How to Train Your Amygdala
Written by Anna Housley Juster
Illustrated by Cynthia Cliff

Most kids have never heard of the Amygdala, but it plays a vital role in keeping them safe. The author uses creative imagery to explain in simple language how it works. Sometimes worrying about what might happen can make the Amygdala work overtime so it is important to train it not to set off false alarms.

Juster provides children with strategies and techniques to relax and remain calm. Examples include deep breathing, relaxing, and connecting with favorite people. The interactive part of this book provides step by step directions for children and an accompanying guide for adults working with children.

Kudos to the author for writing this guide in simple, easily understandable language with large text and appealing illustrations. Recommended for children from preschool through primary grades and the caretakers who love and support them.

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What is Hanukkah?: Your guide to the fun traditions of the Jewish Festival of Lights (Jewish Holiday Books)

Written by Shari Last

A comprehensive picture book about this Jewish celebration including lots of additional resources. Last provides facts about its basis on the lunar calendar, the history of the Maccabees, the lighting of the menorah, and the word’s many spellings. Going beyond that, she reveals how Hanukkah is celebrated in different countries, foods and recipes, and how to play the dreidel game associated with the holiday.

The illustrations are bright and appealing and the text large enough to read easily for beginning readers. Language is informal and geared to the elementary school age target audience. This book is a good choice to place on a classroom multicultural holiday bookshelf or as a family activity book to celebrate the Hanukkah holiday at home.

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Horace Won’t Sing: Unless He Doesn’t Have To

Written by Barbara Roman

Illustrated by Vladimir Cebu

As a singer, storyteller, and composer, Barbara Roman possesses the right credentials for writing this beautiful picture book with a wonderful message for parents and an interesting story for young readers.

When Horace’s parents hear strange sounds coming from his room at night, they are curious to investigate, but when asked, Horace says he doesn’t want to explain unless he has to. Furtively, the parents try to peek through the keyhole, climb a tree, and peer down from the attic to find the answer. When they hear Horace singing into a conch shell, they are even more mystified.

The answer is revealed at the school talent show, and things seem to return to normal. There is a surprise ending at the end of the story that puts a smile on the face of the reader. The text contains prose and rhyme, accompanied by colorful illustrations. A book that can be enjoyed by a reader of any age, but highly recommended for middle-grade readers.

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Hamsters Invented Everything

Adisan Books

This colorful picture book is a quick, funny read as a bedtime story or classroom read aloud.

My children had hamsters as pets. We enjoyed watching their clever antics. In this story, readers learn that hamsters invented virtually everything useful that humans employ today. The foxes are the enemy who have tried to prevent hamsters from helping humans. They want to deny giving the foxes credit. When the humans decide to team up with the hamsters, the tables are turned.

Lots of humor, beautiful illustrations and entertainment for primary grade readers.

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Sensing The World With Momo : A fun quick science learning chapter books for ages 8-10 (Kids Books Momo’s Science Adventures: The Nervous System Series)

Written by Rizu Shami

An innovative approach to teaching children about stimuli and the nervous system. Part of a series of books done in comic book format featuring a character named Momo speaking in simple phrases located in balloons.

Momo teaches readers about internal and external stimuli, the five senses, and the way our bodies react to these stimuli. While the book is targeted for readers ages eight and older, the simple pictures transmit the message effectively to younger children.

Recommended to parents and teachers as a teaching tool about the nervous system.

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Thankful Day In Animalsville: Thanksgiving Story About Being Thankful And Showing Kindness to Others By Serving The Community

Written by  Virtuous Nyamesem Cornwall

This book is a beautiful and effective way to explain the meaning of giving thanks and putting the message into action. It is particularly effective for young children.

Using animals as the main characters, the author explains that the town has decided to express gratitude on Thanksgiving Day by doing kind things for others. Thinking as a community, each family decides on a way to help someone outside their own family. Then the families of Animalsville present the action steps. Examples include visiting a food pantry, cleaning up trash, visiting a nursing home, assisting the homeless, and cleaning house for the elderly.

At the end of the book, young readers receive a list of suggestions to practice their own action steps of gratitude in their own communities.

Highly recommended for parents and teachers of children from ages five and older to teach the values kindness, respect, gratitude, and civics.

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Profitable Money Skills for Kids

Written by Michael Slochowsky

This is a basic primer for kids with all the necessary information to understand money.

It is written in fairly simple language though I believe younger children will need additional guidance for complete understanding. The author begins with an introduction as to why he wrote the book, and why he included interactive strategies to implement its lessons.

Chapter One explains the history of money and its purposes. Then we move on to different types of saving strategies, budgeting, and tools to use. Kids learn the differences between needs and wants, and how to invest smartly. There are suggestions about how kids can earn money, give to charity, and avoid scams. Finally, there are goal-planning strategies, and discussions about planning for a sound financial future.

This book is a valuable financial literacy tool that can grow with the child providing a strong foundation for a sound financial future. Highly recommended to parents and teachers.

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The Knock – A Collection of Childhood Memories: Level 2 Reader for Children 9 – 12

Written by Carolyn Watkins

Illustrated by Lindsey Erickson

This is a poignant children’s book that creates a valuable resource for children living in military families.

This memoir is written from the point of view of an eight-year-old child whose father is called to serve in the Vietnam War. Readers learn about the fears of a child for his father’s safety, the difficult adjustment of a single mother and the turbulent life of military families who must pick up and move at a moment’s notice.

The book is written with the intention of providing an outlet for today’s children and military families to become a vehicle to express their hopes and fears.

The Level 2 Reader is appropriate for middle-grade readers. There is a Level 1 edition written in simpler language for military children who are younger.

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Forever with You: An Endless Love of Family

Written by Tana Schuler

Illustrated by Soledad Cook- Ordoñez

This beautiful picture book delivers a heartfelt message written from the perspective of a grandmother to her beautiful granddaughter.

The soft pastel illustrations provide the perfect complement to the message. It is a message of love giving the child confidence, strength and resilience. Grandma will be with her through good and bad, happy times and sad times, always supporting her and lifting her up.

This book is particularly useful for families who need to help young children through the grieving process in the loss of a loved one. On the other hand, it portrays a cheerful lesson of how much family members love and support their children.

Recommended for parents, teachers, and counselors of elementary and middle grade children.

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Rice to the Rescue: (Rumbly Tumbly Adventures)

Written and illustrated by Etaine Raphael and others

What a fun, rhyming picture book? This is part of the Rumbly Tummy Adventures series. It is written by a group of authors and illustrators. Included in this edition are six simple recipes.

The plot involves children who are being visited in class by a chef. She encourages the children to use their imaginations as she reveals each recipe. The children spin a tale of a princess locked in a tower who meets a bunch of interesting characters while the chef teaches each recipe.

At the end of the tale, young readers find the details for each nutritious dish included so they may join in the fun and eat healthy all at the same time.

Recommended for elementary and middle school readers who want to have fun and eat well.

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