Parenting of K-6 Children Readers'
Reviews and Recommendations
of Parenting and Kids' Books
Readers' Recommendations:
From Julie: As both a child and an adult, I loved the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. Set in turn-of-the-century fictional "Deep Valley," Minnesota (Mankato, in real life), the books trace the friendship of 3 little girls--Betsy, Tacy, and Tib--from the time they are 5 years old until they grow up and marry and have children of their own. Maud Hart Lovelace wrote the books after telling her daughter bedtime stories about growing up in Minnesota. The stories and incidents are all based on Maud's own experiences, much like the Laura Ingalls Wilder books depicted pioneer life a generation before Maud. They present warm, loving, supportive families, and subtle messages of learning about personal responsibility, defining one's self and one's goals, and the value of family and friendships. Read more of Julie's excellent review of the Betsy-Tacy books. . .
More from Julie:Here are some more books which I enjoyed as a kid, and which some of my nieces and nephews have enjoyed too:
The All-of-a-Kind-Family books by Sydney Taylor--books (there are 4, I think) about a Jewish family living in New York City at the turn-of-the-century. Gentle stories of family life, Jewish traditions and holidays. (*Note from Kimberly - the other Sydney Taylor books are All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown, Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family, and More All-of-a-Kind Family.)
The Saturdays, The Four-Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, Spiderweb for Two by Elizabeth Enright--The Melendy Family has all sorts of fun adventures together as they make their own fun during WWII in America. Wonderful, descriptive writing, vivid, funny, human characters. These are just coming back into print in paperback form this fall from Penguin/Puffin books.
Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Theatre Shoes, Movie Shoes, Skating Shoes, (and other "Shoes" books) by Noel Streatfeild--I wore these books out as a kid. Set in England, the stories all feature children involved in the performing arts, learning to become independent and to identify their interests and goals. Fun backstage look of all the work and discipline and excitement of learning how to dance or act or skate, while still having a life outside of the theatre. (*Note from Kimberly - Not all of these books are available from Amazon. To find them from used booksellers see below.)
From Eileen: As an adult, I still love children's books! My favorites from my own past include the Beverly Cleary Beezus and Ramona books, Maude Hart Locelace's Betsy/Tacy books, Sidney Taylor's All-Of-A-Kind-Family books and the delightful Eleanor Estes books about the Moffatt family. As a parent, I've been charmed by Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik books and E.L. Konigsburg's Jennifer, Macbeth, Hecate, Wiliiam McKinley and Me, Elizabeth. So many books, so little time to tell all! (*Note from Kimberly - Speaking of E.L. Konigsburg, my favorite book as a child was From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.)
From Umnak: Grampa in Oz. I'd still put it on my list of 10 books to take to a desert island. (*Note from Kimberly. Out of Print. See below.)
From Lois: Without a doubt the best book I have found for parents regarding children and books is The New Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. I have heard/seen Mr. Trelease do presentations several times. He is so passionate about books that he brings tears to my eyes! The first half of this book is a 'how to' manual of reading aloud to children, with much of his philosophy of why, when, what to avoid,etc.included. The second half is a wonderful bibliography of recommended read alouds, with a full descriptive paragraph and recommended age range for each. I would also like to include Robert Kimmel Smith's books: Chocolate Fever, Jelly Belly and The War with Grandpa for good old fashioned humor. Each book is hilarious, but also hits home with a subtle life message. Children love them and parents and teachers can use their messages as the jump off point for conversations re: values!
From Suzanne : A very old one, which I loved and which was in print recently was Mrs. Molesworth's Cuckoo Clock ... a lonely little girl is invited into the clock and the world of a no-nonsense cuckoo. (*Note from Kimberly - Not listed in Amazon. Check the booksellers below or email Suzanne at truprice@aol.com) Also, Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto, a picture book about a small crisis in a loving Mexican American familly: what happens when Maria lost her mother's diamond ring while she was helping with the tamales for Christmas dinner. I like it because the relationship between adults and children is so gentle and respectful, and the pictures, as one of my students said, look just like ordinary people.
From Ed: Uncle Wiggily (*Note from Kimberly - Hardback versions are listed as Hard to Find by Amazon.)
From Karen: Two of our favorite books are Miss Spider's Tea Party and Miss Spider's Wedding by David Kirk. These books are in poem form, have a moral to the story and are GORGEOUSLY illustrated. David wrote and illustrated them for his daughter. The illustrations are truly BEAUTIFUL! I gave my daughter the calendar for Christmas and she loves it. It came with stickers for special events. I highly recommend these two books.
From Marietta: I teach 6th grade and my students' favorite books are these by Patricia Polacco - Thundercake, Just Plain Fancy, Pink and Say, A Chicken Sunday, The Bee Tree, The Keeping Quilt, and Uncle Vova's Tree. Polacco's books are based on memories of her own childhood in Russia. They have a multicultural focus and always teach a beautiful lesson about life. Some other favorites of ours are There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark by Patricia Maclachlan, and Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls.
From Kerry: I read to my fifth graders and their all-time favorite and mine is Trouble River by Betsy Byars. The story is set in the pioneer days. It is about a young boy who is left alone in the wilderness with his grandmother while his parents travel to town. Indians attack and the boy and his grandmother have to travel by raft down Trouble River. It is an exciting adventure. We also like other Betsy Byars books, especially The Not-Just-Anybody Family. I also highly recommend Finding Buck McHenry by Alfred Slote, Monkey Island by Paula Fox, Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Danger on Panther Peak by Bill Wallace. For a great mystery that this age kid will love, turn the lights down low and read Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn. Oh yes, and for the younger child, of course, The Boxcar Children. The best picture book for the younger grades is Stellaluna by Janell Canon.
Share with other parents YOUR favorite parenting and kids' books. Submissions should be geared to parents or to children ages 6 - 12, and include the title, author, and why you or your child love the book. I will post your responses on this page so send them in and let's build a great resource for parents on the Web.
You
may order these recommended books online from Amazon.com. Click on the
book title to go to the book description page at Amazon. There you may
purchase the book by credit card or check if you like.
Some recommended books are not available from Amazon. Don't despair! You can almost always find the book from a used/out-of-print bookseller. Suzanne Price recommends these databases for finding used books. (Advice from Suzanne on buying used books on the Web: "Some people buy ex-libraries, do not clean them up, and sell them on the internet for outrageous prices. I would hate to see anyone pay more than $25 for an ex-library book, and this for a Very Good 1st printing ex-lib with a nice jacket.")
