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Curated by Erin Wasinger,
ERB Contributing Editor
Specializing in Books for Young Readers
I want to give a child at Christmas the kind of book that’ll have dog-eared pages and a spine that lays flat by New Years. It’s a bonus if the title makes appearances again and again, in March, September; in conversations: “Hey, this reminds me of that one book ..!”
And to give a child that perfect book takes some insight. I’m here today to provide a guide to some great reads for kids up to middle-grade chapter books or so. If none of these sound just right, a gift card to a local indie bookstore is always a great option, too.
Curious & creatives’
favorites
Older kids will love:
Courageous Creativity: Advice and Encouragement for the Creative Life by Sara Zarr (Beaming Books, 2020)
Have an artist on your hands? Besides buying paints or notebooks, toss in Sara Zarr’s awesome book. Full of practical advice and encouragement for creators of all types.
Others I can’t stop recommending:
- Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America by Deborah Diesen and Magdalena Mora (illus.), (Beach Lane Books, 2020)
- Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes by Wab Kinew and Joe Morse (illus.), (Tundra Books, 2018)
- This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand, (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 2020)
Books like a fist-bump,
a hug, or a high five
Top Rec:
I am Every Good Thing by Derrick D. Barnes and Gordon C. James (illus.), (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020)
Black boys and their grown-ups need this book. And classmates, neighbors, friends, relatives, teachers, librarians — anyone who knows and loves a black boy — need to make sure the book ends up in their hands (after they’ve read it, too).
Other highlights:
- Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know by Melissa Kruger and Isobel Lundie (illus.), (The Good Book Company, 2020.)
- Superpowered: Transform Anxiety into Courage, Confidence, and Resilience by Renee Jain and Dr. Shefali Tsabary; (Random House, 2020)
- Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri, (Levine Querido, 2020)
- Crafting Calm: Art and Activities for Mindful Kids by Megan Borgert-Spaniol and Lauren Kukla, Aruna Rangarajan (illus.); (Beaming Books, 2020)
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Erin Wasinger
Erin F. Wasinger is a writer, speaker, and an elementary school “library lady," as well as our Contributing Editor Specializing in Books for Young Readers. Erin’s also the cofounder of Spark Writers of Southern Michigan, blogger for MadeleineLEngle.com, and author of The Year of Small Things: Radical Faith for the Rest of Us (Brazos, 2017). Find her online at: ErinWasinger.com
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
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