Children's Books for the Holidays
In this gift giving season, one of the best gifts we can give our children is reading to them in their childhood. Even after they grow old enough to read for themselves, the act of reading out loud is magical and should be continued. A mother of a 3-year-old once asked me when she should start reading to her young son. I gasped, I’m afraid. I had started reading to my daughter when she was a few weeks old, and her younger brother joined us when we came home from the hospital the day after his birth! Here are a few young children’s books to read aloud or to read together. Read at bedtime, read during the day with a child on your lap, read with a child next to you on the floor. With reading and math scores plummeting across the country, reading to your children, grandchildren or any children in your life, will give them three things that will help them in their lives: love of reading, love of adventure and love of a beloved family member who took the time to read to a cherished child. Happy breading!!
Leslie Susskind. Wish
Ages 3 months to 6 years. This beautifully illustrated book has two words per page, some fun to say, like “whoosh!” on a dandelion seed head that then dances through the rest of the book with sounds and travels. An adorable book to read aloud to very young children, with its easy sounds and pictures to follow and a great book for beginning readers.
Sherri Fink. The Little Gnome
Early readers from 6-9 years old
A magical story of a garden gnome and its awareness of the seasons with the animals and plants in its environment. At first unhappy when summer leaves, the little gnome learns to adapt to change and to enjoy each season. A lovely read aloud to explore the seasons no matter where you live.
Kate Specht. Henry’s New Glasses
Young readers from 5-10.
Change is hard especially when it comes to having to wear glasses. Henry’s father also needs glasses and the two adapt to this new and sharper focused world together. Wonderful illustrations show how children have their eyes examined and bravely face their classmates on the first day wearing glasses.
Yael Manor. Dana Deserves a Playground Too
Young readers from 7-10 years old.
Yael Manor has written a story for children that needs telling. Dana is a young girl with a loving family and friends. She goes to the playground where her friends are playing happily. Dana is in a wheelchair and there is nothing there that she can do. Not the swings, not the carousel, not the slide or the climbing equipment. Yael empowers the children in her story to bring about the changes for the playground. She explained, “Values of caring, responsibility, and friendship are stronger and more meaningful when they come from children.” Check out my review of her book.
Sydney Taylor. All-Of-A-Kind-Family
Grades 3-6, ages 7-11
Sarah Brenner, growing up in New York’s Lower East Side in the early teen of the 20th century, found that there were no story books depicting Jewish families and children. Married with a new name, Sydney Taylor, and a little girl, Sydney began to tell her daughter stories of her childhood. She wrote them down and put them in a closet. Her husband sent them into a publisher and the stories were accepted and became a hit! Using her 4 sisters’ names, the author creates a beautifully warm and positive family life, despite immigrant status, poverty and prejudice. This was a favorite of mine and my children’s. The five-book series is a glimpse into the past and a reminder that happy childhoods come in many identities and backgrounds.
