Father’s Day will soon be here, and I have collected some sweet books perfect to help celebrate with dad. The first four books are for Father’s Day and good for ages three through eight. The rest of the books would be great on a road trip or just to enjoy with family underneath a shady tree. Each of these books will have the age indicated.
Somewhere, by Robbie H. Harris and gorgeously painted with vibrant pastels of watercolor and ink by Armando Marino, captures a moment in time when a young girl is walking with her father towards a park. She has a desire to go somewhere. Somewhere is where I wanted to go. Somewhere new. Somewhere I had never, ever been before. She leaves her father as begins an adventure on her own. She eventually comes back to her father as she wishes him to also experience what she did. And off they go, hand in hand, together.
Bailey & Blanket, by Emily House, richly tells how Bailey is lovingly attached to his soft, comforting blanket. The fun experiences he has with his warm friend is shown in the first part of the book which includes playing with it in the park and using it as a parachute as he glides from on high. However, trouble ensues when a dog grabs it and proceeds to shred it into pieces. How dad remedies this problem and secures an even better solution for Bailey will tug at your heartstrings! The digital illustrations are beautifully done.
Tell Me a Lion Story, by Kara Kramer, is a very clever interactive story that involves the reader and listener! As a young girl asks her dad to tell her a story about a lion, he begins to describe a giant lion. But she asks why is it so big? So he changes it to a very tiny lion. Eventually he involves you by you filling in the blank spaces such as the lion’s name, where it lives, and the story becomes your story. The vibrant pictures were made with mixed media making this a story of invention and imagination.
Growing an Artist: The Story of a Landscaper and His Son, by John Parra, is a story of a loving relationship between father and son. Told through the young son’s eyes, Juanito is excited to go help his dad as a landscape architect. Juanito learns much from his papi as they go from house to house. Juanito documents what he sees along the way by drawing in his sketchbook such as a nest of baby birds and the many unique flowers and bushes. Juanito learns much from his dad, like how physically demanding the job is but also the tremendous reward to be your own boss dong what you love. You will find at the back of the book in the author’s note, the importance of having a strong work ethic and responsibility and business. Be sure to check out the clever end-pages.
The Ultimate Book of Water, by Anne-Sophie Baumann and Artaud Lemaistre and cleverly illustrated with pop-ups, lift flaps and rotating wheels by Vanessa Robidou, is an oversized book packed with kid-friendly information about the miracle and value of water. This book begs to be “poured” over again and again as kids of all ages will thoroughly enjoy and learn. Exploring what happens to tiny droplets of water all the way to the expanse of a lake, children will “dive in” and barely come up for air! These are the kinds of books parents love as they see the excitement their kids have learning from books like this!
Space Explorers: 25 Extraordinary Stories of Space Exploration and Adventure, by Libby Jackson and brightly illustrated by Leonard Dupond, is the perfect book for your young space enthusiast. In fact, after reading some of these true stories of space and astronauts, your youngster may even become a space enthusiast! This anthology begins with a story about the first Sputnik and eventually ends with plans for a Mars mission. The stories are not too long making this a perfect read out loud for a car trip or even a story for bed. Perfect for ages six through twelve.
Brains On! Presents…Road Trip Earth: Explore Our Awesome Planet, from Core to Shore and so Much More, by Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez & Sanden Totten, and brightly illustrated by Megan E. Bryant, answers many questions youngsters may have pondered over. Questions such as what is in the middle of the earth, or why is the ocean so salty. This well planned out, kid friendly book showcases the earth from the inside out with cartoon-like panels helping keep the reader interested as they learn so many interesting facts. The book is divided into four parts: Into the Earth, Wet, Wild, and Weird, Totally Grounded and Sky’s The Limit. This is the perfect book to keep your eight through twelve-year-old learning through summer.
Do You Know? Animals of Land, Sea, and Air, by Stephanie Babin, is one book in a series of different subjects such as Earth and Nature, Vehicles and Transportation and Dinosaurs and The Prehistoric World. In this book, good for ages five through nine, it is broken down into types of animals, their habitats, life and other observations. The lay-out is perfectly kid-friendly and each page is sturdier that normal. The colorful illustrations, by Marion Billet, Helene Convert, Julie Mercier and Emma jelly Ristord, is drawn simply and succinctly by the intelligent labeling.
Ultimate Spotlight: Volcanoes, by Sandra Laboucarie and perfectly illustrated in bright colors, interactive flaps and movable tabs by Pierre Caillou, is an amazing look inside of a volcano by pulling tabs and visually exploring the depths of the layers of the earth. From the first page to the last, all ages will be completely enthralled with what makes volcanoes erupt and learn more about the path of magma to the surface of earth. Once you pick this book up, it will be hard to put down!
