what we read today: berlioz the bear by jan brett

I love Jan Brett!  Her storytelling ability and illustration-prowess never disappoint.  She is best known for her Scandinavian, troll-themed stories like The Trouble with Trolls and The Mitten.  Today we read about a musical bear named Berlioz, his band, and their wayward journey into town to perform at the village ball. 

Berlioz plays double bass in his town's orchestra, and tonight, the band will play at the village ball.  When he tunes up his instrument, it makes a funny sound, and he can't figure out why.  He and his band load up their wagon and head into town.  Along the way, the wagon breaks down.  With a little help from friends, they make it to town and Berlioz gets his bass to play beautiful music.

All of Brett's stories are set in a specific country, and this one is set in Germany with intricately carved wooden furniture and wagons, traditional dress, Alpine mountains, and a storybook village.  I love the way every inch of the pages are filled with artwork, and that artwork works double time to add to the storytelling.  The center of each page shows the main picture of the story, and the borders of each page show what is happening in town.  The villagers are setting up for the party, bringing in chairs and food.  These are the kind of pictures that you can spend a long time pouring over.  They're great! 

recommended age: 3+  

little cloud by eric carle

My sons love looking up at the clouds and trying to decide what shapes they can see in them.  Once, when I picked him up from school, I asked my third grader what he did at recess that day, and he told me that he sat alone all recess.  I was concerned until he told me the reason - because the clouds were so beautiful that day, and he just had to watch them.  An unusual way to spend recess, but a quite poetic one, nonetheless. 

I wasn't familiar with this sweet little book by Eric Carle until recently, but I'm so glad I found it.  A little cloud drifts alone and has fun changing itself into all different shapes - animals, airplanes, a clown with a fancy hat.  At the end of the story, the little cloud joins its family and brings rain to the town below.  

This has the classic Carle art work and simple yet engaging words.  It's perfect for toddlers and preschoolers! 

Story Time Conversations:

• What are clouds made of?  What do they look like they are made of?
• What was your favorite shape that the cloud made?
• Pretend to be a cloud.  Drift by high in the air.  Now make a thunderstorm and rain! 

story time around the world! let's go to france.

  What better way to kick off the summer than with a trip to France?  Ooh la la!  Let's go! 

• This Is France by Miroslav Sasek 

We've shared books from this classic series of travel guides for kids on the blog before, and they are so much fun!  This is Paris takes readers through the streets of the City of Light tromping over its famous bridges, through its beautiful squares, meeting its fashionable people, and learning interesting factoids about the city along the way. 

• Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland

Also shared on the blog last year, any fan of Julia Child no matter the age will treasure this book.  It follows the talented chef and all-around amazing woman through her childhood into adulthood telling her story through playful comic strip and collage like graphics.  

• Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

This Caldecott winner is a wonderful lesson in sharing and community and also brings the reader to the world of Brittany, France of old.  Three soldiers are traveling and come to a small Breton village.  The villagers see them coming and hide all of their food so the soldiers don't ask for a hand out.  The soldiers tell them they can make a magical soup from stones.  The villagers are intrigued.  The soldiers say that stone soup goes well with carrots and onions and maybe some meat.  Before long, the village shares a delicious pot of stone soup and a night of fun and friendship.  I love the pictures in this one with all of what I picture Brittany to be with the tall lace headpieces, folk costumes, and thatched roof houses.  

• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans 

Everyone's favorite Parisian redhead is a must for a French story time - the simple rhymes, the hand drawn illustrations, the spunky little girl named Madeline who is brave and kind and smart.  

• Hello World Paris: A Book of Shapes by Ashley Evanson

Visit Parisian sights from the Arc de Triomphe to a yummy patisserie to the Louvre and find shapes along the way. 

story time around the world: england

It's time for story time around the world!  Let's board our private jet and head to jolly old England.  Pip pip and cheerio! 

• This is England by Miroslav Sasek

We have featured this travel series for kids a lot on the blog because the retro graphics with the interesting tidbits about exciting locals will always thrill us!  This one takes readers through some of England's industrious cities as well as some of the most charming countryside anywhere in the world. 

• This is London by Miroslav Sasek

The same great vintage graphics that you would want to put in a frame on your wall but focusing on the busy, bustling city of London.  It has been said that if you tire of London, you tire of life, so this book is definitely a keeper.  

