There are books that everyone has heard of and read with their child like Goodnight Moon. And then there are those hidden gems - sometimes a diamond in the rough. Books that you might never find. But I am so thankful when the authors find me. "A Midsummer's Dance" by Bill Kirk is one of those books. 

The illustrations by Clara Barron Smith were a big improvement from his other books, and the dancing fireflies were just magical. The rhyme and peaceful cadence of this book make it great for bedtime, and I enjoyed the new words my kids got to learn reading it such as "translucent" and "frenzied."

Want a new book for bed that you haven't read 1,000 times yet? Give this one a try!

Book for Children Ages: 2 years old to 7 years old

Reading Tips:

• Making stories a part of your bedtime routine can really help your kids calm down and give you some valuable time together no matter how busy the day has been.
  

Related Discussion Questions:

• Have you ever seen firefly's? What do they look like?
  
• How are night sounds and a symphony alike?
  
• What kind of things do you like to dream about?
  

Activities for Kids:

•  Make your own firefly. Cut a water bottle in half. Glue on yellow tissue paper over the whole thing. Cut out a head and wings from craft foam and glue on to the bottle on the open cut end. Pace an electric tealight candle into the bottle to make it glow.
  
• If you live in a rural area, lay very still at night and listen to all the sounds you can hear. How many can you pick out? Otherwise, get a CD of nature sounds to listen to together.
  
• Talk with your child about how dance is often used to represent things - like fireflys flying. Together make up a dance about fireflys.
  

Cultural Diversity: Most of the book is just silhouettes, the final image is of a little red head girl falling asleep.

Children's Book Review Rating: 4 Stars*

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

"The Tickle Tree" by Chae Strathie

"Hello Night - Hola Noche" by Amy Costales

"All the Way to Morning" by Marc Harshman

 *A free copy of this book was given to Beautiful Books for Children for review purposes. Our commitment to our readers and authors is to always give an honest review, even when a review copy is provided. No other compensation was provided for this review.

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Sean's mom has a cold, so his dad gets to go help out in his classroom at school. Sean is about as excited as a 7-year-old little boy can get - until all his friends start teasing and asking questions that is. See, Sean's mom is Filipino, and he looks a lot like her. His dad is Irish, complete with blonde hair and blue eyes. At first, no one believes it is his dad at all, but the teacher takes the opportunity to do a little lesson on diversity and every one learns a thing or two!

"I am Flippish!" by Leslie Ryan is a perfect book to celebrate the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development tomorrow (May 21). But that is just a little too long - so we will just call it World Diversity Day. 

I love that this book does not shy away from dealing with topics such as discrimination, racial identity, self confidence, and interracial marriages. Even my kids at 2, 3, and 4 have things to say about what they see in the world around them, and not talking about it with them is not the answer. The truth is, we are all diverse - but we are also all human. We all have feelings. We all have families. And we all want to be loved.

If you want to hear author Leslie Ryan read this book aloud to you live, then join us tomorrow at 1pm EST to hear this story, and have an interview with the author. You and your child will get to ask questions, and see all the pictures on your computer screen for this fun event. And best of all, one person who attends the reading live will get to win a free signed copy of the book as a special gift. Don't miss it!

Sign up to listen to "I am Flippish"

for World Diversity Day!

Book for Children Ages: 3 years old to 9 years old

Family Reading Time: Learning where your family came from can be a fun family activity for every family. Even if your family has been built through adoption, or is a blended family, this can be a good opportunity to talk about what makes family, and how much you love each other even though you came from different places.

Reading Tips:

• This is a book that definitely invites questions. Don't be afraid to pause and talk to your kids throughout reading time.
  

Related Discussion Questions:

• How do you think Sean felt when no one believe it was his dad at school?
  
• Do you look the same or different from your parents?
  
• What makes people a family?
  
• Where do your ancestors come from?
  
• What are some reasons it might be good to learn about your family history?
  

Activities for Kids:

•  Fill out the page at the back of the book about where your ancestors came from. There is enough room that even if you have children of difference backgrounds you can still enter it in.
  
• Get a large cardboard box and cut out the shape of a tree. Then cut out green leaves from green craft foam. Glue on pictures of all diferent members of your family. Use them to build your own "family tree."
  
• Get out some pictures of you when you were a child, and other older family pictures if you have them. If not, see if you can make a visit to a grandparent or aunt or uncle and talk about the things you remember about your family.
  
• If your child was adopted, depending on their age, you could help them write an imaginary letter to their birth parents asking them all the things they wonder about, and telling them about the adoptive family they are in now.
  

