the kids are picking away

If you like getting book recommendations straight from the horse's, er, the kids' mouths, then 5 Minutes for Books' Kids' Picks is the place to be.  Each month, readers share what books are hot with their own children right now.  You might discover new books that hadn't crossed your radar yet or be reminded of books from long ago that you would be thrilled to share with your own little ones.

For me, I look on the bookshelves of my own three wackadoos to find the books that they're currently gaga over.  Let's get to their pickings, shall we?

While JAM may not have noticed that he picked up book two, he's currently loving NERDS: M is for Mama's Boy, and book one is currently on hold for him at the library.  He's definitely my kid in that he's attracted to books initially by their covers, and I can see why this one would pull him in.  I've heard that this is a funny new series, and anything that keeps a ten year old boy reading is a good thing in my book.  (Yeah, lame pun.  I know.)  I'm pretty sure I've put up a Bone book as one of JAM's picks before (but I'll admit to being too lazy to go check...), but he's a HUGE fan of these graphic novels.  Right now, of the ones on his library shelf, he says Bone: The Great Cow Race is his favorite.

Remember that thing about judging a book by its cover?  Well, Red is guilty of it, too, and in this case these two books practically scream for her attention-- soft illustrations with prominent pink and purple splashes of color?  Yup.  Bella: The Birthday Party and Bella: The Fairy Ball have really made an impression on young Red, in her four year old adoration of all things girly.  The simple stories make these the perfect books for us to read together and for her to then retell the story to herself a few dozen times.



Our love for Mo Willems could only grow after we added City Dog, Country Frog to our home library, and two year old Pudge requests this book frequently.  Just beautiful- and definitely different in tone from the majority of his books.  The silly humor has been replaced with gentle, touching emotion.  Really, if you haven't read this one yet, add it to your list today!  Another new book to us came via last weekend's library trip, and we've read Interrupting Chicken again and again since then!  Pudge's giggles throughout it make reading this over and over totally worth it.

If you're in a sharing mood, head over to 5M4B's Kids' Picks today to share what your kids are reading!


In picture book heaven,