Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes
Author: Eva Chen
Illustrator: Derek Desierto
Summary: Juno Valentine was late for school because she couldn’t find her favorite shoes. As she goes looking for them in the deep, dark depths of her closet, she find the most amazing thing: A fantastic world of shoes from famous women. Juno has a blast trying on all kinds of different shoes, but how will she feel once she puts on her own boring shoes again? Read to find out more about the amazing women behind the shoes!
Recommended Ages: 4 to 7 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This would be a great book to use to begin to talk about Biographies with kids.
Extension Activities: Use the information at the end of the book to look up information about the famous women mentioned in the book.
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13
Author: Helaine Becker
Illustrator: Helaine Becker
Summary: Katherine was a bright girl who loved learning and loved doing math. She counted everything from stairs, the number of steps to church, even the number of dishes in the sink! She dreamed of becoming a mathematician but back in those days, her town’s high school did not admit black students. Katherine’s father worked hard to earn enough money to move the family to a town with a black high school, where Katherine’s love of math multiplied. Her knowledge of math even got her a job at NASA as a“computer”. LIttle did she know that this job would save the lives of many astronauts to come! Read to find out more about her amazing life!
Recommended Ages: 5 to 9 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This is a great biography to read to kids, and also get them to understand the importance of math.
Up and Away! How Two Brothers Invented the Hot-Air Balloon
Author: Jason Henry
Illustrator: Jason Henry
Summary: Joseph-Michel Montgolfier was a dreamer who loved learning about how things work. His closet brother, Jacques-Etienne, was much more business oriented but also had a love of science. After returning from a walk, Joseph noticed pieces of paper that fell into the fireplace would rise in the smoke ...this led him to a very important question: What lifted the paper into th air. After observing more closely and experimenting, he shared his progress with his brother. Together, they created the world’s first flying machine! Read to find out more about this amazing story!
Recommended Ages: 5 to 8 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This is great biography to read to talk about the Scientific process, as well as to introduce timelines found at the back of the book.
Grumpy Monkey
Author: Suzanne Lang
Illustrator: Max Lang
Summary: Jim Panzee woke up one beautiful morning to find out that he just didn’t feel right. His friends accused him of being “grumpy” but this only made Jim Panzee mad. Even after fixing the way he stood, raising his eyebrows, and even arranging his face into a smile, he still didn’t feel right. All the animals try to give him advice on how he can get rid of his grumpiness, but nothing seemed to work. Will Jim Panzee ever feel right? You and your kids will be sure to relate to how Jim Panzee feels as you read this book.
Recommended Ages: 3 to 7 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This is a great book to read to talk about being grumpy, and how sometimes you just have to wait for the feeling to pass.
Elbow Grease
Author: John Cena
Illustrator: Howard McWilliam
Summary: Elbow Grease never seemed to mind that he was the smallest truck at the Demolition Derby. Despite not being as tough, fast, smart, or brave as his brothers, Elbow Grease was proud that he had “Gumption”. But will that be enough to win the Grand Prix and prove his brothers wrong? You and your kids will be sure to enjoy reading about his adventure and cheering him on.
Recommended Ages: 3 to 7 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This is a sweet book to use to talk about gumption: the ability to never give up even during challenging times.
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