Great books for young readers

If you know someone who is just beginning to read, or perhaps ready to read to you, but just something easy, please, then grab some of these great new books.


Fly High, Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold
This is the latest of five books about Fly Guy and his boy 'Buzz' and it is so much fun to read. Lots of repeated words and phrases will allow new readers to practice, repeat and remember. All of the stories are perfect for the pickiest of new readers ... little boys.






Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Rain or Shine by Eric Silverman
And here is the fourth book in this Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa sereis that is especially for girls who love horses. Kate and her horse Cocoa have all kinds of adventures together. The vocabulary in this book is more complex and there are a lot more words per page than any other of the titles selected here. Count on using this for young readers who are reading fairly well but are not wanted to tackle really long books just yet.






Goose and Duck by Jean Craighead George
Jean Craighead George is a fabulous writer. She writes nature stories, about arctic animals and people who live in the cold northern climes. I love her book about her childhood, Tarantula in My Purse, which certainly is not for new readers. It would be a great read aloud.
I digress. Goose and Duck covers, in very simple text, the imprinting process that occurs when birds hatch and believe that a person is really their bird mother. Harper Collins (the publisher of "I Can Read" books) rates this 'High interest stories for developing readers' who are 'reading with help.'



Fancy Nancy and the Boy From Paris by Jane O'Connor
I love the big Fancy Nancy picture books, so I was delighted to find these new readers. Fancy Nancy is the girliest of girls; she like fancy things, ribbons, bows, pink everywhere. You will want to read all the Fancy Nancy stories if you have a girl like her in your house.
In this wonderfully funny story, there is a new boy in her class and he is from Paris. Fancy Nancy LOVES everything French, and she makes friends with this new boy. I will not tell you anything else - you just have to read it!
This is another Harper Collins book, "Simple sentences for eager new readers" is their designation for this level one reader. Fancy Nancy does like to use big, new, and sometimes French words, so your new reader will need help. There are prounounciation helps and definitions at the end of the book.


Mr. Putter & Tabby Run the Race by Cynthia Rylant
Cynthia Rylant has written many, many books and has several different series in the reader area. I have really enjoyed the Mr. Putter & Tabby series and there are over 17 written so far. My favorite so far is Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book. Anyway, the stories feature a senior citizen and his cat. Unlikely combo for a young reader, perhaps, but the stories are varied and interesting.
These stories are rated as books for 1st through 3rd grade, so are meant for children who are reading with little help.

Picture books with true stories in them ...

Stormy's Hat: Just Right for a Railroad Man by Eric A. Kimmel


Goerge "Stormy" Kromer was an engineer during the days the trainmen wore derbies or fedoras. But these hats blew off time and again. Stormy described hat ideas to his wife, who created the hat that railroad workers wear today.

Priscilla and the Hollyhocks by Anne Broyles

This is a remarkable book based on a true story and I hesitate to try and describe it. Priscilla is a slave girl, owned first by whites then by Cherokee. When the Cherokee's were forced to leave the East, Priscilla went to. As the family walked through a town in Illinois, someone from Priscilla's past recognized her. This kind man bought her from the Cherokee, set her free and he and his wife adopted her into their large family. Hollyhocks are the flowers Priscilla's mother always planted, and Priscilla always took hollyhock seeds with her to plant again, as a way to bring a sense of her own mother and home with her wherever she went.

A Very Improbable Story by Edward Einhorn

I usually am not crazy about picture books with math in them. Many are so forced. Blah! But this stort of probability also has a quirky storybook element to it that makes it fun - Ethan wakes up with a cat on his head. The cat will not go away until Ethan wins a game. The reader gets a gentle, gradual explanation of how odds work.

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway

If you have not heard how micro-loans are changing the world, a little at a time, this is a great book to read. This story takes place in Africa, where a young boy borrows a little money to buy a hen. The hen lays eggs, the boy sells the eggs, buys more hens. More eggs, and now he can afford to go to school. He earns a scholarship, goes to agricultural school and then comes home to become a farmer, employing his neighbors, improving the lives of everyone; children have enough to eat and be able to go to school. The author gives more information about micro-loans in the back of the book.

Phillis's Big Test by Catherine Clinton

Phillis Wheatley published a book of poetry in Boston in 1773. The year before she had to go before a board of over a dozen men and be questioned - they did not believe a slave could write such poetry.

Great story, and it is again based on a true story.

Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar by Clare Jarrett

This is a great way to introduce little ones to how caterpillars undergo metamorphosis and become butterflies. Nice story of little girl feeding the caterpillar, and seeing the butterfly fly away. Author also gives information on the process in the back of the book

Picture books for fun, for toddlers and for great art

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck

This bedtime story features a sleepy girl that wants to sleep in a blue room. But the room is not blue. She wants a blue blanket, some blue tea, but nothing is blue. What to do, what to do? And then mama turns off the light. The room, the blanket, the tea and flowers - all are now blue. The book has such a soft, quiet feel to it that it is bound to be a good bedtime story again and again.





Bear's Picture by Daniel Pinkwater (new illustrations by D. B. Johnson)

Pick this book for the illustrations, then read it again for the story. The illustrator has other fabulous books, notably Henry Hikes to Fitchburg. In this story, the bear is painting what he likes and two men come along and tell him he cannot paint, and then criticize his painting. The men disappear into the stream in the painting, the bear is happy with his painting, the book itself is turned and we see a stylized painting of ... the bear himself!




Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera



Everyone knows the song. Now sing along and enjoy the colorful, luscious pictures by Jane Cabrera. I plan on using this for story time and toddler time, too!

My Baby & Me by Lynn Reiser

Here is another great book for little folks. Four sets of siblings talk, play and do loving things together. The cover does not show the beautiful children of color who are included. Rhyming text is simple and very child centered.








Mommy Do You Love Me? by Jeanne Willis

Mommy hen and little chick love each other. This story goes beyond 'love you, love you, love you' to showing that even when mommy is mad, she still loves little chick. And mommy and little chick are able to talk about that - a great way to bring the topic up with little ones who are struggling with understaning complex human emotions.







Ma! There's Nothing to Do Here! by Barbara Park
Have you heard of the book series Junie B. Jones? Well, here is her very humorous picture book inspired by the ultrasound of her grandson. This in utero baby can think of lots of thing children would like to do, and complains about not having anything to do while in the womb.






Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

I love this simple story and plan on using it for story time real soon. The text is simple, repititious and then the reader will turn the page to see the animals that the little girl and her monkey went to see. You will definitely want to read the other books by this author/illustrator: Meerkat Mail; Orange Pear Apple Bear; and the almost scary story, Wolves.

What Pet to Get? by Emma Dodd

Big bold pictures and absolutely ridiculous pet choices make this a fun book to read. Mom does not just say no to her son, but suggests a pet elephant might squish the car, a lion might scare the mailman and sadly, T. rexes are extinct.

Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood by Timothy Knapman

No, this is not a story about finding a dragon. This is a story about a dragon finding a boy, a 'Benjamin' that he takes to school. But the Benjamin is homesick, so the dragon takes him home. Great story for dragon lovers of all ages.

Come Fly with Me by Satomi Ichikawa

You travel to Paris with this author/illustrator, in every book she writes. In this book, two toys take a trip together. After all, "The best part of going Somewhere is sharing it with friends."

La La Rose is one of my favorite stories with a lost toy rabbit who eventually finds his girl. And again, you get to visit Paris.