Well, if you or your petite has asked this question before you’re in luck, because I have a book that will answer all of your questions. How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland (copyright 2011 Blue Apple Books) is a book that uses very scientific words, but in a way the petites will understand and even retain.  The way that each new word is introduced and then highlighted throughout the story is such a great way to reinforce the new vocabulary.

My two year old has a thing for dinos, she loves them.  We were at the library recently and she found this amazing book in the stacks.  My two year old loves this book, she will sit and look at the entire book and its stunning illustrations.  Where as my six year old loves hearing about all of the different jobs that are possible.  Especially since they are scientists, what I love even more is that when she was done looking through this book she saw that there was another book and she wanted to go right back to the library to learn more.

One of the aspects about this book that make it so special are the uniquely stunning illustrations.  Once you have seen one of Jessie Hartland’s books, you will recognize her other work immediately.

I love that this book inspired my girlie to want to learn about other things, like the sphinx and learn more about museums.

If you think that these book looks amazing, you’re right, because they are, you can tell that Ms. Hartland has a serious passion for the topics that she choses to write about.   However, if you have slightly older petites a new book of hers just came out  about Steve Jobs, it is geared for grades 8 and up.

I recently read The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (Crown, 2015) it is an absolutely wonderful read for book lovers.  This story is set in Paris, the main character Jean Perdu is a book seller, but more than that he has transformed a floating barge into the most perfect bookshop.  He of course sells books, but not always in the way that one would think.  He is phenomenal at choosing just the perfect book for the person who is reading it, his shop is a literary apothecary.  My biggest regret in reading this book is that I did not keep a list of the books that are referenced, because it would be so much fun to read all of them that Monsieur Perdu mentions.

This book is not just about selling books, or the perfect backdrop of Paris, it is a very detailed look at one mans life and the choices that he has made.  Perdu struggles with the fact that he loved deeply when he was younger and that relationship ended and he has never been able to move on.  He goes on this quest to resolve his lost love, picking up interesting characters along the way.  The friendships that he makes are fantastic in that they are not predictable, they are well crafted characters that all learn something from one another and all serve a really important purpose.  I absolutely love this book.  It is filled with friends, letting go of the past and being okay with moving on and loving again.  Nina George does a wonderful job of creating characters and a setting that transport you in time and place.

The Little Paris Bookshop is a delightful read that any one who loves a great story and a story about books will completely enjoy.  In fact this book was so interesting to me that I wanted to immediately know more about this idea of prescribing books to people to cure their ailments.  So I did a little research into this idea and found The Novel Cure, which is a book that contains recommendations for what ails you.  It is an A – Z of literary remedies created by Ella Berthoud & Susan Elderkin.  They started The School of Life in London, where they have been prescribing literary therapy for years.  You should definitely check out their recommendations and if you happen to be in London go The School of Life.

Blogger note: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review, however the ideas presented are my own.

I absolutely love giving books away.  There is something about getting new books that is so incredibly special.  Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway.  If you didn’t win this time, don’t worry, I love giving books away so much that there will be another giveaway soon. 

Erin

This last week we enjoyed some incredibly warm Seattle weather.  We ended up spending some time at the beach and the lake getting some freckles on our noses.  Of course when we were packing up my girls grabbed books.  I wanted to share these two fantastic beach reads with you.

Sea Rex written and illustrated by Molly Idle copyright 2015 Viking.  Is a book I have been waiting to read for months.  I love Molly Idle’s art, she is so incredibly talented and this book is just yet another example of her stunning vision.  This book will have your petites giggling and planning their next picnic at the beach in no time.  This is the story of Tea Rex and his family who are on a picnic at the beach, my girls loved that this story included the steps you need to do at the beach, including gathering your friends, using sunscreen, collecting shells and of course a picnic.  What the petite loved the most about this book is a text to self connection that she made when the seagulls steal their picnic basket; she was so excited because we had an incident last summer, that made a huge impression, where some crows ate our entire picnic lunch while we were playing the water. We love that Tea Rex is so versatile in his activities, whether it is a tea party, a camping trip or a day at the beach.  This book will delight even the tiniest of petites with its vibrant illustrations.

Chu’s Day at the Beach written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Adam Rex copyright 2015 Harper Collins.  Let me just start by saying I love anything written by Neil Gaiman and that statement applies to the Chu books as well.  My girls love Chu and this book certainly did not disappoint.  Chu is an adorable panda who goes to the beach with his family for a fun day in the sun.  Unfortunately, he has a really disastrous sneeze.  What happens next are quite a few really silly things that had my girls fake sneezing as well as trying to predict how Chu could fix the problems.  The illustrations of all of the beach goers are so beautiful, my almost two year old loved looking at all of the different animals and especially the merpandas.  I am sure your petites will enjoy these wonderfully written and stunningly illustrated beach reads.

Now I need your help, what are some of your favorite beach reads for petites?  Tell me in the comments below.

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