Children’s Reading

There’s nothing quite as special as enjoying some quality time reading to your kids. If you’re looking for great titles in the realm of children’s reading, you’ve come to the right spot. Want to know what your favorite children’s authors are up to? Looking for the next bedtime story your kids will never forget? You can find it all here on the Blio Blog.

Summer Reading and Big eReader Book Releases

June 19, 2012

in Children's Books,Contemporary Reading,Seasonal Reading

Summer is finally here, and with it comes plenty of great new books. If you’re a student or a teacher who has summers off, summer is the perfect time to catch up on your pleasure reading. For the rest of us, these can provide a lunchtime escape or a relaxing weekend reading experience. Here are just a few Blio recommendations for summer reading.

Fiction for the Beach

XO by Jeffery Deaver: Catapulted into sudden fame by her beauty and talent, country pop artist Kayleigh Towne turns for help to Special Agent Kathryn Dance to stop a sadistic stalker who is targeting the people closest to the singer. By the best-selling author of The Bone Collector.

Porch Lights by Dorthea Benton Frank: In the South Carolina Lowcountry, three generations of a family–a grandmother, a mother and a son–discover the indelible power of love, in this emotional journey that interweaves stories of swashbuckling pirates and an enigmatic writer named Edgar Allan Poe with the bonds of family. 250,000 first printing.

Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick: In a small 1940s Virginia town, mysterious stranger Charlie Beale meets Sylvan Glass, the teen bride of the town’s richest man, and Sam Haislett, the 5-year-old son of owner of the butcher shop where Charlie gets a job, and soon the interaction between Charlie, Sylvan and Sam alters the town forever. By the #1 best-selling author of A Reliable Wife.

Just Right for Kids 8-12

Wonder by R.J. Palacio: Born with a facial deformity that initially prevented his attendance at public school, Auggie Pullman enters the fifth grade at Beecher Prep and struggles with the dynamics of being both new and different, in a sparsely written tale about acceptance and self-esteem.

The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan: A final entry in the popular trilogy finds Carter and Sade preparing for an ultimate confrontation with the chaos snake Apophis at the same time the House of Life magicians launch a civil war, compelling the Kanes to tap the power of an ancient spell.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart’s desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters.

New Summer Releases Blio eReader

Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich (Available Today): Dazzling her patrons with scrumptious cupcakes at her Salem, Massachusetts bakery, Elizabeth Tucker continues to fall for the irresistible Diesel, who protects her from a villain who is seeking mystical stones tied to the seven deadly sins. By the best-selling author of the Stephanie Plum novels.

Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand (Available June 26): Follows lives of four high school students, their friends and families after a fatal car accident on graduation night on Nantucket has lasting repercussions for everyone involved, in this new novel from the author of Silvergirl.

I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson (Available July 9): Detective Michael Bennett takes his family to upstate New York in an effort to escape a lawless crime wave erupting in Manhattan only to find themselves immersed in another nightmare, one that endangers his relationship with his wife.

If you plan to read these summertime books at the beach, be sure to check out our handy guide to using an eReader at the beach. Where is your favorite place to read in the summer.

Flickr photo by shutterberry

Tagged as: Beach Reading, summer book releases, summer reading

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Maurice Sendak Tribute | Link Roundup

May 8, 2012

in Children's Books,Uncategorized

The literary world lost an icon today. Maurice Sendak, one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time has died at the age of 83. Condolences and memories are flooding the Internet, and children young and old are talking about Where the Wild Things Are. Here are some of the best Sendak tribute content we’ve found:

Among our favorites, Shaun Usher from Letters of Note has been posting classic notes, postcards, and interview transcripts on his Twitter feed @LettersOfNote, like this hand-drawn Sendak postcard, and this gem from an interview with Terry Gross, in which Sendak describes one of his favorite fan letters of all time:

Terry Gross: Can you share some of your favorite comments from readers that you’ve gotten over the years?

