My favorite kid’s books right now (certified by my 5&2yo)*
***I will continue to update this blog and now it is certified by my ALMOST 7yo and 4yo still.***
If you are new here, you may not know I can be a bit scattered in my thoughts and sometime I just like to use my blog to share things I love. I photograph kids. I have kids. Kids love books. I love books. The books I have found my kids love not only has great writing, but the illustrations keep them engaged. All of these not only have a great message, but have wonderful art that I would totally hang on my walls.
So here is my list of what we are reading now:
Last Stop on Market Street
Having moved from San Francisco, we are still very insistent on keeping San Francisco in our lives. Our youngest’s room theme is all things San Francisco. We have bought many a books about San Francisco to have on her bookcase, but this is the current favorite for me and my 2 yo. I love the art and the story. I do question wether in today’s day and age a person would be “allowed” to play their guitar on the bus. But, I frequented the 38 which I think had more cranky commuters than anything.
Zara’s Big Messy Day
I have already ordered the sequel to this just to show you how much I love it. Not only is it a great book to help walk through calming techniques with children, the author did a one for one project to get these books to kid’s in underfunded schools. This book also had a bookmark that had the easy steps for an older child to carry around as a reminder. It is not as useful yet for my 2yo but she does love closing her eyes, smelling the flowers and blowing out the candles while I read to her.
**** Update as of 2022 – Zara’s books will no longer be in print. BUT they do have free copies on Amazon Kindle. I highly recommend checking out all of them.
Glory by Creative Soul Photography
This is a fashion kids version of Rebel Girls. It features strong Black children in amazing outfits embracing natural hair and tells their stories of strength and resiliency. While the main focus is the stellar photos, peppered in are the stories that really bring this book to life and leave me wanting SO MUCH MORE from these two photographers turned authors.
Words by Amanda Seales: “It brings to life past, present, and future visions of black culture and showcases the power and beauty of recognizing and celebrating oneself. Beauty as an expression of who you are is power.”
They also as of 2021 have come out with a more children’s story book. The imagery and story keeps everyone captivated during story time.
https://creativesoulphoto.com/themeichoose/
Rebel Girls
We have had these books for awhile – probably since my oldest was 2yo. I will be honest, my current 2yo’s interest is not as held by it as my older one was at that age. She loved the one page stories and the different illustrations. I think this is probably a more varies by kid than the other ones on the list because it does read more chapter book like with a long story on each page. A more story book type version of this is She Persisted. I personally prefer the Rebel Girls books, but they have some of the same stories. Rebel Girls also has a Journal which I am saving for when my girls are older. And, they have a podcast that is a great listen for stories on strong females.
Lubne and the Pebble
This book is a harder read than the others as a parent, but it is a good story that will provoke some conversation with children. I did not prep my husband on the book and I think he was little surprised when he was reading it for the first time to our child. It follows a small part of a journey of a refugee child in a refugee camp. It focuses on hope and compassion. “A true celebration of the endless creativity and resilience of children.”
Sulwe
This is our newest addition to our library and my 2yo is OBSESSED with it. I love all the artwork in the above books, but this one is a favorite for sure. This book addresses a child who feels left out because the color of her skin. Even within her family unit she feels different and a negative view of herself because of it. It is a great story to highlight recognizing the beauty in oneself and others and not focusing on beauty being only on the skin.
I hope you check these out. All of these are ones I have found in my local library so if you want to give them a test run before buying them you should be able to. I hope if you bring them into your home library you and yours enjoy them as much as we have!
Other books we love: