes nobody happy.
Kids will especially enjoy the monster ingredient additions like baboon burps, snail spit and more that provides just enough gross-out humor to hook in those reluctant reader boys.
As with most family occasions Vlad manages to get his family and his friends on the same page. That’s the punch line for the book, which is just like your family. It might not be what some had envisioned, but it all works out and it’s never as bad as your worst case scenario.
Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy absolutely nails the frustration and love that can come from putting a child to bed. Some nights it’s cute if they try ploys to delay the inevitable. Other times you’ll need them get horizontal ASAP due to the work that you need to accomplish or their questionable behavior. Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy is an illustrated book that is a joy to read and look at for children aged 3 and up.
For me it was when I first saw Big that I realized that comic books were more than comic books. They tell a story and have the ability to evolve and change. In Big it was the ‘choose your story’ angle, however, before then I didn’t have the foresight to imagine comic books in any other medium than the occasional movie. I’ve since come around on that idea and am a huge proponent of great properties getting out there in as many formats as possible. As a comic book, The Backstagers isn’t in our top 10, but it’s certainly a great comic for those middle school students and up that dig theater. The Backstagers and the Ghost Light is the first novel to feature the stage crew at St. Genesius Prep in an original graphic novel.
To a new parent counting books might appear be quite similar. They were to us. The numbers don’t change; they go in order, what’s the difference. However, there are variables that need to be considered. If it’s a flap book (where you have to flip something up) are the flaps strong? Will they rip off easily? How thick are the pages? Will they be ripped or compromised with ease? Also, don’t forget the spine of the book-be sure that it’s strong enough to merit the cost of the book. Chomp Goes The Alligator by Matthew Van Flee gleefully devours all of those expectations into the best counting book that we’ve seen in years.
The tortoise raps slow. The hare raps quickly. There is no racing involved. They do walk briskly for a moment, but that’s only after the two anthropomorphic animals meet each other and see a poster for a rap battle. Hop lives in Breakbeat Meadow and Hip lives in Slowjamz Swamp, both of which are in Oldskool County. If you’re tongue isn’t fully in cheek yet there are more than two dozen cute puns that seal the deal in this book hits home for elementary school readers; or for those parents of young readers who want to have fun reading it to them.
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