Favorite Books Come to Life

We all know reading is a fundamental skill all students must master to make the rest of school easier. We also know that this fall, school may look a little different. Here are some favorite children’s books and authors, as well as ways to make those stories come alive with supplemental activities to occupy your children for a few more minutes throughout the day.

Age: Preschool

Sandra Boynton is a great author to introduce your littles to with her fun rhymes and illustrations. Barnyard Dance, The Going to Bed Book and Blue Hat, Green Hat are a few of our family’s favorites. Create story-themed bins with props your children can use to act out the tales with a parent, older sibling or even on their own. For example, a bin of plastic farm animals can help kids learn animal sounds or sort colors. Another bin for building dressing skills might hold things like a button snake, zippers and other fasteners. Storyline.online has excellent videos that let your children listen to others read aloud to them—which means more guilt-free screen time to me!

Another title is Drawn Together by Minh Lê and Dan Santat that was brought to my attention by Anna Francesca Garcia, mother of a teen and a former education librarian for the Kansas City Public Library. She says, “This is an amazing story of a boy who visits his grandfather. Since they speak different languages, the boy feels lost. However, via the interaction between the art they create, they find their common ground. Their different styles meld beautifully. I love how this book, with very minimal language, depicts the relationship between a grandfather and grandson, some of the immigrant experience and the power of art.” There is a phenomenal activity book on Books.Disney.com, and Garcia especially likes the activity on pg. 8.

Age: Elementary

As your early elementary students begin to figure out reading, Dr. Seuss and Mo Willems are great authors to stock up on for your own home library through classroom Scholastic book orders, the Dr. Seuss Book Club from EarlyMoments.com, or ThriftBooks.com. If borrowing books is more your cup of tea, simply place them on hold from your local library. Dr. Seuss’ use of simple words, rhymes and repetition is why he is a classic and beloved author. The accessible language patterns give your student confidence in being a reader. Mo Willems is a beloved author as well because his books are simple and comedic. A multitude of resources can be found on ThePigeonPresents.com.

A couple of favorite early reader book series in our house include The Princess in Black by Shannon Dale and Dean Hale as well as Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. The Princess in Black series tells the story of Princess Magnolia, who changes into the Princess in Black when she needs to fight monsters. These are funny, action packed books about a courageous princess. Flat Stanley tells about Stanley Lambchop who has a bulletin board fall on him, leaving him only half an inch thick. He is able to experience life and help out in unique ways thanks to his flatness. Find activities at ThePrincessInBlack.com and FlatStanleyBooks.com. 

As your child progresses, series such as Dinosaur Cove by Rex Stone and Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park will appeal. Dinosaur Cove is the story of Tom and Jamie who find a secret entrance into a world of dinosaurs. Visit Scholastic.com for further activities for Dinosaur Cove. Junie B. Jones is a hilarious series based on the 6-year-old title character who makes reading a fun activity to do! Check out JunieBJones.com for a plethora of activities to add to your child’s enjoyment of the series.

Roadl Dahl has been a favorite author of mine since I was a little girl, and I have since passed down my original copies to my children to read, as well as reading several aloud because I wanted to revisit the stories. Favorites like James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and The BFG never lose their attraction. Head on over to RoaldDahl.com for ways to add on to these beloved stories.

Middle Grades

My 10-year-old daughter is in this sweet spot. This year I specifically sought out more diverse books by authors of color to help her grow up with a more expansive worldview. That sounds heavy, but reading is a great way to dip your toes into different cultures and gain some empathy through stories.

Author Renee Watson has many books with Black protagonists in Black settings, and one title my daughter read and enjoyed was her book Ways to Make Sunshine. It has been compared to the Ramona Quimby series and is more for the younger crowd, but more advanced readers could zip through some of these and still get something out of them thanks to the books’ themes.

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez is another suggestion from Garcia. “As soon as I finished this book, I gave it to my daughter to read. She was just slightly younger than the main character, Malú, and the empowering message of being yourself is one that I wanted to share,” she says. “Throughout, there are zine pages created by our protagonist, and this helps give us insight into how she is processing her life. As a divorced mom, I loved the example of responsible, loving co-parenting that Malú’s parents have. Also, ever since reading this, we have both been intrigued by independent vinyl stores like the one that Malú’s dad runs.” Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a zine, as written by the book’s author: ReadBrightly.com/how-to-make-zine/.

Young Adult (YA)

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo is a Garcia suggestion for older readers. She says, “Acevedo tells a compelling story. I listened to the audiobook which shows how responsible the protagonist, Emoni, is. She is a teen mother who lives with her grandmother. She works very hard and is an aspiring chef. Her journey to use her talents to grow into the woman she is becoming is inspirational, but the text feels authentic—never preachy.” This may inspire your teen to try her hand at some new recipes too.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a fantastic book that dives into the themes of racism, justice, activism and identity that are all at the forefront this year. I highly recommend buddy reading this with your teen to have some important discussions throughout. Then on a lighter note, if your family or teens have succumbed to all things Hamilton as most of us have, American Royals by Katherine McGee may be a fun look at an alternate version of American history based on the premise of “What if America had a royal family?” This could lead to some fun discussions on American history.

Read-Alouds and Audiobooks for the Whole Family

A couple of favorite series that both my eldest and I have read are Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Both of these series are tremendously popular and have many activities you can find with a quick search. Do a family read-aloud time or have multiple children listen to these tales together while you catch up on work or house tasks. Both series can be enjoyed again at different ages as well.

The Underlander Chronicles by Suzanne Collins and The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer (from Glee) are both amazing series with wonderful audio versions. Often, we listen to the first book on audio in the car while running errands and traveling to extracurricular activities, and then the kids want to continue reading the rest of the series on their own. 

An avid reader, I find book podcasts to be a great source of recommendations for not only myself, but for my kids also. Shows such as What Should I Read Next?, The Currently Reading Podcast, Literally Reading and Read Aloud Revival have episodes geared toward the younger readers, and there are even children’s book podcasts such as Book Club for Kids to keep reading fresh and engaging for your children this year. Oftentimes, we celebrate finishing a read-aloud book by watching the movie together. You could even encourage your children to write to their favorite authors. Check out other ideas at ReadingRockets.org.

Stephanie Loux is an avid reader and loves all things books. She delights in sharing her love of reading with her children, Layla, 10, Mason, 8, and Slade, 5. Follow her Bookstagram account @stephanielovesbooks over on Instagram for more titles for you and your family.