60 Day Reading Challenge + Kids Book Suggestions for 2017

• muskrat
• Norway rat
• eastern gray squirrel
• coyote
• domestic dog
• red-tailed hawk
• horse
• Canada goose
• raccoon
• laughing gull
• groundhog
• red-bellied woodpecker
• eastern chipmunk
• eastern screech owl
• tri-colored bat
• pigeon
• diamondback terrapin

My Girl is a favorite for Dad’s to read to their daughters. The lyrics of the song are the text of the book and the illustrations actually act out those lyrics. Just press play and enjoy! Makes a great baby shower gift or toddler birthday present. Each book plays the song from beginning to end. Check out the app, as well, to see how amazing Kidioke’s line of products are.

An exquisite gift edition of The Nutcracker captures the spirit of the Christmas ballet in elegant illustrations—and delivers a glorious pop-up finale.

The Nutcracker is one of the world’s most popular ballets, telling the captivating story of Clara and the Nutcracker prince as they journey into a land of fantasy. Inspired by Marius Petipa’s sets for the original production of the ballet, Niroot Puttapipat’s delicate silhouette illustrations dance across pale, watercolor-washed backgrounds in a unique interpretation. Starkly beautiful, this keepsake edition evokes all the magic and anticipation of Christmas Eve as Clara and the prince waltz between worlds—and culminates in a 3-D spread bringing the dreamlike Land of Sweets to life.

To a small child, words are magical. And the most magical of all are the beloved, venerable words of Mother Goose. Now folklorist Iona Opie has gathered more than sixty treasured rhymes in their most perfect, honest form. From “Hey Diddle, Diddle” and “Pat-a-Cake” to “Little Jack Horner” and “Pussycat, Pussycat,” these are familiar verses that have been passed from parent to child for generations; these are the rhymes that are every child’s birthright.

With watercolors by Rosemary Wells that may prove equally enduring, MY VERY FIRST MOTHER GOOSE captures the simple joy and the sly humor that are the essence of Mother Goose. Parents and children will find themselves exploring this volume together, savoring delightful details and funny surprises on every page. This is a book that promises hours of quiet smiles and merry grins for readers of all ages.

Readers will be mesmerized by these surreal and gorgeously rendered alphabet letters, cleverly shaped from flora, fauna, and more.

At first glance, this elegant alphabet book—showcasing both upper- and lowercase letters—seems to follow a familiar formula. There’s an acrobat standing atop a horse to form a big letter A and another curled under herself to make a small one. There’s a colony of beetles attached to the leaves they’ve munched, creating a big and a small letter B. But then comes the letter C, made of sea waves evoking the artist Hokusai. Or a lowercase I in the form of a pen that has left an ink smudge, or two kingly beasts that create the letter K. And what of the many letters, equally fantastical and fascinating, whose associations are left to the viewers’ imaginations? Ingenious and intriguing, beautiful and full of stunning detail, this is an alphabet book sure to invite many repeat explorations.

Hope and joy radiate from the pages of Robert Sabuda’s new pop-up book celebrating the Nativity.

Long ago in the town of Bethlehem, on a bright and starry night, a baby was born, a child who was called the son of God. Announced by an angel, born in a humble manger, laid in a bed of straw, visited by shepherds and wise men—the age-old, awe-inspiring story of the birth of Jesus is lovingly brought to life by master pop-up artist Robert Sabuda in six gorgeously imagined scenes, culminating in a 3-D manger sheltering humans and beasts, guarded by an angel above. Glinting with touches of gold and pearlescent foil, The Christmas Story is a visual feast, a holiday treasure to be shared with the whole family.

Discover the amazing world that lies just beneath the surface!

Hundreds of fascinating facts are waiting to be unearthed in this latest book from Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski, the creative duo behind the best-selling Maps. Dive below the surface and find out what happens under earth and under sea—from early submarines and deep-sea life to burrowing animals and man-made tunnels. You will never look at the world in the same way again! Gorgeous design and quirky illustrations make this a book to be pored over again and again.

Ready to put your eagle eye to a new challenge? Grab your markers or colored pencils and get creative by coloring scenes from Waldo’s adventures.

Waldo insiders know that the intrepid traveler likes to sketch wherever he goes. Now fans are invited to follow suit by coloring Waldo’s classic scenes, from bustling, intricate landscapes to larger-scale images — while keeping an eye out for Waldo and other things, too!

Adventures in Numberland is a fairy story about numbers in life and in business. The target audience is adult but will work for older children as an introduction to business and the importance of numeracy

The hero is Piff, the wood-cutters daughter, a beautiful , strong-minded young girl who is thrown out of her home by her fat and lazy step-mother. Alone in the forest, Piff meets the fairy, Numberlina, who decides to help Piff by showing her how useful numbers are and how powerful they can be. In return Numberlina wants a share of the profits and help in dealing with the Anathemath, an evil and confusing spirit, shrouded in a noxious green cloud.

Piff develops the wood-cutting business successfully, moving into furniture manufacturing and finally ship building. In the process, she leans how useful all the numbers (including pi, phi and e) can be. She attracts the unwelcome attention of Prince Baltigral who owns almost everything in Numberland. Baltigral is a greedy prince who has enlisted the help of the Anathemath, to mislead, suppress and exploit the population of Numberland.

In the course of her commercial career, Piff learns that mathematics has many practical uses – e.g. for making perfect right angles in the design of furniture, for measuring distances, for designing buildings and for calculating interest.

In the end, there is a final cataclysmic political and numerical struggle between Piff supported by Numberlina on one side and Prince Baltigral aided by the Anathemath on the other.

The Super Amazing Princess Heroes learn that one of their Ugandan friends, a wonderful girl named Gift, is sick with a heart condition. The girls spring into action and help build a heart hospital in Uganda. Gift not only becomes healthy, but also receives another very special transformation!

“The Gift of Gift” is the result of a special partnership with World Children’s Initiative (“WCI”). In addition to building a hospital in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami, WCI built a heart center in Uganda, which was the first facility of its type on the African continent. The story’s main character was inspired by a real-life girl named Gift, who was WCI’s first heart patient in Uganda. Profits from the book will be shared with WCI. Award-winning author Sanjay Nambiar and acclaimed artist Sedi Pak provided their services pro bono for the project.

:Win It