• Good Queen Bess by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema with pictures by Diane Stanley 

One of England's most fascinating and influential monarchs with beautiful illustrations that bring her world to life for elementary school aged readers.  

• This is London: A Book of Opposites by Ashley Evanson 

We are big fans of Evanson's Hello World board book series!  This one teaches the concept of opposites while providing awesome illustrations of London. 

• Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back by P.L. Travers

While the movie and the book versions of Mary are quite different, movie fans will still recognize the magical nanny enough to really enjoy this classic novel and its sequel.  Unlike the movie where Mary only stays for a little while and then must go, in the books, Mary comes back to the Banks household many times.  Also different from the movie - there are five children instead of two, Bert is a matchman instead of a chimney sweep, and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (spell check is hating me right now) is no where to be found.  

have a great weekend!

We have made it to the weekend!  It is really feeling like summer over here.  Shirtless kids playing in the water hose in the front yard?  Check.  House and lawn covered with water guns, scooters, bike helmets, and Nutella hand prints?  Check.  My only afternoon goal is to sit on my porch with something cold to drink!  

Do you have a great book that you just discovered and want to share?  I love getting recommendations from readers and friends!  

What are your plans this weekend?  Whatever your plans are, make time to read a good book! 

4 fantastic books about artists!

The lives of artists and the paths they took to produce their best works always makes for a good story.  Here are some of our favorite books about artists.  

A Child's Introduction to Art by Heather Alexander and Meredith Hamilton 

This art book for kids focuses on two things: introducing young readers to classic famous artists and some of their best work and teaching basic art concepts.  Artists featured include Mary Cassatt, Jackson Pollock, and Cezanne, and each have a small section of the book devoted to their biography and an analysis of their work that is both kid-appropriate yet still very thorough and educational.  I was impressed with the amount of knowledge that was poured into teaching kids about real art.  The book also teaches concepts like the color wheel and drawing perspective.  It comes with some really cool coloring pages too! for ages 6-12

The Noisy Paint Box by Barb Rosenstock and Mary Grandpre - 

This is the story of the artist Vasya Kandinsky as a boy. 

"Vasya mixed red with yellow; then he mixed red with blue.  As the colors changed, Vasya heard a whisper.  HISS!  Louder. HISS! Then louder still.  HISS!"

Vasya Kandinsky was a boy who loved to paint and would grow up to be one of the first major abstract artists.  This book by Barb Rosenstock and Mary Grandpre follows the artist through his childhood and into adulthood where he created some of his most iconic works.  Kandinsky possessed synesthesia, the ability to hear color.  His paintings were composed almost like a composer creates a symphony.  One style the artist was famous for was the concentric circle. 

Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look 

Wu Daozi, a real-life painter in China during the late 600s, wanted to be a painter but never fit within the box of the traditional painting school.  His calligraphy lessons didn't go so well.  His characters never matched those of his classmates - instead of number ones, he drew fish, horse tails, and flowers.  Instead of worrying about the dishonor he would bring to his family for his lack of conformity, he goes out and does what he loves.  He paints and paints and paints.  He never stops.

"Every day Daozi painted to his heart's content.  With one eye open, the other in a dream, he painted so much that he knew not whether the sun was up or down . . . "

He paints so much that his creations begin to take on lives of their own, leaping off the page in fantastical real life!

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel and Amanda Hall - 

Why did Rousseau paint?  Why did Rousseau keep painting even when every art critic told him it looked like "he closed his eyes and painted with his feet"?  Because he loved it.  This beautifully illustrated book by Markel and Hall takes the reader through the life of the French artist known for his dreamy jungle scenes painted vividly on canvas.  Throughout his adult life, he decided to follow his passion despite every person he knew advising him otherwise.  My favorite moment in the book is when Rousseau loads up his work on a cart and walks to an art exhibit to show his work for the first time ever.  In the illustration, the art critics standing on the steps of the art museum are towering over him and his little cart.  He bravely went into the exhibition hall anyway to show his work.  The first show didn't go well, and neither did the second show or the third.  This is a classic story of the little engine that could.  Rousseau kept at it.  Eventually, he caught the eye of an artist named Pablo Picasso, and he finally gets the recognition that he deserved.  recommended age: 5+

3 books my 3 year old loves

happy monday everyone!  my three year old likes dragons and castles, pirates, pyramids, and adventure stories.  here are three books that i have read him about a billion times lately. 

