I like to suggest different books depending on close holidays, seasons, and based on what time of year it is. With Mother’s day coming up I thought I would suggest a few good reads to read over the next few weeks.

Are You My Mother?

By P.D. Eastman. Ok, this isn’t necessarily a mother’s day book, but it is all about mothers. In this book, a bird hatches while his mother is away. He has fallen from his nest and desperately wants to find out where and who his mother is so he sets off on a journey to do so. By the end of the book, the baby bird and his mother are reunited at last.

Before I Was Your Mother

Written by Katherine Lasky and Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. As a young girl, Katie can’t imagine her mother not being her mother. But during this story, she discovers that her mother was once a young girl, just like her. She bossed her brother around and dreamed of ballerinas just like Katie does.

Mother’s Day

This book is about all of the children in Mrs. Madoff’s class. This book describes all of the different ways that the many children in her school class celebrate mothers on Mother’s Day. A special visitor shows up in their class who shown them how to create a handmade gift for their mothers. This book is a wonderful celebration of mothers everywhere.

Happy Mother’s Day

By Mercer Mayer. Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Little Critter is very excited and busy planning his extra special surprise to give his mother on her special day. This book is extra special because it has those little flaps that the children can lift and discover more of the story. I love those!

Read the Book Yourself First

Many children’s books can be read with a certain meter or tempo. Reading a book in this manor may help children comprehend and listen better. Children’s books also have many weird words, names, and sound effect words. Reading a book to yourself before you have to read to an audience may help with these kinds of words.

Reading a book beforehand can also help you plan out questions to ask, side stories to tell, voices or sound effects to use, and learning experiences for the children making the reading experience more fun and educational.

Look over the Cover, Etc…

Especially if this is the first time you have read the book, take some time to talk about the cover and learn who the author and illustrator are. You could ask the child to predict what the story will be about just by looking at the cover. Or you could remind them of other books they have read that the same author has written.

Encourage Participation

Ask questions throughout the story to encourage understanding. Ask the child to talk about what they would do in the characters’ situations. Have the child predict what they think will happen next in the story. This will not only encourage understanding and encourage teaching and learning opportunities. It will help your listener stay tuned in to the book.

Read!

If you have had trouble captivating audiences while reading, try some of these tips. You may be surprised at how their opinion of reading changes when reading in made more fun. Not only will your child enjoy the experience more, so will you.

The Easter Bunny can be a magical creature to read about when you are little. Easter is coming up and there are plenty of Easter books to read your little ones.

Here is a summary of five Easter books (religious and non-religious) that you might want to add to your collection.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes

Written by DuBose Heyword and illustrated by Majorie Flack. In this book, we discover that there are five Easter Bunnies, not just one. Country Bunny who is a mother of twenty-one children and extremely busy, wants desperately to become one of the five Easter Bunnies. Traditionally the Easter Bunny position is one help out for a male rabbit, but neither this nor the fact that she has twenty-one little bunnies to care for stops her from trying out for the position.

The Easter Egg

Written and illustrated by Jan Brett. This colorful book is a little bunny named Hoppi who enters an Easter egg decorating contest. He desperately wants to win this contest because the grand prize is that the winner gets to be the Easter Bunny’s assistant.

Easter Mice

Written by Bethany Roberts and illustrated by Doug Cushman. The holiday mice have decided to have an Easter egg hunt. The smallest mouse of all, struggles at first, but ends up finding the best egg of all.

The Story of Easter

Written by Aileen Fisher and illustrated by Stefano Vitale. This book tells the beautiful story of the true meaning behind Easter. Even though every Christian celebrates Easter differently, they can all appreciate this moving story.

Little Bunny on the Move

Written and illustrated by Peter McCarty. This book isn’t about Easter, only a small bunny rabbit. This story takes you into an entirely different world. This book is for those who do not celebrate Easter, but still want a fun book to read to their children. Those who do celebrate Easter have another bunny book to read.

Dr. Seuss books are a favorite of many children. Most people remember being read a story or two by Dr. Seuss as they were being put to bed. Here is a short list of some of the favorite Dr. Seuss books and a summary for each.

Horton Hears a Who

Horton is a big, loving elephant. One day he hears a sound coming from a small puff of dust. Rather than ignoring this, like most did, he cares for the dust particle. He is shocked that there might even be a world on that little dust particle. His friends are not as impressed by this little dust particle though.

The Cat in the Hat

Dick and Sally were stuck inside because of the rainy weather. They are bored and sad until they receive a visitor. A mischievous cat wearing a hat shows up and turns their seemingly uneventful day into a day full of fun.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go

This is a book about success. This is a symbolic book about all of the places you may end up in life. There are roadblocks at every turn in life. But this book teaches that all you have to do is put your mind to something and not give up and you will have success.

Green Eggs and Ham

This book is about Sam-I-Am who goes to unbelievable lengths to get his friend to try green eggs and ham. This is a great book to teach children not to snub something before they have had a chance to try it.

Better Parent Child Relationship-There is no better way to bond with your child than by reading a good book together. You can snuggle up together, slow life down a little, and spend some quality, and maybe even some quantity time together. How can you get to know your child if you don’t stop, slow down, and spend some time with them?

