Steve Allen is quiz master for a contest about children’s books. Nick Knowles is pared with Glenda McKay, and Rhodri Williams partners Alyson Spiro.5’s Company was a daily afternoon chat show with five presenters, featuring celebrity guests, human interest features, a quiz hosted by Steve, and phone-ins. The show had a bank of presenters so the five on screen changed each day. Presenters were Steve Allen, Amanda Cross, Rhodri Williams, Paul Roseby, Nick Knowles, John Barrowman, Nigel Barden …
These 100 Best Children’s Books are voted by the educators in the United States upon the online survey conducted by the American National Education Association. Parents and teachers will find it useful in selecting quality literature for children. Books for Preschoolers to Teens.
A good piece for reference. Full list please go:
http://rainbowboat.com/100best.php
Books for All Ages
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Books for Preschoolers
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin, Jr.
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Corduroy by Don Freeman
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Books for Ages 4-8
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
Strega Nona by Tomie De Paola
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
How the Grinch Stole Christma by Dr. Seuss
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault
The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
Are You My Mother? by Philip D. Eastman
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
Curious George by Hans Augusto Rey
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
Arthur series by Marc Tolon Brown
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
The Art Lesson by Tomie De Paola
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch
Books for Ages 9-12
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Little House on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The Giver by Lois Lowry
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder – Laura Ingalls Wilder Webquest
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Stuart Little by E. B. White
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Books for Young Adults
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
For Immediate Release. Please announce the following not-for-profit event:
In Celebration of Black History Month, The Caribbean Community Resource Centre will present the “Annual Black Book Fair” on Wednesday, February 6th, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm at Toronto’s City Hall, at 100 Queen Street West.
This Annual Event features Writers, Publishers, Storytellers, Booksellers, Spoken-word Artists, Emerging Writers, Workshops, and more. Many activities will be available for adults and youth alike. Teachers are encouraged to bring students. Parents should bring children. All are welcome; the event is free to the public.
Thank you for your help in spreading the word! For booth space or more information on this event, call Nicholas Austin at (647) 892-1159.
Other Details:
– The Annual Black Book Fair creates a unique opportunity to share educational and learning materials in an innovative and experiential way with the community at large. The Event is provides students with role models for self-efficiency, and exposure to career options including entrepreneurialism, writing, publishing and other creative pursuits & endeavors from and by people of diverse backgrounds. The experience will increase self-respect, self-esteem and expand self-awareness and success.
– Ms. Jo Lena Johnson, International Speaker & Trainer, will kick-off the event –and then conduct an 11 am workshop for educators, teachers and librarians focused on encouraging self-esteem, success and engagement among children of color.
– At 6 pm Ms. Johnson will conduct an exciting, interactive workshop for parents and children to provide tools for communication, inspiration and ways to create quality time during day-to-day family activities. She has conducted training sessions and keynotes throughout the US, the UK and Canada for over 51,000 adult and student participants – www.absolutegood.com.
– Featured Writers Include: Writer/Actor DIRK Mc LEAN – The CBC has produced The House On Hermitage Road which Dirk adapted from his Trinidadian childhood memoir of the same title. The script was published in the anthology, Canadian Mosaic II, by Simon & Pierre. His plays for young audiences, which have toured elementary schools in Ontario, include Shall We Call A Teacher? and The Real McCoy (with Amah Harris and Itah Sadu). He is the children’s author of Steel Drums and Ice Skates (Groundwood Books, Toronto) and Play Mas’! A Carnival ABC (Tundra Books, Toronto & New York).
– Dr. Rosemary Sadlier is an outstanding author and the well-respected President of the Ontario Black History Society. Sadlier has written four books including Leading the Way: Black Women in Canada, Mary Ann Shadd: Publisher, Editor, Teacher, Lawyer, Suffragette and Tubman: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Her Life in the United States and Canada. Her best selling book, The Kids Book of Black Canadian History (2003) was nominated for Silver Birch Award, the Hackmatack Award, the Red Cedar Award and other international awards and was ranked number one in children’s literature by the Quill and Quire in October 2003.
Star Wars Celebration Europe Promotional Footage, London City Airport 2007.
