children’s nonfiction
Non Fiction Review: Mindful Games for Kids
Mindful Games For Kids: 50 Fun Activities to Stay Present, Improve Concentration, and Understand Emotions
by Kristina Sargent
by Kristina Sargent
5 out of 5 stars
This book has easy and fun games and meditations for children that helps them to navigate tough emotions, calm their impatience, and learn to listen. The activities are grouped in categories for focusing on the breath, the senses, the body, and on gentle thoughts and calm emotions.
Each game has a cute illustration that demonstrates the imaginary things we are thinking of during the meditation. One meditation says to imagine that you are a mountain, standing tall as you raise your arms above your head, while you feel connected to the ground. And there is an illustration of children standing tall and strong like mountains. Continue reading
Puzzle Book Review: Ocean Life!
Ocean Life!: A Coloring and Activity Book for Kids
by Jill Richardson
by Jill Richardson
4 out of 5 stars
This book has word searches, coloring pages, mazes, spot-the-difference puzzles, and dot-to-dot activities all with an ocean theme. Dozens of different ocean creatures are featured with some interesting facts about each kind of wildlife, including many endangered species.
Did you know that a stingray doesn’t have bones? Or that squid swim backwards? And the sunfish is the heaviest fish in the ocean? There are so many cool facts in this book! Continue reading
Puzzle Book Review: Brain Candy
Brain Candy!: A Challenging and Fun Maze Book for Kids
by Rockridge Press
by Rockridge Press
5 out of 5 stars
I had no idea this book would be so colorful and have so many different designs for the mazes! I am truly impressed with the variety of themes and artwork for each maze. Every page is so vibrant with all the colorful little details around the maze!
There is a maze designed like a huge man’s curly mustache! haha! There are mazes designed like robots, an airplane landing on the tarmac, a chicken crossing the road, geese flying through wind and clouds, a dog digging for a bone, a lost porpoise looking for its pod, a submarine diving for sunken treasure, and a maze that leads through the Empire State Building to the very top! Continue reading
Non Fiction Review: Mindfulness for Little Ones
Mindfulness for Little Ones: Playful Activities to Foster Empathy, Self-Awareness, and Joy in Kids
by Hiedi France
by Hiedi France
4 out of 5 stars
This book begins with an introduction for parents about how young children need help regulating their emotions and moods, and about the limit attention spans of a toddler or preschooler. Then there are instructions about how to use the meditations and activities in this book to help each child according to their individual capabilities.
The first chapter is “Dance, Wiggle, and Move” activities to help a child pay attention to their body and be more mindful of their movements. The next chapter focuses on the five senses with activities for listening to sounds, watching clouds, smelling different scents, and eating mindfully.
Nonfiction Book Review: A Parent’s Guide to Manners for Kids
A Parent’s Guide to Manners for Kids: Lessons, Games, and Activities for Home, School, and Beyond
by Katie McVeigh
by Katie McVeigh
4 out of 5 stars
This book gives fun games, activities, and lessons to teach children ages 6-13 about how to have good manners. There are chapters about “Everyday Etiquette, Good Impressions, Eating with Manners, Playing Nice, and Technology Etiquette.”
The lessons include basic things like opening the door for someone, receiving and giving gifts, getting into a car with a friend’s family, and observing elevator etiquette to not push all the buttons. The all-important thank you note is, of course, included! Continue reading
Non Fiction Review: Meditation for Kids
Meditation for Kids: 40 Activities to Manage Emotions, Ease Anxiety, and Stay Focused
by Tejal V Patel
by Tejal V Patel
5 out of 5 stars
This book has easy and fun meditations for children that helps them to navigate tough emotions, calm their impatience, and learn to listen. The meditations are grouped in categories for increasing your positive energy, improving concentration and creativity, and opening your heart to kindness and compassion. There is an entire chapter of meditations just for bedtime, to soothe and calm the mind and body. Continue reading
Picture Book Review: All about Weather
All About Weather: A First Weather Book for Kids
by Huda Harajli MA
by Huda Harajli MA
5 out of 5 stars
This children’s picture book describes all different types of weather, and gives some simple scientific information about temperature and cloud types. I like the writing style that is perfect for a child’s level of understanding.
The illustrations are adorable! Full of bright colors, each page draws the reader in. The clouds are smiling, and the children are playing in the rain.
There are even questions to answer in the text, prompting the reader to choose the right accessories for a rainy or cold day. Should I wear boots or sunglasses? Should I carry mittens or an umbrella? I like that the book gets the reader involved, and encourages children to think carefully. Continue reading
Picture Book Review: Toddlers Around Town
Search & Find Toddlers Around Town: 25 Travel Activities for Kids
by Hannah Sun
by Hannah Sun
5 out of 5 stars
In this Search and Find book, children travel to the park, grocery store, grandma’s house, the zoo, mini golf, the beach, the dinosaur museum, the aquarium, the pool, and a farm. The ride on trains, buses, planes, a cruise ship, and even join a parade! On each page there are items labelled and drawn at the bottom of the page that you can look for in the illustrations. You can look for food items at the picnic, find flowers and bees at the farmer’s market, and find pencils and blocks at school.
I love the illustrations drawn in a sort of fuzzy crayon style. They are so cute! It’s really interesting to search through the artwork and find different characters doing activities, eating, playing music, buying flowers, swimming in the pool, cooking on a grill, putting up a tent, or running to catch a plane. There is so much action on each page! Continue reading
Non Fiction Review: Once Upon a Word
Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids–Building Vocabulary Through Etymology, Definitions & Stories
by Jess Zafarris
by Jess Zafarris
5 out of 5 stars
This dictionary focuses on word origins to teach vocabulary through the stories and history of words. The first section explains the roots of common Latin and Greek words and how the prefixes and suffixes attached to words can give clues to their meaning or completely change the meaning of the main word.
Organized alphabetically, each entry gives a paragraph with an explanation of the origin story of the word, along with its meaning, root language, and sometimes an example sentence. I really love the choice of interesting words, and how the information is organized. Continue reading
