My Diary From Here to There, by Amada Irma Perez

As we get ready to celebrate Columbus Day and Indigenous People's Day, I've been thinking about all the different ways people have moved to the United States.  An especially moving story is My Diary from Here to There, by Amada Irma Perez.

My Diary From Here to There/
Mi diario de aqui hasta alla
story by Amada Irma Perez
illustrations by Maya Christina Gonzalez
CA: Children's Book Pres, 2002
ages 4 - 10

Amada Irma Perez bases this wonderful picture book on her own life, following her family's journey from Mexico to the United States.  This story is told in diary entries, and so we see the family's journey completely from the child's perspective.  As the story begins, the young girl worries about her family's move from Juarez, Mexico, to Los Angeles. Will they ever return to Juarez? Will she be able to learn English?  Will her father have problems finding work?  She's full of worries, but her brothers can only think of the great big stores that sell all kinds of toys.  "Am I the only one who is scared of leaving our home, our beautiful country, and all the people we might never see again?" the young girl worries.

The story follows the family's anxious wait for their green cards, the long bus ride to San Ysidro, California and then to Los Angeles.  Throughout the journey, the young girl's father reassures her that she is stronger than she realizes, her family supports her, and her diary allows her to express her thoughts and feelings.  It makes a wonderful story to read aloud with younger children and older children alike.

Maya Christina Gonzales' vivid paintings sing with the warmth of family and the images of Mexico.  As one reviewer, Gina MarySol Ruiz, wrote, Gonzalez "has this way of capturing the very essence of the beauty that is the Mexican women - grace, strength, determination, warmth and most of all the love for familia that shines out of their eyes. Each illustration has a mural like quality and with each look, you find more and more to amaze at."

I discovered this wonderful story at my local bookstore, Mrs. Dalloway's in Berkeley. You can also find it at your  public library or on Amazon.  If you make a purchase by clicking through to Amazon, Great Kid Books receives a small percentage, which will be used to buy more books to review.

Easy Readers with children of color as the main characters

When children are in the beginning stages of learning to read, they need three things:
  * a story that engages them,
  * words that are not too difficult to read, and
  * pictures that help kids put the meaning together.

Easy Readers are a type of book addressed specifically to children learning to read - typically in late kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade.  One of my concerns is that so many Easy Readers use animals as the main characters or stereotypical white children, so they do not reflect our student body today. So, I am continuing my search for great Easy Readers with children of color as the main characters.

Luke On The Loose
by Harry Bliss
NY: Toon Books, 2009
ages 4 - 8

Luke is a little boy that reminds me of so many kids I know.  He's standing by his dad on a walk, looking on at the pigeons, while his dad is lost in “boring Daddy talk.” Before you know it - Luke takes off chasing the pigeons!  He's running wild through New York City, and his dad has no idea what's happened to him.  Every parent's nightmare, right?  But all Luke cares about are those pigeons! Yaaah!  As you can see from this sample, Luke on the Loose is written in the style of a graphic novel or comic book.  But it works so well as an Easy Reader because the words are never complex and the pictures support the meaning of the words.

I love Luke's endless energy as he follows the pigeons wherever they go - across the street, up the fire escape, and onto the roof of a tall building.  This is a book worth searching out.  I also think it would work for older children (2nd, 3rd or 4th graders) who are struggling with reading.  They'll love the comic book style and the way that Luke looks like a real kid.  One idea, when you read this with your child, talk about how you read comic books, how you follow the panels.  Also, read all the extra words ("Screech! Honk!") with lots of energy and enthusiasm - and encourage your child to do the same.

The Pet Vet, by Marica Leonard, is another great Easy Reader.  It uses pictures of real kids, and these photographs really engage young children.  This Easy Reader is a phonics-based reader, which means that most of the words use the same word pattern, in this case "-et" like pet, vet, Bret.  This makes it easier for children who are just sounding out words.  But many phonics readers do not have engaging stories.  This one does!  Bret is a young boy who asks his friends if their pets are sick, and they bring him their stuffed animals to heal.

The Pet Vet
(Real Kids Readers)
Marcia Leonard
CT: Millbrook Press, 1999.
ages 4 - 6

My daughter enjoyed The Pet Vet because she's played doctor with her stuffed animals many times.  She could imagine herself taking part in this story.  She is a very new reader (kindergarten), and so she liked the simple sentences surrounded by lots of white space.  I loved the ending when we meet Brett's dad, a real vet.  This is a very early Easy Reader, so is right for ages 4 - 6.

My next quest: Easy Readers with children from Hispanic or Asian backgrounds.  If you have any to suggest, please let me know!

My review copies came from my local public library. Stop by your local bookstore and order yours. Or use this link from Amazon and support Great Kid Books buying more books to review and share with you.  If you make a purchase by clicking through to Amazon, Great Kid Books receives a small percentage, which will be used to buy more books to review.

Win a great resource for parents: Reading Together, by Diane Frankenstein

Read a book –

Ask a question –

Start a conversation –

Raise a child who loves to read. 

How do children become lifelong readers? How can we, as the adults in children's lives, help them become engaged with the world of books? Those are the questions that Educational consultant Diane Frankenstein asks. Are you looking for ideas of great books to read with your children? You have to see Diane Frankenstein's new book for parents: Reading Together: Everything You Need to Know to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read. This is a wonderful resource to help parents do just this: raise a child who loves to read. Would you like to win a free copy? See below for the contest rules.

Reading Together:
Everything You Need to Know to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read
by Diane W. Frankenstein
NY: Perigree Trade, 2009.
for parents of children ages 4 - 14

Reading Together suggests over 100 different books that work with children - that are fun to read, interesting, engaging.  But Frankenstein goes further.  She provides questions, ideas, things to think about, to help parents engage their children with reading.  This book helps take what we know as parents, find books that will work with our children, and then helps us talk with our children about these stories.

The heart of the book is Story Pages: 101 books to explore with your child.  For each book, Diane gives a brief summary, lists the ideas and subjects the book explores, and then shares questions to get a conversation started and help you look closer at the story, bringing it from the plot to the personal.  It's a wonderful format, easy to browse but also easy to dig into.  It will stay on my shelves for years to come.

Would you like to win a free copy of this wonderful resource?  Diane Frankenstein has graciously donated a signed copy of Reading Together to readers of Great Kid Books.  All you need to do to enter is:

1) enter a comment on the blog OR send me an email to greatkidbooks(at)gmail(dot)com
** Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you **

2) let me know a book you've enjoyed reading with your children

2 extra entries: tell friends about Reading Together!  either email friends, post on Facebook or Twitter and link to Great Kid Books!

2 extra entries: become a follower or tell me you're already a follower!

Deadline: This contest will run until Sunday, October 18th.

Reading Together - a wonderful resource for parents (ages 4 - 12)

As parents, we want to help our children become successful readers, but the question is how can we best help our children? Diane Frankenstein has just published a wonderful resource to help parents do just this: raise a child who loves to read.

Reading Together:
Everything You Need to Know to Raise a Child Who Loves to Read
by Diane W. Frankenstein
NY: Perigree Trade, 2009.
for parents of children ages 4 - 14

Countless research has shown that parents have a tremendous impact on helping their children learn to read successfully.  But how do we help our children become "good" readers?  Reading Together explains that it is through reading for pleasure that children will read more, enjoy reading and become better readers. The first step for parents is to help your child find books that they enjoy and can read successfully - a book that is at their reading level and one that engages them.

Reading Together suggests over 100 different books that work with children - that are fun to read, interesting, engaging.  But Frankenstein goes further.  She provides questions, ideas, things to think about, to help parents engage their children with reading.

Children need the adults in their lives to show them how to better understand and make a story their own.  We best support them in this endeavor by having conversations that engage children in the stories they read.

Parents are wonderful resources to help children find the right books.  You know your child's interests, what they're curious about, what makes them laugh.  You know your child's emotional maturity, what issues and conflicts they can handle.   This book helps take what we know as parents, find books that will work with our children, and then helps us talk with our children about these stories. This is Reading Together's winning equation:

Help children find an appropriate book
+ talk with them about the story
= children who connect with storeis and love the stories they read

The heart of the book is Story Pages: 101 books to explore with your child.  I love the selection of books - they range from classics like Bridge to Terabethia to wonderful new books like Scaredy Squirrel or A Bad Case of Stripes.  She explores books I love, and books I hadn't heard of and now want to go find.  Here's an example of a Story Page from Reading Together, looking at the story Hunter's Best Friend at School.  I don't know this book, but it looks like a great book for my kindergartner - I've already put it on hold at the library!

For each book, Diane gives a brief summary, lists the ideas and subjects the book explores, and then shares questions to get a conversation started and help you look closer at the story, bringing it from the plot to the personal.  It's a wonderful format, easy to browse but also easy to dig into.  It will stay on my shelves for years to come.

I bought my copy through Amazon, and it's available at local bookstores as well.  I've known Diane for the past four years, as I've taken her workshops and classes on children's literature.  This book is the fruition of years of teaching and helping children love reading.

If you make a purchase by clicking through to Amazon, Great Kid Books receives a small percentage, which will be used to buy more books to review.

