Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Series - Geography

So many books line my shelves that are part of a series.  Some are written by one author who continues a story throughout many volumes.  Others are contained in a series which presents many topics within a particular subject.  There are series of fiction, series of history, of science and many others. 

I thought we'd start our look at series with the subject of geography.  Many of these are out of print, written in a living way which will help our children build relationships with those around the world.

This is __________ by Miroslav Sasek - This is a series of vibrantly illustrated tour of places around the world.  Many have been reprinted. 

The Twins series by Lucy Fitch Perkins - This antique series places a set of twins in various cultures.  Some of these titles have been reprinted or are available for free in the public domain.

Children of All Lands by Madeline Brandeis - In the 1930's Brandeis traveled around the world with her young daughter and her camera.  She took photographs of the people and landmarks and wove stories around these photos.  They are out of print but not extremely hard to find.

Count Your Way Through ______ - A fun series that teaches the reader to count in the language as well as lots of cultural information. 

Lois Lenski's regional stories - Lenski was a prolific author for children, and is best known for her regional stories giving us a lively look at life in various regions of America.

Picture Book of _________ by Bernadine Bailey and illustrated by Kurt Wiese - A series of books of the states of the US.

Rivers of the World series published by Garrard - This series looks at famous rivers from all over the globe written in an engaging way.


Monday, October 12, 2015

A Series of Series

I remember when I was a young reader getting my reading legs under me, my 4th grade teacher gave me a book for an award.  It was called Trixie Belden and the Mystery Off Glen Road.  I still have this very book 40 years later and fond memories of the path it set me on.  I read many more Trixie books over the next year or so as well as other favorite series, getting to know the characters intimately as we spent hours together solving mysteries and having adventures.

Series are very important in the reading life of children.  Young readers build confidence and fluency by reading thousands of pages.  They are excited to learn what happens next in the lives of those they know so well. This sets them solidly on a path of reading for a lifetime.  It's funny...when parents come into my library for the first time, they ask wistfully if I have a particular series they remember as a child.  They wish to introduce their children to their friends from long ago.  It's a special bridge between the generations. 

The golden age of children's literature is replete with many series in many subject areas.  Over the next few weeks, I plan to list many of these.  Maybe you will find a forgotten favorite to share with your children or a new series of treasures to discover.