My 8 year old son LOVED The Periodic Table: Elements with Style! by Simon Basher and Adrian Dingle. The elements are presented as characters with various personalities. My son has memorized much of the periodic table.

There’s a Hair in my Dirt by Gary Larson has been a favorite for years.

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng, Alephonsian Deng, and Judy Bernstein is an incredible story of survival. I read this to my 8 year old over the summer. It does mention rape, but is not explicit. I tried skipping over that part but was busted by my son. When he asked what rape is, I explained that it is a way that a man attacks a women, he seemed content with that answer. Teenagers could read this book on their own.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson is a nice book about helping others.

Scrambled States of America by Lauri Keller is a fun book for learning geography.

http://www.amazon.com/Meadowview-Street-Henry-Cole/dp/0060564814

Not only does a family have a lovely celebration despite the fact they have only a small jar of cooking oil to make treats with (the mother’s inginuty helps with that) but it’s story about faith and a wonderful depiction of family life.

It’s also a rebuke to me — each member is happy with one latka — I scoff about 12 at a sitting

The book that really opened my eyes to the predicament of our fragile society was “Dies the Fire” by S.M. Stirling. It is an alternate history story involving what life would be like if, in the blink of an eye, all electricity and high-end technology (including firearms) suddenly stopped working. While Stirling does not dwell on what would cause such a shift, the entire story (and that of the rest of the books in the series) is about how the characters find ways to survive and rebuild local societies in the aftermath of the tragedy.

It is an excellent book that really helped me see how fragile the systems are which bring food to our stores and gas to our cars. In addition, Stirling’s character development is some of the best that I have ever read. One character in particular reminds me a lot of you, in the way that she is a teacher and mother to her group.

Anyway, I would recommend this book to any adult, but sadly, because of a few scenes, would not recommend any child read this book unless their parents have and are ok with the content.

Best wishes and thanks for the daily inspiration.

-James

My 10yo son just read the new Omnivore’s Dilemma for kids and really liked it. He can’t stop talking about it and now eats no meat outside of our house (where he knows the farmer who raises his meat). Supposedly, the author who helped write it for children did the same thing for Al Gore’s new book–but we have not seen it yet.

Oh, I forgot to metion there are spoken word and Putumayo CDs, too.

This Boston based publisher of children’s books has some absolutely beautiful books that celebrate seasons, culture, connection to families, rooted cultural myths. I have really enjoyed these–to share with my family and as gifts.

The Boy Who Grew Flowers
The Giant Turnip
The Beeman
Tenzin’s Deer
A Forest of Stories– Magical Tree Tales
Grandmother’s Stories
Book of Blessings