Tag: picture books

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Children’s Christmas Books

If you’re looking for a fun book to read with your kids (or students if you’re still in school!), look no further! When I was looking for books to review and share with you, I learned that there are a TON of Christmas books! I could never even come close to reviewing all of them. So, after reading several, I narrowed it down to just a few.

The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen; illustrated by Dan Hanna

Pout-Pout fish gets so caught up in finding the most perfect gift for each of his friends that he finds himself unable to decide what to get them. He soon learns that it’s not about giving the most perfect gift, but giving from the heart that matters most. 

Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story by Edward Hemingway

A Christmas sugar cookie is sad to learn that he tastes terrible, can’t run fast like the gingerbread man, and can’t build his own gingerbread house. He tries to “fix” the things that he thinks are wrong with him, until he learns what he is supposed to be. He finds his place and celebrates knowing who he really is.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore; illustrated by James Marshall

There’s nothing changed with this classic Christmas story, but the illustrations are darling and incorporate all the pets of the house.

Cookiesaurus Christmas by Amy Feller Dominy & Nate Evans; illustrated by AG Ford

Cookiesaurus Rex is a determined Christmas cookie. He thinks he should be the cookie that gets set on the plate for Santa. With every other cookie that is chosen to be put on the plate, he finds a way to knock them off the plate, all while causing a mess and trouble each time. It’s not until the end that he discovers that the humans of the house have a special place, just for him, that is even better than Santa’s plate.

5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon; illustrated by Rich Deas

The excitement of the Christmas countdown is almost too much for one little boy to handle! As he counts down to Christmas day, he thinks that he is so excited to sleep each night as he watches the snow, thinks about what gifts he might receive, and more. The illustrations are darling and detailed in this fun Christmas book.

Holiday themed books are just so much fun. They bring an added element of fun and magic to any holiday! Next week, I’ll share a few books that spotlight other winter holidays. See you then!

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Valentine’s Day Picture Books

There is nothing I love more than an excuse for a good picture book! Picture books, despite popular belief, are for all ages. I think more middle school and high school teachers should incorporate more picture books into their curriculum, but that’s another conversation for another day. 

Here are the three Valentine’s Day books that we’re reading on repeat this year! 

The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise

A cute book that teaches us the impact we can have on one another in our small acts of kindness.

The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond

I love the illustrations in this book! So simple but so beautiful. And a fun, cute Valentine’s Day book, too.

This Is Not a Valentine by Carter Higgins

I love that this book shows that Valentine’s Day is so much more than sending cards to one another.

Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-tutoring-kids-with-text-books-8922396/

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Christmas Picture Book List 2023

It’s here, it’s finally here! The Christmas picture book list of 2023. To see past Christmas picture book lists, head here. 

A Creature Was Stirring by Heather S. Pieczynski 

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a— MOUSE! He had never heard of a mouse not stirring. It was the most glorious night of the year! So he stirred. Squeaked! Eeked! Anything but sleep.” -Goodreads  

This book had us giggling on every page! The small, loveable mouse also felt relatable to how my children act on Christmas Eve. 

How Does Santa Go Down The Chimney? By Mac Barnett

“Mac Barnett’s iconic talent for earnest deadpan humor and Jon Klassen’s irresistibly funny art honor the timeless question with answers both ridiculous and plausible, mounting in hilarity as the night continues.” -Goodreads

This book is exactly what every child asks at some point. How exactly does Santa go down the chimney? We loved the illustrations and the humor of the book. 

The Nutcracker by Jan Brett
“Jan Brett makes this classic her own by setting it in snowy Russia and adding whimsical touches to the favorite elements of the traditional ballet. Enjoying this book will be an instant Christmas tradition for families who love the ballet and those new to the story.

As perfect a gift as Jan Brett’s classics The Mitten and The Night Before Christmas.” -Goodreads

The illustrations along with the changed setting of this book gave the classic story of The Nutcracker a fun, exciting new change. 

