Here are some new Easy Reader books for our youth to enjoy!
"The Traveling Dustball" by Judith Henderson
The second collection in the Big Words Small Stories series follows the adventures of Davey and his dog, Abigail. When Davey tries to sweep an enormous dustball out the front door, the wind lifts the dustball into the air — and Davey and Abigail with it! Their flying dustball takes them on adventures to places around the world, including Italy, China, and Switzerland, which makes for some great stories (five, to be exact)! As with the first book in the series, the mischievous Sprinkle Fairy and her helpers have slipped a Big Word into each story. The stories include Big Words like lollygagging, irksome, and phenomenon!
"Stop! Bot!" by James Yang
Winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book! In this picture book mystery, a little boy out for a walk with his family stops to show a building doorman his new "bot": "I have a bot!" Only he doesn't have it for long, because it floats up out of his hands like an escaped balloon. "Stop! Bot!" Springing to action, the kind doorman runs up to each floor of the building to try and catch it — along with the help of each floor's resident. But while everything looks normal at first, every floor (and resident) is a little more wacky and unusual than the last! Musicians, baseball players, zoo animals, and finally a very large monkey all play a part — but will they rescue the Bot before it's too late?!
"The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter" by Shabazz Karkin
A LOVE POEM FROM A FATHER TO HIS TWO SONS, AND A TRIBUTE TO THE BEES THAT POLLINATE THE FOODS WE LOVE TO EAT. "Sometimes bees can be a bit rude. They fly in your face and prance on your food." And yet... without bees, we might not have strawberries for shortcakes or avocados for tacos! Shabazz Larkin's The Thing About Bees is a Norman Rockwell-inspired Sunday in the park, a love poem from a father to his two sons, and a tribute to the bees that pollinate the foods we love to eat. Children are introduced to different kinds of bees, "how not to get stung," and how the things we fear are often things we don't fully understand.
"The Book Hog" by Greg Pizzoli
Recipient of a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor for a distinguished beginning reader book! The Book Hog loves books — the way they look, the way they feel, the way they smell-and he'll grab whatever he can find. There's only one problem: he can't read! But when a kind librarian invites him to join for story time, this literature-loving pig discovers the treasure that books really are.
Geisel Medalist Greg Pizzoli presents a new character who is sure to steal your heart in this picture book full of humorous charm and vivid illustrations.
"Sofia Valdez, Future Prez" by Andrea Beaty
The newest picture book from the creators of Iggy Peck, Architect; Rosie Revere, Engineer; and Ada Twist, Scientist stars Sofia Valdez, a community leader who stands up for what she believes in!
Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school . . . until one day, when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill and he can no longer do so. Sofia misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Then she gets an idea — the town can turn the slimy mess into a park! She brainstorms and plans and finally works up the courage to go to City Hall — only to be told by a clerk that she can’t build a park because she’s just a kid! Sofia is down but not out, and she sets out to prove what one kid can do.
"Double Bass Blues" by Andrea J. Loney
A Caldecott Honor book! Nic is an aspiring musician whose life spans two different worlds — his suburban school where he wows his friends in orchestra, and the busy city streets of his home where he's jostled by the crowd. Nic makes his way home from a busy day at school with a double bass on his back, the symphony of his surroundings in his heart, and a sweet surprise for the reader at the end of his journey.
"One More Hug" by Megan Alexander
From Inside Edition’s national correspondent Megan Alexander comes a heartwarming picture book in the tradition of The Wonderful Things You Will Be that shows us there’s always time for one more hug as a young boy starts his day and his journey through life.
A tree branch tapping on a window, a pretend sword breaking in two, the skreeeetch of a school bus door: one more hug by mom is always needed to comfort and reassure a young boy that he has the inner confidence to carry on. As time passes, and he outgrows his childhood fears, he returns the favor by giving his mother one more hug as he goes on his way.
This timeless tale of unconditional love and comfort for an anxious young boy as he leaves the nest and starts his journey through life is a perfect story for mothers to share with their sons to show them that it’s okay to have fears and needs — even as they get older — and it’s okay to share those feelings with the people who love them.
"Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You" by Sonia Sotomayor
Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience! Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.
In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges — and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask.
"Going Down Home With Daddy" by Kelly Starling Lyons
“On reunion morning, we rise before the sun. Daddy hums as he packs our car with suitcases and a cooler full of snacks. He says there’s nothing like going down home.”
Down home is Granny’s house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will join great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to family history. All the kids have to decide on what tribute to share, but what will Lil Alan do?
In this rich and moving celebration of history, culture, and ritual, Kelly Starling Lyons’ eloquent text explores the power of family traditions. Stunning illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honor-winner Daniel Minter reveal the motion and connections in a large, multi-generational family. A Caldecott Honor book!