Baltimore's Child Baltimore's Child
Bring the family together with some great reads for playtime or anytime.
BOARD/TODDLERS
‘Animal Antics
(‘Juegos de Animales’)
by Whitney Stewart
The bilingual Spanish and English text teaches mindfulness though imaginary play. Pretending to be different animals guides adults and their little ones through activities
good for the body and mind. This book is part of a series for even more suggested activities for indoor play.
‘Little Fish and Friends: A Touch-and-Feel Book’
by Lucy Cousins
Join Little Fish on a sensory adventure with different textures to feel on every page. Meet many new underwater friends in this brightly colored rhyming tale. This story makes a great read-aloud book but is also a book that children can explore on their own again and again.
PICTURE BOOKS
‘The Handmade Alphabet’
by Laura Rankin
Part alphabet book, part finger-spelling demonstration, diverse hands teach each letter of the manual alphabet with carefully placed props that begin with the letter displayed on that page. For example, a hand signs the letter “X” while being X-rayed. A finger scoops jam from a jar while finger-spelling the letter “J.” Enjoy multilayered, educational
fun that children from a range of ages can enjoy together.
‘Search and Spot: Go!’
by Laura Ljungkvist
This hip illustrated seek-and-find book seems at first more straightforward than other similar titles, but clever details and additional hidden challenges make this book worth reading again and again. Each page features picture riddles with different types of vehicles. The challenges are creative and call for a high attention to detail—a great book for an indoor activity day.
YOUNG READERS
‘Fauja Singh Keeps Going’
by Simran Jeet Singh
This is a true story of the oldest man to ever run a marathon at 100 years old. What’s even more amazing is that Fauja Singh’s parents originally thought he would never walk. However, his mother would tell him every day, “You know what you’re capable of. Today is a chance to do your best.” These wise words inspired Fauja Singh and his family and they will do the same for yours.
‘Edible Science Experiments You Can Eat’
by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen and Carol Tennant
Discover fun, hands-on science that is also edible. This book is packed with recipes that also teach different scientific concepts and range from those simpler to prepare (for example, making an orange vinaigrette teaches information about atoms, electrons and water molecules) to more advanced (“Bread on the Rise” teaches how yeast makes carbon dioxide gas). Each project clearly states its difficulty level, time needed for the project and scientific principles presented. Spend a day inside with some science fun!
MIDDLE READERS
‘Get a Job Making Stuff to Sell’
by Ryan Jacobson, illustrated by Jon Cannell
Use your time at home to create and sell! This book is perfect for tweens who want to make the most of a cozy winter day inside and be creative at the same time. The “Get a Job” series is a great way to introduce tweens to responsibility and dependability as well as entrepreneurship.
‘Jack & Louisa: Act 3’
by Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead
Calling all MTNs (Musical Theater Nerds)! The Jack & Louisa
series is fantastic for theatrical tweens. The last installment of the trilogy, which reads great as a stand-alone story, follows Jack and Louise to summer theater arts camp where drama doesn’t just happen on the stage. Can they return home and stay friends, even when the competition of the limelight threatens their BFF status?
TEENS
‘Anxiety Relief for Teens: Essential CBT Skills & Mindful Practices to Overcome Anxiety & Stress’
by Dr. Regine Galanti
Let’s be honest: 2020 gave everyone enough reasons to be stressed. This book walks teens through recognizing the sources of the stress in their day-to-day lives and how to combat that
anxiety with mindfulness exercises to re-center, refocus and approach each day with a positive outlook.
‘Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir’
by Maggie Thrash
A heart-rending coming-of-age story told through Manga-style illustrations, “Honor Girl” is the type of graphic memoir that will long stay with you. Maggie has attended Camp Bellflower for Girls for the summer for as long as she can remember, holding fast to the same traditions that the camp has held for 100 years. But when a simple passing moment with a camp counselor ignites new feelings in her, Maggie recognizes that it’s important to be confident in yourself, even when everyone else is against you. For any teen who has felt like an outsider and who grapples with creating an identity, this powerful read instills hope and courage.
