Books for the Young Reader in All of Us

Reading aloud to children is very important; it helps to nurture literacy, it helps with listening skills, and cuddling while reading builds a positive association with books. Our book reviewer Carole Barrowman joins us to share some of her top picks for the young reader in all of us! For more information on Carole, visit BarrowmanBooks.com. And see below for her reviews: "Guitar Genius: How Les Paul Engineered the Solid-Body Electric Guitar and Rocked the World" by Kim Tomsic and Brett Helquist - Les Paul is one of our hometown heroes and a rock music legend so I was thrilled to share this book with Finn. It’s Paul’s biography in illustrations that rock off the pages. How he invented the electric guitar, and how he changed the music business. "Pete With No Pants" by Rowboat Watkins - Best title ever! You can’t help smiling before you even open the book. Pete is a baby elephant and he won’t wear pants. His mom chases after him all day trying to get him to put on his pants. What’s a mom to do? This is offbeat and whimsical, warm and loving. Kids of all ages will appreciate its message. "Did You Take The B From my _ook?" by Beck Stanton and Matt Stanton - This book is part of the “Books That Drive Kids CRAZY” series so it’s perfect for your reluctant readers, and you guessed it there are no “bs” in the _ook. Someone sneezed and they’re gone. Also great for family read aloud time… I mean laugh aloud time. "On The Come Up" by Angie Thomas - The is the second novel from Thomas who wrote the hugely successful The Hate You Give. Bri wants to continue her dad’s legacy and become a famous rapper (he died right before hit celebrity status), but her family is complicated and the world of rap even more so. Thomas does social issues with empathy and action and this book is a worthy sequel to her hit. Read it with your teenager. "Field Notes on Love" by Jennifer E. Smith - Hugo plans a romantic trip train ride across country with his girlfriend to celebrate their high school graduation. She dumps him, leaving him with two non-refundable tickets. He puts an ad in the paper for someone to take the second ticket. Mae, an artist who didn’t get into film school, answers his ad. This is a charming funny and wonderfully romantic story about young love and how it ‘may’ or ‘may’ not shape our futures. A swooning read aloud.