Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett

Billy Twitters never thought his mom would make good on her threat to buy him a blue whale if he didn't clean his room, brush his teeth or eat his peas. Well, she certainly showed him! When FedUp delivery (slogan: delivering punishment worldwide) shows up with a blue whale, Billy is tasked with the obligation of taking his new, ginormous blue whale wherever he goes. And so Billy's troubles begin.

Billy is uninvited to a pool party because, of course, his 100-foot blue whale can't fit in the pool. He gets laughed at on the playground for having a very uncool pet. And after a long, exhausting day Billy still has whale maintenance to do: wash, wax and barnacle check his whale. Just when he contemplates an escape to Montana, Billy has a sudden realization that could make everything better.

If the story of Billy being burden with this big blue whale doesn't make you laugh, then surely the illustrations (by Adam Rex) of Billy and his expressionless whale will. There's Billy riding to school on his bike with a giant whale being pulled behind on a skateboard. And classmate Tilbie Peel getting stuck, head first, in the whale's blowhole during a ride home from school. And my favorite, Billy playing seesaw with the whale's fin during some quality outdoor park time.

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett is a fun read. And you never know. It could be just the ammunition you need to get your young charge to clean his room, brush his teeth and eat his peas...or else.

Sergio Saves the Game! by Edel Rodriguez

Sergio Makes a Splash somehow never made our reading list. But after reading the second installment Sergio Saves The Game! by Edel Rodriguez it has now moved to the top of our list.

Sergio loves soccer, and in his dreams he's fantastic. In real life, however, he's always the last one chosen by his peers to play on a team. Leave it to momma penguin to make a worthwhile suggestion to her determined little one, "Well ... Maybe you can try being a goalie! That's a very important position."

Sergio has some trouble in the beginning, but decides to practice, practice, practice before the big championship game. Eventually he gets pretty good. The game comes down to Sergio saving the one point lead during a final penalty kick from the Seagulls. The excitement mounts! Is Sergio able to match his spirit and courage to the stature and skill of the Seagull's biggest player? Will he stop that ball?

Much like the mighty Seagulls on the opposing soccer team, I completely underestimated tiny Sergio. I LOVED reading this read aloud, and my daughter LOVED listening to it. There were lots of oohs and ahhs and laughing. Soccer fan or not, if you dig stories about facing challenges head-on, this story is for you. You'll find yourself rooting for Sergio the whole way through ... even if you do have a giggle or two at his expense.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo

Mercy Watson doesn't want to sleep alone in her dark, scary room, so she sneaks into Mr. And Mrs. Watson's bed and snuggles between them. Typical behavior of a preschooler, you say? Only problem is Mercy isn't a preschooler. She's a fun-loving pig with an affinity for warm, buttery toast.

Just when Mercy is deep into a dream about a plate piled-high with delicious, hot-buttered toast, she and the other dreaming Watsons are awakened by a "Boom!" The bed is falling through a second floor hole. And although Mr. Watsons tells everyone to stay where they are, Mercy dashes off to find...some hot buttered toast?!?

What happens next? A scare, a chase and firemen are called to the scene. Mercy's love of toast turns her into the unwitting hero, or as the Watsons like to call her a "porcine wonder."

This action-filled, fast moving story completely delighted me and my 5 year old daughter during our shared bedtime reading. And lots of chatter and giggles followed. If this first book is any indication of the rest, the Mercy Watson series is perfect for a beginning reader ready to give chapter books a try. It has so much to offer: easy to read text, vibrant illustrations, interesting characters and lots of humor and silliness. Next up on our reading list Mercy Watson Goes For a Ride. Looks like a fun, new adventure for sure!

Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo: A Whirlwind Vacation by Nancy Krulik

The Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo series is a great selection for the naturally curious elementary set. Katie is a normal 4th grader in every regard with one exception -- the magic wind. This wind is a wild tornado that blows only on Katie and switcheroos her into someone else.

