I received a sample for this review/feature. Opinions expressed are my own.
Those good old lazy days of summer are finally here! That means we will be reading even more than we normally do…yay! My daughter is even going to work on a Girl Scouts fun patch for reading by keeping a reading log. Here is a list of some fantastic summer reads from HarperCollins Children’s Books that are great to just sit back and relax with. My daughter has already put them on her summer reading list and so should you!
There’s a new pet in town: Stick Cat! A kid is writing the Stick Cat story while in his English class. He normally writes stories about Stick Dog but an interesting girl in his class suggests he write about cats. So that is exactly what he does. In Stick Cat: A Tail of Two Kitties by Tom Watson it’s a big day in the big city for Stick Cat and his best friend, Edith. There are treasures to hunt, songs to sing, pigeons to catch, and naps to take. But way up on the twenty-third floor, danger lurks just around the corner. Terrible noises and violent crashes trap a desperate man in the building across the alley. Stick Cat will need to navigate his way across the alley?and around Edith’s peculiar ways?to attempt a rescue. The story is made to look like it is written on notebook paper with pencil like doodles throughout the whole book. Overall this is a fabulous chapter book series we just can?t get enough of.
Kids love books that rhyme. Heck, even adults love books that rhyme. The A Pig in a Wig Book Series is rhyme time at its best. Bright and cheery illustrations accompany a fun book with big, easy to read words. Especially great for new readers. In What This Story Needs Is a Munch and a Crunch by Emma J. Virjan the outdoor fun and games get started, but a thunderstorm rolls in and it turns out what this story really needs is . . . another place to eat! Another book in the A Pig in a Wig Book series and it is just as fun as the rest!
Everyone’s favorite fictional bear Paddington is back and this time in a Level One I Can Read Book, Paddington Sets Sail. Great for beginning readers and it will have them ready, willing, and able to follow this beloved bear anywhere. Paddington is thrilled to go to the beach with the Browns. He’s never splashed in the ocean or built a sand castle. Outfitted with a new set of beach toys, Paddington seems ready for whatever comes his way. But the biggest surprise of all sweeps Paddington off on a new adventure. I can’t get enough of this bear and I Can Read Books are some of my favorites. A great combination just perfect for budding readers this summer.
For ages 8 to 12, Swing Sideways by Nanci Turner Stevenson, is a debut middle grade novel about the story of two girls and the unforgettable summer in which they learn about true friendship and loss. Annie has been promised a summer of freedom in the country. Freedom from a difficult school year, freedom from her fake friends back in the city, and, most of all, freedom from her mom’s life-governing spreadsheets and rigid schedules. When Annie meets California, who is visiting her grandfather’s farm, it seems she has found the perfect partner for the summer she’s always craved. Especially when California offers Annie a real-life adventure: if she and Annie can find the ponies her mom rode as a girl, surely it will remind her mom how wonderful the farm is?and fix what’s broken between her mom and her grandfather. But Annie’s summer of freedom is sprinkled with secrets, and everything she has learned about bravery and love will be put to the test when the truth behind the ultimate secret changes her life forever.
Making sure kids read in the summer is so important. Nothing serious….just picking up a few quick books to read each day can make a difference. Finding the right books that are fun and not “work” is the key. Big Sis and I enjoy every one of these books and they are worth a read!
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