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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

March 2021 Reading Recommendations for Kids by Fran Joyce

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March is a great time to read!

Kids can enjoy books about Women’s History, St. Patrick’s Day, Passover, Easter, baseball, and the coming of spring.

We have a few suggestions to get them started.

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst – Read about these exceptional women and how they helped change the world - Jane Austen, Gertrude Ederle, Coco Chanel, Frida Kahlo, Marie Curie, Mary Anning, Mary Seacole, Amelia Earhart, Agent Fifi, Sacagawea, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, and Anne Frank. For ages 2-6

I Spy St. Patrick’s Day Book for Preschool by Matt Liness Art - 54 pages with colorful pictures and objects from A to Z to keep your preschooler occupied and entertained, For ages 2-5

It’s Passover, Grover by Jodie Shepherd – It’s Passover on Sesame Street and Grover invites a few friends over to share the Seder at his house. As more and more friends start to show up, room is made at the table in accordance with the traditional Passover invitation, “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Kids will enjoy learning about the hunt for the Passover afikomen, a piece of matza that’s hidden for the children to find. The end of the book includes an explanation of the history and customs of Passover. For ages 2-5

Let’s Play Baseball by Ginger Swift and Cottage Door Press – This is a board book to help introduce babies and toddlers to the game of baseball. For ages 2-5

Spring in the Forest by Rusty Finch and Cottage Door Press – This is a board book for babies and toddlers. Follow a mama deer and her young fawn as they walk through the forest meeting other animals and enjoying the beauty of spring. For ages 2-5

The Easter Egg by Jan Brett – If Hoppi can make the best Easter egg, he will get to help the Easter Bunny with his deliveries, but making the perfect egg is hard. When Hoppi takes a walk in the woods to try to clear his head, a tiny robin’s egg falls from its nest. Hoppi keeps the egg safe and warm until it hatches. When the Easter Bunny finds out about his kindness, he gives Hoppi a special reward. For ages 3-5

The Passover Mouse by Joy Nelkin Wieder – Just as the people of the town have finished sweeping their homes to remove any leavened bread in accordance with the traditions of Passover, a little mouse steals a piece of bread and runs all over town threatening to ruin their preparations for the Seder, but somehow the mouse’s actions bring the townspeople together and they learn valuable lessons about community, charity, kindness, and forgiveness. It’s based on a story from the Talmud. For ages 3-7

Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist by Linda Skeers – Anning enjoyed searching the beaches near her home in England for shells and fossils. One day she made an important discovery, dinosaur bones hidden in the crumbling cliffs near the beach. Her discovery started a new field of science, paleontology, but in her day, women were not considered scientists and she did not the recognition she deserved for her contributions to this new field of study until many years later. Despite the many obstacles she faced, Anning continued to study dinosaurs and other fossils making discoveries that helped reshape scientific beliefs and our understanding of the natural world. For ages 4-8

Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase by James Dean and Kimberly Dean – For St. Patrick’s Day, Pete has started his own business – a leprechaun catching business! Will Pete be able to catch Clover the clever leprechaun or will he learn a lesson about Luck? For ages 4-8

Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure by James Dean and Kimberly Dean – When Pete wakes up on Easter morning, he discovers the Easter Bunny needs some help. Pete pitches in to make sure all the Easter eggs are dyed and decorated. Will all the goodies make their way into the children’s Easter baskets on time? For ages 4-8

Pete the Cat: Play Ball! By James Dean and Kimberly Dean – This is a “My First I Can Read Book.” Pete the Cat and his team are ready to play baseball, but when the game doesn’t go their way, what will Pete do? For ages 4-8

If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson – Nelson is a Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author. Children will enjoy this book and be inspired as Nelson talks about planting seeds to grow vegetables and the importance of planting seeds of kindness to grow a better world. For ages 4-8

How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton – A naughty leprechaun is running all over town pulling pranks on everyone. The children devise traps to catch him, but the naughty leprechaun always seems to get away. As the traps become more complex, he starts daring the children to build a trap that can catch him. For ages 4-10

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner – Explore the world beneath the dirt in your garden. Learn about the busy earthworms, moles, and snakes who live among the roots of your plants. For ages 5-8

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – this children’s classic about a little girl who found a deserted garden and brought it back to life with love and some elbow grease has been a favorite of children and adults for over one hundred years. For ages 6 and up

The Story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Susan B. Katz – This is a biography for new readers. Read about the exceptional life of the second woman to be named SCOTUS. For ages 6-9

Would You Rather: Easter Edition by Uncle Bob – a fun book of puzzles, mazes, jokes, and interesting questions for Easter time fun. For ages 6-12

The Challah that Took Over the House by Melissa Berg – Four girls who don’t get along live in the same apartment building. As the girls argue about who has made the best challah for Passover, the challahs begin to grow and grow until they threaten to take over the whole building. Can the girls put aside their differences and learn to work together to save Passover? For ages 7-13

Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels by Linda Skeers – This book features women known for their daring exploits. Spoiler Alert – Not all people who do daring things are heroes and not all the women in this book were on the right side of history. They should not all be admired or considered heroes. This is an important distinction for you to teach your children. For ages 8-12

Black Women in Science by Kimberly Brown Pellum, Ph.D. – Read about the contributions of Black women in STEM fields. Some of the women featured include Mae Jemison Annie Easley, Bessie Coleman, Katherine Johnson, Gladys West, Mamie Phipps Clark, and Jane Cooke Wright. For ages 9-12

Baseball Biographies for Kids: The Greatest Players from the 1960s to Today by Dean Burrell – Read about the greatest baseball players of the past sixty years and what inspired them to be successful. This book is loaded with stats and interesting facts about the game. For ages 9-12

24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid by Willie Mays and John Shea – Inspirational words and stories from the legendary Willie Mays divided into 24chapters in honor of his playing number. Yes, there are a lot of books about Willie Mays, but to paraphrase the book’s foreword by Bob Costas, anytime you can read great stories about the legendary Willie mays you should rejoice. For ages 12 & up

The Secret Garden Cookbook by Amy Cotler – For kids and adults who love Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic, The Secret Garden. Now you can recreate the wonderful foods from the book and enjoy eating fresh foods with these recipes. For children and adults to enjoy together

 

Free to Be Ruth Bader Ginsburg The Story of Women and the Law by Teri Kanefield - A Review by Fran Joyce

March 2021 Reading Recommendations for Adults by Fran Joyce