Children's Books for Parents and Teachers » Summer

A Long Way from Chicago

admin — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:36:28 +0000

This year’s Newbery Honor book is a collection of stories about a very different kind of grandmother. Each August from 1929 through 1935, Joey and Mary Alice leave Chicago to spend a week with Grandma Dowdel in rural Illinois. The life and people there, especially Grandma, are very different from anything or anyone the children encounter in the big city. In seven funny stories, one for each summer, Grandma comes across as a tall-tale hero, surprising Joey and Mary Alice with her antics.

Canoe Days

admin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:38:42 +0000

“Across water so quiet it becomes part of the sky, the canoe slides in green magic without a ripple.” Even readers who have never been in a canoe or visited a lake will paddle along with Paulsen as he describes a day on the water. The spare text makes a perfect read-aloud, so don’t be surprised if listeners fall under Paulsen’s spell. After all, any noise might frighten the fawn at the lake’s edge or the sunfish darting below its surface.

Come On, Rain!

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:37:32 +0000

Not a word is wasted or out of place in this description of how the residents of one city block react to a quenching cloudburst after weeks without rain. Tess laments she’s “sizzling like a hot potato,” but spots gray clouds gathering in the distance. She alerts her friends and quickly the girls change into … Continue reading →

Floating Home

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:34:28 +0000

Eight-year-old Maxine doesn’t create a world, but gets a glimpse of her own from a new perspective–she blasts into space. Despite extensive training, she’s unprepared for the awe-inspiring moment when she sees the Earth from her capsule. As Max gazes on the planet, she observes that, unlike maps, “The Earth has no lines to divide … Continue reading →

Grandma and Me

admin — Sat, 05 May 2007 15:19:50 +0000

Grandma is coming for a very special visit! Peek under the big, easy-to-lift flaps to see all of Grandma’s surprises!

Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered

admin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:21:32 +0000

A young city boy is sent to spend the summer on his aunt and uncle’s farm. Though he has lived many places over the years, he has never experienced anything like farm life . . . and he has never met anyone like Harris, his daredevil of a cousin. If the two of them can survive wrestling three-hundred-pound pigs and mouse-hunting with toothless old Louie’s fire-spitting pet lynx–which, unlike his master, has plenty of teeth–they just might make it through the summer!

I Went to the Bay

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:32:23 +0000

Rhythm, rhyme, and humor add zest to this tale of a young naturalist who sets out in search of frogs. As he explores the bay, he never finds a single frog, but delights in other animals. Alert readers will not only spy the heron, turtle, dragonfly, and other creatures the boy describes, but also the … Continue reading →

Just Grandma and Me

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:15:25 +0000

Little Critter and his grandmother spend the day at the beach in this funny-and-true picture book about Mercer Mayer’s popular character. Little Critter is a good helper, even at the beach. When his grandmother’s hot dog falls in the sand, he washes it off in the ocean. He promises to blow up the inflatable seahorse but needs a little help in the end. The joys and mishaps of a special summer day with Grandma are all brightened by Little Critter’s sunny disposition.

Lawn Boy

admin — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:49:24 +0000

One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa’s old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about “the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth.” “Wealth?” I said. “It’s groovy, man,” said Arnold. If I’d known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That’s when my 12th summer got really interesting.

Missing May

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2006 05:32:22 +0000

When May dies suddenly while gardening, Summer assumes she’ll never see her beloved aunt again. But then Summer’s Uncle Ob claims that May is on her way back–she has sent a sign from the spirit world.Summer isn’t sure she believes in the spirit world, but her quirky classmate Cletus Underwood–who befriends Ob during his time of mourning–does. So at Cletus’ suggestion, Ob and Summer (with Cletus in tow) set off in search of Miriam B. Young, Small Medium at Large, whom they hope will explain May’s departure and confirm her possible return.

Sand Castle

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:31:28 +0000

In this cumulative story, five children share the satisfaction of building a sand castle–and the even greater pleasure of knocking it down. It all begins with Jen digging by herself. Then a boy with a bucket asks, “Can I help?” Soon the two are joined by others, each making a special contribution. By the end, … Continue reading →

Song of the Stranger

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:35:24 +0000

Thirteen-year-old Karen Nomura loves New Jersey and knows exactly how she’ll spend the summer there: hanging out with friends and painting. But her grandmother comes for a visit from Japan and insists that Karen return with her for the summer. When she first arrives in Japan, Karen feels awkward and angry. She doesn’t understand the language, customs–or her grandmother. While Karen’s inevitable change of heart may be predictable, details about Japanese culture and Japanese-American relocation camps, as well as a realistic and likable main character, make this coming-of-age novel a compelling read.

