Listology - Bookology Magazine

Death and Grief

October 18, 2024 14 Comments

For those who are mourning the loss of a relative, a pet, a friend, a teacher, these books for young and old are recommended by our subscribers.

Floods and Hurricanes

October 12, 2024 No Comments

With recent hurricanes and flooding so much in the news and a part of conversations, we've pulled together a group of books that will help those who learn from fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Scary Short Story Collections and Novels for Middle Grade Readers

September 12, 2024 No Comments

While Halloween is just weeks away, scary stories are year-round favorites for many kids. Scary story collections and stand-alone novels often appear on the bestseller lists in kid-lit publishing.

All Capone Does My Shirts Gennifer Choldenko

Books about a specific locale are magnets for readers. One of the places that has mythological status in American culture is Alcatraz Island. Here are some of the books about this island that captivates our imaginations.

Math for the Young Set

February 20, 2024 1 Comment

There are all kinds of ways to bring math into a young child's life. Count birds outside the window. Talk about shapes and give them names. Discuss measurements while cooking. Our favorite way is to read stories and look at picture books, absorbing math concepts easily.

When Families Gather

December 17, 2023 No Comments

In the midst of the holidays, or at any gathering-time of year, these books are "just right" for reading out loud to young and old. Celebrate family!

Mental Health: Nonfiction

August 11, 2023 No Comments

Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood, authors and educators, offer selected nonfiction books with mental health as a focus.

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

Mental Health: Grief

August 11, 2023 No Comments

Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood, authors and educators, developed this list of middle grade novels and picture books with grief and loss as a focus.

Mental Health: LGBTQ: Middle Grade

August 10, 2023 No Comments

Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood, authors and educators, developed this list of books for middle grade readers with mental health and LGBTQ characters as a focus.

A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes Jerry Pinkney Brian Pinkney

Mental Health: Several Lists

August 6, 2023 No Comments

Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood have contributed several lists for PreK-Grade 8 in which mental health is a part of the story.

Mental Health: Character Mental Health: Middle Grade

August 5, 2023 No Comments

Middle grade readers will find windows and mirrors in these novels whose characters experience anxiety, phobias, depression, therapy, OCD, ADHD, or grief. This list, developed by Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood, provides good recommendations.

Mental Health: Picture Books

August 3, 2023 No Comments

For a child experiencing anxiety, phobias, depression, or grief, a picture book is a good conversation starter. This list, developed by Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood, is essential.

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Mental Health: Family Mental Health: Middle Grade

July 20, 2023 No Comments

Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood, authors and educators, developed this list of books for middle grade readers with family mental health as a focus.

More More More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams

Books for Baby Gifts

June 21, 2023 1 Comment

Books are a wonderful way to encourage families to start the read-aloud habit early and often. Here are suggestions from people who work with children, families, and books.

Gardening and Community

April 20, 2023 1 Comment

To encourage planting seeds to save the environment, to brighten spirits, and to instill a sense of connection and possibility, I like to read the following books that focus on gardening and community. Read and grow!

Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr

March 22, 2023 1 Comment

Ramadan begins this year on March 22nd, and culminates with Eid al-Fitr on either April 20th or 21st. Here are books you can read with your children if you are observing Ramadan or if you are honoring Ramadan with your friends and family.

Fabulous Food

January 10, 2023 2 Comments

There are so many terrific books about food! I could go on and on with selections and recommendations but these are a few of my favorites.

Winter!

November 25, 2022 4 Comments

Now that snow has fallen in many places throughout the land, it's time to celebrate the frozen crystals in picture books, nonfiction, and early chapter books.

Dance Party

October 1, 2022 1 Comment

Dance has many personalities and appeals to a myriad of people. Here are some exceptional books for very young readers through teens (and adults, too).

Peace Books

January 18, 2022 No Comments

We're publishing a list of some of the more recent books about peace and conflict resolution, as annotated by Carol Spiegel, a long-time K-8 educator.