Cybil Awards - a great resource to check out

I often keep my eye out for awards to clue me into books or movies I want to see.  You've probably heard of the Newbery Medal, the Caldecott Medal, and the Coretta Scott King Award. These awards recognize the best books in a year and are awarded by the American Library Association.  But I'd also like to draw your attention to a special award The CYBILS, the Children's and Young Adults Blogger's Literary Award.

The Cybils reward children's and young adult authors/ illustrators whose books combine the highest literary merit and 'kid appeal.' They also foster a sense of community among bloggers who write about children's and YA literature. One thing I particularly like is how the Cybils covers a wider range of children's books than the other awards.  This year, there is a new award for Short Chapter Books.  These are so important for new readers, and they don't receive much attention.

Nominations for the Cybils are open today! Anyone can nominate any book published in English from October 16, 2008 to October 15, 2009. You  may only nominate one book for each category. Nominations are open from October 1st to October 15. They've got a great form to use: Nomination Form 2009.

When all the nominations are collected, there are panelists in each category who read the books and narrow them down to a shortlist. On January 1st, the finalists are announced and a second group of judges will pick the winners, which are announced on Valentine's Day.

I'm very excited to be part of the judging panel for Easy Readers and Short Chapter Books this year.  It's a an exciting opportunity for me.  I'll be posting about many of the books nominated in this category in the upcoming months.

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead (ages 9 - 13)

Have you ever finished a book and wanted to start reading it all over again, it was so intriguing?  When I read Rebecca Stead's new novel, When You Reach Me, I was fascinated and gripped by the ending.  I didn't see it coming, and I just wanted to start all over again.  My daughter and I just finished reading this, and she loved its combination of a realistic friendship story with a fantasy twist.

When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
NY: Wendy Lamb Books, 2009
audio: NY: Listening Library, 2009
ages 9 - 13

Sixth-grader Miranda's world is turning upside down.  Her best friend Sal doesn't want to talk to her, for some inexplicable reason. Now Miranda (Mira for short) must find a new best friend at school. And tiny, mysterious notes start turning up in private places, like the pocket of her winter coat that's been in the closet since last March. The notes say things like “I am coming to save your friend’s life and my own” and “You will want proof. 3 p.m. today: Colin’s knapsack.” Miranda doesn’t know who is writing these things or where they are coming from but it is absolutely clear that the person who wrote the notes knows things that no one could know.

The good news is, Mira’s mother gets a postcard telling her she will finally get her shot on The $20,000 Pyramid with Dick Clark on April 27, 1979 – “Just like you said.” This is the first clue: something larger is going on here. The person writing these notes knew ahead of time that Mira’s mother would get her chance with Dick Clark on that particular day.  Who could this be? Why are they doing this?

I found the interview with Rebecca Stead on Amazon particularly interesting.  Here's a short excerpt:

Amazon.com: At the very beginning of the novel, we learn that Miranda’s mom is going to be a contestant on the 1970’s TV game show The $20,000 Pyramid. Without giving away the ending, why is this opportunity so important for them as a family?

Rebecca Stead: They need the money! Part of what’s happening for Miranda during this year is that she gets pushed outside of her formerly tiny world. Not far, but enough for her to start thinking about class, and the way other people live. She starts to see the way she lives in a new way, and has to deal with that. It’s the beginning of that kind of awareness for her, and so the money they hope to win has a lot of meaning for her, but it’s a meaning that changes.

This would make a lovely book to read with a book club for 5th and 6th graders.  When You Reach Me, captures the interior monologue and observations of kids who are starting to recognize and negotiate the complexities of friendship and family, class and identity.  It's a book they'll be able to relate to, but that will fascinate them as well.

Audiobook lovers: this is a wonderful story to listen to. We actually listened to some of it, and then read some of it aloud. You can play a sample of it here:


Would you like to take a peak inside?  Check out RandomHouse's website:



Other reviews abound:

Twenty by Jenny says: "This coming-of-age story, narrated by 12-year-old Mira, touts the rewards of independent thinking and the pleasures of rereading."

Kate Messner, teacher and author, says: the characters are "authentic, multi-faceted, funny, and real.  Their story of friendship and first crushes and first jobs would have been enough to win me over. But then the letter comes." Kate just finished reading this to her 7th grade class and cried. So powerful.

Stop by your local bookstore to find it, or ask at your local public library. I bought my copy through Amazon.  If you like friendship stories, also check out Al Capone Shines My Shoes.  I just finished this and loved it.

If you make a purchase by clicking through to Amazon, Great Kid Books receives a small percentage, which will be used to buy more books to review.