KidCrunch

Syd Hoff (1912-2004) the author and illustrator of a long list of classic children’s books, was born on this day in 1912.  On his birthday, it seems appropriate to celebrate the work of this prolific children’s book author.

Syd Hoff’s books are timeless classics with a place on almost every child’s bookshelf.  I remember reading them as a kid and–because so many have been republished as “I Can Read” books–my kids have had the chance to enjoy them as well.  Following is a list of our family’s favorite Syd Hoff books:

• Albert the Albatross
• Barney’s Horse
• Captain Cat
• Chester
• Danny and the Dinosaur
• Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp
• Grizzwold
• Happy Birthday, Danny and the Dinosaur!
• Mrs. Brice’s Mice
• Oliver
• Sammy the Seal
• Stanley
• The Horse in Harry’s Room
• The Littlest Leaguer
• Who Will Be My Friends?

Celebrate Syd Hoff’s birthday by reading a stack of Syd Hoff books with your kids.  If you are looking for easy-to-read books with engaging stories and superb illustrations, you and your kids will love Syd Hoff books.

Buy these Syd Hoff books and other great kids books through Amazon.

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• Kids Book List: Favorite Books by Dr. Seuss
• Caldecott Award-Winning Books (2000 to 2009)
• Kids Book Series: Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa

Earlier this week, my daughter and I embarked on a trip around the world (and back in time) with Jack and his sister Annie from Mary Pope Osborne’s book series The Magic Tree House.  This is one of the best book series for kids who are just starting to read chapter books.

In The Magic Tree House series, eight year old Jack and seven year old Annie discover a book-filled tree house near their home in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania.  By pointing to a book and making a wish, Jack and Annie are magically transported by the tree house to the setting of the book.

Young readers pick up tidbits of knowledge with each adventure - as they cross the Delaware with George Washington, help a baby kangaroo escape an Australian wildfire or watch the Olympic Games with Plato.  In addition, there are Research Guides that provide background information on many of the adventures.

The true value of the series is not the knowledge gained from each book.  Instead, it is the love of reading that many kids first experience when introduced to The Magic Tree House books.  Like so many young readers, my kids read one Magic Tree House book after another until they finished the series. 

To help your kids on this journey, the books in this popular series are listed in order below.

1. Dinosaurs Before Dark
2. The Knight at Dawn
3. Mummies in the Morning
4. Pirates Past Noon
5. Night of the Ninjas
6. Afternoon on the Amazon
7. Sunset of the Sabertooth
8. Midnight on the Moon
9. Dolphins at Daybreak
10. Ghost Town at Sundown
11. Lions at Lunchtime
12. Polar Bears Past Bedtime
13. Vacation Under the Volcano
14. Day of the Dragon King
15. Viking Ships at Sunrise
16. Hour of the Olympics
17. Tonight on the Titanic
18. Buffalo Before Breakfast
19. Tigers at Twilight
20. Dingoes at Dinnertime
21. Civil War on Sunday
22. Revolutionary War on Wednesday
23. Twister on Tuesday
24. Earthquake in the Early Morning
25. Stage Fright on a Summer Night
26. Good Morning, Gorillas
27. Thanksgiving on Thursday
28. High Tide in Hawaii
29. Christmas in Camelot
30. Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve
31. Summer of the Sea Serpent
32. Winter of the Ice Wizard
33. Carnival at Candlelight
34. Season of the Sandstorms
35. Night of the New Magicians
36. Blizzard of the Blue Moon
37. Dragon of the Red Dawn
38. Monday with a Mad Genius
39. Dark Day in the Deep Sea
40. Eve of the Emperor Penguin
41. Moonlight on the Magic Flute

The challenge for parents will come when their kids finish The Magic Tree House series.  My oldest son had a hard time finding books that he enjoyed as much (until he found The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner.)  He is ten now, but I suspect he still sneaks a copy of the latest Magic Tree House books from his little sister for a quick, familiar read.

Shop for The Magic Tree House books and other popular kids book series at the KidCrunch Store.

Kids who like science will love The Magic School Bus, a series that follows the adventures of Ms. Frizzle, a fearless science teacher who takes her students on amazing field trips aboard her incredible bus.  The Magic School Bus changes form and moves across time to bring Ms. Frizzle and her class to outer space, inside the human body and on other fantastic journeys through the world of science.

Magic School Bus Classic Books are cartoon-like, detail-packed books written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen.  The series was turned into an educational TV show - with Lily Tomlin as the voice of Ms. Frizzle - that is available as Magic School Bus DVDs.  Later, a variety of authors contributed to additional books in the classic format, plus a series of Magic School Bus Chapter Books which continue the adventures of Ms. Frizzle and her class in chapter book form.

The Magic School Bus series is valuable because it conveys detailed scientific information in a format that is both understandable and entertaining to kids.

Shop for Magic School Bus books and DVDs at the KidCrunch Store.

The following list includes Newbery Award-winning books that are favorites among boys:

1. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (2008 Newbery Honor)  7th grade boy and his teacher meet after school in the 1960s.
2. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (2005 Newbery Honor)  12 year old Moose Flanagan and family live on Alcatraz Island in 1935.
3. Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos (2001 Newbery Honor)  Boy with ADHD spends the summer with his estranged Dad.
4. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (2000 Newbery Medal) 10 year old Bud searches for jazz musician father in 1930s Michigan.
5. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (1991 Newbery Medal)  Athletic orphan boy encounters racism and seeks a home.
6. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (1988 Newbery Honor)  13 year old boy survives alone in Canadian wilderness after a plane crash.
7. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (1984 Newbery Honor)  12 year old boy learns about wilderness survival and Native American culture.
8. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier (1975 Newbery Honor)  Classic story of a family torn apart by the Revolutionary War.
9. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (1960 Newbery Honor)  Boy runs away from New York City apartment to live alone in the Catskill mountains.
10. Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman (1955 Newbery Medal)  16 year old boy attempts the Alpine climb that killed his father.

Shop for these selections and other Newbery Award winners in the KidCrunch Store.

Girls will love these recent and classic Newbery Award-winning books:

1. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson (2007 Newbery Honor)  16 year old orphan becomes Montana homesteader in 1918.
2. Rules by Cynthia Lord (2007 Newbery Honor)  12 year old big sister creates rules to deal with brother’s autism.
3. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (2001 Newbery Medal)  Mary Alice spends year of Great Depression with her grandmother in Illinois.
4. Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff (1998 Newbery Honor)  Girl develops friendship with a refugee boy in the Rockaways during World War II.
5. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (1995 Newbery Medal)  13 year old Salamanca Tree Hiddle travels with grandparents to Idaho in search of missing mother.
6. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1990 Newbery Medal)  Brave girl helps best friend in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943.
7. Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (1983 Newbery Honor)  Fantasy book chronicles young girl warrior’s adventures in the desert.
8. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (1977 Newbery Medal)  Nine year old Cassie faces segregation and bigotry in Deep South of the 1930s.
9. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (1967 Newbery Medal)  Ten years in the life of a girl raised by her aunt after her mother’s death.
10. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1959 Newbery Medal)  In 1687, headstrong teenager encounters witch hunt in Puritan New England colony.

Shop for these favorites and other Newbery-Award winners at the KidCrunch Store.