Kids in Business

April 13, 2021 2 Comments

Patience and perseverance are among the hardest things for children to learn. How can we make pressing on in the face of discouragement interesting to kids? By reading them amazing stories of creativity and resilience! Picture book biographies show the satisfying results of persevering over a lifetime. All ages will be inspired by the true tales shared in these ten picture books.

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Perseverance

March 23, 2021 3 Comments

Books about the Night

December 1, 2020 2 Comments

Nighttime is a magical time for kids. It’s a time for exploring the night skies. It’s a time for dreaming cozy dreams. It’s a time of mischief when it comes with the thrill of being allowed to stay up late. Nighttime picture books have always had an allure for me because of the topics they explore and the amazing and varied art by illustrators challenged with the task of drawing the dark.

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Picture Book Salute to Blue

September 22, 2020 1 Comment

Blue is beloved for the awesome beauty of its various shades on display in the natural world, and for the feelings of calmness, security, loyalty, and friendliness, it evokes. So, without further ado: a collection of ten lovely and compelling books, plus one, that celebrate blue.

Books Set in Bookstores

May 26, 2020 1 Comment

For many of us, wandering around inside a bookstore is our Happy Place. It can also be a place of mystery, surprise, romance, adventure, how-tos, and an opportunity to tap into the knowledge of the universe. Here then are fifteen books for children that are set in bookstores. Archie Greene and the Magician’s Secret
written by D.D.

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Ferris Wheels

April 22, 2020 No Comments

These are books about Mr. Ferris or his Ferris wheel, which debuted at the 1893 World Colombian Exposition. Grand in scale, rising up into the sky, the Ferris wheel is a focal point wherever it appears.

Quirky Book Lists: Time

March 31, 2020 No Comments

Margaret Wise Brown once wrote that children wondered about “mysterious clock time.” I certainly did as a child. I simply could not learn to tell time. This was back in the dark ages of analog clocks that seemed to hold secrets others could decipher but eluded me. I could have used any of the books on this list, but one in particular is perfect.

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Celebrating Rosh Hashanah

September 24, 2019 2 Comments

The Jewish High Holidays begin with the festivities of the New Year on Rosh Hashanah and end ten days later with the observance of the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It’s a time of reflection and a renewal of intentions to do better in the coming year. Here are a number of books that will help children understand the traditions of the holiday and experience the joy of the celebration.

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Back-to-School Favorites

September 5, 2019 No Comments

This list was contributed by Deb Andries and Maurna Rome, friends, educators, and colleagues! Favorites from Deb Andries: Alma and How She Got her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal Dreamers by Yuyi Morales A Quiet Place by Doug Wood and Dan Andreasen The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López Truman by Jean Reidi and Lucy Ruth Cummins Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle and Rafael López How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander and Melissa Sweet Why by Laura Vaccaro Seeger Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and E.B. Lewis… more

Libraries and Librarians

April 11, 2019 6 Comments

We’re posting this when it’s National Library Week, but we believe every week should be Library Week. If you love public, school, and special libraries as much as we do, add these books to your reading list and share them with your favorite readers. As always, if you have a book you believe should be on this list, let us know in the comments or send us an e‑mail.

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The Animals in The Stuff of Stars

March 20, 2019 2 Comments

When I first read The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer and Ekua Holmes, I was captivated by the beauty of the book and its lyrical thoughts about the earth and our environment. Ms. Holmes’ illustrations invite us to look closer, to discern the creatures she’s so artfully included. Ms. Bauer’s text includes a list of animals that roam the earth, bringing to mind all of the stories and facts about these specific animals, birds, insects, and reptiles.

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The BEARdecotts

March 1, 2019 1 Comment

The ALA/ALSC recently announced their Youth Media Awards, resulting in much excitement. The teacher librarians at a Minnesota private school with three campuses help their students look for excellence in children’s books by holding their own award process each year. Called The BEARdecotts, after their school mascot, the educators select books for a short list that they then share with their students over several months, reading aloud, reading individually, making critical analyses, and finally voting on the most worthy books.

