If you’re looking to expand your home library and want some ideas, below are some books we recently purchased. We love reading! We read to our children, with our children, and in front of our children as often as we can. Reading connects us to each other and the world around us, from nature and people to culture and recipes; and for the curious nature of children, helping them discover more about their own interest through books is empowering.
LR Knost is also is also a champion of reading, as you can see in her posts “The Reading Challenge 2014” and “The Bookshelf: Tips, Tools, & Techniques for Sharing the Love of Reading with Children.” So this seemed to be the perfect fundraiser in our continued efforts to help support her battle against cancer (read her cancer story HERE).
Throughout the month of February 20% of the proceeds from this Usborne Book Fundraiser will go toward the “Give the Gift of Gentle Parenting and Give the Gift of Life” campaign (a GiveForward campaign). And a special thanks to Stacy McCall for making this possible!
Alternately, you can simply donate to the Give the Gift of Gentle Parenting and Give the Gift of Life fundraiser.
Book Reviews
And What Comes After A Thousand, by Anette Bley
I’ve read dozens of children’s books on death (and dozens more on talking to children about death), and this is one of my 4 favorites. This beautifully illustrated story explores the relationship between a girl and her grandfather, and how she responds to her loss when he dies. It illustrates the anger and sadness we feel, the different ways children respond versus adults, and the power of a present adult who can offer acceptance and support during the grieving process. It’s a lovely, non-religious book that my own young existentialist returns to again and again as she works through her thoughts and emotions on death. If you’re looking for a gentle, non-religious book on death, I’ve found we revisit this one the most.
Jessica’s Box, by Peter Carnavas
My daughter and I have an ongoing dialogue on diversity – from race and culture to ability and family traditions; a dialogue about how and why people differ, and about how and why they are also similar. Diversity, by definition, means “a range of different things,” and while we read a LOT of books, there is a noticeable lack of diversity (differences) among the main characters. So when I saw this book I was pleased to see the main character is in a wheelchair. This book explores the everyday struggles of “Jessica” using simple illustrations and a struggle any child might experience when trying to make friends.
All About Scabs, by Genichiro Yagyu
My daughter is active and curious, and during the warmer months her legs are covered with bumps, bruises, and…scabs. I’m grateful our pediatrician sees her legs and exclaims, “I can see you lead an active lifestyle!” So when I saw this book while perusing the fundraising link I thought, “Oh! That’s totally my kid!” and I bought it. At first I was turned off when an adult in the book says, “you really shouldn’t pick scabs.” But as I continued to read I began to enjoy the portrayal how kids master learning about themselves when they’re given autonomy over their bodies. I laughed (and was at times grossed out) by all the realistic ways the characters in the book think about scabs and what happens when they’re picked. There is some learning lessons in the book about how scabs formed…my daughter wasn’t particularly interested in it the first few times we read the book, so I just read a sentence or two about it. If you have a kid that is “all about scabs” I believe you’ll both enjoy reading this book together.
Reviewed by Amy Bryant, Parenting Beyond Punishment and Play At Home Mom
The Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope
My son has been exploring the world around him with his microscope for over a month now, and when I saw this book I thought it would be a good tool to take our learning deeper, and it did! Together, my son and I enjoyed looking at and reading about the pictures. One feature of the book we really enjoyed is the suggested activities. We chose two activities: growing bacteria in a gelatin petri dish, and we looking at onion cells – now we want an electron microscope! If you have a child who loves hands-on learning, this book offers numerous activities for exploring the world we can only see through a microscope.
Reviewed by Ashley Kagan, Parenting Beyond Punishment and Play At Home Mom
These books are amazing. Under the Sea, by Jo Litchfield is really cute with great illustrations and one word labels for the sea animals, perfect for my 17 month old. Fighter Planes, by H. Brook is unreal. My 6 year old reads it everyday. He’s fascinated by it. It has real photos as well as illustrations and diagrams, and so many facts. It definitely holds his attention. The final book we’ve enjoyed is 1001 Bugs to Spot, by Emma Helbrough. My 4-year old loves the bug book. The colors are beautiful, and there are so many bugs to look for and find. He wants me to read every name and count as we find every bug together.
Reviewed by Lindsay Hennings, Parenting Beyond Punishment
Here’s the Usborne Book Fundraiser link to explore the books yourself – let us know what YOU like!
Other books we purchased for the fundraiser…
Other ways to support LR Knost and her family
- Donate directly to the Give the Gift of Gentle Parenting and Give the Gift of Life fundraiser.
- Send Cards, letters and drawings to LR Knost c/o Little Hearts Books, 10524 Moss Park Road, Ste 204-288, Orlando, FL 32832
- Share your stories. Share how you and your family have benefited from her her posts, books, workshops, and online community. Leave a comment below or email me your story).
- Share her articles and memes, book reviews and workshop links on Social Media networks, in Newsletters, in parenting and book groups, or simply talk about them with friends, family and neighbors.
- Buy her books and workshops for yourself, friends, family, parenting groups, places of worship, suggest them for book clubs, etc.
- Carry her totes and wear her t-shirts, or buy them for your children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, godchildren, etc.
- Take a moment to review her books on Amazon.
Read About And Share Her Journey
My Cancer Story, Part 1: The Diagnosis
“I know that Facebook doesn’t show all of my updates in your newsfeeds, so I thought I’d share all of the updates to this point for those who’ve missed them and then share my diagnosis at the end.”
Parenting Through Cancer: Coping With Emotions
“I lay awake throughout the night, listening to the even breathing of my sleeping eight-year-old nearby and cuddling my tiny cosleeper close and praying desperately for all of my children as I head into the unknown.”
Learn more about L.R. Knost
Best-selling parenting and children’s book author, L.R.Knost, is an independent child development researcher and founder and director of the advocacy and consulting group, Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting Resources, as well as a monthly parenting and education contributor to The Natural Parent Magazine. She is also a babywearing, breastfeeding, cosleeping, homeschooling mother of six. Her children are a 26-year-old married father of two; a 24-year-old married Family Therapist working with at-risk children and families; a 19-year-old university pre-med student on scholarship; 15 and 8-year-old sweet, funny, socially active, homeschooled girls; and an adorable and active toddler. Two Thousand Kisses a Day: Gentle Parenting Through the Ages and Stages; Whispers Through Time: Communication Through the Ages and Stages of Childhood; The Gentle Parent: Positive, Practical, Effective Discipline; and Jesus, the Gentle Parent: Gentle Christian Parenting are the first in the Little Hearts Handbook series of gentle parenting guides by L.R.Knost. The next book in the series, Raising Bookworms: Life, Literacy, and Learning, is due to be released in November 2014. Other works by this award-winning author include a children’s picture book, A Walk in the Clouds, due to be released September 2014, and Petey’s Listening Ears, the first in her Wisdom for Little Hearts series for ages 2 to 6, which are humorous and engaging tools for parents, teachers, and caregivers to use in implementing gentle parenting techniques in their homes and schools. The Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting Resources support team includes a retired elementary school teacher and school administrator with a Master’s in Educational Leadership, a Family Therapist with a background in early childhood education, and a gifted artist/illustrator.
Contact Information:
Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littleheartsbooks Twitter: @LRKnost_Author Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lrknost/ Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/lrknost Related Links: Gratitude and Support for LR Knost LR Knost Workshop From the Hearts of Our Children Parenting for A Peaceful World No-Spank Peaceful Parenting Challenge Book Review: The Gentle Parent Book Review: Whispers Through Time 