There are many types of books. The key point when deciding what types of books to choose is: Introduce children to a variety of books. In this way, we widen their horizons. Here are some book types to consider.
Story books
When most dads think of reading aloud, they think of story books. These come in many types including folk tales, fairy tales, series about one character, adventures, mysteries, scary stories, and tales of growing up.
What about comic books? Don’t say no to comics without looking at some. Many people who today are excellent readers, as well as some famous writers, started off reading comics. What is good about comics? The pictures help children understand the words, the exciting plots motivate children to want to know what comes next and the fact that most comics come in series, such as Spiderman, gives children much more to read after they finish one comic book. Wan Inn’s son Julian took a big step toward learning French by reading the French version of the Astrix comic book series.
Yes, there are some junk comics, full of violence and other types of content may not want children to be reading. However, many other types of books (not to mention movies and television programs) contain the same type of content. At the same time, many educational texts can be found in comic book form.
Also, just because a book has drawings does not necessarily mean the book is easy to read. Comic books and other illustrated book can be for older children and adults. For example, the main character in Kayla & the Magical Tree is a pre-teen, and the book’s themes are probably beyond the comprehension of younger children.
Wordless picture books
Who says that a book needs words? Babies, toddlers, and even older children can enjoy books with only pictures or just a few words. Talk about the pictures. Make up your own stories. Also, many picture books are made of child-proof materials, such as heavy cardboard, that little hands can’t tear. Plastic picture kids books are great for reading in the bath!
For my preschool class im teaching a lesson on farm animals and were doing an activity where they cover paper animals in colored cotton balls.
I want to read a story to start off the lesson. Are there any short childrens books that include rainbow farm animals or possibly any regular farm animals?
I really dont know any good ones please help!!
“He would need some magic spell or potion to change himself from a ‘Harry’ to a ‘Harriet,’” joked Nimmo, who is an expert on entertainment for children and young adults.
“Describing how the famous boy wizard would behave as a witch would be enjoyable for author and reader alike,” Nimmo said. “And it is just the kind of fun, witty and creative submission our judges are looking for.”
Nimmo, author of the emerging “Mustard Twins” fantasy series, says that trends in literature aimed at young people risk trapping kids in what he calls a “kind of reading time-warp.”
“Certainly, where representations of gender in fiction heroes and characters are concerned, kids’ books lag way behind today’s society,” he said. “A lot of popular fiction reflects outdated stereotypes of masculine and feminine roles. And books aimed at children and young adults share much of the blame. I am not only talking about mainstream books either, but Newbery and Caldecott medal winners as well.”
To challenge the status quo, Nimmo is encouraging contestants to describe how a favorite fiction book or story hero would act or react in a dramatic situation. But there’s a twist: Entrants are first required to swap the hero’s gender role or characteristics.
With the contest, Nimmo hopes to positively attune parents and kids alike to the subtle messages being transmitted through popular entertainment.
“Readers – especially younger ones – are constantly being exposed to values that are completely out of step with modern times,” he said.
Studies show that, from Harry Potter to Artemis Fowl, boys outnumber girls about four to one in books and TV shows, including those written by women. Furthermore, Nimmo points out, even books with female or gender-neutral names in their titles frequently revolve around a male character.
Why should parents be concerned?
“Society’s values are largely transmitted to children through fiction,” Nimmo said. “It is therefore important that parents be aware that self-esteem and personal development are influenced by the sort of book and story heroes we emulate as kids.”
Nonetheless, Nimmo said, there are things parents can do to sensitize kids to the issue.
“Make sure to include books in your reading selection where individuals are portrayed with distinctive personalities irrespective of gender, where achievements are not evaluated on the basis of gender and where individuals are logical or emotional depending on the situation,” he said.
To encourage young people to challenge the conventions in stories and books written for them, Nimmo is offering a $300 cash prize, plus signed copies of his latest novel, “The Ancient Egyptian Ennead,” which tells the story of two spunky teenage female heroes and their exploits in ancient Egypt in the time of the pharaohs.
Image taken on 2009-12-01 14:36:35 by garlandcannon.
Image taken on 2009-12-21 21:31:08 by A Journey Round My Skull.
Watch an interview with Frank Hinks, the author of the Ramion series of books, in which he talks about his latest book The Kingdom Of The Deep