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Poetry Books That Celebrate
African American History and Culture

February 21, 2019 1 Comment

Poetry and the spoken word have prominent places in African American culture, due at least in part to a strong oral tradition that has been passed down through generations. Consider including poems from the books below in your read-alouds this month, and the year ahead, as a way to highlight the contributions of African Americans to our nation’s history and culture.

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Books about Somali Immigrants/Refugees

November 15, 2018 1 Comment

In an effort to help my children understand more about their own heritage, I have searched far and wide for books by or about Somali immigrants or refugees. Here are some of the best ones we have found. Though a number of these titles have not been written by Somalis, they have at least been informed by input from members of this community.

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Earth Day

April 18, 2018 1 Comment

Whether you are celebrating Earth Day this week or next week or every week, there are books here that will enchant your students or your family, opening up possibilities for good discussions.

Earth: My First 4.54 Billion Years
Stacy McAnulty, author
James Litchfield, illustrator
Henry Holt, 2017
primary and elementary grades Told from the viewpoint of the anthropomorphic Earth itself, this book tells the life story of our home planet, introducing it to “alien visitors.”

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In Memoriam: Wendy Watson

February 25, 2018 2 Comments

Wendy Watson was a third generation author and artist. Her grandparents, Ernest W. Watson and Eva Auld Watson, were painters and pioneer color block printers. Ernest was also founder and editor of the magazine American Artist, co-founder of Watson-Guptill Publications, and co-founder of one of the first summer art schools, the Berkshire Summer School of Art. Wendy’s father, Aldren A.

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Capers and Cons

January 31, 2018 No Comments

When you (or your students) want a book that keeps you turning the pages for your weeknight and weekend reading, here are some suggestions for books with that nimble pacing and what-are-they-up-to plots. Many of them are just right for middle grade or avid younger-than-that readers, with a couple of teen titles added. (And, of course, all are suitable for reading by adults.)

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Cloth and the Picture Book:
Storytelling with Textile Techniques

November 15, 2017 1 Comment

Author and illustrator Debra Frasier was invited to lecture on this topic to the Western North Carolina Textile Study Group, and the public, in mid-November 2017. This is the bibliography that accompanies Debra’s presentation, with book selections by Debra Frasier and Vicki Palmquist. If you would like to invite Debra to give this presentation to your group, please contact her.… more

Pigs Galore

October 24, 2017 2 Comments

This past September, after years of writing and teaching the writing of realistic YA fiction, I was pleased to launch into the world a set of four early chapter books. Not surprisingly, the challenge of telling a story in 1000 words instead of 60,000 was huge. It was not the only challenge. Instead of focusing on a teen girl in turmoil, I was now writing about a talking pig.… more

Theater Geeks!

May 19, 2017 No Comments

If your children (or you) are captivated by talent shows on TV, or dreams of acting on the stage, or the next theater production at school, there are a chorus line of books just waiting to audition for your next favorite. Here’s a mixture of classic and new stories, ranging in interest from grades 3 through 7. All the World’s a Stage
written by Gretchen Woelfle, illus by Thomas Cox
Holiday House, 2011 Twelve-year-old Kit Buckles has come to London to make his fortune.

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Simon of Cyrene and the Legend of the Easter Egg

Read Out Loud for Easter

April 9, 2017 No Comments

As you prepare to celebrate Easter, we encourage you to include books in your celebration. A tradition of reading out loud before Easter dinner, after Easter dinner, as you awaken on Easter morning … perhaps each day during Holy Week? Here are a few gems we believe you and your family will treasure. Happy Easter! At Jerusalem’s Gate: Poems of Easter
written by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by David Frampton
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2005 There are twenty-two free-form poems in this book, each from the point of view of a witness to the events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Thanksgiving is a Good Time for a Book

November 21, 2016 No Comments

As food is being prepared and family gathers, as food is being digested and some people are napping, as sports and shopping beckon, perhaps it's a good time to take out a stack of Thanksgiving books to read aloud as a family.

