Andi's Kids Books: March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge 2012

Tomorrow is April 1st, which means it is once again time for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I had started it last year on this blog, before my father fell ill. I spent the rest of April at his hospital bed side while he was in a coma. I had vowed to complete the challenge, but never did. This year, it is my goal to resurrect the challenge and actually complete it in his memory.

This blog is dedicated to picture books for children. My goal is to introduce you to some of my favorite books and authors. I also will probably intersperse some commentary about reading and writing children's books.

I hope you join me on this adventure, whether you are just following along by reading, whether you are writing, or whether you are doing both. Thank you for stopping by!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

7 Free Kindle Books for Kids: Sight Words, Environment & More

Daily Kindle freebies for kids traditionally represent a large variety of genres. I have waded through some of them to share with you today. Please remember that these books are free as of the time of my posting, but prices can change without warning. Always verify the "Buy" price and not the "Prime" price prior to your purchase.

The Big Book of Sight Words: Vocabulary Nouns with Pictures

Dolch sight word reading lists are divided by grade. This book includes words from the final list, which is comprised of common nouns. Pictures help children associate the words with the objects.

Free Association: Where My Mind Goes During Science Class

This book is another installment in the Everyday Geniuses series. They are meant to remind teachers about children who learn differently, as well as trying to appeal to children who tend to have their minds wander or other seemingly annoying traits. This one reminds me of my own brain - you start with one idea and end up somewhere completely different.

The Gunny Sack Man

This book is for parents who want to convince their kids to clean their rooms...OR ELSE. In this book, the mother tells her children about the Gunny Sack Man. He frequently comes to make sure their rooms are clean. If they are messy, he will eat everything that is left on the floor. But if they are clean, he will leave a surprise for them!

Snowy White World

Headlines have been saying for quite some time that global warming is causing all of the ice in the Arctic to melt, thus destroying the habitat for polar bears. This book serves to teach children how to become global citizens and to do their part in saving the environment, the polar bears and the other animals of the Arctic.

Just Be Yourself

Zap is worried about making friends at his new school. Will his mother's advice to just be himself be enough?

The Holiday Book: A Smarty-Pants Children's Picture Book

Over 60 pictures help to teach children about different holidays and the roles they play in their lives.

What Does It Mean to Be Green?

Children learn what it really means to be green. This empowering book gives children ideas for how they can help the earth.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Free Picture Books for Kids: Teddy Bears, Monsters, Animals & Baby

Amazon always has a daily offering of children's books that are free for the Kindle. Here are a few that I found today. Please note that while they are free as of the time of this posting, prices can and do change without warning. Always verify the "Buy" price prior to your purchase.

Teddy Bear Town Bundle

This collection of three stories is made to teach children while also sharing a fun story. In The Flag Keeper, children learn about respecting the flag. Victoria Rose and the Big Bad Noise helps children to not fear household noises. Sticker Shoes is supposed to teach children how to problem solve and learn independence.

The Little Red Fox and Lufa the Lab

This book is one of the Little Red Fox books based on stories from the author's childhood. In this one, the Little Red Fox saves Lufa the Lab from Farmer Brown and learns lessons in courage and helping those in need.

Little Sister Sounds

Babies make all kinds of sounds, each one meaning something different. Join a daddy and a big sister as they learn what the new baby is trying to tell them.

The Monster on Top of the Bed

This book is written for children with three lessons in mind. First, those scary monsters can be banished! Second, friendship conquers fear. Third, make friends with The Golden Rule. It helps kids feel safer about falling asleep at night.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

14 Free Educational Books for Kids: Rhyming, Alphabet, Colors and Numbers

While I am a firm believer in children having access to real books, I have come to realize some value in using e-books on occasion. These educational books for kids are currently free for the Kindle and can develop your child's reading and rote counting skills.

Please note that while they are free as of the time of this posting, prices can change at any time. Always check the "Buy" price and not the "Prime" price prior to purchasing.

rhyming....

The Airy Fairy

This rhyming story for young kids features a fairy who wants to grant you three wishes.

If Your Brother Stinks...

A silly rhyming book that has a positive message about trying something new.

Dinosaurs Galore

Practice rhyming while learning the identities of various dinosaurs.

Alien Trip to Earth

In this rhyming story, an alien comes to Earth to check out the "little people." This is meant to be for fans of Dr. Seuss and P.D. Eastman books.

Doris the Dancing Dragon

This female dragon is dancing up a smoke storm on the dance floor! She even has a special tango...

Monkey Stuff

Children learn about rhyming and counting as they encounter this naughty little monkey and other animal friends.

My Happy Book

This rhyming book is full of positivity to be uplifting for your child. At the same time, your child learns important rhyming skills. At the end, there are extra games for you to play with your child.

alphabet....

The ABCs Book: A Smarty-Pants Picture Book for Children

This simple picture book features a photograph for each letter of the alphabet. It helps children to associate letters with their sounds. For example, A is for Apple, B is for Bear, C is for Car, etc.

Monsters A to Z

26 different monsters are hiding in your neighborhood. A.J. Cosmo is going to introduce you to them all. But don't worry! They aren't scary!

See and Spell Alphabet Words

Children practice their letters and sounds, while also learning how to spell words through the entire alphabet.

numbers, colors, and more....

Cuddly Bears Letters, Numbers, Colors and Shapes

Within these 40 pages, children are introduced to both the upper and lower case alphabets, numbers 1-20, a dozen colors and a dozen shapes. Each page has two items on it. At the end there is a review. All of the illustrations are hand-brushed with brush pens.

Simple Series: 3 Books in 1

In the first part of the book, children are introduced to 16 different drawings of animals. The second book introduces children to the numbers 0-10. The third book includes 16 shapes. All of the books are rolled into one volume.

The Numbers Book: A Smarty-Pants Series Picture Book for Children

In this book, children practice counting up to ten, using real photographs. Some counting includes familiar body parts, like ten toes and one nose.

The Colors Book: A Smarty-Pants Picture Book for Children

Vibrantly colored photographs help children learn to identify colors in familiar objects. Learn the entire rainbow!

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