5-Minute Ada Twist, Scientist Stories, nuggets of STEM fun for ages 5-7

As we’ve said before, it’s an Ada Twist world, we’re just living in it. For kids of a certain age, see those kids who are between five and seven years old, Ada Twist has been tickling their STEM fancy since 2016. She started out in illustrated books, has branched out into chapter books, a Netflix show, and now 5-Minute Ada Twist, Scientist Stories takes the series to bed. The book doesn’t overtly say bedtime stories with Ada Twist. However, the five-minute timeline in the book’s title lets parents know that this is a safe place to read when it’s already ten minutes past where they should’ve been.

5-Minute Ada Twist, Scientist Stories is 12 short STEM stories with characters that pre-k and early elementary know and love.
Those pre-k kids know the deal on this one

We The People!, a graphic novel smart enough to be simple

Prior to reading We The People! I had no idea about the woman who was the first Second Lady and the second First Lady. Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, the first Vice President and second President of the United States. Abigail Adams is also the narrator in Big Ideas That Changed The World, We The People! The Big Ideas That Changed The World graphic novel series is from Don Brown and absolutely nails the intersection of education and entertainment down to the floor. We The People! gives people a deep, yet entirely accessible, dive into American democracy and how it came to be.

We The People! is a non-fiction graphic novel from the Big Idea series that makes the complex topic of democracy interesting and approachable.
Fun and education need not be separate

The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls, real, different, great mglit

When I was teaching 8th grade ELA I was aghast at how few students read for fun and how much work their context clues needed. Out of the approximately 108 students that I taught for a couple of months, there was one of them that read for fun. That student’s grades reflected that fact and they constantly got strong A’s on their assignments, while paying minimal attention in class. I mention this, albeit in kind of a rant, that there are an almost limitless number of books that will be great for middle school readers.

The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls is a book that will certainly be attractive to upper elementary through middle school audiences. It’s a curiously long title that will intrigue those readers who stand a chance at reading the book. The reason I phrase it like that is that getting middle school students to read, much less read realistic fiction is a seriously challenging task.

The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls is realistic fiction, with a slice of Northern Exposure, that’ll hook mglit fans when they give it a chance.
Left of center realistic fiction for tweens and teens

Episode 35: Star Trek: Trek the Halls, set phasers to illustrated, seasonal silly fun

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Star Trek: Trek the Halls is a seasonal illustrated book that’s all things Federation. From the OG to the new shows, it runs with glee, but is unlikely to bring in new fans. 

If Your Babysitter is a Bruja is grin-along imagination play for four and up

At the intersection of soft education, entertainment, and the imagination of four-year-old lays If Your Babysitter is a Bruja. It’s an illustrated book with a Halloween spirit, but can be entertaining any time of the year. Bruja, as those broom-flying people know by its implication is that the book sprinkles in the occasional Spanish word. Really, I haven’t seen ay, caramba used this much since the first couple of seasons of The Simpsons.

If Your Babysitter is a Bruja is a happy tale about a young girl who has a witch for a babysitter, or does she really?
It’s fun….don’t tell them that they’re learning…..

Mi Comunidad!/My Community! makes a true bilingual book accomplishable

I understand why some parents don’t want to read a book to children in a second language. It’s the accent that we perceive they’ll be laughed at. I get that, but spoiler alert, your elementary school student is not going to know if you’re slightly mispronouncing a word in a second language that’s in a book. This is a good thing. To be able to have a book in Spanish and English, with exactly the same content in a way elementary-aged kids will understand and enjoy, is a good thing. Mi Comunidad!/My Community! is by 123 Andres and it’s a high-quality bilingual illustrated book that kids will enjoy, but might fly under your radar.

Mi Communidad!/My Community! is a bilingual illustrated book that talks the talk and shows young readers two languages in action.
Learning a second language is easier the younger that they start

Vegetables in Pajamas, not stopping a great thing in the Underwear series

Vegetables in Underwear will always hold a special place in our potty training heart. Little did we know that this cute board book would have legs that spawn off books just as great as the one that we held such fond memories of. If you haven’t seen any of the Vegetables in Underwear board book series then Vegetables in Pajamas is as cute as you can imagine. Picture a board book where dozens of softly drawn vegetables are modeling pajamas, using simple words to describe their bedtime apparel and eventually being tucked into bed. If cuteness were a commodity that kids could eat then they’d gobble this book up and then some.

Vegetables in Pajamas is silly, uproarious, board book fun that ages three through five will seek out during story time.
Fear not the clothing we sleep in vegetable friends
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