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas poem by Clement Clark Moore, Illustrated by Mr. Boddington

“Mr. Boddington’s Studio provides a fresh take by using the same poem and updating the style” -Goodreads

We were oohing and ahhing with every page flip because of the amazing illustrations. The color palette used in the pictures flowed incredibly well and the bright colors drew us into each page. 

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But Have You Tried Reading a Book?

If your students struggle to be kind to one another… have you tried reading them a picture book? 

If you have a student having a hard time sharing… have you tried reading them a book? 

A child in your classroom has a lot of anxiety around taking tests… but have you tried reading them a book? 

Books are magical. Books are incredible. Books can teach our students more than we will ever fully comprehend. Authors and illustrators have a talent for speaking directly to children in a way they understand. 

If you’re working on being a friend in the classroom, have you tried reading The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig? 

If you want to teach your class about leadership, have you read Sophia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty?

If you have particularly worrisome kids, have you tried reading Ruby Finds a Worry? By Tom Percival? 

When your students are struggling or need some extra love or help, can I offer some advice?

Read them a book.

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What Do The Different Book Awards Mean?

Have you ever looked at a book title, noticed an award on the front cover, and wondered what exactly it meant? A shiny gold medal on the front is really cool, but if you don’t know the meaning, what merit does it have? 

I’ve fallen victim to this myself! I see library books on the shelves and think, “Oooh this one has an award on the front, it’s probably a great one to read!” and typically, it is! But what does the award even mean? What are the different awards? How do they compare to one another? 

Here’s a list of each of the awards, and each week I’ll be doing a deeper dive into each one. I could fit them all into one post, but I feel like each of them deserve plenty of space and their own designated post so that we don’t have to skip out on details! They’re all unique and remarkable in their own way and don’t deserve to be given any less than the best. 

The awards I will be covering are: 

Pulitzer Prize Award
Caldecott Award
Newberry Medal Award
Booker Prize
Goodreads Choice Awards
National Book Award
Women’s Prize for Fiction
PEN/ Faulkner Prize
Edgar Award

Is there an award missing on this list that you’d like to see highlighted? Let me know and I’ll add it to my list! 

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How Our Summer Reading Bingo Went

Earlier in the summer I posted a free Summer Reading Bingo printable that I made quickly for my daughter and myself to enjoy over the summer months and shared it with all of you. I also printed out a few copies and put them in our local library for our community to enjoy! Many kids used the bingo chart and the library even generously supplied them with stickers and suckers when they got a bingo! 

At our house, the bingo chart was a fun, low-pressure way to promote summer reading. I never offered an incentive, just the idea of getting bingo was incentive enough! 

We spent our summer days reading in trees, pulling out books at meal times, and finding new books to hit all of our new genres to try. My child would go for weeks without even acknowledging the bingo page and then she would go several days trying to accomplish as many as possible. 

It was all child-led and at her speed. It was a beautiful relationship that fostered her own love for reading! 

We’ve had so many friends interested in another reading bingo that we’ll be posting a new fall/back-to-school reading bingo in the coming months! I’ve also started some quick brainstorming for a Christmas reading bingo as well. 

Thanks for coming along on this ride with us, here’s to more independent, self-motivated reading kids!

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Back To School Picture Books

Back to school is approaching (or has approached?) for many! We are about a month away from starting school and I know several schools have either started or will be starting soon as well. We’ve been pulling out back-to-school picture books in our house to get us prepped for the big day. These books are not only great for reading at home before school starts, or to read to your class on the first day of school.

How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan

We love the “How To” series, the humor of this book gives the first day of school a fun, exciting vibe.

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

This book comes from one of my favorite authors. I love the inclusivity and perspective of this book.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Also a favorite author in our house. This book has a soft spot in my heart because it was the book my first-grade teacher read to the class on the first day of school (back in 1999!)

School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex

This perspective shift the book is written in makes it captivating and fun.