Maurice Sendak: Oh, there’s so many. Can I give you just one that I really like? It was from a little boy. He sent me a charming card with a little drawing. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters—sometimes very hastily—but this one I lingered over. I sent him a postcard and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, “Dear Jim, I loved your card.” Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.” That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.

Here are a few other great Sendak articles and videos from today:

For further reading, the illustrated biography, Maurice Sendak by Charlotte Guillain introduces students to Sendak’s simple text structures and clear images to help readers learn about this amazing writer.

Do you have any favorite memories of reading Sendak’s books? Any other Sendak resources to share today? In closing, this wild rumpus tribute.

Tagged as: Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are

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6 Books About Nature for Kids

April 26, 2012

in Children's Books,Famous Children's Authors

Curious George and Other Books about Nature for Kids

Curious George and Other Books about Nature for Kids

Today is the birthday of John James Audubon, naturalist and and birder, who famously said, “A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.”

If our responsibility to our children is to leave the world better than we found it, then it’s also our responsibility to teach children  all we can about the natural world. To help get them started, here are six books about nature for kids that are sure to get your children or grandchildren excited about the outdoors.

1. Curious George Goes Camping — Margret and H.A. Rey: Everyone’s favorite mischievous monkey gets into trouble setting up camp, and learns to love nature and succeed in an outdoor emergency.

2. The Lorax — Dr. Seuss: The quintessential read for young conservationists, this book will have your young reader speaking for the trees right along with the story’s diminutive hero.

3. Winnie the Pooh and Nature’s True Colors — K. Emily Hutta: Pooh and Piglet and the rest do a cleanup of the Hundred-Acre Woods—thanks to a mess created by Tigger—and take in the color of autumn’s bounty.

4. The Giving Tree — Shel Silverstein: This timeless story about a boy and tree will inspire young readers to love nature, and provide lessons that will well into adulthood.

5. The Call of the Wild — Jack London: For older kids, this classic about adapting to nature’s sometimes brutal conditions provides great lessons for finding love, and the actions scenes will captivate and startle parents as well.

6. Birds — David Burnie: In honor of Audubon, this Smithsonian DK guide to the world of birds includes photos and descriptions that will have children of all ages—yourself included—watching the skies and the feeder for your favorite feathered friends.

Do your children or grandchildren have a favorite book about nature? What books do you think teach some great lessons about taking care of the Earth?

Tagged as: Books about Nature for Kids, Children's books, Nature Books

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Top 5 Children’s Books | Library Selections

February 6, 2012

in Blio Bestsellers,Children's Books,Guest Post,Library Selections

In the first of an ongoing series of guest posts from librarians around the country, blogger and librarian Courtney Mandarino shares a list of 5 recommended books for children that helped shape her younger years.

As a child, it was always easy for me to find refuge in books. I think the books we read as children truly help shape us, and the characters we love provide templates for the way we think, act and see the world around us. I’m lucky to come from a long line of readers, and some of my favorite books were handed down to me by my grandmother. My grandmother bought me copies of Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden because they were favorites of hers when she was a girl, and they likewise became favorites of mine. I’ve always been amazed by the way books can unify generations of people, as with my grandmother and I, through a mutual admiration of a particularly lovable story. I encourage you to pass your old favorites on to younger generations, and to occasionally revisit those old favorites yourself. That said, here are five children’s books very near and dear to me.

The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret Garden is a beautiful book about an orphaned girl named Mary who is taken to a strange new place to live with an uncle she’s never known. While there, Mary’s obstinate, selfish manner slowly melts away as she grows accustomed to her new life. As a child, I loved reading the maid’s lines aloud (as they were written in the Yorkshire vernacular), and following along with the many discoveries Mary makes while exploring her new surroundings. From the secret garden, to a sick cousin, to learning why the garden was locked up in the first place, I’ve enjoyed this book many times over.

Continue reading…

Tagged as: a wrinkle in time, anne of green gables, C.S. Lewis, librarians, libraries, lucy maude montgomery, The Lion, the secret garden, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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