Age six is an integral stage in a child’s reading journey. Six-year-olds can retell familiar stories with confidence and even begin to write and read back stories of their own. There are so many books out there and each child’s literacy development is unique, so it can be hard to know which books are appropriate for your six-year-old. Luckily, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of the best books for six-year-olds.
Allowing a child to choose what they read and selecting books based on their own interests can make all the difference in a child’s eagerness to read. Here are a few resources for finding great books on all kinds of topics and interests.
This month, we spoke with Jarvis, the author and illustrator of the book, “Lazy Dave”. Although Jarvis has published numerous children’s books, “Lazy Dave” was his debut picture book and we fell in love with Dave the first time we read the book. Dave is a dog who loves to sleep all day long. Lilly thinks he is the laziest dog in the world but maybe Dave isn’t as lazy as Lilly thinks.
Looking back at some of the authors we have interviewed over the past year or so, we found that they’ve given some interesting insights and opinions on how life-long book lovers come to be. In our interviews, we’ve asked these authors to reflect on their own journeys as young readers to see if perhaps there’s something in the proverbial water. We’ve also asked them, however, to provide advice to parents who want to inspire a similar love of reading in their children.
With Labor Day around the corner, it’s just about time to go back to school. Back to drop offs and pickups and after school activities and sports clubs and bake sales. Back to helping with homework and packing lunches and scrambling to make sure everyone has their shoes on in time. Every parent knows how chaotic the beginning of the school year can be.
This month, we spoke with David Miles, author and illustrator of a number of children’s books including “But First, We Nap” and “Donuts -The Hole Story. David Miles has been writing children’s books since he was 19. In addition to writing books for a living, he is also Creative Director for a children’s book publisher. He knows a lot about books! We are thrilled to have him as our Author of the Month for August and will be featuring not one, but two of his books (a first for Elephant Books).
This month we’re going in-depth with a Reading Tip is about Making Predictions. Asking your child to make predictions is wildly helpful in developing literacy skills because it encourages them to think deeply and creatively about the text. Read on for tips on how to approach making predictions before, during, and after you read.
This month, we caught up with Ashley Sorenson, author of the fantastic book Color Blocked.
Color Blocked is a wonderfully creative story about what happens when a machine that spews out color gets stopped up. To fix the machine and bring color back to the world, children and parents must work together by spinning the book upside-down and flipping it from side-to-side. The book is interactive, fun, and sure to bring on a lot of laughs.
The Fourth of July is dedicated to celebrating the founding of our country, but in many ways, it’s also about celebrating our families. And while you’re waiting to see fireworks or enjoying a road trip, it’s a great time to read with your children!
But, really, every day of summer holds fantastic opportunities to read together. And, in fact, summer reading is incredibly important. It can help keep your child develop positive reading habits and exercise their brain, among other things.
This month, we had the privilege of getting to know Marianne Richmond, author of Be Brave, Little One. Marianne is passionate about connecting families through reading, so, naturally, we here at Elephant Books were excited to hear more about her story and her philosophy as an author.
Be Brave, Little One is a wonderful tale that explores what it means to be brave. It touches on the traditional definition–to explore new things and to reach outside of your comfort zone. It also, however, teaches children that sometimes being brave is saying hello to a new friend or to say that something is hard or frustrating.
Father’s Day is the time to reflect on all the wonderful things that dads do for their families. What better way to show your appreciation than to give them the perfect gift—more quality time with their children through reading. In the spirit of Father’s Day, we explore five ways that reading together can benefit both father and child.
In this month’s author interview, we’re catching up with Michael Hale, author of Bad Monkey Business. Bad Monkey Business is the tale of a monkey on a mission, told in rhyme and paired with charming, lively illustrations. You’ll find lots of different animals in the pages of this humorous story–no surprise, since its author was once Creative Director at the Phoenix Zoo!
While we are in love with books at Elephant Books, we live in a culture where it is so easy for children to get their hands (and keep their eyes) on a screen. So the question of how to approach kids’ screen usage is increasingly relevant. Recently, Elephant Books received a shout out from Ryan Howard, co-founder of Smart Parent Advice. In this edition of Elephant Notes, we’re passing along his thoughtful insights on how to navigate the challenging topic of kids and screen time.
We caught up with R.W. Alley about what inspires his writing and illustrations and his take on reading during childhood. Long-time illustrator of more than 150 books–including Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear series–and author of countless of his own, he now lives in Rhode Island with his wife Zoë where he spends his time creating new characters, like those in Clark in the Deep Sea, in his charming garage-turned art studio.
A book about a little dragon learning to fly AND a possible new book involving elephants on the way…what more could we at Elephant Books ask for? This month we’re sharing Calista Brill’s book, “Little Wing”, with many of our picture book subscribers.