Cultural Diversity: A book all about diversity, parents of mixed race will especially appreciate this opportunity to show a happy family with a diverse background.

Children's Book Review Rating: 5 Stars - Beautiful Book*

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

"I See the Sun in Afghanistan" by Dedie King

"Rubber Shoes" by Gladys Barbieri (get a chance to win that book in the month of May by signing up for e-mail reviews below)

"The Day No One Played Together" by Donnalisa Helsley

 *A free copy of this book was given to Beautiful Books for Children for review purposes. Our commitment to our readers and authors is to always give an honest review, even when a review copy is provided. No other compensation was provided for this review.

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Habiba is a little girl who lives in Afghanistan. She helps her family by bringing in water in the morning, goes to school, enjoys eating flat bread, and spending time with her family. Though "I See the Sun in Afghanistan" by Dedie King is fiction, it does a wonderful job of showing the reality in Afghanistan in a way that children can understand. Though it brings up issues like war and gender roles, it leaves plenty of room for parents to explain those things in their own way to their children while they read. And best of all, it shows a picture of hope.

Each day, every one of us wakes up. We see the light - whether bright sunshine or through dim clouds. And we live. It is the same all around the world. People everywhere eat, sleep, have families, dreams, and hopes. That is one message I want my children to learn from me, and books like the "I Can See..." series help me teach it.

Book for Children Ages: 4 years old and older

Family Reading Time: Since this book deals with such important subjects, and are so deeply related to current events and things children may have questions about, this is a great book to read as a family. Even older children may have questions about Afghanistan, especially of you have a friend or family member that is there because of the ongoing war.

Reading Tips:

• Though you may not be able to read Dari, you can still point out the words to your child and talk about different languages and alphabets.
  
• Read this book ahead of time so that you can think about some of the questions your child may have and how you want to answer them in ways that are in line with your families values.
  

Related Discussion Questions:

• What things do you notice throughout the book that are the same as things in our families life? (E.g. chores around the house, telling stories, eating meals together, etc.)
  
• What things are different? (E.g. no electricity or running water in their house, types of food eaten, etc.)
  
• Can you think of a time that you have helped someone else in need like Habiba's family helped her cousins?
  

Activities for Kids:

•  Make a miniature quilt. Older children will enjoy learning to sew actual cloth pieces together. Younger children can simply cut out square pieces of fabric and glue them to a piece of paper or a single large piece of fabric.
  
• Get up early one morning and go outside. Listen very carefully. What are all the sounds that you can hear? What can you see? What can you smell?
  
• Visit an older relative and see what things they remember from when they were a child. How have things changed for your family since then?
  
• Think of someone who may need something and figure out something to do to help them. Bake cookies, send a card, or even just a phone call to cheer someone up.
  
• Make naan bread together. This is a great recipe for children to participate in because it is so tactile, as they get to knead and roll the dough, watch it rise and puff up, and then finally taste and smell their finished creation.
  

Cultural Diversity: This book portrays a native Afghan family living in the modern day.

Children's Book Review Rating: 5 Stars - Beautiful Book*

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

"I See the Sun In Russia" by Dedie King

"Nabeel's New Pants - An Eid Tale" retold Fawazia Gilani-Williams

"Yesterday I Had the Blues" by Jeron Ashford Frame

 *A free copy of this book was given to Beautiful Books for Children for review purposes. Our commitment to our readers and authors is to always give an honest review, even when a review copy is provided. No other compensation was provided for this review.

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Evaline is making a special surprise at school today - a Mother's Day present. Before they make their surprise though, each child talks about what they do for Mother's Day. Some children make a special food, some go to a special place. Some children do not have mother's.

"Mother's Day" by Anne Rockwell is a perfect book to read in a group where people may have different sets of circumstances. Or just as a way to give your child all kinds of ideas about what you might like for Mother's Day.

Books for Children Ages: 4 to 7 years old.

Related Discussion Topics: Celebrating Mother's Day, Mother's Day crafts, making Mother's Day special.

Activities for Kids:

• Make the Mother's Day craft flowers according to the directions in the book.
• Draw a picture of what you like to do with your Mother for Mother's Day

Cultural Diversity: This book for children presents a wide diverity of children and their mother's.

Children's Book Review Rating: 4 Stars - Beneficial Book

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If you enjoyed Sherrill Cannon's award winning "The Magic Word" and "Peter and the Whimper Whineys," then you are sure to love the next in her series of tales all about manners. Reminiscient of the "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle" books by Betty MacDonald that I enjoyed as a child, "Gimme-Jimmy" will help you teach your children about sharing with a fable about a little boy whose hand grows everytime he says "Gimme!"

