Willy the Dinosaur & the Father’s Day Project: A Heartwarming Gift Picture Book About Dad, Love, Laughter, and Growing Up

Written and illustrated by Robert B. Grand

A very cute book for Father’s Day or any time you want to reflect on the important role that fathers play in a child’s life.

It combines the message with a character that appeals to most children: the dinosaur. Willy is a young dinosaur who loves his dad deeply, but when Willy’s teacher asks him to design a project for Father’s Day, he cannot think of anything special to draw.

Willy spends some time reflecting, and then he concludes that the ordinary things his dad does every day to show his love are what make his dad special.

A great gift for elementary school-age children to read for themselves or present to their own dad.

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Bees Full of Wonder: An educational, rhyming book about the magic of the bees for children, kids (World Full of Wonder 3)

Written by Anna Smithers

Illustrated by Nino Aptsiauri

Smithers manages to pack a lot of information plus a wealth of problem-solving resources in this illustrated picture book.

Even though the language is not colloquial, the rhymes are fun to read out loud, and important vocabulary words are highlighted in color for emphasis. Children learn about the different types of bees and their work in the hive. I especially liked the interactive challenge for the reader to locate twelve different types of bees in the story. Young readers also discover the problems bees face today due to urban expansion.

The illustrations are multicultural, and they include children with disabilities. This book will appeal to children who enjoy nonfiction for information about the life of bees, but also to young community activists who will appreciate the seven practical solutions they can use to help the rapidly declining bee population.

I would highly recommend the book for parents, teachers, and librarians of elementary school readers.

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12 Sleeps ’til Christmas (The Countdown Collection)

Illustrated by I. Bunet

An adorable rhyming book that celebrates the joys of counting down to Christmas.

The author employs a novel approach to the countdown, using the word sleeps instead of days. Siblings begin twelve days before Christmas and count down time by reflecting in rhyme about the activities that families perform during the preparation for Christmas Day.

The rhymes are crisp and simple to read, and the multicultural illustrations are a delight for the eyes. This book is a good choice for an addition to family library read-alouds. It is appropriate for preschool and elementary-age readers.

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Doodle and the Magic Christmas Float

Written by Cindy Shirley

Illustrated by Cleoward Sy

The heartwarming tale of a family exhibiting true Christmas spirit.

Doodle lives with her grandparents on a farm. Her grandfather is creative and inventive, spending much of his time creating toys and inventions for his granddaughter and her friends. When Doodle and her friends discover an old tractor on the farm, they plead with their grandfather to allow them to fix it up. Soon the entire family is involved in transforming the old tractor into a beautiful Christmas float for the town’s Christmas parade. Doodle and her friends plan to ride on it and distribute candy and Christmas cheer to their community.

This warm, holiday tale exemplifies families who work together and share love and kindness throughout the community.

I highly recommend it for parents and teachers of school-age children.

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I Hope It Snows For Oreo

Written and illustrated by John Doriot

This book is written from the perspective of a dog named Oreo.

Children are brought through the activities of Oreo’s family as they prepare for the Christmas season and hope for snow. The rhyming text consists of a few lines that are written in large print that is easy to read. Illustrations are large and expressive, matching the mood and building the anticipation of the story.

Recommended for families with children aged one and older.

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U-CUT: A Christmas Tree Story

Written by R.A. Becker

Illustrated by Michael Macakova

A book that celebrates a tradition that many families share: visiting a Christmas tree farm to find and cut the perfect Christmas tree.

One unusual Christmas tree has been passed over by visitors for many years, but when a boy and his family enter the farm this year, the ugly tree finally gets a chance to shine. This particular boy is attracted to the misshapen tree because he has also experienced gossip and mistreatment due to a scar on his face. When the boy spies the tree, he is immediately drawn to it. He convinces his family that this is the perfect tree for them. After bringing it home and decorating it, the ugly tree becomes a thing of beauty.

This book is perfect for families and teaches children that beauty comes from the goodness within, not physical, outward appearances.

An appropriate choice for children of any age.

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Bacon’s Very Important Christmas Job! (It’s Bacon’s World! Book 2)

Written and Illustrated by Tina Neely

Bacon, a pot-bellied pig, loves his family. He wants to be helpful. When his mom, dad, and grandma begin preparing for the Christmas holidays, Bacon tries his best to get involved. Unfortunately, he only gets in the way and gets rebuffed for his efforts.

This book series is based on the exploits of the author’s pet pig. Children get a preview with a genuine photo included at the end of the tale. I like the interactive feature, which requests readers to count the number of hearts on each page.

This book is a perfect holiday choice for families of primary grade readers.

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Skelly the GIANT Skeleton: A Hilarious Modern Day Halloween Book Parody Tribute to the GIANT Halloween Community!

Written by Hailee Oman

Illustrated by William Velasco

The illustrations in this book are creative and original. Rhymes hit the mark.

The author uses parody to illustrate the limits some people will go to in celebrating and decorating holidays like Halloween. Skelly is the physical manifestation of overindulgence.

Children and adults will laugh at the ridiculous scenario. The book is appropriate for all ages.

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Save the Scraps (Save the Earth Book 5)

Written and Illustrated by Bethany Stahl

Alex teaches Mateo a valuable food lesson. After finishing lunch, the two friends are ready to get rid of the trash. Alex shows Mateo the compost bin and explains how it can be used to grow more nutritious food.

They teach readers that not all trash can be composted. Their friends, Mr. Squiggles, the worm, and some friendly bees, join to complete the process.

At the end of the book, parents and teachers find a list of questions for children to answer, and a step-by-step list of directions for creating their own compost bin.

Another book in this author’s series that I recommend highly for preschool and primary grade readers.

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Jack’s Noisy Day Colouring and Activity Book: A Raucous Romp Through The Alphabet 

Written by Sarah Tinney

Illustrated by Ricky Audi

The author released this coloring book as a companion to Jack’s Noisy Day. I enjoyed this one even more than the sound alphabet book.

Here, the author allows the reader to add imaginative color drawings to fill in the black and white illustrations of the original. In addition, there is a word search, practice tracing the letters on pages, and unscrambling the words. Near the end of the book, readers face the challenge of placing letters of the alphabet in the correct order.

Differentiating the types of activities attracts young children who have different learning styles and provides a plethora of opportunities to learn the alphabet.

As a retired educator, I highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of toddlers and preschoolers.

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