​Good in the Midst of Evil
Written by Dana Fast and Yvona Fast

If you’ve wondered what it’s like to live in the Ukraine, first with the Russian invasion, and now amidst the fog of war, you need to read this book. It’s not about the Ukraine. It’s about what happened in Poland in 1939 when the Nazi’s invaded, and afterward when they conquered and controlled the country.
 
It’s an unusual book, written by the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. This is her mother’s story, of how she escaped danger over and over again. It stalked her, no matter where she hid. Imagine changing your name, your personality multiple times as a child, to hide, so that you could survive.
 
The Ukrainians are paying a huge price for their defiance. Dana Fast told her daughter about the price she paid to survive, and eventually to thrive. It opened my eyes to the history of the past, and to how it’s repeating today.

​Rain
Written & Illustrated by Sam Usher
Age Level: 2 - 6

This is a really cute story about the power of waiting. What kid doesn’t want to go out and playing the rain? Sam does, but his grandpa says to wait, so Sam stays inside. But after he drinks hot chocolate and reads a few books, Grandpa’s still working on a really important letter. That’s when Grandpa tells him that things are better when you wait for them. Thank goodness for Sam and Grandpa, their waiting ends in a magical adventure.
 
PS- Rain is part of a four-book series about the weather. The title, Seasons.

​Lenny & Lucy
Written by Phillip C. Stead
Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Age Level: 4 - 7
Grade Level: PS – 2

​Need a story to help your child cope with moving? Try this one! When Peter moves next to a woods, he worries about who else lives there. He finds comfort in building a guard named Lenny. Then when he worries about Lenny, Peter comes up with Lucy. This is a lovely story about moving, friendship, and solving problems, AND it even has Common Core connections.

​Lola Levine
Written by Monica Brown
Illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Age Level: 6 - 10
Grade Level: 1 – 5

Lola Levine is such a great character! Part Jewish; part Peruvian. She writes in a journal and plays soccer. She’s a big sister who doesn’t get along with her little brother, but she helps him with his hair and his kindergarten girlfriend.
 
So who said Lola was mean? The mean girls at school, all because she took out a boy in a soccer game. Sometimes that happens! My favorite part, Lola doesn’t ask for help. She even writes mom a note saying she’ll take care of it herself, and she does. Lola is a great character!
 
PS- This is Book 1, and now there are 8!

​Ride, Roll, Run: Time For Fun!
Written by Valerie Bolling
Illustrated by Sabrena Khadija
Age Level: 4 - 6
Grade Level: PS – K

What can you do when school’s out? Check out this book! It could help you have fun all summer-long. You can ride a bike, roll on a skateboard, or run some bases. This book is as diverse as the kids on its pages – or the things they find to do. Looking for fun all year long? Check out this book!

Brains! Not Just a Zombie Snack
Written by Stacy McAnulty
Illustrated by Matthew Rivera
Age Level: 4 - 8

I spotted this cover and HAD to read the book! Imagine—a zombie chef who’s given up brains, even though he’s dying to eat them. Kids will love the fun facts about its size, weight, and how it works. I did!

The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman: Adventures in                    U.S. Geography and Friendly Letter Writing
                              Written by Darcy Pattison
                               Illustrated by Joe Cepeda
                                          Age Level: 6 - 9

If you’re looking for an unusual adventure story, this is it! When Uncle Ray gets a letter inviting him to visit his niece in California, a quest begins. Uncle Ray sends a letter to Tameka saying he can’t come. He attaches another to Oliver K. Woodman, the wooden traveler he’s sending on a cross-country trip to Tameka. Ray’s directions to each driver: to send him a letter about Oliver’s adventures, and to take Oliver as close to California as possible.

Thus begins a great summer adventure for Uncle Ray, Tameka, and Oliver. This book is a perfect match between illustrations and text, which is found exclusively in a series of letters. Don’t forget to check the last page for the map of Oliver’s entire trip!

​Critical Thinking: Activities for Kids
Written by Taylor Lang, M.ED.
Age Level: 6 - 8
Grade Level: 1 – 2

I flipped through this book and loved what I saw…six chapters broken into themes for kids, like zoos. Each one has critical thinking activities. Here’s an example from the chapter on outdoors. Can your child divide a square into nine boxes, using only three shapes to form a diagonal? Your job is to use only those three shapes, but you can’t put the same ones into one row or into one column. Tricky! This book is a great tool to keep your kids thinking, no matter the season.

​Hurry UP! A Book About Slowing Down
Written by Kate Dopirak
Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Age Level: 4 - 8
Grade Level: PS – 3

I love a book that lives up to its title. The first part, HURRY UP! That’s exactly what the boy on the cover does. The words go faster and faster until you literally hit—STOP!
 
That’s when the book delivers the second half of the title…A BOOK ABOUT SLOWING DOWN. In the next line the words do exactly that. The boy takes a breath, and the pace continues to slacken as the pages show how you can slow down too. 

​​When a T.Rex Comes to Play
Written by Helen Cane-Hardy
Illustrated by Mette Engell
No recommended age or grade level available

​This cover and its title promise a fun romp for a young child, and they deliver! Poor Pip! Summer break has just begun, and he’s bored already…until a T.Rex shows up and wants to play. I LOVED the text and the illustrations, and I bet your child will too!