Books | Page 58 of 86

Mayflower: The Ship That Started a Nation, successfully sails and more

The first Thanksgiving was a good 399 years ago. It’s one of those holidays that elementary kids know the basics, but may not the reasons or its history. They know that they’re eating at the small table, part of the extended family will gather in one location, crafts are done, and sometimes football is watched. Our kids know the main vocabulary words like pilgrims, Indians, the Mayflower, and maybe where they landed. Mayflower: The Ship That Started a Nation is an illustrated book that can change that to some degree.

Mayflower: The Ship That Started a Nation is a historical, illustrated book that combines gorgeous art and age appropriate text for ages 9 and up.

An illustrated book about more than eating turkey on the fourth Thursday in November

The Constitution Decoded, a readable, fun reference book

At one point in time, I knew most of what the government of the United States does. I know that when our nine or eleven-year-old asks me questions about this or that regarding the government it all sounds familiar, but nailing down the precise answer is challenging. For situations like this, you need The Constitution Decoded: A Guide to the Documents that Shapes our Nation. This is a reference book for The Constitution. It presents the preamble, all of the articles, amendments, The Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of the Confederation. It has these documents in their entirety, and on the page opposite, it explains it in simple English.

Middle school USA government doesn’t get better than this

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo, great strange nature for third grade & up

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo is a book whose title will grab mid-elementary school through middle school readers by their nape and drag them in. It won’t be an unwilling situation at all. Most young readers will see the animals drawn on the cover, read, or make out ‘screaming hairy armadillo’ and be curious. Those critter readers will jump right into the book and read about 77 seriously strange animals that they’ll probably never see.

Kids love strange animals and they’ll dig this book too

They Threw Us Away blazes a must-read trail of action and friendship

The title and image on the cover of They Threw Us Away immediately activates the dark places that your imagination can wander. It inspires curiosity, thoughts of friendship, and an unknown hint of what could be malevolence or something more apocalyptic. We see four teddy bears, each with a distinct personality. One is protective, a pink one is dancing, one looks quite aloof, and one who’s a bit of a wildcard. On the back we see a quote from the first chapter of the book that ominously states, “Is anyone there? I think….I’m lost”. Forget any preconceptions you have about They Threw Us Away. This book could easily be more inspired by any number of characters, depending on what you identify with the most. However,in reality, it’s an original story that crackles like very few books you’ll read this year.

This is one of the best books of the year for mglit

The Monster Who Wasn’t, detail-rich and a bit complex

Our 11-year-old son read The Monster Who Wasn’t first. I started to read it, found it too confusing, and put it by our bed when he walked in the room. “So, you’re reading that?” he asked. I told him that I started to read it, but got lost a chapter or two into the book. He stated that it was a great book, full of monsters and action and that I’d really enjoy it. Our oldest son reads books like I’d eat bacon if there were an endless supply of it in the kitchen. When I finished The Monster Who Wasn’t I agreed with him for the part.

It’s a great book, just follow along closely or you’ll get lost

Mary, The Adventures of Mary Shelly’s Great-Granddaughter review

Never judge a book by its cover, we all know that adage. Because I judged this cover I was hesitant to read Mary, The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter. It looks too girly, has a ‘Twilight’ vibe that sends the wrong kind of shivers up my spine and the great to the fifth power subtitle seems all too gimmicky. Hello crow, you taste rather good right now. In reality, Mary, The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter is a delicious surprise of a graphic novel that acknowledges its tenuous lineage into a real page-turner that will satisfy middle school readers of any ilk.

Mary, The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s great-Granddaughter age appropriate monster scares for 13 up

Spooky Pants, gets kids laughing while they’re reading

TPR. I remember being taught that when I first started teaching ESL. Essentially, TPR is engaging tactile senses, like touching or physically moving something to reinforce a new concept. Spooky Pants, A Turn the Wheel Book is a board book that takes that principle, gives it laughs and a fun Halloween board book vibe to educate and entertain crawlers through pre-k.

Crawlers, toddlers and pre-k, come get yer spooky sillies

Hello Numbers! What Can You Do?, is rhyming, math fun

Young children are smart. At their core they want to learn, it’s just up to the older people who are taking care of them to get fun, educational materials in their way. For the sake of this review, young children is referring to those kids who are between two and six. These are the crawlers and first-grade kids who have nothing better to do than learn, so hop to it parents. That is where Hello Numbers! What Can You Do? An Adventure Beyond Counting can hardwire these kids for math brilliance, with a little assistance.

A smart counting book for crawlers-first grade that makes math a rhyming adventure