Kids Picks

Reading is a great way to take a break from life. Lately, this world can seem a little crazy at times and it’s easy to find yourself worrying and getting caught up in the craziness. I find that if I grab a good book and take a timeout, getting caught up in a good book is a wonderful distraction. There are plenty of new titles for the summer and a lot from the authors you have come to know and love. This is just a small selection to get you started. Happy reading!

Ages 3-5

“Fern and Otto: A Picture Book Story About Two Best Friends”
by Stephanie Graegin

What is and isn’t exciting means something different to everyone. Fern, a bear, and Otto, a cat, go searching for an exciting story in the forest, but they have different ideas about what that means. Fern wants to watch a race between a tortoise and a hare, but Otto thinks a tortoise is too slow to be exciting. Fern thinks that listening to the three brothers talk about how to build a house is incredibly interesting, but Otto does not. The two friends meet a little girl in red who is off to visit her grandmother, a cranky girl complaining that her porridge isn’t the right temperature, and many others. When they run into a big, scary witch, they both agree this is not the kind of excitement they had in mind.

“Every Night Is Pizza Night”
by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Pipo doesn’t just think that pizza is the best food in the world, she knows it and is on a quest to prove it. When she sets out into her neighborhood, she realizes that “the best” might not be exactly what she thought. Pipo spends time cooking with her friends and finds something different to love about each recipe they try. Is bibimbap made from a family recipe better than pizza? How about a Moroccan tagine that is a reminder of home? Maybe the best food isn’t about the taste at all. Maybe it’s about sharing it with the people you love.

Ages 6-8

“What the Road Said”
by Cleo Wade

Life is full of difficult choices and sometimes you come to what they call a fork in the road, where you have to decide which way to go. It’s OK to be scared when deciding which way to go and it’s OK if you happen to choose the wrong path. In “What the Road Said,” readers are reminded that life is full of curiosity. Sometimes we make mistakes, but the most important thing of all is to not give up and just keep going.

“The Way I Feel”
by Janan Cain

Sometimes adults forget that children are little people with big emotions. There is no right or wrong way to feel, it is just something that is. Helping kids identify and express their feelings is an important part of maturing. “The Way I Feel” uses strong, colorful, expressive images to help children find the words to connect with the emotions they are feeling. Learning these words helps children, parents, teachers, and caregivers understand what a child is thinking and feeling so that they are able to help them navigate through it. Feelings go beyond just happy and sad. It is important for children to understand empathy, compassion, jealousy, grief, and so much more. Knowledge is power, and when children understand what they are feeling, it will help them figure out why.

Ages 9-12

“Best Nerds Forever”
by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein

Finn McAllister is riding his bike just a few days before middle school ends when a black van forces him off a cliff and he falls to his death. This isn’t the end of Finn, though. He remains on earth as a ghost, where he offers readers hilarious commentary while he watches his family and friends. Instead of moving into the afterlife, he remains stuck with unfinished business. First, he needs to find out who killed him. He befriends another ghost, Isabella Rojas, who vanished four months earlier. The two team up to take care of their unfinished business together. As Finn dwells on his life and his safety-first attitude that his father instilled in him, he realizes that he regrets not taking chances and being more of a risk-taker. This is his chance to be courageous and embrace opportunity.

“Brave Like That”
by Lindsey Stoddard

Everyone expects Cyrus Olson to be just like his dad. The problem is that his dad is super brave – a hero, actually. His dad is Northfield’s former football star and now one of the town’s best firefighters. Cyrus would love to be just like his dad, but he isn’t brave – at all. This is going to be a big year for Cyrus, though. With the help of a stray dog, new friends, a little bit of rhythm and a whole lot of nerve, Cyrus might realize that he is a whole lot braver than he originally thought. “Brave Like That” is an uplifting tale about finding out who you are, where you belong, and how to have the courage to face anything that comes your way.