Veterans Day honors all of the men and women in the U.S. military and their families for their sacrifices on behalf of the United States of America. As a reminder of all we have to be thankful for, why not share Chris Gall's beautifully illustrated edition of America the Beautiful with your children. If you are looking for a book about remembering those who died in war, I recommend The Wall by Eve Bunting. This poignant children's picture book is about a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by a father and his young son.

Related Links

• Honoring All Who Served (About: U.S. Military)
• Veterans Day Quiz (About: Homeschooling)

(Cover art courtesy of Houghton Mifflin)

According to the official 2009 proclamation by the President of the United States, "This month, we celebrate the ancestry and time-honored traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives in North America." What do you need to know to be able to select accurate children's and YA books about Native Americans (also known as American Indians)? There are some excellent online resources to help you in Selecting Children's and YA Books About Native Americans. Celebrate National American Indian Heritage Month with recommended books for children and teens. If you have specific books or additional online resources to recommend, click on "comments" below and share your recommendations. Thanks.

Related Resources

• Native American Heritage at National Parks (About.com: U.S. / Canadian Parks)
• Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (About.com: DC / Capital Region)

(Cover art courtesy of National Geographic)

Among other uses of children's picture books, author and educator Sharron L. McElmeel recommends, "Using picture books to introduce a topic, to build a schematic background for content-area studies, and to develop higher-level thinking skills..." In her book Picture That! From Mendel to Normandy, McElmeel encourages teachers of tweens and teens (grades 4-12) to use picture books across the curriculum and provides guidance as to which children's books to use and how to use them. Using picture books with older kids can be very effective in getting them interested in a topic. I have found that some picture books, particularly wordless picture books like A Day, A Dog, make excellent writing prompts. Are their picture books that have captured the interest of the tweens and teens in your family? If so, please click on "Comments" and share their recommendations.

(over art courtesy of Libraries Unlimited, An Imprint of ABC-CLIO)

From August 24 through September 18, teens voted for their favorite books in the 2009 Teens' Top Ten online poll. More than 11,000 of them chose Paper Towns as their favorite book. Teens' Top Ten is sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), which is a division of the American Library Association (ALA). YALSA describes Teens' Top Ten as "a 'teen choice' list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted online and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year." (YALSA Web site)

The 2009 Teens Top Ten
1. Paper Town by John Green (Penguin/Dutton)
2. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
4. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry)
5. Identical by Ellen Hopkins (Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry)
6. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
7. Wake by Lisa McMann (Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse)
8. Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast (St. Martin's Griffin)
9. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (Disney-Hyperion)
10. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

If you have children, you probably already know about popular picture book creator Jan Brett, who has more than 33 million books in print. Her picture book, The Three Snow Bears, is a retelling of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," set in a traditional Inuit village. Brett includes accurate details about Inuit lives and customs in the picture book. I have long been a fan of Jan Brett's illustrations and her books. Does your family have a favorite Jan Brett picture book? One of my favorites is Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury a collection of her holiday and winter stories. To share your family's favorite Jan Brett books, click on "Comments" below and post your recommendations.

(Cover art courtesy of G.P. Putnam's Sons, A Division of Penguin Young Readers Group)

Did you know that November is National Alzheimer's Disease Month? Alzheimer's disease affects the entire family. It's hard to explain to young children what has happened to their grandfather or grandmother when they are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. The children's picture book Singing with Momma Lou might help. More than just a book about Alzheimer's disease, it also emphasizes family love and respect, family memories, and the importance of preserving and handing down family stories from one generation to another. Singing with Mama Lou is intended for the 4-8 year old child, but it would also be valuable for older children coping with a family member's Alzheimer's disease.

Related Links
What is Alzheimer's Disease? (About.com: Alzheimer's Disease)
Early Alzheimer's Disease (About.com: Senior Health)
Video: The Effects of Alzheimer's Disease (About.com: Alzheimer's Disease)

(Cover art courtesy of Lee & Low Books Inc.)

The picture book Tsunami! is the dramatic story of a tsunami and one man's sacrifice that saves all of the people in a Japanese village threatened by the giant waves. Both the story by Kimiko Kajikawa and the striking artwork by Ed Young are strong enough to stand alone, but together, they create a memorable experience for the reader. I recommend Tsunami! for children six and older, as well as teens and adults. Ed Young's picture book Wabi Sabi, by Mark Reibstein, is on my list of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2008.

(Cover art courtesy of Penguin)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is not only a wildly popular series of kids' books, it is also going to be made into a movie, which will be released on April 2, 2010. After a national search, eleven year-old Zachary Gordon has been cast as Greg Heffley, the main character. Steve Zahn and Rachael Harris will portray his parents. In a recent interview for School Library Journal, Jeff Kinney, the author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, talked about the movie and said, "It's live-action and is peppered with animations and fantasy sequences. I contributed to the writing and serve as an executive producer. I gave feedback on the casting of the principal cast." The fact that Kinney has been so involved with the movie gives me hope it will be good. What do you think? Click on "Comments" below and share your opinion.

(Cover art courtesy of Amulet Books, An Imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.)

It's almost time for Halloween, quickly followed by the Day of the Dead. Here is a recap of some of the chidren's books I recommend:

• Los Gatos Black on Halloween
• Maurice Sendak's First Pop-up Book: Mommy?
• Best Halloween Board Books
• Top Picks: Books for El Dia de Los Muertos (the Day of the Dead)

(Cover art courtesy of Scholastic)

A Gift for Abuelita: Celebrating the Day of the Dead / Un regalo para Abuelita: En celebración del Dia de los Muertos is, as the dual titles suggest, a bilingual picture book. Author Nancy Luenn tells the story of a young Mexican girl's search for comfort after the death of her beloved grandmother. Another good children's book about the Day of the Dead is Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead.

(Cover art courtesy of Luna Rising, A Bilingual Imprint of Rising Moon)