Kids Recommendations
Browse our lists of staff picks, popular topics, and school reading lists.
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Cicada Craze
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Cicada Symphony
2024 ALA Notable Children's Book
2024 Texas 2x2 Reading List
2023 Chicago Public Library Best Informational Books for Younger Readers"Fliess informs while maintaining a light, adoring tone that reveals cicadas' remarkableness."--Publishers Weekly starred review
Eeee-ooo! Eeee-ooo! Cicadas drone on, clicking and buzzing from dusk till dawn.
There are about three thousand different kinds of cicadas on earth. Some species emerge from the ground every year, while others only come up every thirteen or seventeen years. But no matter how much time passes before they dig their way to the surface, the result is the same: up to trillions of clumsy (but harmless!) insects flying, clicking, and buzzing all around us. Using a combination of rhythmic, rhyming verse and fun facts, this story describes the life cycle of the cicada and helps readers better understand this fascinating insect. -
Cicadas! Strange and Wonderful
"Definitely the best cicada book for kids. Adults will appreciate it as well, as it is well written, factually accurate, and beautifully illustrated." —Cicadamania.com
Discover why cicadas are all the buzz in the most complete, comprehensive book for kids about these noisy but harmless insects.
Every year, annual cicadas emerge and pierce the air with their buzzing calls. Also every year, at least one brood of 13 or 17 year cicadas emerges in some part of the eastern or central United States. In Spring 2021, a group of 17 year periodical cicadas called Brood X will make their appearance in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Author Laurence Pringle and illustrator Meryl Henderson have created the story of this fascinating and often misunderstood insect, one that deserves to be protected. -
Cicadas Don't Bug Me
Cicadas Don't Bug Me is a delightful rhyming book featuring vivid pictures and fascinating cicada facts. This engaging book teaches children to wonder--not worry as emerging cicadas appear.
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When Will Cicada Sing?
Join Cicada as he hatches, lives underground, molts, and (eventually) returns to the trees again! This fantastic introduction to life cycles, insects, change, and seasons for preschoolers and young children is brought to life with vivid images and compelling story-telling!
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Cicada City
The Bug Club is on the hunt for cicadas!
Jaylen, Hyacinth, and Sakura have big plans this summer.
What fascinating facts will they discover about cicadas?
How far will their imagination take them?
Will you join the fun?
This book is 32 pages of fun facts and inclusive, imaginative play for insect-loving kids 4-9 and their grownups.
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Cicada Symphony
This book is the perfect learning tool for teaching children about cicadas. It explains the complicated and fascinating life cycle of the 17-year cicada (Brood X) in a way a preschooler and elementary-aged child can understand and connect with. Children will be drawn in by the beautiful, vivid illustrations, humor, and compelling storyline. The rhyming language should help ease anxiety about these amazing bugs and could even inspire a sense of wonder and excitement about cicadas for children and adults alike. It is the perfect addition to your science/nature collection. Don't be surprised if after reading this book, readers of all ages head outside to check out the cicadas!
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Cecily Cicada
A delightful book, written by a mother/ daughter before the 17-year cicada emergence of 2004. They wrote it to ease the insect anxiety of their 3-year-old granddaughter/daughter when they learned the cicadas were coming. It tells the miraculous life of a special 17-year cicada named Cecily in an endearing way. Beautifully illustrated and fun. Patsy Helmetag has re-illustrated the original edition for a bright new look for the cicada emergence of 2021.
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Cicada
From the visionary Shaun Tan, an inspirational story for older picture book readers and beyond
Cicada tells the story of a hardworking little cicada who is completely unappreciated for what he does. But in the end, just when you think he's given up, he makes a transformation into something ineffably beautiful. A metaphor for growing up? A bit of inspiration for the unappreciated striver in all of us? Yes, yes, and more.
All About Eclipses
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A Few Beautiful Minutes
A poetic and exquisitely illustrated tribute to the solar eclipse and the magic of togetherness, seen through the eyes of a child.
