Our Favorite Books of the Week!

The Barefoot Book of Children is a must-read for children! 

A groundbreaking book for children that celebrates human diversity! 

Today more than ever, children need diverse, inclusive and inspiring books. On September 1, 2016, award-winning, multicultural children’s publisher, Barefoot Books, released The Barefoot Book of Children, a playful, powerful and thought-provoking celebration of both the big ideas and the everyday moments that reveal our common humanity, and perhaps its most important publication since its founding nearly 25 years ago.  

With a seemingly regular series of unsettling events that our children are exposed to every day –  graphic images of violence, contentious American politics, and an undercurrent of division, uncertainty and anxiety – there is an increasing need for discourse at school and around the dinner table. From a very young age, children can understand, absorb and internalize the messages around them – either an “us versus them” attitude or a readiness to accept and value everyone.

Books spark children’s curiosity and nurture their imaginations. They also offer an essential and accessible resource for parents and educators to kickstart crucial conversations about topics children sometimes struggle to grasp, including differences in appearances, beliefs and lifestyles. With campaigns like #WeNeedDiverseBooks and #1000BlackGirlBooks gaining ground, The Barefoot Book of Children facilitates important discussions about diversity and inclusivity. It is Peter Spier’s People or DK’s Children Just Like Me for the 21st century.

 “This book encapsulates the mission that we have been committed to from the very beginning,” says Nancy Traversy, Co-founder and CEO of Barefoot Books. “Perhaps if we all start sharing its important message as far and wide as possible, we can begin to change the conversation and help build a better future for our children.”

“The Barefoot Book of Children is a colorful and hopeful celebration of childhood. It takes its readers on a visual trek across the globe, where they discover that – despite our different clothes and homes and languages – we are more alike than different. More than just an exploration of our commonalities, The Barefoot Book of Children is an affirmation of our inherent dignity as human beings.”

Caryl Stern, President and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF

The Barefoot Book of Children, written by Tessa Strickland and Kate DePalma, illustrated by David Dean, will be published on September 1, 2016 (64 pages, hardcover, $19.99 USD / $24.99 CAD).

Find out more here.

You can also find this book on Amazon.com.

Have a child who loves Coding? This one is a Must-Buy!

Learning how to program doesn’t have to be dry and dreary! With the latest release from No Starch Press, young readers will make a game of it. A leader in STEM education, No Starch Press has a long-standing tradition of publishing engaging, “no-fluff” coding books for kids like Teach Your Kids to Code, Learn to Program with Scratch, and Python for Kids.Scratch Programming Playground ($24.95, 4C, 288 pp., Sept. 2016) continues this tradition and is a project-packed guide to making fun games using the world’s most popular programming language for beginners.

Scratch is a colorful drag-and-drop programming language (designed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab) in which users connect blocks of code to create interactive stories, games, and animations. Coding with Scratch is intuitive, versatile, and perfectly suited for visual learners, making it an excellent first step for aspiring programmers.

In Scratch Programming Playground, readers follow step-by-step directions to make familiar games like Fruit Slicer, Asteroids, Snake, and even a game inspired by Super Mario Bros. By combining colorful blocks of code, kids will quickly learn computer programming concepts, like loops, strings, and variables, without having to master the cryptic syntaxes found in most programming languages. Every chapter includes review questions to reinforce the discussed concepts and extra coding challenges to level up each game and extend the lesson even further. According to No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock, “Kids learn best through play. Budding computer scientists love playing games—this book is a way to ease curious kids into the field of computer science by showing them how to program games they want to play.”

Scratch Programming Playground is an exciting introduction to coding that’s perfect for kids who love playing games and the parent or teacher looking to translate that passion to coding.

Scratch Programming Playground is available in bookstores everywhere.

I received a copy of this one and highly recommend for ages 8+. It will truly make learning coding so much fun!

I love the next books because they are ones that are sure to inspire children!

Have a child who wants to be an Entrepreneur? Be a Young Entrepreneur is a Must-buy!

Calling all business-minded kids: this book is for you. Be a Young Entrepreneur helps kids “think outside the box” and encourages them to be creative, make wise business decisions, and more. Youngsters will learn how to:

• Choose a business that’s right for them
• Find—and keep—customers
• and many more great tips such as networking and problem solving!

This one is great for 9+.

You can buy here!

This one is full of fun Science experiments that are easy to follow and I like that you do not have to go out and buy all kinds of materials that you can’t find.  It has fun experiments like making a Rainbow disappear and building a time machine! Now, how cool is that?!  This one is great for ages 8+.

You can order this book here!

How to Write Your Best Story Ever!
Top Tips and Trade Secrets from the Experts
Christopher Edge

As a Homeschool Mom, I am always on the look out to make learning more fun and I don’t always succeed but I do think this book is a great resource and makes writing stories more fun! I love the helpful features such as the tips and hints on creating amazing characters and Word Webs. This one is great for ages 7-13.

Look for this book here!

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to facilitate this post. Photos and info were provided.