King Jack and the Dragon Board Book

By Peter Bently

Jack and his friends spend their whole afternoon building castle forts, chasing away dragons, and feasting like kings until their moms and dads say it's bed time.  Cute story! 

The Color Kittens (A Little Golden Book)

By Margaret Wise Brown

The color kittens are in charge of all the colors in the world, and they are on a mission to mix the perfect green paint!  They mix combination after combination of paint colors making purple, and orange, and brown, and finally green.  Playful illustrations.  

Corduroy

By Don Freeman

Corduroy is a classic!  A bear in a department store wants a home more than anything, but he looks a little shabby with his button missing from his overall strap.  He meets a special little girl who takes him home and fixes him up.  The story is a bit lengthy for preschoolers, but it's worth getting past the wordiness for the great story. 

have a brave weekend! if you were a pioneer on the prairie by anna kamma

What are your plans this weekend?  Our city park has an annual festival called the "day of merry-making", and its taking place this weekend.  My kids and I really look forward to it.  Our favorite part is the hot air balloon that gives rides to all the kids! Both my kids and I are not the biggest fan of heights, but none of us want to miss out on the opportunity for such adventure so close to our own backyard so the word I chose for this weekend is brave. 

Brave is also how I would describe today's book pick.  The pioneers who left the comforts of home to travel west had to be some of the bravest people in American history!  Reading this fund and informative book will surely make any reader agree.  

We have a lot of this "if you were . . ." historical series, and I love the way they are set up.  Firstly, they put the reader in the shoes of the real people in the specific time period, so reading this will truly teach you what your life would be like on the Western prairie.  Secondly, I like the way the text is broken up into questions and answers, so the material is digestable and not too lengthy.  Some of the questions they answer are really unusual and interesting like the one below.  Why were pioneers afraid of grasshoppers? 

If you enjoy this selection, we have others in the series like one about the underground railroad, the civil war, women's rights, and the Sioux Indian tribe. 

Whatever you do this weekend, take some time to read a good book! 

9 books my 9 year old loved this year

My third grader is an avid reader.  What he likes:  books that are not too scary, characters that are kind and funny, comics, Pokemon, stories about friendship. 

9.  Adventures with Waffles

We both absolutely loved this one!  The characters are nine as well, and he liked that.  It's the story of a girl named Lena and a boy named Trille in a small town in Norway.  They are best friends and constantly getting into mischief that sends the reader into belly laughs.  Mixed with the fun are more serious issues like Lena really wanting a dad and the loss of Trille's grandmother. 

Adventures with Waffles

By Maria Parr

8. Dear Mr. Henshaw

We have shared our love of this book on the blog before.  He read this with his class, and it inspired him to start writing. 

Dear Mr. Henshaw

By Beverly Cleary

7. Anything by Roald Dahl!

You can't go wrong with any of his books - James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, so many more good ones! 

James and the Giant Peach

By Roald Dahl

6. Misty of Chincoteague 

This classic story of a island of wild horses and the kids who are fascinated by them is great. 

Misty of Chincoteague

By Marguerite Henry

5. Any Pokemon guide

Reading is reading is reading, and while Shakespeare this ain't, he really loves it.  I get to hear about all things Pokemon, and I now know way more about ways a grass type Pokemon can defeat a water type Pokemon.  On the other hand, this book  right here has bought me many hours of entertaining him. 

Pokémon Deluxe Essential Handbook: The Need-to-Know Stats and Facts on Over 700 Pokémon

By Scholastic

4. The Frank Einstein series 

We have all three of this series, and we both love the combination of humor and science.  

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor (Frank Einstein series #1): Book One

By Jon Scieszka

3. The Secret Garden

When I heard that he was reading this one with his class, I was skeptical that he would enjoy it.  It was written a long time ago, and the language can be somewhat outdated.  But believe it or not, he came home every day with something new to say about the book.  It really held his attention. 

The Secret Garden

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

2. The Penderwicks series

These tales of sisters who go on adventures, get into trouble, build strong friendships, and love each other very much is right up his alley because it is not too intense but remains exciting and engaging while being lighthearted at the same time.

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

By Jeanne Birdsall

1.  What we are reading now: Fortunately, The Milk 

This is quirky, unusual, and fascinating with everything you would expect from Gaiman. 

Fortunately, the Milk

By Neil Gaiman

a chair for my mother by vera b. williams

Hi there!  Hope you had a great long weekend.  My in-laws offered to take the kids to get breakfast and go to the park playground on Memorial Day.  I thought, Awesome!  I could use a little time alone to get stuff done. In true grandparent fashion, they returned my children cranky, utterly exhausted, and covered in Wendy's frosty. It's what grandparents do.  

Today's story has a grandparent (how's that for a transition?) and a single mom and her young daughter as well. It's a story that I have held in my heart since I was a kid watching Reading Rainbow.  I'm sure many of you had the same experience, and its status as a beloved book is well earned!  

A Chair for My Mother is the story of a single mom who works as a waitress in a diner.  Every night she comes home to the apartment she shares with her daughter and mother, and she rests her aching feet by sitting in the only chair they own - a hard backed kitchen chair.  

The reason they have no comfortable furniture is that everything they owned was destroyed when their previous apartment building burned down.  Now, the little family puts every extra penny they have into a big jar in hopes of using the money to buy the most perfect, most comfortable chair.  

The day finally comes when the jar is full, and they finally get their well-deserved comfy arm chair.  

Vera B. Williams has created a very prolific collection of picture books, and this is one of her best.  I love her watercolor illustrations and the way she subtly works in issues of dealing with tragedy, strength in community helpers, and what it means to not have money to spend on needs.  This book should be on every book shelf! 

Story time conversations: 

• When their apartment building burns down, all of their neighbors and friends come to their rescue, giving them furniture, clothes, and toys.  Is there any way we can become community helpers like in the story?
• They try out every kind of chair their is!  Which chair would you pick?
• It took them a long time to save up enough coins to buy their chair.  Have you ever saved up for something you really wanted?  What did that feel like? 

Have a great day! 

henri's scissors by jeanette winter

It's always great when a book is not only entertaining to read but also provides inspiration after the reading is done.  I love reinforcing the ideas we have read about in story time with a fun craft.  Today, we read Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter, and it inspired us to create some scissortastic art of our own.  

Henri Matisse was a famous French painter during the first half of the twentieth century.  His painting were known for their avant-garde nature and colorful composition.  Late in his life, he became very ill and would remain bedridden.  His physical state left him unable to paint, and instead of giving up on art entirely, he just changed his way of thinking.  He swapped his paint brush for a pair of scissors.  Instead of applying oils to canvas, he cut out wonderfully abstract and color rich paper art. 

Without leaving his bedroom, Matisse created a world of color and form that surrounded him with happiness. 

"You see, as I am obliged to remain often in bed . . . I have made a little garden all around me where I can walk. . . there are leaves, fruits, a bird."

The craft for this book is the best kind of craft - the kind that takes almost no prep work or special trip to Hobby Lobby.  All you need for this is construction paper and scissors, possibly some glue or tape.  Henri called his paper cut out collages gouaches decoupes.  To make your own, just take scissors in one hand, paper in the other, and cut free form shapes (Matisse's have a sort of frond like plant shape.)  There is no wrong way to shape them.  We created shapes in a variety of different colors and scales.  We arranged and glued ours down on white poster board, but the possibilities are endless!  Put some sticky tack on the back of each shape, and let a toddler stick them on a window.  Make a baby mobile by attaching them to a coat hanger with yarn.  These collages made Matisse happy, so do with them what makes you happy!  

have a fun weekend!

The weekend is here again, and from you to me, please enjoy this picture of a cat reading a book while wearing bifocals.  You've earned it.  

Do you have a wonderful picture book that you and your kids love?  A chapter book that your kid can't put down?  Booktomato is always on the lookout for what's new, fun, and delightful in children's literature.  Shoot us an email or leave suggestions below in the comments.  

Whatever you find yourself up to this weekend, take some time to read a good book! 

a comic book series that my kids have read a million times!

All of our kids have that one book or book series that they have read to the point that the binding falls apart, and when it does, we go straight to the store and buy a new copy, starting the cycle all over again.  The Tiny Titans comic series by Art Baltazar and Franco is one such loved book series.  