Jimmy has such a hard time sharing, that his hand (which he uses to grab and snatch from other kids), starts growing like Pinocchio's nose. Soon he cannot even walk around without tripping over it, and he thinks he is doomed for good. But his father (who warned him this may happen) tells him the secret - which is to say please, share, and be kind to others. As he does these things his hand shrinks back to its normal size, and he is not "Gimme-Jimmy" anymore!

Like her other stories, Sherrill Cannon uses rhyme in this book, and is very explicit about what misbehaviour needs to be corrected. A kind parent figure, and a negative side effect are also commonalities between books. If you have a child who is having trouble sharing, this may be the perfect book to talk to them about what happens when we choose not to share. Your hand may not literally get bigger, but other kids won't want to share with you, and you will end up feeling just as stuck and alone as the character in the book.

Book for Children Ages: 4 years old to 6 years old

Reading Tips:

• Talk to your child about what Jimmy's hand means in the story, and what some of the negative consequences are of not sharing in the real world
  

Related Discussion Questions:

• Do you ever have a hard time sharing?
  
• What does it feel like when other kids won't share with you?
  
• How can you work on being more kind to the people around you?
  

Activities for Kids:

• Help your child sort through their toys. See if there are any that they have outgrown that they would like to donate to a local charity.
  
• Trace your childs hand on a piece of paper. Think together of positive things that you can do with your hands and write one on each finger. Then decorate with stickers, markers, or glitter and hang on the wall to remind us to always have kind hands.
  
• Get out a snack like chocolate candies, raisins, carrot circles, or anything else where there are several. Have your child evenly divide the pile of snacks for the number of people sharing them. You can also do this excercise in a variety of different ways (such as by adding imaginary people, or starting with several piles of different amounts and redistributing them to be even) in order to build basic math and counting skills.
  

Cultural Diversity: This book shows a good diversity of characters - including some of those who have appeared in earlier tales.

Children's Book Review Rating: 4 Stars - Beneficial Book*

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

"The Magic Word" by Sherrill Cannon

"Peter and the Whimper-Whineys" by Sherrill Cannon

"Martha Doesn't Share" by Samantha Berger

 

 *A free copy of this book was given to Beautiful Books for Children for review purposes. Our commitment to our readers and authors is to always give an honest review, even when a review copy is provided. No other compensation was provided for this review.

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Laura Lee's father works in the rainforest, and she gets to come along and meets a new friend - a cute little tree frog she names Co-kee. They play hide and seek around the tree, and Laura Lee has trouble letting her little froggy friend go when it is time to leave.

"Rainfrog" by Suzanne Gene Courtney is a sweet story of father and daughter, a tale that will help teach your child about loving the earth, and an assertion of childhood creativity. I am so glad that this author has begun the journey of authorship and hope she continues. What this book lacks though is overall polish. There are a couple minor punctiation errors (you probably wouldn't catch them unless you were an English major), and the layout of the book could be improved.There is also a tiny inconsistency at the begining of the book when it says they drank water out of a canteen, and Laura Lee is drinking out of a cup and straw.

If your child is going through a "frog" phase as my youngest is, they will love this book. Suzanne Gene Courtney is an author you will want to watch as she perfects her craft.

Book for Children Ages: 3 years old to 6 years old

Reading Tips:

• Some of the pictures show lots of frogs, and it can be fun to count them with your child

Related Discussion Questions:

• What are some things you love to do with your dad or mum?
  
• Have you ever had a pet you loved? What did you do to take care of it?
  
• What do you think Mr. Lee's job is?
  
• What other jobs do people have that help study or care for the earth?
  

Activities for Kids:

• Take a trip to your local nature center or other outdoor habitat and see what animals you can see.  
• Make your own frog (this activity best for 3-5 year olds) Fold a paper plate in half and color the whole thing green (or whatever color you want your frog to be). Then cut out a tongue from craft foam or construction paper and glue on. Cut out two circle eyes, and glue half down so that the eyes stick up. Add a black dot onto the eyes.
  
• Make jumping frogs (this activity best for children 5+)

Cultural Diversity: The story only represents Laura Lee and her father. And of course the cute little rain frog Co-kee

Children's Book Review Rating: 3.5 Stars

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

"Jump Frog, Jump" by Robert Kalan

"The Biggest Frog In Australia" by Susan L. Roth

"Peep In The Deep" by R.M. Smith

 *A free copy of this book was given to Beautiful Books for Children for review purposes. Our commitment to our readers and authors is to always give an honest review, even when a review copy is provided. No other compensation was provided for this review.

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As my kids get older, they are becoming more and more aware of the Earth, and the idea that it is a very big place. Part of teaching them about diversity is teaching them about all the different cultures and people that live here in the United States. But just as important is exposing them to the idea that there are other kids, a lot like them, who live all over the world. They eat, they play, they have families, and hopes and dreams. But their lives look a little different. Different kinds of food, different weather.

The "I See the Sun..." series is a great set of books for teaching those ideas. Latest in the series is "I See the Sun in Russia" by Dedie King . The illustrations are an interesting mix of photographs and paint, and the story tells all about a day in the life of a little boy named Anton. Following him from getting up in the morning and sneaking the stray cats some food, to going to school, and home again with his family in the evening enjoying potatoes for dinner and music in the evening.

In the back of the book is a one page brief history that will help round out the story, and allow parents to answer questions they may not be able to without it. The book is written in both English and Russian.

Book for Children Ages: 4 years old and older

Family Reading Time: If you have a teenager learning Russian as their second language in high school, this may be a fun excercise for them. For everyone else, your older children will enjoy looking at the style of illustrations, and using this as a starting point to learn more about Russia.

Reading Tips:

• Even if you do not know Russian, this is a good chance to point out the Russian words in the book and talk with your child about different languages and different kinds of letters.
  

Related Discussion Questions:

• What things did you see in the book that are the same as how we do things in our home?
  
• What things did you notice that were different?
  
• If you met someone who lived in another country, what questions would you want to ask? What things would you want to tell them about your home?
  

Activities for Kids:

• Write a book about a day in your own life. Take pictures throughout the day, or draw pictures to show the different things you do and enjoy.
  
• Draw a map of your neighborhood or city (depending on the age and ability of your child). Mark on it important places, such as the grocery store you usually go to, the park, a statue, a friends house, etc.
  
• Potatoes are a common ingredient in Russian food. Make your favorite potato recipe together, or make Solyanka like Anton had for lunch at school.
  

Cultural Diversity: Russia does not have a great deal of racial diversity, and this book accurately represents that. However, it is a great chance to expose your child to a new country, language, and culture.

Children's Book Review Rating: 4.5 Stars*

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

"Yum, Yum, Dim Sum" by Amy Wilson Sanger

"Rubber Shoes" by Gladys Elizabeth Barbieri

"Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth" by Joan Schoettler

 *A free copy of this book was given to Beautiful Books for Children for review purposes. Our commitment to our readers and authors is to always give an honest review, even when a review copy is provided. No other compensation was provided for this review.

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Did you know that hippos bray and rabbits coo? You will after you read "Cows Can't Quack" by Dave Reisman.

What I love about this book is it can easily be enjoyed by a baby, or a preschooler, and everything in between. Because it features some different animal sounds you don't often find in other books (as well as many more common ones), it will stay interesting.

When I first read the book, I made sure to bring it in for my youngest sons speech therapists to look at, since making animal sounds is a precursor to talking and they loved it as much as I do.

If you already have and enjoy "Cows Can't Jump" you will love this one as well. Although it can definitely stand alone as well.

Book for Children Ages: Baby to 5 years old

Reading Tips:

• Don't be afraid to get silly with this book. Even if you don't know exactly what it means for a penguin to trumpet, give it your best shot anyway.
  
• Encourage your children to make the sounds too, no matter how big or little they are.
  
• This can be a great book to wind down to bed with, as it ends with the little puppy snoring. Use this book as a way to get the last sillies, wiggles, and laughs out before quiet time. Also a great book to read before nap.
  

Related Discussion Questions:

• What was your favorite animal in the book?
  
• What other animal sounds can you think of that weren't in the book?
  

Activities for Kids:

•  Take a trip to your local zoo and see if you can learn any new animal sounds
• Make an animal mask and pretend to be your favorite animal. Using a paper bag from the grocery store, cut out a place for your eyes. Then decorate the rest of the bag to look like your favorite animal. Put on your masks and play!
  
• Using your video camera, smart phone, computer, or other audio recorder record the sounds of you and your child making the animal noises. Also record other sounds. Listen to them and talk about what they sound like.
  
• Play sound "bingo" using the sounds you recorded above. Draw a grid with any number of squares you want on a piece of paper. Then draw in the picture of the animal or other sound. Then listen to the sounds (try to do a random order each time), and put a penny on the right box when you hear the sound.
  

Cultural Diversity: Like its precursor "Cows Can't Jump" this is a great book to introduce the idea that every person is different, but equally valuable.

Children's Book Review Rating: 5 Stars - Beautiful Book

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

"Cow's Can't Jump" by Dave Reisman

"Herd of Cows, Flock of Sheep" by Rick Walton

"Turtle's Penguin Day" by Valeri Gorbachev

 *A free copy of this book was given to Beautiful Books for Children for review purposes. Our commitment to our readers and authors is to always give an honest review, even when a review copy is provided. No other compensation was provided for this review.

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"Recycle Every Day" by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace is a great book to start a conversation about recycling. As more and more cities introduce single stream recycling, it gets easier all the time. And when you get the whole family on board, you will be amazed at how much less trash is in your bin every week!

Minna's school is having a poster contest. Everyone is supposed to create a contest all about recycling - the winners will be featured in a special calendar. But she is just not sure what to make her poster about. As she and her family goes through the week, she notices all the different ways they are recycling, and then gets an inspiration! She makes her poster about recycling everyday!

At the school assembly, each month and its featured illustration for the calendar is called off one by one. All the month's are called mentioned, but Minna's poster is not and she thinks it just wasn't good enough. Then they announce that her poster will be the cover!

In addition to the main theme of recycling, this book is a good way to teach children about creativity, working hard, and the days of the week and months of the year.

Books for Children Ages: 3 years old and older

Related Discussion Questions:

• What are some ways we recycle in our family?
• What are some new ways we could recycle?
• Are there things that we do on certain days of the week?
• Where you surprised when Minna got the award?
  

 

 

 

Sheri Fink has done it again. If you loved her first book "The Little Rose" you will love this one too. Beautifully bound and illustrated, this is one of those books that you read again and again, treasure, tape if needed (hopefully not, but if you have kids you understand), and pass on to the next generation. Destined to be one of those books that our children remember as one of their favorites from childhood. 

So what is this book about anyway? As the title suggests, it is all about a Little Gnome . He lives in a Victorian garden graced by summer and is quite happy, until things start to change. First the leaves fall. Then the snow comes. He does not like these changes, no not at all. Eventually he learns that it is all part of the normal process of life, and that summer will come again. And even more importantly, that there is always something to be thankful for, even in the dark and cold of winter.

Like every great story this book is about so many things. It is about thankfulness, change, the seasons, and learning from friends. Mary Washam's illustrations are beautiful and just add that extra something special to this book. If you are looking for a book to give as a gift, this one would definitely make my list.

Book for Children Ages: 3 years old and older (although even a baby would love to look at the pictures)

Family Reading Time: This book has some words that would be a little too advanced for the beginning reader to read to a younger sibling. But that also makes it a great book to read with your older child to expand their vocabulary.

Reading Tips:

• Ask questions throughout the story to prompt your child to figure out what is going on and why things are changing
  

Related Discussion Questions:

• Why was the Little Gnome sad?
  
• Are you ever sad when things change?
  
• Can you think of a time when something seemed bad at first, but you were able to find something good about it?
  
• What is your favorite season? Why?
  

Activities for Kids:

• Whatever season it is, make a list of some of the things that are simple to find outdoors during that season and go on a scavenger hunt together to find them.
  
• Create a collage of your favorite season. Draw a tree trunk and then tear construction paper of the color leaves (or white paper for snow) to glue to the top of the tree. Find pictures of the animals you might see in a magazine and cut them out, or draw your own. (Note: tearing is a great fine motor activity for young children and this is a way for them to do it that is constructive rather than destructive!)
  
• Make a "something good" jar. The next time your child (or you) are feeling sad or upset, see if you can think of something good. Write it on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. When you can't think of anything, pick one paper out of the jar to read and cheer you up. And of course decorate the jar.
  

Cultural Diversity: The Little Gnome is the only human character in the book and is very light-skinned. I would love to see more diverse characters in Sheri's next book. However, I loved that though she did have lights up during winter, it was left very broad so that anyone who celebrates during the holiday could enjoy the book and it was not limited to one particular cultural or religious celebration.

Children's Book Review Rating: 5 Stars - Beautiful Book*

You May Also Enjoy Reading:

"The Little Rose" by Sheri Fink

"Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth" by Joan Schoettler

"The Terrible Plop" by Ursula Dubosarsky

 *A free copy of this book was given to Beautiful Books for Children for review purposes. Our commitment to our readers and authors is to always give an honest review, even when a review copy is provided. No other compensation was provided for this review.

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