15 Children's Books About Crayons

I just found out that today... March 31st... is National Crayon Day. National Crayon Day is a day in which people celebrate the joy of coloring. It is also the day that Crayola typically retires old crayon colors and introduces its new ones. (As far as I know, no new colors were added this year-- 2023. No colors were retired as well.) Listed below are 10+ children's books about crayons, markers, and other coloring supplies that'd be fun for children to read. Fiction and nonfiction books for all ages are included. Keep reading to rediscover some old classics and possibly find new favorites.

Kattenstoet and Six Books About Cats

Every three years during the month of May, people in Ypres, Belgium participate in a festival specifically dedicated to cats. Yes, to cats! (I love cats.) This festival is called Kattenstoet or Kattenfestival. On this day, people attend Kattenstoet parades, dress up in cat costumes, and toss stuffed toys cats in the air. Sounds like fun, yes? Keep reading to learn more about Kattenstoet and for a quick list of children's books about cats.

Your Life Matters! by Chris Singleton

Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) is in its 10th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators. 

Each year authors and publishing companies provide multicultural children's books for educational bloggers and social media influencers to read and write about online. In previous years, I've written about Hi, My Name is Jenny, A Unicorn Ate My Homework, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, and From My Window. This year, I was given a copy of Your Life Matters by Chris Singleton to read. Keep reading to learn more about Your Life Matters and how you can integrate it into your social studies lessons. 

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

In 2015, I participated in a Read Around the World Summer blog series and put together this collection of videos about A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. A Long Walk to Water is a historical fiction children's novel based on real people and actual events. It follows the lives of two people (Salva and Nya) during different periods of time. Salva Dut’s story takes place in the mid-1980s during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Nya’s story takes place in the 2000s, shortly before South Sudan gained its independence. Keep reading to learn about the history and events behind the story!

10 Tasty Children's Books for Taco Tuesday

Taco Tuesdays are a fun and popular tradition for many people in the United States. On Taco Tuesday, people will often make tacos for dinner or go out to eat them at a restaurant. Some school cafeterias even offer tacos as one of their lunch options on Tuesdays. If you are looking for some tasty children's books to read on Taco Tuesday, check out the children's books in this post!

Fun Fact: Did you know that the first Taco Tuesday dates back to 1989 when a restaurant called Taco Joe's offered a special promo for... you guessed it... tacos on Tuesdays?

Do You Speak Tree? by Josh Oaktree

In April 2021, Josh Oaktree wrote a graphic novel for children called Do You Speak Tree? Do You Speak Tree? is a wordless children's book with a powerful message to its readers... save our trees! It's about a tree named Oakie who is distraught when he sees his forest being cut down. Oakie seeks out help from his friend Art and together they organize a peaceful protest to halt its destruction. Keep reading to discover what happens next and to learn how you can use Do You Speak Tree? in the classroom.

Meet the Mermaids: Hi, I'm Jenny by Lois Petren

Multicultural Children’s Book Day is an online children’s literacy event that occurs on the last Friday of every January. Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen created Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) several years ago as a way to celebrate diversity in children’s books while getting diverse books into the hands of young readers, parents, teachers, and librarians. Each year authors and publishers from around the world donate books to MCBD for bloggers to read and review. This year I received the book Meet the Mermaids: Hi, I'm Jenny. Meet the Mermaids: Hi, I'm Jenny... Hi, I'm Jenny for short... by Lois Petren is about a mermaid who wants to teach readers about positivity and self-confidence. Keep reading to learn more about this book!

Marlon Finds a Way by Dan Bailes

Have you ever watched a cat and wondered what is going on in its mind? Children's author Dan Bailes has! Dan Bailes recently released Marlon Finds a Way, a short chapter book about a cat named Marlon who wants to become friends with Silky the bird. Why would a cat want to become friends with a bird? What is Marlon thinking? In today's guest post Dan Bailes introduces us to Marlon, describes his book Marlon Finds a Way, and provides some discussion questions about the book you can use during your language arts lessons. Read on to learn more!

The Truck That Wanted to Be a Submarine by C. and S. Dunlop

March 17 of each year is famously known for being St. Patrick’s Day. What very few people know is that it’s also Submarine Day! Yes, there is a quirky holiday dedicated to the love of submarines. I recently discovered a cute, little book would be a fun read aloud for Submarine Day. It’s called The Truck That Wanted to Be a Submarine and is written by C. and S. Dunlop. The Truck That Wanted to Be a Submarine is about... well... a truck that wanted to be a submarine and its friend who helped it change into one. Keep reading to learn more about how you can use this story with your language arts lessons.

Chinese Dragons Paper Bag Puppets Craft

Several months ago, I wrote a blog post about the children's book Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) by Eugenia Chu. Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) is the second book in a multilingual series written in English, Pinyan, and Chinese.  Since then, Eugenia Chu has released another children's book related to Chinese culture. This book is called Celebrating Chinese New Year and is packed full of crafts, games, recipes, and information about the Chinese New Year. In today's post, I'm sharing some fun photos of the paper bag Chinese dragon puppets we made using the directions from Eugenia Chu's new book. Check them out!

 

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Hannah's Two Homes by Melodie Tegay

About a year ago, I wrote a blog post about the children's book Living in Two Homes Is Tough by child author Abby Cadet. Abby's book is based on her personal experiences of having divorced parents and how she felt about splitting her time between her parents' houses. In today's guest post, author Melodie Tegay tells us about her children's book Hannah's Two Homes: Life in a "Blended" Family-- A 5 Year Old's Perspective. Hannah's Two Homes gives us another insight into what it's like for children to have two homes. Keep reading to learn more about Hannah's Two Homes and how Melodie Tegay came up with the idea for her story!