Third Grader Reading at a Sixth Grade Level

November 1, 2016 5 Comments

Responding to a parent request for books that would interest her third-grader-reading-at-a-sixth-grade-level, we crowd-sourced a list. Big thanks to Sara Alcott, Linda Baie, Lesley Mandros Bell, Karen Cramer, Caren Creech, Melinda Fant, Ellen Klarreich, Vickie LoPiccolo, Ellen McEvoy, Laura Moe, Tunie Munson-Benson, Vicki Palmquist, Carrie Shay, Faythe Dyrud Thureen, Cindy Walker, and Sharon J. Wilson. Unlike our usual annotated booklists, we are presenting this one in alphabetical order by book title due to the length of the list.

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Books about Chocolate

February 24, 2016 No Comments

February is National Chocolate Month, so how could we let it pass by without an homage to chocolate … in books? Far less costly on the dental bill! “In 2009, more than 58 million pounds of chocolate were purchased and (likely) consumed in the days surrounding February 14th — that’s about $345 million worth. (Kiri Tannenbaum, “8 Facts About Chocolate,” Delish) Were you a part of the national statistic?

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Books about Chickens

January 27, 2016 8 Comments

Whether a chicken makes you cluck, BAWK! or cheep-cheep-cheep, books about chickens make us laugh. We may not have been introduced to a chicken in real life but, trust me, some people keep them as egg-laying wonders and other people keep them as pets. These fowl have been around in many colors, types, and breeds in most countries in the world … and quite recently they have become the subject of many books.

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Books about Trees

December 9, 2015 No Comments

With hats off to our friends at the tree-festooned Iowa Arboretum, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Gardens, and Omaha’s Lauritzen Gardens, this list is dedicated to arborists everywhere, professional and amateur … you take care of an essential part of our ecosystem. Thank you. Here’s a list of books for younger and older children, fiction and nonfiction.

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Books about Boxes

November 19, 2015 No Comments

Boxes have many stories to share, stories to inspire, and stories to help us learn and be creative. Here are a few of the stories that boxes have to tell. You might well expect to find books about creative play and cardboard boxes, but there are books for a range of young readers here and boxes comes in many shapes and colors.

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Quirky Book Lists: Classroom Pets

September 1, 2015 No Comments

Thinking about adding a classroom pet? Read and think again!
8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel [÷] 1 Dog = Chaos
written by Vivian Vande Velde
illustrated by Steve Bjorkman
Holiday House, 2012 Squirrel likes living near a school playground. He’s not so sure about going inside, though, especially when he’s chased there by a dog and all the classroom pets get involved.

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A Trip to the Art Museum

July 15, 2015 No Comments

by Vicki Palmquist

Arlo’s Artrageous Adventure! David LaRochelle
Sterling Children’s Books, 2013 When Arlo’s grandmother drags him to the art museum, he can’t imagine how he’ll be interested. Something odd catches his eye and he soon realizes the paintings have things to say that surprise and delight him — and the reader. Fun and quirky, with illustrations that will make you smile and flaps to lift that will reveal nuances in much the same way you discover something new in a painting each time you look at it … this is a good choice to prepare a child for a trip to the museum.

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Quirky Book Lists: Go Fly a Kite!

May 19, 2015 No Comments

by The Bookologist Curious George Flies a Kite
H.A. Rey
HMH Books for Young Readers, 1977 (reissue of 1958 edition)
Ages 5 – 8 First George is curious about some bunnies, then about fishing, and then about his friend Billy’s kite. All’s well that ends well. Ages 5 – 8. Days with Frog and Toad Arnold Lobel
1979 HarperCollins
Ages 4 – 8 Five stories with the two famous friends, including “The Kite,” in which Frog’s optimism and Toad’s efforts prevail over the predictions of some nay-saying robins. … more

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