On the Shelf

Header Right Social

FacebookInstagramMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

Header Right Search

Recommended for Kids

Your Happiest You: the care & keeping of your mind and spirit

by Leave a Comment

Your Happiest You: the care & keeping of your mind and spirit by Judy Woodburn
Format: book
Who it’s for: Kids & Teens

Being happy is something we want for our kids but how can we help them get there?  This book is full of great insight and practical ideas about achieving happiness and is written in an inviting style that makes it very accessible to elementary and middle school age kids.

We teach our kids to take care of their bodies by eating right, exercising, and brushing their teeth so it makes sense to help them learn to take care of their mind and spirit at the same time.  With this book, kids can try out simple exercises to find internal calm, have better relationships with friends and family, enjoy the world around them, and think about how their attitude affects their feelings.

This book is published by American Girl Publishing so it is more geared toward girls but the concepts and advice apply to boys just as well.  Another wonderful book in this Care & Keeping of You series is Liking Herself which talks about developing good self-esteem.

Find it in the catalog

Emily and the Mighty Om

by Leave a Comment

Emily and the Mighty Om by Sarah Lolley
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Children

Poor Albert has gotten himself all twisted up like a pretzel!  While practicing yoga, he attempted an especially tricky asana and found that he couldn’t untwist from it.  He thought it would be easy, but slowly found himself becoming more and more nervous until… his limbs just stayed stuck.  Laying there on the lawn, all twisted up from head to toe all he could manage to say was “O!… O!…OHH!”  It seemed as if Albert is trying to say something, something that might make his body become unstuck, but what could it be?  Some passerby’s tried to guess what he’s asking for, thinking it might help.

“A phone?” a lifeguard asks.

“A gnome?” a police officer tries.

“A poem?” a helpful librarian inquires.

Young Emily thinks she knows what Albert is trying to say.  Albert once described a magic word that everything on the planet understood- people, animals, trees… even the rocks.  Could the thing that will help him relax be as simple as the word “Om”?

Find it in the catalog.  

Harriet Tubman – Two Recommended Books

by Leave a Comment

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Kids

 

 

Who Was Harriet Tubman? By Yona Zeldis McDonough and Illustrated by Nancy Harrison
Series Title: Who Was–?
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Anyone from Maryland should know who Harriet Tubman is, but do you really?  I’m from Cambridge, so of course I know who she is, right?  I do, of course, but I wanted to learn more especially with the new movie coming out – https://www.focusfeatures.com/harriet/.  And, I want my kids to know who she is, so I read two different books about her that are geared towards kids.

First I read, Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.   This book won a Caldecott Honor in 2007 and the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator in 2007.  It is truly a beautiful book.  The story follows Harriet shortly after she is told she is about to be sold by her owner, through her years transporting people on the Underground Railroad.  It is about how she was given the name Moses and her faith in God which led her to do the right thing.   This is a work of fiction and some of the story differs from other accounts of Harriet’s life, but I still think it is a great way to introduce a child to Harriet Tubman.   Find it in the catalog

Next I read, Who Was Harriet Tubman? By Yona Zeldis McDonough and Illustrated by Nancy Harrison.  This is part of the Who Was–? Series which are biographies for kids.  Written like a story, this biography was easy to read and is full of factual information about the time during which Harriet lived.  I actually prefer to read kids biographies because you learn about the person but without being overwhelmed with facts (oh and there are usually pictures!).  This biography describes Harriet’s work on the Underground Railroad, as a nurse during the Civil War and as a Spy for the Union army.  Find it in the catalog

Now I’m ready to see the movie!

 

Quickest Kid in Clarksville

by Leave a Comment

The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Frank Morrison
Format: Book
Who it’s For: Kids

Alta loves to run. She’s fast too, the fastest kid in all of Clarksville and everyone knows it, even with holes in her soles and dirty laces. But today Alta has something else on her mind. Tomorrow she will get to see her hometown hero in person – none other than the famous runner Wilma Rudolph, three time Olympic gold medalist who’ll be appearing in the big parade in town! Wilma grew up here, like Alta . Her family had little money, like Alta’s. But she overcame illness and impossible odds to make it as an Olympic athlete, just like Alta’s dream. Until Charmaine, with her attitude, her uptown shoes and speed to match moves into the neighborhood. Will Alta still be the quickest kid in Clarksville, just like Wilma? This is a great story of girlhood dreams, inspiration and unexpected friendship.

Find it in the catalog

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claymates

by Leave a Comment

Claymates by Dev Petty, Illustrated by Lauren Eldridge
Format:  Book
Who it’s for:  Children

This fun children’s book is recommended for younger children.  It is also available as a VOX book, which means that a headphone can be plugged in to it so the child can listen as it is read to them or listen with others without headphones.

Two balls of clay, with eyes, are transformed by the artist into a gray wolf and a brown owl.  The sculptor spends a lot of time creating them to be just perfect and then she leaves the room.  It isn’t long until the two creatures become friends and then they start goofing off.  They stretch and pull at themselves to become many other different critters.  They look totally weird, with lots of sculptor’s tools sticking out of them.  Suddenly they hear the artist returning.  Oh, no!  What will they do?  They try to fix themselves but they just can’t.  Find out what happens next to these two  crazy claymates.  Find it in our catalog.

Peaceful Piggy Meditation

by Leave a Comment

Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Children

“Sometimes the world can be such a busy, noisy place.  Sometimes it feels like you always have to hurry, hurry, hurry… and you feel like you can’t slow down- even when you’re sitting down!”- From Peaceful Piggy Meditation

Life can get hectic.  In addition to all of our work, house and family duties there is a very real, very persistent pressure from society to be constantly plugged in.  The urge to be constantly informed of any and all things is a powerful one, but if we’re not careful it can leave us feeling lost and confused in a constantly shifting world.  At the end of the day, instead of getting some vital sleep, many of us use this time to catch up on the events of the day, watch a “must-see” TV show, or any number of things that we’ve been told we must do to be a part of society.

It can be easy to think this is strictly an adult problem, but the young people in our lives are affected by this pressure as well.  The world seems to spin faster and faster every day, and the more we try to keep up with it the more our heads will spin at the end of the day.  The best way to slow it down and be fully present, and this is true for kiddos and adults, is to get off the ride altogether.  To put some space between ourselves and these thoughts.  To find a spot of stillness within ourselves and nurture it until it grows.

Peaceful Piggy Meditation, by Kerry Lee MacLean, describes the basics of meditation to children through a short story involving some piggies that wish to become calmer, kinder beings.  At its core, the practice involves stopping to listen to what is happening inside of you, physically and mentally.  It is so simple that anyone can do it, and the benefits of stopping and slowing down are good for everyone’s mental health, regardless of age.

I meditate with my 2-year-old daughter about once every other day, and it has been amazing to have those moments to slow down and actually be with her, instead of having my mind on something else.  At her age, it’s less about being still and more about knowing that it’s a quiet time to be together, but it is something that I would recommend to all families that may at times feel overwhelmed.  Find it in our catalog.