5 Kid’s Books to Enjoy This Summer
By: Hidden Gems on June 1, 2021
With summer break here for many, we thought it’d be a great time to round up five children’s books that Hidden Gems ARC readers have recently read and adored. Most of these are geared toward younger children, but with brilliant illustrations and heartwarming messages they can be enjoyed by all. Consider adding these titles to your shopping list the next time you’re buying a kid’s book for your little one!
The Snot Book: A Book for Children to Enjoy and Learn about Nose Goop, Mucus, and other Curious Facts by Marc Bacera
Book 6 in the Bewildering Body series for young kids, The Snot Book is “so gross your kids won’t notice they’re learning!” Both fun and educational, this is one kid’s book you’ll enjoy reading and discussing with your children.
“This gross and gooey volume of boogerific facts was a blast to read,” raves Tricia S. in her 5-star review. “My four year old grandson couldn’t stop laughing. In the beginning you get to go through a litany of odd sn starting words that somehow poor sonny has jammed up his right nostril and from there we join Sonny in learning an abundance of gross, gooey, and good to know facts about snot. My grandson just adored this book. It has just the right amount of ewww gross stuff that’s kids like and wow cool facts that parents and grandparents enjoy learning as well. So get this fun book today and get your tissue to check out your snot.”
Jennifer S. writes in her 5-star review, “Learning about how your body work is absolutely necessary to stay safe and healthy, even those parts of your body that are ‘gross’. Well, The Snot Book makes that learning fun! Each page shows a different ‘SN’-word that adds to the educational value of the book; and is just overall a fun, silly book full of laughs and knowledge. The art is fun and expressive, and fits perfectly with the bright story. In addition to just being a great picture book, The Snot Book comes with several pages of mucus information at the end! Your child will love learning about where snot comes from and what it does, and what different colors mean. If your child loves learning gross body facts, this book is the absolute perfect addition to their collection!”
Where’s My Joey? by Wendy Monica Winter
With over 130 Amazon reviews, this award winning tale is an uplifting bedtime story written by a teacher who lived in Australia. Filled with gorgeous illustrations and a beautiful story, this is a book all ages will enjoy.
“This book is so beautifully written and illustrated,” writes M. Johnson in their 5-star review. “A happy story about a mom looking for her baby with an education about Australia and its animals. It includes some games and a link to more online. Definitely recommend this for children of all ages!”
Lesley M. writes in their 5-star review, “My granddaughters love this book, the story and the pictures. The 7 year old especially found the last picture fascinating. The mother kangaroo reading the book to Joey was repeated on the book she was reading, and continued on. The 5 yr old was spellbound and sat still through the whole story and both found the ending funny. They traced their fingers over the maze, trying to remember the animals’ names, and asked questions about Australia. This is a wonderfully interactive story!”
Fly, Little Bird! Bilingual Children’s Picture Book in English-German by Ingo Blum
With an impressive 4.7 average star rating on Amazon, this bilingual kid’s book will set your child up for success and expand their horizons from an early age! This dual language story is specifically designed to teach children new foreign words and phrases as you read to them. The book is also available in other languages.
Emzy Strong says in their 5-star review, “I enjoy that it is in two different languages. This book could be useful in a foreign or ESL class, or just fun for the students and teachers to try to pronounce the words. I know a few students who have indicated a desire to learn German versus other options available to them. The story itself is very well told and cute. It embraces the concept of being afraid of something that one should not be afraid of which is something the children often experience. Overall, I find the book delightful, and would gladly recommend it to others.”
“Cute story, and my 5 year old enjoyed it,” writes Sue in her 5-star review. “Little bird is afraid of heights…so he spends the day trying to find friends on the ground…and for one reason or another they tell him that they cannot be friends…then he stumbles upon a kiwi bird who CAN’T fly and is stuck in a hole…little bird must get help…and the next thing he knows, he’s flying!”
What Color Is Your Dragon? by Cynthia Star
With an astounding 4.8 star average on Amazon, the first in a three-part series, What Color is Your Dragon? opens up a world of fun, fantasy, and high-flying adventures for kids or anyone who secretly longs to believe in magic. A dragon coloring book page is included!
Lois J. Breedlove raves in her 5-star review, “As a former educator, I’m always pleased to find books for kids that encourages creativity. This book does that wonderfully. Books like this help a child value their own creativity, and teaches them to not give up. It’s a great message, but it’s also a fun book. Good illustrations, friendships — even a creative exercise for the young reader at the end. Excellent!”
“What Color is Your Dragon? has a lot going for it,” writes Nathaniel H. in his 5-star review. “The story is simple but compelling and shows the power of imagination. It uses a surprisingly wide range of grammar in context, which makes for useful teaching examples. Also, the illustrations are gorgeous, but not overly complex, perfect for this type of book. They add so much to the energy to the story that even as an adult they pulled me in! An energetic, visually appealing read that’s both fun and can help expand a child’s English language abilities.”
The Night Before Kids’ Yoga Day by Teresa Anne Power
In this send-up of the classic poem, The Night Before Christmas, a mother is inspired by an impromptu yoga session in her backyard, led by kids, for kids. Readers will learn the simple yoga poses performed on Kids’ Yoga Day every year, but no prior knowledge of yoga or this international holiday is required!
“This was a very cute book about kids doing yoga at night to the same rhythm as Night Before Christmas and the illustrations and colors really drew my grandchildren in,” raves Edna H. in her 5-star review. “My 6 year old granddaughter was doing the poses as I was reading to her via FaceTime and she said afterwards that the poses helped her relax after being cooped up in the house all day due to COVID-19. My granddaughter also noticed that the author of this book also included a child in a wheelchair doing the yoga poses as well which was a good lesson for her to see that just because you may have a disability doesn’t mean you can’t do something just like everyone else. Well done!!!!!”
“A super cute yoga experience,” writes Becky in her 5-star review. “To the rhythm of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ ‘The Night Before Kids’ Yoga Day’ shows kids gathering out on the lawn to practice their yoga poses. They are led by another child. The only adult, just watches from her window and even joins in the poses. The animals have joined them! And a boy in a wheelchair enjoys his stretching. The illustrations are great! Many poses are done and learned. Well done. I had never heard of Kids’ Yoga Day. It is worldwide on the first Friday in April.”
Hidden Gems readers got to read these enchanting children’s books first, so if you want more tales to add to your collection, sign up today! Even if you aren’t looking for a kid’s book, subscribers to Hidden Gems receive invitations to read free books from over 15 different genres, so there is something for everyone. And then hopefully once you’re done, you’ll volunteer to leave an honest review of the book on Amazon.
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