Ellen’s Book Nook ~ March 2018

By Guest Blogger Ellen Lloyd

The Triad area has one of the most beautiful displays of springtime in the country. The flowers and trees offer an explosion of color against the backdrop of lush, green spaces. All of this added to the beautiful lakes, parks, extensive trail systems and wonderful public spaces make the Triad a special place to live. Take advantage of this gorgeous time of year and consider venturing out with your family for a picnic lunch, a game of frisbee, or story time under a shade tree. Below are a few book suggestions to consider adding to your bag to enjoy on a spring afternoon. Happy Spring!

Preschool — Little Blue Truck’s Springtime (board book) by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Fans of the Little Blue True Truck will love this new title! As the weather warms and springtime beckons all to venture outdoors, young ones will delight in meeting baby animals on the farm. Children will enjoy lifting the creatively placed flaps to discover the hidden baby animals. Parents may consider engaging children in memory games (using the flaps) and discussion about each baby animal during reading time to add an extra layer of learning.

Early Elementary — The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

A picture book with no pictures? Yes, it does exist and it is fabulous! The author of this book may be familiar to fans of NBC’s The Office as he plays Ryan Howard on the show. The creative use of text color, size and placement encourage children to create the illustrations within their imagination. Definitely an “out of the box” book, but it works really well. The author has a forthcoming book, again without pictures, about the alphabet. That should be interesting!

Elementary/Middle School — Use Your Girl Power: A Journal by Ashley Rice

Disclaimer — this selection is targeted for girls (apologies this month to moms of boys!) and isn’t a traditional book. However, it made the selection this month because it is a valuable tool for girls to use to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas about their lives and the world around them via a range of questions and prompts. All too often this age group of girls (10-14) are less apt to speak their mind and let their voice be heard. A powerful first step to combat this is to introduce girls to the practice of journaling. Finding the words and expressing them on paper can help motivate girls to stand up for themselves and find their voice.

High School — Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

The author of this novel delves into challenging topics of cultural divides, bigotry and hatred in her debut work. The main character, an Indian-American Muslim teen, struggles with decisions that pull her between her cultural norms and the American world in which she has been raised. This book touches on many sensitive subjects and provides the framework for rich discussion with and among teens, especially relevant in our world today.

Moms — Pekoe Most Poison (A Tea Shop Mystery) by Laura Childs

Tea lovers and mystery enthusiasts will especially enjoy this month’s selection. This mystery features Theodora Browning, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her experience as a guest of socialite Doreen Briggs at her Rat Tea. This event is a long-standing Charleston tradition that originated as a way to promote better public health. However, this particular tea party goes awry when a number of unexpected events occur. An intriguing “whodunnit” tale, complete with tea time recipes.

Win a book of your choice from today’s blog!
Remember to share your thoughts and comments, and you could be selected to win a copy of one of the books, compliments of Barnes & Noble, Friendly Shopping Center, Greensboro. The staff of Triad Moms on Main will choose a random winner one week after the blog runs. (Please be sure to enter your email address when you fill out your comment so they have a way to contact you.)

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Ellen Bryant Lloyd is the author of FRECKLES and FRECKLES and The Great Beach Rescue. Please visit www.funwithfreckles.com and www.facebook.com/funwithfreckles to learn more about Freckles. Ellen writes a blog about her perspectives on life and parenting at www.mindfulmom.wordpress.com and tweets at @EllenBLloyd. She lives in Greensboro with her husband and two children.

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