Richmond Public Library Staff Picks: FIZZ, BOOM, READ! and Spark a Reaction! Summer Reading recommendations for children and young adults

Summer Reading 2014 kicks off this weekend at the Richmond Public Library so a few of us got together to bring you a list of librarian-approved must reads for kids, teens, and the young at heart for the summer. