Conscientious grandparents, godparents and, well, good parents buy the loves of their lives books during the holidays. They buy the most beautiful copies of Little House on the Prarie or Anne of Green Gables for the girls, Chronicles of Narnia or Lord of the Rings for the boys. But after awhile, they’ve done the classics and need something new. Here’s a list of my favorite newly released kids books for the under 10 crowd, some silly, some sweet:
0-2 years old: Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies (with a CD!). I think you have to sit in a rocking chair, babe in arms, to appreciate the beauty of this collection.
2-4 years old: Let’s Do Nothing by Tony Fucile. A customer brought this one to our attention. As you read it aloud, give Sal and Frankie the voices they deserve and your kids will be in hysterics.
4-6 years old: Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins. If you are one of those god/grand/regular parents that (like my mom) doesn’t want your teenager to watch The Grinch That Stole Christmas, this is perhaps not the fairy tale collection for you. The wolf does indeed eat granny (yummy), but she lives when the woodsman cuts of the wolf’s head. Gruesome.
OR
SkippyJon Jones: Lost in Spice by Judy Schachner. I’ll admit, Ms. Schachner got a little loco in the last couple of installments (Big Bones and Mummy Trouble), but this one is out of this world. Literally. Skippy goes to planet rojo.
or
Big Frog Can’t Fit in This Book by Mo Willems. Please understand that I am completely biased and will automatically adore anything Mo Willems puts out. But, really, poor frog, she’s too big to fit in the book. You must bend her and stretch her.. or build a bigger book. So simple. so dumb. so funny.
6-8 years old: 14 Cows for America. Rich illustrations and beautifully simple words tell the story of the Kenyan tribe that gave post-911 America 14 cows to assuage our pain. As a teaching tool, this book is priceless.
6-10 years old: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus. In the spirit of A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin returns to the woods to play with the beloved friends. Eeyore is still slow and sleepy, Piglet still stutters, and Pooh is still eating honey.
8-10 years old: The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. I wouldn’t rate it as highly as DiCamillo’s Journey of Edward Tulane, but it’s a keeper, imaginative and full of emotion.
8-29 years old (Thank goodness, I am just inside the appropriate age) : Silver Spoon For Children. The real Silver Spoon, Italy’s bestselling culinary bible, is a bit complicated for me. But, this one is just about right. For budding chefs, this is a usable collectible.