Ever wonder how a children’s author and illustrator approaches his or her craft? When we last spoke to one of our featured authors, Sophy Henn, she kindly shared some insight and pictures describing how she developed the idea for her first book, Where Bear.
We love hearing from our subscribers and last July we heard from a lot of you about the book, “Pom Pom Panda Gets the Grumps”. We jumped at the chance to include another wonderful book by one of our favorite authors, Sophy Henn for this month’s book box.
This week we wanted to share with you an excerpt from Jenny Silverstone’s article on the lifelong benefits of reading for children. Jenny Silverstone is a professional writer, mother of two, and advocate of the importance of childhood reading.
Our December author of the month, Tim Hamilton, is a children’s author, cartoonist, and comic books creator. He both adapted the text and created the illustrations for the highly acclaimed, authorized graphic novel adaption of Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”.
Henry McHenry is an adorable little rhino that just can’t seem to stay clean. If you have a Henry at your house or know a Henry, then we have the perfect book for you. Our November selection, “A Perfect Mess” written by Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist, Steve Breen, will quickly become a favorite.
“The Great Henry Hopendower” tells the sweet tale of an aspiring young magician who learned everything he knows from the very best, his grandpa. Henry’s loving memories of his grandfather expressively unfold throughout this beautifully illustrated book.
Parents of toddlers will most certainly relate to the adorable and curious mouse in the beautifully illustrated book, “Aberdeen.” An adventurous little mouse, Aberdeen follows a bright red balloon through gardens, puddles and even a forest before realizing he’s a bit lost.
How good is your memory? For our August book selection, we have a little boy who is suppose to pick up just a few items for his mother. Easy, right? But when Vincent loses the list, his memory might not be what it needs to be resulting in quite a few surprises at home. For example, the ‘firm pear’ his mum was looking for becomes a ‘big furry bear’!
This July one of our picture books selections features a panda. One morning Pom Pom Panda wakes up on the wrong side of bed…and then nothing goes right! He can’t find his blanket Timmington and his baby brother is playing with his favorite toy— Harrumph! By the time Pom Pom arrives at the playground, he’s in a terrible mood.
Elephant Books recently had the opportunity to sit down with Dawn Tringas and Kimberly Aulenback, the authors of “Bookworm Babies: Read. Converse. Nurture. Impact.” In the second half of our conversation (Part 1 can be found here) Valerie Friedholm discussed some of their recommendations for encouraging early reading and learned more about reading “rituals” in their own households.
Meet the Authors: Bookworm Babies, Part 1 Welcome to Elephant Notes . . . our periodic take on some of the ideas, issues, and news impacting parents, children, and reading. This week...the first half of our interview with the authors of "Bookworm Babies". Elephant...
Meet the Author: Ben Joel Price Welcome to Elephant Notes . . . our periodic take on some of the ideas, issues, and news impacting parents, children, and reading. This week...an interview with the author and illustrator Ben Joel Price. One of our June picture books...
A Book Vacation(ish) Welcome to another edition of Elephant Notes . . . our periodic take on some of the ideas, issues, and news impacting parents, children, and reading. This week...the idea of the book vacation. If you’re a parent taking your kids on vacation,...
The Perfect Baby Gift . . . Every Time! Welcome to another edition of Elephant Notes . . . our periodic take on some of the ideas, issues, and news impacting parents, children, and reading. This week, our author tackles (and solves) the perennial question of the...
Screen Time, Kids, & the Power of Books Welcome to Elephant Notes, our periodic look at some of the issues, ideas, and news impacting children and reading. Over the past few weeks and months you’ve probably noticed a barrage of negative headlines, some even using...
You may be surprised about the one factor that across 27 countries is most likely to impact kids’ education attainment.
The Perfect Family Holiday Gift Get ready for it. I can’t tell you exactly what "it" is, but because December is just around the corner, it most likely will feature plastic, buttons, batteries, plugs and, of course, noise. Parents and children (and even those who...
Four Easy Steps to Making Reading Count for Kids My three-year-old daughter’s favorite bedtime ritual was picking out five books every night that I would read to her. I can’t tell you why it was always five (at some point we probably negotiated it down from ten), but...
Let Them Read Books…Real Books! We all have that one book. The book that can immediately take you back to your childhood. Maybe it was a classic, like Goodnight Moon or Runaway Bunny, or maybe it was something unique and special for your family that resonates in a way...
People often ask, “Why Elephant Books?” In short, there’s no single answer as to how we chose the name “Elephant” in our aspiration to build the world’s foremost book service for kids. Instead, here are some of the reasons that make us believe these creatures are particularly great representatives for the service we’ve created.
Unashamedly Analog: Why Real Books Are Important So first let’s get this out of the way: we love the Internet and are firm believers that the digital revolution has unleashed incredible opportunities, chances to be creative, and new ways to educate. In fact given the...