Summer

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:08:36 +0000

Hollywood actor Dayne Matthews and Katy Hart are married and living in Bloomington, Ind., where Dayne has found a solution to his on-camera love scenes-he wants Katy to star in his next film. Katy wins the part and is cast opposite her super-star husband. The story of a small town girl’s dream come true is too much for the press to resist, and in an effort to appease them, the couple agrees to a 12. It seems like the perfect compromise but by the time they finish filming the movie, they feel cracks around the edges of their marriage. Now they face an uncertain future, and possibly the end of everything that truly matters to them.

The Baxter family learns that Ashley and Kari are both pregnant, but an ultrasound reveals that something is wrong with one of the babies. As the summer progresses, the sisters pray for a miracle while trying to face the unthinkable. It’s in this trying season that they must all learn the lesson God has been trying to teach them-He is still in control, and He will be with them regardless of the outcome.

The Flanigans continue to draw closer to their only daughter, yet Bailey struggles to find her way amidst the turmoil of adolescence. She has always made good decisions, but she wants to experience more of life. Her friendship with Cody Coleman-the young border staying with the Flanigans-continues to blossom in this summer after his graduation. But when Cody decides to enlist in the Army, he’ll have to say goodbye to the family he’s come to love and the girl he’ll never forget.

The Big Field

admin — Sat, 29 May 2010 21:10:33 +0000

For Hutch, shortstop has always been home. It’s where his father once played professionally, before injuries relegated him to watching games on TV instead of playing them. And it’s where Hutch himself has always played and starred. Until now. The arrival of Darryl “D-Will” Williams, the top shortstop prospect from Florida since A-Rod, means Hutch is displaced, in more ways than one. Second base feels like second fiddle, and when he sees his father giving fielding tips to D-Will-the same father who can’t be bothered to show up to watch his son play-Hutch feels betrayed. With the summer league championship on the line, just how far is Hutch willing to bend to be a good teammate?

The Lemonade War

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:05:40 +0000

As the final days of summer heat up, so does a sibling showdown over a high-stakes lemonade stand business. Jessie and Evan Treski compete to see who will make $100 first off of their respective lemonade stands. Full of surprisingly accessible and savvy marketing tips for running a stand (or making money at any business) and with clever mathematical visuals woven in, this sensitively characterized novel subtly explores how war can escalate beyond anyone’s intent.

The Memory Box

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:45:47 +0000

Zach visits his grandparents every summer at their cottage by the lake. He is looking forward to fishing with Gramps and eating Gram’s cooking. Gramps calls their first idyllic day a “Memory Box Day.” Zach learns that this is a day for young and old to start gathering photos, stories, and souvenirs to store in a special box to remember their times together. As Zach’s time with his grandparents unfolds, he learns the true reason for the memory box; it is especially for Gramps who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. During the rest of his stay, Zach and his grandparents fill the box with wonderful memories of summers past and new memories, building something that will always keep them together.

Ugly Vegetables

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:26:32 +0000

A little girl can’t help but wonder why she and her Mom are growing plants in their garden that are so different from the pretty flowers their neighbors have. Mom says they are growing something better than flowers, but the little girl is not convinced until they harvest the vegetables they have grown, and something … Continue reading →

Umbrella Summer

admin — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:21:37 +0000

Annie Richards knows there are a million things to look out for—bicycle accidents, food poisoning, chicken pox, smallpox, typhoid fever, runaway zoo animals, and poison oak. That’s why being careful is so important, even if it does mean giving up some of her favorite things, like bike races with her best friend, Rebecca, and hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Everyone keeps telling Annie not to worry so much, that she’s just fine. But they thought her brother, Jared, was just fine too, and Jared died.

It takes a new neighbor, who looks as plain as a box of toothpicks but has some surprising secrets of her own, to make Annie realize that her plans for being careful aren’t working out as well as she had hoped. And with a lot of help from those around her—and a book about a pig, too—Annie just may find a way to close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.

With winsome humor and a dash of small-town charm, Lisa Graff’s third novel is a touching look at rising above grief and the healing power of community.

Weslandia

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:33:22 +0000

Wesley, who has no friends or interest in sports, plants a special seed in his backyard to create a unique summer project–his own civilization. He uses the plants that grow to make new foods and clothes, and, before long, he’s even making insect repellent and musical instruments. Wesley also devises his own number system and … Continue reading →