Easy Readers

For ages 6-8 and those just learning to read.

Thematic Reading List: National Aviation Week

Planes, planes, planes! Aviation has changed the course of human communication and motion, led by brave pioneers who made air travel what it is today. From these important people to the aircraft they piloted, these books are selected to inspire and educate readers as they investigate each one. This list includes primarily non-fiction titles written […]

Thematic Reading List: Bees, bees, bees!

World Honey Bee Day is a time to celebrate the work that honey bees do to pollinate foods and flowers so that plants and animals can continue to thrive. Though sometimes scary, it is important to learn as much about these creatures as possible to protect them and support their survival. This book list is […]

Thematic Reading List: 11 Unusual Pets

Some families have dogs. Some have cats. Some have fish. Then there are the more daring families who have pet lizards and snakes. But what are the most unusual pets? Leave it to children’s nonfiction authors to expose us to the most bizarre pets one can have. We’ve added one special fiction book just to […]

Ajay and the Monks of Khawalung

Our fearless leader and CEO of CLCD, Dr. Ajay Gupte, has landed in Nepal along with his teenage son and a friend. This is his 3rd annual trip with his son, who is now 17, to volunteer at the Khawalung Tashi Choeling Monastery which houses 60 young monks – boys ages 4-21. While there they also […]

The Cat in the Hat and Chuck Taylors — A Love Story

It started one Christmas just 5 years ago, my husband gave me Chucks, of whose existence I didn’t even know. Cat in the Hat were my first pair and now I have quite the collection, it just doesn’t seem fair. The Lorax, the Grinch, If I Ran the Circus, and more, I have Dr. Seuss […]

The 2017 Theodore Seuss Geisel Award

Theodore Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss is best known for his rhyming repetitive stories that started the beginning or easy reader enterprise. Each year the Geisel Award is given by the ALSC to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the […]

Playtime

Fun and Games! December brings gifts and time off from school. While it’s said, “Play is child’s work,” even grown-ups enjoy letting loose with games or play activities. The titles in this list explore several aspects of play, from pure fun to slightly sinister. Web links to additional information and activities about toys and play […]

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Rosh Hashanah or Jewish New Year is observered on the first and second days of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Jewish year (coinciding with September or early October). Customs include sounding the shofar, eating symbolic foods, and wishing one another a “good year.” It is the beginning of ten days of reflection and prayer, […]

Multicultural

Multicultural “One light, one sun… one sun lighting everyone. One world turning…one world home for everyone” How many of us know those lyrics from the Raffi song? Why, then, do we make it so complicated? For nearly 30 years, teachers and librarians have been adding multi-cultural stories to their collections. Such books offer children of […]

Back to School

Heading back to school, or going for the first time, can bring a range of emotions in children and teens. We have broken up the titles in this feature into three age groups: 4 to 8, for the littlest students; 8 to 12, for late elementary and middle school; and older students, ages […]

Dinosaurs

Over 200 million years ago, Dinosaurs dominated our planet. Beginning in the early 1800s, scientists began studying bones and fossils of these now famous creatures. It was Sir Richard Owen, a British paleontologist, who created the term “dinosaur” in 1842. Today, paleontologists have identified over 700 different species of dinosaurs. This diverse group of prehistoric […]

Summer Fun

When I think of summer my mind immediately thinks of long, hot, sunny days. I hear cicadas chirping, I picture barbeques, swimming pools, fireflies, and ice cream, and I imagine being outside as much as possible. For many students, summer is also the promise of more freedom. Having more free time than during the school […]