What happens during a solar eclipse? The sun vanishes. Light becomes dark. Day animals sleep, and night animals wake. The moon takes over the sky. People stop what they're doing and together, they look up. The whole world changes for a few beautiful minutes.
Celebrating a favorite wonder of the universe, A Few Beautiful Minutes encourages young readers to (safely) discover each stage of a solar eclipse, and to experience how this incredible phenomenon can connect us to one another.
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Eclipse
In 1915, British astronomer Arthur Stanley Eddington was fascinated with Einstein's new theory of general relativity. The theory talks about how forces push and pull objects in space. Einstein said that the sun's gravity could pull and bend light.
To test this, astronomers decided to photograph a solar eclipse. The eclipse would allow them to photograph the stars before and during the solar eclipse. If the star's position moved, then it was evidence that that light had bent. Eddington and his team traveled from England to the island of Principe, just off the African coast, to photograph the eclipse.
In simple language, this nonfiction illustrated picture book explains how the push (acceleration) and pull (gravity) of space affects light.
Back matter includes information on Einstein, Eddington, and the original photograph of the 1919 solar eclipse.
MOMENTS IN SCIENCE COLLECTION
This exciting series focuses on small moments in science that made a difference.
- BURN: Michael Faraday's Candle
- CLANG! Ernst Chladni's Sound Experiments (2019 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book)
- POLLEN: Darwin's 130 Year Prediction (Junior Library Guild selection, starred Kirkus review)
- ECLIPSE: How the 1919 Eclipse Proved Einstein's Theory of General Relativity
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Eclipse
A boy and his dad experience a total solar eclipse in this heartwarming picture book by author and illustrator Andy Rash.
Shimmering rays shine around the moon. I try not to blink.
We are in the perfect place at the perfect time.
After hearing about the total solar eclipse happening in two months, a boy makes a plan with his father to go see it. They drive to the perfect campsite, not wanting to miss the couple of minutes when the sun will be completely hidden by the moon. When the moment happens, being together makes it even more special.
Based on a trip that author-illustrator Andy Rash took with his son to see the eclipse in August 2017, Eclipse is a heartfelt and playfully illustrated ode to seeking out unique adventures and savoring the most special moments with the people you love. Back matter about eclipses and maps of eclipses' paths across the United States make this book perfect for the STEAM curriculum.
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Totality!
Tens of millions of people live in places that experience(d) the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 - and hundreds of millions more will see other future eclipses around the world. There' s no better way to get ready for an eclipse and to learn about the underlying science than through this book and the related free app "Totality by Big Kid Science." Written by the astrophysicist/educator who created that app, Totality! An Eclipse Guide in Rhyme and Science features a unique combination of rhyme and science that makes it suitable for a wide range of ages, as well as parents, teachers, and librarians. The rhyme begins "Today's the day, it's final come / I'll see a diamond on the Sun," thereby engaging readers of all ages in imagining an eclipse experience. In addition, the rhyme has been pedagogically constructed to serve as a mnemonic device for the underlying science that is explained in detail with illustration and "Big Kid Box" sidebars. The book concludes with a glossary, suggested activities, and an eclipse science summary -- features that will add particular value for parents and teachers learning along with their students or kids.
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What Is a Solar Eclipse?
Learn about the phenomenon of a solar eclipse just in time for the Great American Eclipse that will take place on April 8, 2024 in this title in the Who HQ Now series featuring newsmakers and trending topics.
Just in time for the third North American total solar eclipse of the twenty-first century, this book explains how to safely observe solar eclipses, how long eclipses last, and why they result in a blackout period during the day. Young armchair astronomers and astronauts will be inspired by the wonders of outer space and what exists beyond our atmosphere as they learn more about the moon, the sun, and our earth. What really happens during a solar eclipse and how does it affect the energy in our atmosphere? You'll find the most up-to-date eclipse information in this exciting new book. -
Casting Shadows
The year 2024 is set to have multiple solar and lunar eclipses.
Solar and lunar eclipses are sights to behold. But you don't see them every day! Learn about the different kinds of eclipses. Then discover when they happen, how to watch them, and the cool things that can happen during an eclipse.
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When the Sun Goes Dark
Help youngsters understand the excitement about the recent solar eclipse with this charming and straightforward story about how eclipses of the Sun and Moon occur. Includes easy activities using ordinary items to make models, and explores common questions kids have. This richly illustrated book tells how two curious children and their grandparents re-create eclipses in their living room using a lamp, a tennis ball, two Hula Hoops, and Ping-Pong balls. Later, in the backyard and around the house, the family explores safe ways to view a solar eclipse and ponders phenomena from sunspots to phases of the Moon. Written by the authors of NSTA's award-winning book Solar Science, When the Sun Goes Dark gives children and adults hands-on techniques for learning the science behind eclipses of the Sun and Moon.
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Journey Through Eclipses
One of the most beautiful natural phenomena we can see here on Earth is that of solar and lunar eclipses. Through perfect orbital timing, these events can cause the Sun to disappear and darken the sky in the middle of the day or even to create an eerie red glow seemingly by magic. This book strips the magic away to provide the space science behind these incredible events.
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Total Solar Eclipse
Through a tale of celestial friendship, Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story explores the awe-inspiring phenomenon of a total solar eclipse and the unexpected ways we shine together.
Sun is seriously out of sorts about the upcoming total solar eclipse. Will Earthlings go blind watching it? What will they think when Sun's dependable light suddenly vanishes in the middle of the day? How could Moon betray their stellar friendship?
When totality finally arrives and Moon completely hides our brightest star from millions of Earthlings in its shadow, no one is more surprised than Sun to find Moon helped it shine in a totally different way.
Bonus materials in the book include a glossary, a special note to Earthlings about solar viewing safety, and an eclipse journal page.
Beating Boredom
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Unbored
The most original, entertaining, and instructive all-in-one book for kids ever published-jam-packed with information, ideas, and activities for children and their parents to share together
Unbored is the guide and activity book every modern kid needs. Vibrantly designed, lavishly illustrated, brilliantly walking the line between cool and constructive, it's crammed with activities that are not only fun and doable but also designed to get kids engaged with the wider world.
With contributions from a diverse crowd of experts, the book provides kids with information to round out their world view and inspire them to learn more. From how-tos on using the library or writing your representative to a graphic history of video games, the book isn't shy about teaching. Yet the bulk of the 350-page mega-resource presents hands-on activities that further the mission in a fun way, featuring the best of the old as well as the best of the new: classic science experiments, crafts and upcycling, board game hacking, code-cracking, geocaching, skateboard repair, yarn-bombing, stop-action movie-making-plus tons of sidebars and extras, including trivia, best-of lists, and Q&As with leading thinkers whose culture-changing ideas are made accessible to kids for the first time.
Just as kids begin to disappear into their screens, here is a book (along with its sequels, Unbored Adventure and Unbored Games) that encourages them to use those tech skills to be creative, try new things, and change the world. And it encourages parents to participate. Unbored is exciting to read, easy to use, and appealing to young and old, girl and boy. Parents will be comforted by its anti-perfectionist spirit and humor. Kids will just think it's awesome.
Contributors include Mark Frauenfelder of MAKE magazine; Colin Beavan, the No Impact Man; Douglas Rushkoff, renowned media theorist; Geoff Manaugh, author of BLDGBLOG; John Edgar Park, a CG supervisor at DisneyToon Studios; and Jean Railla, founder of GetCrafty.com and Etsy consultant. -
There's Nothing to Do!
A Bank Street College of Education 2018 Best Children's Book of the Year
In another hilarious book from the I Don’t Want to be a Frog series, young Frog learns an unexpected lesson about how NOT to be bored. Perfect for fans of Mo Willems’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back!
