informational books

Shaped manipulatives sorted by preschool aged child

Get into Shape(s)!

This has shaped up to be a good year for new kids’ books that focus attention on—shapes! Some shapes—and books—are simple, some simply fun (as well as informative), and some sophisticated—just the way geometric forms run the gamut from easy to grasp to complex. Learning to recognize and name shapes helps build the toddler, preschooler, […]

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Covers of books featured in post

Mastering the Art of Kindness

November 13th is World Kindness Day, a day to reflect on one of the most universal and unifying principles. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, start ripples of change that can transform the lives of children, families, and communities across the world. This selection of picture books and board books are the

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Mina Belongs Here interior spread

Stack ‘Em Up for World Kid Lit Month

Our favorite way to celebrate September is to remember that it’s World Kid Lit Month all month long! To help you join the celebration, we’re stacking up a tower of kids’ books in translation and fresh from their publishers this year. Let’s start with Albatros Media’s The Hand Book by Magda Garguláková, illustrated by Vítězslav

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Sew Sister cover

Mooning Over Some New Books

Happy National Moon Day and National Space Exploration Day! July 20th 2023 marks 54 years since the Apollo 11 mission during which Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. In honor of this – and the two supermoons coming next month – here are some of our favorite space-themed titles from

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Count on These Picture Books for More than Number Names

Like literacy, numeracy comprises a diverse set of skills and relies on the development of capacities to observe, reason, and follow models. Merriam-Webster offers a concise definition: numeracy is the ability to understand and work with numbers.  Like alphabet books, counting books come in a wide range of styles and quality. Like the alphabet, however,

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Clive Is a Nurse

What Can You Do with a Skill Like That?

If you have had a toddler around your home, you know that dream career considerations can start early in life. Toddlers enjoy acting out the very tasks they find most engaging when they see others do them, from collecting trash (BIG trucks!) to serving in a diner (Little order pads!). By the time youth graduate

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Food for Hope interior

Feeding Food Awareness

This spring brings a new crop of informational picture books that offer readers of all ages new insights on healthy eating, food access, and food preparation.  Food topics, of course, are of perennial interest and these new books join contemporary classics featuring food heroes, kids’ science related to food topics, and food gardening. Let’s take

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Say Hello?

Celebrating World Hello Day (and Work Toward Peace)

November 21st, 2022 is the 50th Annual World Hello Day which invites everyone to participate by just saying hello to ten people today. It was begun in 1973, in response to the Yom Kippur War. Its purpose is to encourage communication, rather than force, to settle conflicts. Since 1973, it has been observed by people in

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California Reading Association

Eureka! Gold and Silver for Many of Our Friends

The votes have been cast by the California Reading Association for the California Eureka Nonfiction Book Awards.  Among the winners this year, we are proud to announce: The Eureka Gold Medal has been awarded to A is for Asian American, by Virginia Loh-Hagan, illustrated by Tracy Nishimura Bishop, and published by Sleeping Bear Press. This

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