Today, in the age of computers, children hardly read. But as it is very important to cultivate a habit of reading, one must start early with some of the best books that are available. So, if you want your child to read the books that would not only be informative but also entertaining, here is the list of some of the popular children’s books of the year 2009:
1. Never smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember
Children love animals, but animals can sometimes be extremely dangerous. They have their own way to protect themselves. This wonderful picture book by Steve Jenkins tells what one shouldn’t do when he/she is facing a considerably difficult situation with an animal. Children have showed great interest towards this book since it tells them not to tease a tiger or not to bother a black widow spider, but interact in different and friendly manner with these creatures.
2. Little Oink
The Amy Krouse Rosenthal book is a cute little story about a young pig who, unlike others, loves to be clean and orderly. As it is normally seen that it is the family which demands the kids to be clean, in this story it is just the opposite. The parents want their son to be like other pigs-messy and dirty. The story follows a simple track and shows the working of family dynamics. This book has got good reviews and is sure to be a children’s favorite this year.
3. Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy
This story is a highly imaginative one which surrounds the playful deeds of two kids, Lulu and Sam. They play various games and think themselves as super powers saving the playground from mean robots like tire swing. This David Soman creation helps to spark the creativity within children and is a favorite by now.
4. Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon
This great colorful adventure book by Andrew Chaikin talks about the moments and the voyage of Apollo 11 when in landed on the moon on July 1969. This book is a wonderful collection of the memories of Alan Bean who walked on the moon with Pete Conrad on Apollo 12. The illustrations in this book are some wonderful paintings about the voyages undertaken by these astronauts to the moon.
5. Let’s Do Nothing
This story is about two boys, Sal and Frankie, who have done everything that was possible for them under the sun. They finished their drawings, solving puzzles and other such work. And they end up thinking what they are supposed to do next. Sal is the one who gets brainwaves regarding various ideas and thus he proposes to do nothing for ten seconds. They thus settle into a chair imagining themselves as statues. But Frankie’s imagination forces him to think that they are redwoods or tall buildings, ultimately leading them nowhere in their ‘let’s do nothing’ plan. A wonderful comical piece by Tony Fucile, we might just find it in the theatres soon.
6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pop-Up Book
This book is a pop-up book to the 1969 published book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle. The book showed how metamorphosis of a caterpillar takes place to form a butterfly. The book also gives details about various foods which the caterpillar apparently munches through. The pop-up book makes the book a far better read than the earlier one for children. The cut-outs in this book give it an animated look and it has already become a favorite.
7. The Curious Garden
The book, The Curious Garden is about a young boy goes out into the city to look around. He comes across a struggling garden and tries to help the plants to grow. He does not understand what he is undertaking and soon the garden grows bi bit and turns the city into a lush green area. This book by Peter Brown is a magical story where the boy dreams and asks the reader to dream too about a wonderfully green world again.
8. The Lion & the Mouse
This book by Jerry Pinckney brings light to the Aesop’s tale about the lion and the mouse. In this new book, the author creates a very colorful set in Africa. The colorful book emphasizes on the acts of kindness through picture illustrations. The book is a lovely piece of work because it actually makes the author feel that he has been transported to Africa. The story revolves around the small act of repaying an act of kindness by the mouse to the lion by freeing him from the net.
9. What’s Wrong with My Hair?
The Satoshi Kitamura creation is a complete picture book where conversations appear in balloons. The book is about the lion called Lionel who is extremely confused about what he should do with his messy hair just before a party the next day. We find him in a barber’s shop, with him staring out of each page from an oval shaped window. Ultimately his haircut makes him the star of the party. This book is a funny one and is sure to be a favorite among the children.
10. Redwoods
Redwoods is author Jason Chins’ first book. In this book, a New York kid is plucked from the middle of the city and is brought into the redwoods canopy of California. The nonfictional book is extremely informative as it gives a lot of knowledge regarding the redwoods of California and the beautiful pictures are good too. The reader discovers more as the protagonist roams in the woods.
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