10 Children's Book to Read on Star Wars Day

May 4th of each year is the unofficial celebration of all things Star Wars.  Since 1979, fans of the Star Wars franchise... including yours truly... gather together with friends and families to rewatch their favorite Star Wars movies and talk about galaxies far, far away.  May the 4th was chosen as the date for this because of its wordplay on the well-known catchphrase... May the Force be with you.  (May the Fourth... May the Force...)

Listed below are ten children's books to get your students and children excited about Star Wars Day.  Most of the books are traditional storybooks, but there are some books from other genres on the list as well...  including a cookbook, a STEM activity book, and even a kid's coding book.  Enjoy!

This is an updated version of a blog post I wrote in 2015.  

Affiliate links are included.

Raja's Pet Camel: The Magic of Hope by Anita Nahta Amin

If you are a classroom teacher and were to ask your students what kind of pets they have at home, your students would probably say... cat, dog, fish, bird, turtle, snake, lizard, gerbil, hamster, bunny, guinea pig, horse, hermit crab, iguana, or even tarantula.  But how many of them would say... camel?  Some?  None?  That would totally depend on which part of the world you and your students live in, wouldn't it?

In Raja's Pet Camel: The Magic of Hope by Anita Nahta Amin, a little boy named Raja finds a baby camel and wants to keep him as a pet.  When he takes the camel home and asks his father if he could keep it, his father responded the way most parents would... No!  Will Raja be able to convince his father to let him keep the camel.  If so, how will he do it?  Is Raja's Pet Camel a work of fiction or nonfiction?  Reality or fantasy?  Keep reading to learn more about Raja's Pet Camel and the answers to these questions.

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day by Natasha Wing + STEM Activity

A Visit from St. Nicholas... also known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas... by Clement Clarke Moore is a traditional Christmas poem that has inspired authors to write parodies, satires, and their own versions of it.  Are you familiar with The Night Before St. Patrick's Day by Natasha Wing?  Children's author Natasha Wing was so inspired by 'Twas the Night Before Christmas that she wrote a St. Patrick's Day version for children to read!  Keep reading to learn more about The Night Before St. Patrick's Day and how you can tie it into a STEM/STEAM activity for your students.

(This is an updated version of a blog post I wrote in 2016.)

Crackle and Pop! Bible Science Experiments by Hanna Holwerda + STEM Activity

In January 2021, Hanna Holwerda released Crackle and Pop! Bible Science Experiments for parents, teachers, and children who want to integrate science instruction with the stories in the Bible. There are 100+ STEM experiments and science activities in the book that can be completed at home or at school, and many of them use materials that you may already have.  You can also get many of these items inexpensively at a dollar store.  Keep reading to learn more about Crackle and Pop! and to check out some photos from one of the experiments I tried!

Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) by Eugenia Chu

Children's author Eugenia Chu has a multilingual series of children's books written in English, Pinyin, and Chinese. The first two titles... Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) and Brandon Makes Jiǎo Zi (餃子)... have already been released. The third book... Brandon Goes to Hong Kong (香港)... will be released in March 2021.

 

Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京)... the second book in the Brandon series... is a short novel with six chapters, 64 pages in all.  In this book, Brandon and his family fly to China and spend time with their family.  They visit local and historical sites, taste traditional foods, and have a mystery to solve.  Fun times!  To learn more about Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) and how you can integrate it with a quick geography lesson, keep reading and leave a comment below!

10+ Steps to Reading Success by KP Carter and Dr. Kimberly Biddle

This is a sponsored post from KP Carter and Dr. Kimberley Biddle.  This post contains information about an upcoming literacy workshop for parents of young children.  Parents are children’s first teachers. This year parents are really teaching, or homeschooling, or substantially supplementing or monitoring their child’s education.  Ms. KP Carter and Dr. Kimberly Biddle will be conducting a workshop for parents on March 7, 2021 at 3pm PST. The cost is $40.00. To register for the conference go to this website www.kpcarterwrites.com. Registration ends on March 3, 2021.

Dragon's Breath by Michael Gordon + STEM Activity

February is National Children's Dental Health Month... a month-long observance that raises awareness of dental health and promotes the importance of proper oral hygiene.  During this time, early elementary school students learn and practice the right way to brush and floss their teeth.  Quite often dentists will visit their classrooms as guest speakers and pass out toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss.  Fun times!

Not too long ago, Michael Gordon published his book Dragon's Breath which emphasizes why having proper oral hygiene is so important.  Dragon's Breath is about Joe the Dragon who does not want to brush his teeth.  His teeth turn green... his breath starts to smell... and people don't want to be near him because of it.  Eventually, Joe brushes his teeth and feels good about himself.  Hooray!  But, what if Joe didn't make the smart choice to brush his teeth?  What would have happened to them over time?  Read Dragon's Breath and complete the following STEM activity to find out.  The results are GROSS!