The Teen Titans have been in the DC universe for a long time, and in 2009, Baltazar and Franco took the same Titan characters and converted them to elementary school versions of themselves.  They went from teen to tiny, and the results are hilarious!  The dialogue is quirky and witty.  The plot lines are so engaging and relatable for kids, dealing with things that even non-superhero kids have to deal with like bullies on the playground, homework, and evil super villains that get a job as the school principle.  Wait, what?  

My husband collects comics and has for a long time.  He has a lot of comics that about super heroes but are written for more mature, adult audiences.  The problem with these is that my kids see Batman or Superman on the cover and think that these books are for them.  Even some of the comics featured for younger audiences can be a little touch and go with the range of graphic content.  The Tiny Titans is such a good choice for kids like mine who really want their own comics but might not be ready for comics with lots of action and more violence. 

Do you have a comic book series or graphic novel that you or your kids love?  Let me know!  

picture book travel: olivia goes to venice by ian falconer

In just one more day, my third grader and my preschooler are officially done with school for the year!  

Congratulations to all the educators/moms/dads/aunts/uncles/grandparents/caregivers out there for surviving another school year!  You deserve a fancy trip to Venice, Italy, bossy and sassy little pig named Olivia optional.  

I love Olivia!  Yes, she can be a little bit of a complainer and more than a little bit of a bossy pants, but she is smart and sassy and girl knows what she wants.  Olivia and her family tour Venice for spring vacation, and we get to tour right along with them - palazzos and bridges over canals, gondolas, gelato, fancy masks, more gelato.  I love how the pictures mix illustrations of the pig family with actual photographs of Venice.  

Thanks for stopping by today!  Are you celebrating the end of the school year too?  Even if you can't make it to Venice to celebrate, gelato tastes just as good on a porch swing in Tennessee as it does on a Venetian gondola.  You've earned it! 

the whale by ethan murrow and vita murrow

I will never forget one summer several years ago when we packed up our clothes, toothbrushes, and kids and set out on a family adventure.  We went to Alaska with the hopes of seeing a whale.  We went on one of those whale watching tours, and it was wonderful except for the fact that our youngest family member was 15 months old and got great pleasure in freaking his parents out by running from one side of the boat to the other.  We were sure he would end up whale food.  He didn't, and we all got to see several hump back whales.  Seeing that giant tail fin slide out of the water and flop back down in a splash was unforgettable!  Highly recommend the experience!  

The Whale by Ethan and Vita Murrow is an almost wordless story set in a New England seaside town where a local mystery is about to be solved.  Fifty years prior, two kids claimed to have seen a giant whale just off the town's coast, and the whole town wants to set out to prove that the mysterious giant really does exist.  Just like the first spotting, two kids brave the stormy ocean to get a glimpse of the whale.    

We liked the black and white sketches in this.  They did a good job of guiding the reader through the story, but after reading wordless stories like Journey and Quest by Aaron Becker with their super detailed illustrations, I felt like I wanted the pictures in The Whale to do a little more work than they did.  For that reason, I feel like this is a book for elementary school kids and not preschoolers.  There just aren't enough context clues in the pictures to tell a story that preschoolers would find engaging.  That being said, it is a lovely story with some really amazing artwork.  Any fans of whales would really enjoy it! 

books we love: robo-sauce by adam rubin and daniel salmieri

WARNING: THIS BOOK HAS THE ABILITY TO TRANSFORM INTO A ROBOT!  If you loved the book Dragons Love Tacos as much as we did, you will love Adam Rubin's new book Robo-sauce. It's fun to dress up and pretend to be a robot, but what if you had the ability to actually turn yourself into a real one?  For brave taste buds, this book holds a recipe for a sauce that can do just that.  Once the family in the book samples the sauce, they are turned into robots on a path to world-destruction!  This book also holds a secret - the book itself can turn into a robot too!  