This is a guest post written by Meldoie Tegay. To learn more about guest posts, please read the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

We All Live in a Yellow Submarine Kids Craft

In the town where I was born

Lived a man who sailed to sea

And he told us of his life

In the land of submarines

So we sailed on to the sun

'Til we found a sea of green

And we lived beneath the waves

In our yellow submarine

-Yellow Submarine by The Beatles

Under the Sea is a popular thematic unit for young children in elementary school, afterschool programs, summer schools, and even summer camps. As a part of this unit, children learn about aquatic plants and animals, the oceans and seas around the world and the types of transportation people use to travel them. Sometimes they will also read fictional stories about mermaids and pirates. Fun! This craft particular craft would integrate well with any Under the Sea unit and is inspired by The Beatles' song Yellow Submarine. Keep reading to learn more!

Parts of this article were used as a guest post that I wrote for Lil Tigers, a children's crafting blog owned and operated by Susanne Williams. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

10 Children's Books About Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration in the United States that honors the African heritage of Black and African American families. It begins on December 26 and lasts until January 1st. During Kwanzaa, many families gather together to share a meal, exchange gifts, and light the candles in a kinara. The following children's books introduce Kwanzaa and its history, rituals, traditions, and symbols. Fiction and nonfiction books are included in this list. Keep reading to learn more about this joyous holiday!

 

Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post.

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Snowflake Bentley is a children's biography about Wilson Bentley... the man who discovered that no two snowflakes are alike. Author Jacqueline Briggs Martin wrote Snowflake Bentley in 1998 and the book has been in constant publication since then. In 1999, illustrator Mary Azarian won the Caldecott Award for her illustrations in the book. Who is Wilson 'Snowflake' Bentley? Why is the book about him so popular? Keep reading to learn more about Snowflake Bentley and how to integrate it into your language arts and STEM activities!

Hector, A Dog’s Story by Renata Kaminska

Last June, author Renata Kaminska released her first children's book Hector, A Dog's Story. Hector, A Dog's Story is a moving children's book that takes place during World War II and is told from the perspective and point of view of a family's pet. When one of Hector's owners dies, readers witness the grieving process Hector goes through and how he learns to find happiness again.

In today's guest post, Renata Kaminska writes about her children's book Hector, A Dog's Story, how dogs can affect children's development, and how having a dog can foster empathy in children. Keep reading to learn more!

This is a guest post written by Renata Kaminska, author of Hector, A Dog’s Story. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

A Dinosaur Made Me Spill: A Water Cycle Adventure by Carla Mae Jansen

The water cycle is one of my favorite science units to teach to my second and third graders. There are lots of fun STEM experiments and children's books to make learning about the water cycle exciting. Carla Mae Jansen is in the process of publishing her new children's book about the water cycle... A Dinosaur Made Me Spill... that would be a fun addition to the unit. Its release is planned for this upcoming summer (2022). In today's guest post, author Carla Mae Jansen writes about A Dinosaur Made Me Spill, how she came up with the idea for the book, and how you can preorder it on Kickstarter. Keep reading to learn more!

This is a guest post written by Carla Mae Jansen, author of A Dinosaur Made Me Spill. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

  

Planet Power! Types of Renewable Energy

By the time children reach third and fourth grade, they traditionally start learning about different types of energy. Some of the ones they learn about are:

🍎 kinetic energy

🍎 potential energy

🍎 light energy

🍎 sound energy

🍎 heat energy

🍎 thermal energy

🍎 electrical energy

🍎 mechanical energy

However... times are changing and more and more schools and homeschool families are introducing types of renewable energy. What is renewable energy? How many different types of renewable energy are there? How can renewable energy help us? Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and more!

The inspiration for this blog post came from the children's book Planet Power by Stacy P. Clark. Planet Power is a nonfiction children's book about six types of renewable energy... hydropower, solar power, wind power, tidal power, geothermal power, and wave power.

 

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post. 

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

We Are Water Protectors... written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade... is a children's book inspired by the Indigenous-led environmental protests that have been held across the United States. In 2021, this book received the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. We Are Water Protectors is a historically significant book, not only because it shines a light on the environmental protests happening, but also because Michaela Goade is the first Indigenous illustrator to win a Caldecott Medal. Keep reading to learn more about We Are Water Protectors and for three social studies minilessons you can use in your classroom.

Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier

Since the mid-1980s, the week between the second and third Saturdays in June has been designated as National Dairy Goat Awareness Week. This week was started in order to educate the American people about the potential of dairy goats and their products. Many communities have festivals during this time in which people can taste foods made with goat milk and meat, try their hands at milking goats, visit goats at petting zoos, learn how to take care of goats, etc. Former President Ronald Reagan himself praised dairy goats for their ability to efficiently convert a wide variety of vegetation into nutritious milk and meat. Yes, goats are great at producing milk and meat. But... I would be at fault if I didn’t tell you about something else that goats can do... goats can change the world.

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

Winter is almost here in the northern hemisphere and many children are learning about animals and animal adaptations such as migration and hibernation. I recently discovered a book that works really well for an integrated science + art + language arts lesson. It’s called Over and Under the Snow and is written by Kate Messner. It’s an excellent book for teaching about hibernation, which animals hibernate, and which ones don't. Keep reading to learn more!

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.