Little Lit Book Series: Favorite Books of 2016

It's been an incredible year for children’s books and today in #littlelitbookseries we’re sharing some of the best kidlit published this year.  We can’t possibly include all of them today but be sure to follow us at @littlelitbookseries as we share some of our favorite books of 2016 there throughout the month.

The Airport Book by Lisa Brown was far and away one of our favorite books published this year.  She really captures the bigness and airiness of an airport, with its comings and goings and ubiquitous swarms of people. When I first flipped through its pages, I had flashbacks of memorable times spent in airports—waiting, breathing in all the activity, getting lost in the sea of background noise, walking around and looking up at everything.

For more of this year’s best kidlit, search the hashtag #littlelitbookseries on Instagram.

a merry christmas and other christmas stories

A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories | Avery and Augustine

Sharing Louisa May Alcott’s A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories in honor of her birthday this week.  Does anyone else like to watch Little Women around this time of the year?  I try to watch it at least once during the month of December.

“A Merry Christmas collects the treasured holiday tales of Louisa May Alcott, from the dearly familiar Yuletide benevolence of Marmee and her 'little women' to the timeless 'What Love Can Do,' wherein the residents of a boarding house come together to make a lovely Christmas for two poor girls. Wildly popular at the time of their publication—readers deluged Alcott with letters demanding sequels—and drawing on Alcott’s family and experiences in the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements, these stories have the authentic texture and detail of Christmas in nineteenth-century America, while their emphasis on generosity and charity make them timeless embodiments of the Christmas spirit.”

Be sure to check out what @the.book.report is sharing for this week's #classicchapterbooks.

make your own spaceship

If your kids have caught the travel bug (as in interstellar travel), they will be intrigued by this Make Your Own Spaceship kit.  It includes 14 spaceships to assemble—all designed by different artists—including 2 blank ones to put your spin on and make your own.  There are also envelopes in the kit for kids to share their spaceships and mail to friends living locally or in the reaches of outer space.  Perfect for crafting stories in pretend play and especially for the upcoming winter break.  Published by Laurence King.

snow

Carolina Rabei’s whitewashed snowy scenes serve as the perfect backdrop for Georgian poet Walter de la Mare’s poem Snow.  Her warm palette of reds, beiges, grays and blacks bring a buoyancy, joy and lightheartedness that make you want to engage in the cheerful raillery portrayed on the pages of this magical book.

“No breath of wind,

No gleam of sun – 

Still the white snow

Whirls softly down”

Snow is from Walter de la Mare’s poetry collection Peacock Pie.  This illustrated version is by Carolina Rabei and published by Faber & Faber.

animal doctors

A fascinating look at how animals heal themselves.  Blue jays will place live stinging ants among their feathers which serve as a kind of antiseptic shampoo against parasites.  Rhinos are prone to sunburn and insect bites and they use a coating of mud as a natural sunblock to protect themselves from the sun’s rays and bugs.  After you read Animal Doctors, you might figure out why your own dog or cat at home have the quirky habits they do.  A highly informative and interesting read for kids (and adults).

Animal Doctors: Incredible Ways Animals Heal Themselves was written by Angie Trius and Mark Doran, illustrated by Julio Antonio Blasco and published by Laurence King.