It first happened after a bad day of unfortunate events in the third grade. Katie wished she was anyone but herself. The next day Katie turned into Speedy, the class hamster.

And like any tornado, Katie's switcheroos usually create trouble and confusion for everyone involved. Katie, however, is a terrific problem-solver with a big heart and always figures out a way to clean up her messes.

With this summer coming to an end and staycations all the rage, my 5-year-old daughter and I decided to take a lovely European vacation with Katie Carew and her family in Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo: A Whirlwind Vacation By Nancy Krulik.

This special issue features more switcheroos than most other books in the series. A switcheroo happens at each vacation destination point. Before the trip is over Katie steps into the shoes of a Buckingham Palace guard in London, England, a sidewalk artist in Paris, France, a flamenco dancer in Madrid, Spain, and an aspiring gondolier in Venice, Italy.

Katie always shows a lot of charm trying to make the best out of each awkward situation. When requested to sing a song during her stint as a gondolier she summons up the only Italian song she knows: "On Top Of Spaghetti." It is this type of quick thinking that helps Katie to happily resolve each and every predicament she creates during her switcheroos.

This is great read because, in addition to offerings an exciting adventure that kids will really enjoy, it also provides some basics on European geography and culture. And it can serve as a springboard to inspire so many other fun activities and pursuits.

Take a pretend gondola ride. What songs would you sing? Pull out that sketch pad during your next outing. Point out all the shapes and colors you see. Make some homemade castanets and get flamenco dancing. Host a taste the foods of Europe dinner week. Let everyone help with the menu and preparations. And my favorite, play the laughing game. Take turns trying every crazy stunt and silly face imaginable to get a laugh out of the other person.

So get the passports ready. Time to go traveling with Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo: A Whirlwind Vacation.

Vincent's Colors: words and pictures by Vincent van Gogh

This is a beautiful book to introduce Vincent van Gogh to young readers and budding artists alike. Van Gogh wrote more than 800 letters to his friends and family in his lifetime. The majority of those letters were to to his younger brother Theo. Vincent's Colors features Van Gogh's dynamic and colorful paintings and what he wrote about them, translated and in rhyme, to his brother Theo.

The text for each painting is a starting point for discussion, but the topics are endless: What catches your eye first in this painting? What colors do you see? What shapes do you see? Point out some of the lines you see in this painting. What do you think Van Gogh was thinking or feeling when he painted this picture? How do you think Van Gogh painted that sky or those leaves? How did he create movement in his sky? Is this painting a landscape, a portrait or a still life?

From insightful conversations to new creations for your refrigerator, this book has a lot of inspiration to offer.

Alphabet Riddles by Susan Joyce

Perusing some of the non-fiction fare for my 5 year old, I stumbled on this great find. My daughter is a new-ish reader, starting kindergarten in a month. We often engage in on-the-fly family games rooted in literacy and math. This book selection served exactly that purpose.

Each page in the book offers a hint in rhyme for each letter in the alphabet. The first letter and last letter of each clue is offered with dashes for each missing letter inbetween.

My daughter read each clue aloud before guessing the answer. Being a new reader, however, she's still working on fluency. Although she understood the words she was reading, the answer didn't come to her for at least one clue until after I read it aloud. We discussed how using punctuation cues, expression and intonation can really make a difference. For example, I start with a E and end with and O. I'm a sound that repeats. I bounce back and grow. When you say, "Hello." I say, "Hel-lo-lo-lo." What am I? Do you know? Read dryly this clue can be a bit hard to figure out. But try it with expression and it's a snap.

In addition to guessing the answer to each riddle aloud, I also wrote down the answer while my daughter and I tried to sound it out. Some came easily, like "cup" and "yoyo" while others were a bit more challenging, like "ocean" and "television."

Alphabet Riddles is a great read aloud choice for early readers. It's fun and offers plenty of casual opportunities to discuss patterns, sounds and fluency.