4 Kids | Do Not Steal

Stealing is wrong. We all know that. The guilt can eat away at you. And then you'll probably get caught. And when you get caught, you'll get punished. Oh, stealing is so wrong. 

So please don't think I'm promoting stealing when I say my favorite book of 2013 involves stealing. Stealing a hat, to be exact.

I didn't think I could love a book more than I Want My Hat Back. It's laugh out loud funny, even if the ending might be a tad bit upsetting to some of you gentle readers. The illustrations are awesome, and that bear. What can I say? You just gotta love him.

But that author, Jon Klassen, has done it again! My new favorite book of 2013 is This Is Not My Hat. Once again, there is a hat theft. At the beginning of the book we meet a little minnow wearing a blue hat. But it's not his hat. And trouble could be right behind.

In both of these books, you've got to pay attention to the pictures. They help tell the story, because sometimes our dear narrators aren't too swift.

So pick up a copy of one of Klassen's books and enjoy! If you don't find them on the picture book shelves at a SSJCPL branch library near you, just place a request! We'll get one to you!

And since this is my first post of the New Year, I thought I would pay tribute to a few kids' book I read and loved during 2012. Perhaps one will strike your fancy and you'll want to read it too!

Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry. Second grade Gooney Bird Greene has some very interesting, and somewhat unbelievable, stories to share with her classmates.

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker. Two very different girls, living together under the care of an elderly woman, barely speak to each other until the woman, Louise, unexpectedly dies. Fearing they'll be placed in another foster home, they bury her body in the garden and try to hide that she has died.

Walter, the Story of a Rat by Barbara Wersba. A rat that can read and write! What's not to like about this?

I can't wait to see what books the New Year has in store for me! Let me know what you're reading. Post a comment below....and don't forget, if you recommend a book to me, I'll read it! And I'll write about it! I promise!!

Happy New Year....and Happy Reading!