Get your kids reading! Fall picks from the Free Library
Here are some favorite reads this fall from the team of children and teen book selectors at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Today's guest bloggers are Teresa Arnold and Monica Carnesi, Children's Material Selectors; and Rachel Fryd, Young Adult Materials Selector at the Philadelphia Free Library.
As we head into fall and the new school year and homework—don't forget to help your little (or not so little) ones make time to read for fun! Here are some favorite reads this fall from our team of children and teen book selectors at the Free Library of Philadelphia:
Recommendations for Toddlers/Preschoolers (Pre-K/Early Elementary)
Maggie and Michael Get Dressed (Denise Fleming): Getting dressed all by themselves is a big step for toddlers, who will laugh as they watch Michael practice this everyday activity on his dog, Maggie. Bonus fun: It's a great book for talking about colors, too!
Best Frints in the Whole Universe (Antoinette Portis): Every friendship has its ups and downs, something toddlers experience even with their very best friends. Enter Yelfred and Omek, who show friends can hit a rough patch and find a way to reconcile everywhere in the universe! The made up language of planet Boborp will have adults and children giggling from the start!
Crocopotamus: Mix and Match the Wild Animals (Mary Murphy): In this interactive book, readers have a chance to mix and match flaps to create a whole host of silly and inventive new animals. The sturdy flaps are perfect for little hands, and the variety of mixed-up possibilities will keep little ones engaged and entertained.
Recommendations for Elementary School (Grades 2-5)
Grover Cleveland, Again!: A Treasury of American Presidents (Ken Burns) This is a beautifully illustrated book spotlighting each of our 43 presidents in double-page spreads. Lots of fast facts show both the public and personal lives of our presidents. Not to be missed! (Barrack Obama is the 44th president, but he is the 43rd person to serve since Glover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms in office.)
Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions (Chris Barton) Read about the African American inventor and NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson, best known for inventing the Super Soaker. Great for book reports or just for fun!
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story (Nora Raleigh Baskin) In this book, the lives of four ethnically diverse children intersect in the days before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Written especially for children not born then, it can help to show the magnitude of the changes in our world after these attacks.
Middle School & High School Titles (Grades 6-12)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel (Ransom Riggs, art by Cassandra Jean) – With the movie coming out at the end of September, this colorful and exciting graphic novel adaptation of this novel is a great way to ease back into the school year!
Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo) – Six teens living on the fringes of society, each with their own baggage and something to prove, embark on a seemingly doomed and dramatic heist. Set in the same world as Bardugo's wildly popular Grisha Trilogy, the vivid descriptions and fast paced plot will set you up for this fall's sequel, Crooked Kingdom.
Labyrinth Lost (Zoraida Cordova) – Part of a family of bruja (think religious witches) living in Brooklyn, Alex hates magic. However, she's going to have to dive headfirst into her powers and journey to Los Lagos, the dark and trippy "between" land, to save her family.
Don't forget that we have ebooks and downloadable audiobooks at freelibrary.org PLUS tons of great programs at all of neighborhood libraries. So grab your library card or sign up for a new one and we'll see you this fall!
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