It’s fascinating to imagine the picture books that could come out in 100 years. They’ll imagine a time when cars didn’t fly and there weren’t teleportation devices to get us around the globe. Those books will innocently look back at the people who invented them, as well as, the first barriers that were broken by those who used them. Alice Across America, The Story of the First Women’s Cross-Country Road Trip is a very fun and informative illustrated book that tells about a very different time in the United States.
When I told our oldest son that Tom & Jerry Movie: The Fast & The Furry was the film this week I cast a wayward eye his direction. He’s 10 and I didn’t think that kids that age had even heard of Tom & Jerry. He returned a wayward eye towards me and said, “I’m down with old-school cartoons dad”. Your kids younger than that will be completely down with it too. Plus there’s a cool box craft that allows your kids to create and sit in their own ‘fast car’ as they watch the film.
Picture books that aim higher are ones that we really enjoy looking at. Guided by their illustrations they teach as much as they educate and entertain. They can also shed light on an area or person that young audiences might not know about or is one that they should be exposed to. Lift As You Climb is a picture book that fits this description. It’s the life story of Ella Baker who was a founding member of the SCLC and a civil rights leader who fought with Martin Luther King Junior.
The cover and thickness of Exquisite might turn off some audiences. The subtitle of the book is The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Many elementary aged kids we know don’t like poetry. This is also a thick illustrated book, implying that there’s a lot to read about poetry and an author that they might not have heard of. It’s worth having young audiences hang in there for Exquisite. While it is a book about a poet, Gwendolyn Brooks, the text in it doesn’t rhyme and isn’t boring. The book is thick, but the pages use the words sparingly on some of them. The result is a gorgeous book that will entertain readers aged five an up.
This week in all age comic books is back to some sense of normalcy. Normal, that is, if you grin from ear to ear when you see that the Transformers My Little Pony, Friendship In Disguise! mini-series is out this week with issue #1 of 4. This series looks so much fun. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but for those readers who like Transformers and can handle it when they’re not serious robots will love this. The previous Transformers crossover, like with Star Trek was awesome too.
If you have a middle school student who likes real-life graphic novels have them check out All Together Now from Hope Larson. She’s a New York Times-Bestselling author who has a way of connecting with girls aged 10 and up. Do you have a pre-k reader who is coming to grips with the alphabet? If so, Disney Block is the latest in the Alpha Block series that will have ages two and up glued to the pages. It’s a durable book with interactive die-cut pages that goes from A to Z with Disney characters aplenty.
For the action set upper elementary and up they have Marvel Action Captain Marvel, Marvel Action Avengers, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Battle Tales #3 of 5, Usagi Yojimbo and more. There are also lots of free comic books for the all age audience. For all of those free comic books just check out their website to see what’s new this week and what you might want to get.
:01 First Second produces one of the highest quality book series that you’ll find for middle school readers on science. Science Comics tackles any science concept topic, natural wonder, astrological body, animal or plant species and creates a graphic novel around it that captures the imagination and desire to learn that upper elementary readers and up innately have. Now, :01 First Second has taken that same approach, but shifted the focus to history in a new series appropriately called History Comics. One of the first books in this series is The Roanoke Colony, America’s First Mystery by Chris Schweizer. The Roanoke Colony is a great example of graphic novel storytelling; perfectly blending illustration and text in a way that makes middle grade students laugh, smirk or otherwise enjoy themselves as they’re learning.
Somewhere between reality competition shows, Marvel movies and the love of books lies Willow the Armadillo. She’s an armadillo who wants to be a hero. She also loves picture books. A way to engage both of her passions is to become a hero in a picture book. The result is a cute book that never quite boils over with interest, but will entertain kids four through six who are looking for animal fun.
This week at Camp Warner Bros. is about family entertainment and getting away from the television. In addition to the surprisingly cute, family friendly film Alex & Me, there’s a nice workout that runs close to the movie. This is especially beneficial in the dog days of summer when it’s hot and you might need a new twist to get active.
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