Frog is bored. He can’t find ANYTHING to do—even when his animal friends make good suggestions, like sleeping all day, licking between his toes, or hopping around and then staring off into space. Will he find a fun and exciting way to spend his day? Featuring the beloved characters from I Don’t Want to Be a Frog and I Don’t Want to Be Big, this new story is sure to bring a smile to every kid who’s ever said “There’s nothing to do!”
And look for the other books starring Frog: I Don't Want to Be a Frog, I Don't Want to Be Big and I Don't Want to Go to Sleep.
★ "Snappy, spot-on dialogue pairs ideally with the outsize drama of Boldt’s artwork; reading this book belongs on families’ to-do lists."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"In a structured, overstimulated world, downtime needs to be appreciated, and this small amphibian shows the way."—Kirkus -
Bored No More!
Inspired by her own animated short film The ABCs of What to Do When There's Nothing to Do--an official selection of several film festivals--Julie Reiters's Bored No More is the ultimate picture book of boredom busters from A to Z--perfect for any time you're stuck at home or in need of a little inspiration!
Act out a play
Bounce a ball
Call a friend
Dance down the hall
Whether you're home with the flu or stuck inside on a snowy day, this lively picture book offers fun suggestions for families looking to step away from their screens. Julie Reiters's bold and graphic art style is sure to appeal to readers of all ages, and the poetic text makes for a smooth read-aloud. With options from A to Z, Bored No More! is sure to provide inspiration for what to do when there's nothing to do! -
The Highlights Book of Things to Do Indoors
Awaken kids’ imaginations—there’s so much to do inside! The possibilities are endless for indoor fun. Companion to the best-selling Highlights Book of Things to Do, Highlights Book of Things to Do Indoors, features dozens of exciting indoor activities to enjoy at home, in the classroom and anywhere else kids may find themselves indoors! Throughout 160 activity-packed pages kids can discover a variety of fun rainy-day activities that will have the hours flying by as they play the day away inside.
This highly visual, hands-on activity book will banish boredom, foster imagination and unlock new interests. Your child can try out engaging activities like designing an epic obstacle course, creative projects like putting on their very own play, prompts and drawing activities that invite kids to doodle responses directly on the book’s pages and so much more. Organized by subject and covering a wide range of interests, topics covered include: Indoor Adventures, Space and Technology, Helping Others and more.
Great for curious and inquisitive kids, this illustrated, flexi-bound book is jam-packed with dozens of ways for kids to explore, create, problem solve and boost their brainpower as they enjoy hours of screen-free things to do indoors, whether they choose to play solo or alongside friends. -
The Boring Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2019
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
The Boring Book is a humorous picture book that follows the story of one particularly bored boy.
As the story progresses, our protagonist discovers there's actually more to boredom than what meets the eye—more questions, more theories, and heaps of humor.
This exploration of boredom from acclaimed author-illustrator Shinsuke Yoshitake playfully—and hilariously—unpacks the ways in which a seemingly stagnant state is actually a portal into a dynamic, life-enriching experience.
• Embraces the topic of boredom—an ever-so-popular kid complaint—and runs with it
• The unique comic format, fast pace, smart humor, and narrative approach makes it ideal for reluctant readers
• A universally hilarious book that will amuse children ages 5 to 8, as well as adults
In addition to banishing boredom, Yoshitake's distinctive illustrations promote visual literacy and show young readers what the process of creative thinking looks like.
This smart, laugh-out-loud picture book just might change your child's perspective on the state of boredom forever.
• A wonderful gift for parents, teachers, educators, librarians, caregivers, and anyone who has to answer to the statement "I'm bored!"
• Perfect for readers of early chapter books
• Great for fans of the Fox & Chick series by Sergio Ruzzier, Waiting Is Not Easy! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems, and I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black -
I Am So Bored!
A little bear is bored and has no idea what to do with himself. He tries to find a friend to play with him, but no one is around or available yet. Dejected, the little bear lays down on the ground with nothing to do but to stare at the sky or the grass. How boring!