Smarter Children-Children that have been read to during their early years are said to have better language and speech skills. While they listen to you read, they will hear how to correctly pronounce words. These children also have better communication skills. They learn this by interactions with you and by getting involved in the characters’ interactions.

Better Concentration and Attention Span-It is important for children to take a “time out” during the day. During reading time, they will practice their listening skills also. At first they may not be able to sit still for very long, but the more they sit still, the better they will become at sitting still.

A Love for Reading-Children will learn to love reading if they are shown that it can be fun to read. They need to be shown that reading is a fun activity rather than a punishment or chore. They will be able to mimic your enjoyment.

Basic Book Reading Skills-Reading a book from left to right is not a skill that babies are born with. Children must learn how to read a book correctly.

Logical Thinking Skills-Children learn from the stories that they hear. They learn to make good judgments and how to make decisions. This is an opportunity to ask your children questions and encourage their creativity and problem solving.

Here is a short list of some of our favorite Valentine’s Day book options for children.

Ages 4-8

Somebody Love’s You, Mr. Hatch – The importance of love and kindness comes through “loud and clear” in this book that is perfect for valentine’s day.

Love, Splat – Splat the Cat makes a reappearance as he falls for a kitten that mercilessly teases him. After many adventures and hardships, Splat learns the real reason Kitten keeps teasing him.

You’re Loveable to Me – Learn the love of a mother for her children through the rhymes of a rabbit family.

Queen of Hearts is about a girl named Estelle who spends so much time on creating the perfect box to put all of her valentine’s in that she forgets to make valentine’s for her classmates. Learn how Estelle’s creativity will save the day.

Ages 9-15

Pre-teen valentine’s reads are targeted mostly to girls because they become more romance stories than anything else.

The following are a few options for readers aged 9-15.

Boys, Girls, and other Hazardous Material -Charlie is starting her first year of high school, drama free, until her former best friend Will moves back into town, ruining everything. Not only is Will popular, but he is cute and her drama free life stands in the balance.

Juliet the Valentine Fairy – Jack Frost and his minions have stolen everything that makes valentine’s day special. Lovers and families are fighting and even the valentine’s day girls can’t seem to get along. It’s time to save Valentine’s day, can the fairies do it or has Jack Frost gotten the best of them?

These are just a few Valentine’s Day book options to help teach your children the importance of love and loving others.

Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat

This is an oldie but a goodie. Beginning readers will enjoy the funny characters, easy rhymes and colorful scenes in the Cat in the Hat series of books.

Diary of a Whimpy Kid

Taken out of a journal of a grade schooler, this series now has 6 books in total and may help kids feel more comfortable about their own identity, while being funny at the same time.

Harry Potter

Of course a list of children’s series wouldn’t be complete without the classic Harry Potter 7 book set. Whether Harry has won you heart is between you and him, but the hearts of children and teens everywhere say that this series is a must.

Judy Moody

Ironically, all of the series mentioned so far have had at least one book turned into a movie, Judy Moody included. This series tells the tales of woe of the third grade Judy Moody.

Amelia Bedelia

Amelia Bedelia, the loveable, yet zany housekeeper has also found her way into the hearts of children everywhere. Amelia is known for taking things a little too literally and her delicious home baked treats.

American Girls

For a little older readers, American Girls follow the lives of girls in American history and give little girls a heroine to aspire to.

Of course we can’t forget Arthur the Armadillo (now a popular cartoon), The Berenstein Bears, Boxcar Children mystery series, Curious George, Eloise, Judy Bloom’s Fudge Books, Goosebumps, Little House on the Prairie, Madeline, Nancy Drew, The Chronical of Narnia, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Wayside School.

We have provided a small list of holiday books that we have loved throughout the years and new books that we have found that you may enjoy.

Christmas Books

A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree
This book tells the tale of a woodland pine whose greatest wish is to be a Christmas tree. However, he is passed up year after year, until his woodland pals decide to try to help his dreams come true.

Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas
This is a great educational opportunity for children. This books tells the story of 16 children in 16 different countries including the traditions they use to celebrate and how to say Merry Christmas in each child’s native language. This is a great book for those wishing to learn about other traditions and cultures.

The Polar Express
This classic book, now made into a classic movie tells the story of a magical train ride and a special gift from Santa.

Hanukkah Books

The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes
Rachel’s family is preparing for their annual dinner with latkes. Each year Rachel’s family invites an elderly neighbor who stubbornly refuses to come. This year, Rachel finds a way to get her involved.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats
This picture book is about a family enjoying their Hanukkah preparations when they discover their Christian neighbors are too ill to decorate their Christmas trees. The family decides to pitch in and a special friendship is developed as two families learn about the spirit of giving.

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
This is the story of Hershel of Ostnopol saves Hanukkah for an entire village by tricking the goblins that have been haunting the old synagogue. In an afterword the author provides explanations of Jewish Hanukkah traditions. This book is great for children and families wishing to learn about other religions and cultures.

These are just a few of the many excellent Holiday books that can be found during this time of year. Other Christmas and Hanukkah recommendations include:
The Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Christmas Oranges, Happy Hanukkah, Corduroy, Hanukkah Haiku, and Eight Winter Nights.