Celebrating Holidays is a wonderful way to incorporate reading into your children’s lives. Who wouldn’t want to read a scary story at Halloween, or learn about the origins of Halloween and why we celebrate? This month we are featuring five books with a Halloween theme and five books to help your kids celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
Now, more than ever, our kids need positive role models, and they need to know heroes, inventors, athletes, doctors, scientists, politicians, teachers, and entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, genders, ethnicities, and races. There’s always room for more positive role models. Reading about the contributions of diverse groups opens the door to better understanding and stronger communities. Enjoy!
I Spy with My Little Eye Halloween Haunt & Find by Bill Cotter and Cottage Door Press – Kids will enjoy hunting for Halloween tricks and treats on every page! For and 2 and up
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson – Witch and Cat are flying on their broom, but Witch drops her hat then her bow, and finally her wand. Three helpful animals find them, but in return, they want to ride on the broom. Can Witch and Cat make room? For ages 2-5
Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat – Nate the Great and his trusty dog, Sludge are on the case when Rosamond’s cat goes missing on Halloween night. For ages 5-8
Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson – Thirteen -year-old Anna is psychic, and her family depends on her abilities to help run the Ravenfall Inn, a magical B&B between the human world and the Otherworld, but Anna can only foresee death. When Colin comes in search of his brother, Anna wants to help, but there are evil forces on the way with other ideas. For ages 10-13
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw – What happens after Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas told from Sally’s perspective. For ages 14+
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales – Learn about the special items immigrants chose to bring with them to a new country. Their hopes, dreams, traditions, heritage, culture. and keepsakes which they will add to the hopes, dreams, traditions, heritage, culture, and keepsakes treasured by their new neighbors to form a wonderful diverse community. For ages 3-8
Pepe and the Parade: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage by Tracey Kyle – Join Pepe as he celebrates his Mexican heritage and learns about other Hispanic and Latinx cultures. For ages 4-8
Harvesting Hope: the story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull – Learn about Cesar Chavez’s 340-mile peaceful protest march through California to help improve the working conditions and the lives of migrant farmworkers. For ages 4-8
100 Hispanic Americans Who Shaped American History by Rick Laezman – Readers will learn about the contributions of Hispanic American artists, athletes, politicians, actors, judges, and scientists to the United States of Americans and the world. For ages 8 and up
Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States edited by Oscar Hijuelos – the sights, sounds, and smells of Latino culture told by 36 vibrant, touching and sometimes angry voices. Dor ages 12 and up