All of Rubin's books have such a fun and quirky sense of humor.  The zany antics of his characters are just too funny!  His bio says that he has an interest in improv comedy, and it shows.  If you would like to check out more of his work, his other kids books include Dragons Love Tacos and Those Darn Squirrels.  recommended age: 3+

have a purrfect weekend! diva and flea by mo willems

My third-grader son and I recently read this together, and we loved it!  Diva is a small well-bred dog who lives with her owner in an apartment building in Paris.  Diva spends her day sitting in the fenced courtyard of the building too timid to imagine what lies outside her gate.  Flea is an outgoing and curious alley cat who prides himself in his adventurous nature.  Every day he passes by Diva's courtyard, and Diva gives him her fiercest little bark.  It is so small and squeaky that it makes Flea laugh.  Eventually, the two become friends, and Flea convinces Diva to leave her courtyard to explore the exciting city.  What will happen when Diva leaves her courtyard and her fears behind? 

Honestly, the reading level of this book was probably best for first or second grade, but even so, the story was entertaining for my third grader.  It was funny and taught lessons about bravery and friendship in a light hearted way.  My third grader isn't big on stories with a lot of edge or darkness, so this was up his alley in a big way.  This would be great for first time novel readers because it is filled with illustrations making it a good bridge between picture book and chapter book.  Check it out!   

the tree in the courtyard: looking through anne frank's window by jeff gottesfeld and peter mccarty

There are picture books that make us laugh, and picture books that teach us our letters or numbers.  There are picture books that wow us with amazing artwork, and picture books that spark our imagination with their innovative storytelling.  All of these enrich our lives in different ways.  Here is a picture book that does a lot for the reader.  It teaches us, amazes us, inspires us, and might make us sad but hopeful.  

We are all probably familiar with the story of Anne Frank, but I was not aware of the fact that the tree that grew outside the building where Anne and her family hid from the Nazis was famous.  Cuttings from this tree have been planted all over the world in places where tragedies have happened as a symbol of peace and hope.  

The Tree in The Courtyard is told from the perspective of Anne's tree.  The tree loves Anne and her family and watches as they come and go from their home, as they play in its branches, and the tree looks inside their windows, watching them live their lives.  One day, the tree is confused because the family doesn't come out of their house.  Another day passes, and another.  Planes and bombs and soldiers come, but the family does not come out.  The tree spots Anne looking out of the attic window, and the tree is there the day the family is discovered and taken away.  

This is such a beautiful take on Anne Frank's story.  Explaining the atrocities of the Nazis' treatment of the Jewish people and the horror of war is hard.  It's not easy or fun, but it's a valuable lesson.  I feel like this book is an age-appropriate conversation starter for elementary school kids.  The sepia colored illustrations are a wonderful partner in telling the story.  This story is sad, but it ends on a note of hope.  Even when the tree falls in a storm, it lives on.  

What do you think?  Have your kids read the Diary of Anne Frank?  Do you ever use books to help teach difficult subjects?    

the opposite zoo by il sung na

"'Whimsy' is a word that runs rampant in the description of children's literature, but Il Sung Na's picture books certainly merit the label." - The New York Times

Artist Il Sung Na is the creator of many new children's books that are soon to be beloved classics.  In his newest work, The Opposite Zoo, you will find the classic book of opposites with an artistic, charming twist.  Like most simple preschooler-level books aimed at teaching opposites, this features pages illustrating black and white, quiet and loud, awake and asleep.  Where this book breaks away from the others is in the Crayola-on-steroids colorful artwork that brings a playful and cutely charismatic tone to the story.  

Story Time Conversation: 

• What animal at the zoo is your favorite?  Why?
• Which opposite do you feel like today?  Noisy or quiet?  Bold or shy?  
• On each page, act out the word.  Act asleep.  Now act awake.  Act tall.  Now act short. 
• Look around the room.  Can you spy an opposites?  (For us, one lamp was on, and another lamp was off.)
• recommended age: 2-4

happy monday!

Hi there!  Hope your week is off to a great start!  Let's get the ball rolling with some of the best book posts from some of our favorite blogs on the web. 

• Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee +++ A Kid's Book A Day

https://kidsbookaday.com/2016/05/16/maybe-a-fox-by-kathi-appelt-and-alison-mcghee/

• 9 People Who Changed the World: Nobel Peace Prize Picture Books +++ Pragmaticmom.com 

http://www.pragmaticmom.com/2016/05/9-people-who-changed-world/

• Review: Please, Louise +++ Kids' Book Review

http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2016/05/review-please-louise.html

• 6th Grade Summer Reading List for Globally Conscious Kids +++ What Do We Do All Day 

http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2016/05/6th-grade-summer-reading-list.html