Ursina's Shelf - Children’s books (part 1)
Issue 37
Dear Readers,
I hope you all started into the new year well! I am guessing I am not the only one who fondly remembers my favorite childhood stories. In my case, those include The Rainbow Fish and Der Ungetupfte Dalmatiner. I was curious to find out more about the best children’s books today, and so I recently asked friends and family for their and their kids, nieces, and nephews' favorite children's books. And wow, I got so many responses, they cannot all fit into one newsletter and more will be coming soon. Now, it is time to get cozy and ready for story time with recommendations from Switzerland, Singapore, and New York.
Children's stories
Das NEINhorn by Marc-Uwe Kling (2019 in German)
Description: This is a story about a young unicorn ("Einhorn") that's a bit different and has a tendency to say no ("Nein").
Olivier’s take: My cousin Olivier recommends this book as a sweet story that is perfect no matter what mood a reader or listener may be in.
Bonus tip: Olivier also recommends Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Gregs Tagebuch in German) as a really fun read.
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty (2016)
Description: Ada is an inquisitive second grader with an interest to answer all her questions and understand everything she encounters.
Lindsay’s take: My friend Lindsay, mom of three, has been focusing on diverse stories with diverse characters. She recommends this story as a great way to get young readers, especially girls, to explore science, technology, engineering and math.
Saturday by Oge Mora (2019)
Description: In this story, a mother and daughters' Saturday routine ends up quite different than usual.
Lindsay’s take: In addition to being beautiful stories, Oge Mora's books often depict characters in an urban setting, which is unusual and great for young readers and listeners growing up in cities.
Bonus tip: Lindsay also recommends books with clever rhymes, such as Julia Donaldson's Room on the Broom and books where you are supposed to find something on each page, like the little mouse in Goodnight Moon.
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker (2011)
Description: As the sun sets, Crane Truck, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck and all their friends are getting ready to go to sleep.
Jessica’s take: My friend Jessica, who just had her birthday this week and is both an aunt and Speech Language Pathologist, has fond memories of reading this story to her nephews before bedtime. It has a rhythmic flow, which lulls one to sleep, and clear, simple language that builds vocabulary paired with beautiful illustrations. It is a great way to wind down and say goodnight.
Friendly recommendations
This category is in full action. This time I asked for favorite 2021 reads.
Cheyenne recommended Steinbeck’s East of Eden and The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row.
Kimchi recommended Crossroads by Franzen, which surprises me not at all, as she is an absolute Franzen loyalist.
Kelly recommends The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (which I also loved), Daisy Jones & the Six (featured in issue 1), Cloud Cuckoo Land (featured in issue 35), and Circe.
Matthew recommends The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, which I read for bookclub and enjoyed as well.
Pieter recommends Juli Zeh’s Ons Soort Mensen (Dutch title for Über Menschen), which has not yet been translated to English as it was just published in 2021.
Currently listening to: Principles by Ray Dalio with Dominic.
Thanks for reading. More children’s books will be coming up soon. Please keep sending your recommendations and feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone who may like it. Have a lovely weekend!