Slowly, though, as he sits still, the world begins to come alive around him and his senses are awakened. The grass and the forest around him and the sky above him seem like a very different place and the bear finds himself full of curiosity. He sees things he hasn’t seen before like the shapes in the clouds and feels things he hasn’t felt before like the vibration of a bird’s wings.
I Am So Bored! is a book about imagination, slowing down the pace of life, and the power of all five senses. Take a journey with the little bear as he realizes the beauty of life that exists in the world around him. The perfect story to help little ones wind down and to take a break from screen time. Remember: boredom can sometimes be the best way to have fun.
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A Little SPOT of Boredom
Are you tired of hearing "I'm bored" or "this is boring"? A Little SPOT of Boredom is here to help your child get to the root of their Boredom and have them learn how to creative think and persevere.
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Unplug
Step away from your tablet and take a screen break! With 365 projects, crafts, games, and experiments, there’s off-screen fun for every single day of the year.
With straightforward step-by-step instructions and colorful illustrations, these entertaining, budget-friendly projects will keep kids learning all day long, every day of the year.
Using easy-to-find-at-home materials -
MAKE slime, marble paint, piñatas, and papier-mâché
GROW strawberries, bottle gardens, and herb pots
BAKE cake pops, twist pizzas, and muffins in a mug
EXPERIMENT with vinegar rockets, lava lamps, and parachutes
INVENT secret messages, spooky stories, and board games
PLAY jump rope, balloon volley, ball games, and eye-spy
RECYCLE trash into treasure and T-shirts into bags
PERFORM magic tricks, shadow plays, and puppet shows -
Doodle Cat Is Bored
Doodle Cat is back and he is very bored.
Until he finds a thing!
But what is this thing and what does it do?Following on from Doodle Cat Wears A Cape, writer Kat Patrick and illustrator Lauren Farell have created another hilarious tale featuring the irreverent bright red squiggle who loves just about everything.
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The Unplugged Family Activity Book
Get ready for kid-approved ideas that celebrate the great outdoors year round! Whether you're building forts or making fresh cider, there's something for every kid and every season.
Each season is full of excitement waiting to be found and Rachel highlights the best of each one with sections for recipes, nature exploration and play, and natural history:- In spring, make candied violets, spruce tip ice cream, or paper from wildflower seeds. Craft a kite, weave flower crowns, and make a DIY fairy garden!
- When summer comes, whip up herb-infused balms, rosewater, and zuchinni boats. Host a backyard camp-out, build a nature exploration pack, cast shadow drawings, sail a leaf-boat, and master giant bubbles.
- As the days cool for autumn, brew mulled cider, make spiced honey, and discover the deliciousness of homemade apple sauce. Plant bulbs for next year’s flowers, create an autumn rainbow, or craft a felted acorn necklace.
- Cozy up in winter with homemade maple candy, an herbal tea blend, and learn how to set out pine cone bird feeders. Build a snow fort or try some winter stargazing followed by making paper stars. (Or for those in warmer climates, make an ice lantern!)
Unique celebrations throughout give the entire family a reason to gather, from winter bonfires and Solstice celebrations to maple tappings and beeswax candle dippings!
Wondering What to Read Next?
Novelist K-8 - Find new titles and authors to read. Looking for a book similar to Percy Jackson? Want to read stories about animals? Prefer your books action-packed and plot driven? Let Novelist give you some new suggestions!
Lists
What We're Reading
- All About Eclipses
- Best of Sarah Weeks
- Novels in Verse
- Classics & Retellings
- Our Favorite Audiobooks
If You Like...
- Baby-Sitters Club
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Dog Man
- Harry Potter
- I Survived
- Percy Jackson
- The One and Only Ivan (Applegate)
- Spy School
- Wings of Fire
- Wonder (Palacio)
Illinois Readers' Choice Awards
2025
2024
School Reading Lists