Snowy days are ideal for reading these new books for kids
Winter has delivered snowy days and these are ideal times for our younger readers to snuggle up with some good books. Here are some new releases that could make being snowbound a lot more entertaining.
“Hush, Little Bunny” by David Ezra Stein (Balzer and Bray, 40 pages, $17.99) ages 4-8
This beautifully illustrated lullaby is filled with love and reassurance as a papa bunny sings to his baby bunny. Very sweet.
“Out of this World
— the Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington” by Michelle Markel. Illustrations by Amanda Hall. (Balzer and Bray, 40 pages, $17.99) ages 4-8
Another beautifully illustrated book about the surrealistic artist Leonora Carrington who rebelled against the norms of society and created brilliant art. Many of the illustrations are also surreal.
“Planting Stories — the Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre” by Anika Aldamuy Denise (Harper, 40 pages, $17.99) ages 4-8
This is the story of Pura Belpre, who came to New York from Puerto Rico in 1921 and went on to a career as an influential and inspiring librarian at the New York Public Library.
“Dress Like a Girl” by Patricia Toht (Harper, 40 pages, $17.99) ages 4-8
While the title might seem to indicate one thing it actually means quite the opposite. This book encourages girls to wear whatever they want to wear: “Make your own rules in this big wide world. Set your sights high and dress like a girl!”
“Mary Wears What She Wants” by Keith Negley (Balzer and Bray, 40 pages, $17.99) ages 4-8
Here’s another book that challenges the roles of gender in choosing apparel. It tells the true story of a doctor named Mary Edwards Walker who was arrested on numerous occasions for a grievous offense: wearing pants!
“Shivers! The Pirate Book You’ve Been Looking For” by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White (Harper, 190 pages, $12.99) ages 8-12
Here’s a humorous novel for middle school readers. Shivers the Pirate and his best friend Margo are sailing on their ship “The Groundhog” and thinking pirate thoughts like this: “Shivers hated parrots. They had no sense of humor. He once tried to tell a parrot a knock-knock joke but he could never get to the punchline. It was just knock-knocking for days.”
“Turbo Racers: Trailblazer” by Austin Aslan (Harper, 336 pages, $16.99) ages 8-12
Mace Blazer is a 12-year-old with dreams of racing turbo-charged vehicles that can transform themselves from roadsters to aircraft and then into submarines in this futuristic fantasy tale.
“Zach King: Mirror Magic” by Zach King (Harper, 189 pages, $18.99) ages 8-12
Zach King is a star of social media platforms like Instagram and he has an enormous following among young people. This series of books depicts him as a fictional character who possesses magical powers. In this one he passes through a mirror into a world that is the exact opposite of everything he expects.
“Ultraball #1; Lunar Blitz” by Jeff Chen (Katherine Tegan Books, 314 pages, $16.99) ages 8-12
Here’s another futuristic novel for middle school readers. Strike Sazaki lives in a colony on the moon and he is a sports star who plays quarterback for an Ultraball team that made it to the Ultrabowl for the last three years only to lose the championship games.
His new star rocketback is a Dark Sider who has come from the rebel colony and might be a traitor.
Here’s another book that challenges the roles of gender in choosing apparel. It tells the true story of a doctor named Mary Edwards Walker who was arrested on numerous occasions for a grievous offense: wearing pants!
Vick Mickunas of Yellow Springs interviews authors every Saturday at 7 a.m. and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit www.wyso.org/programs/booknook. Contact him at vick@ vickmickunas.com.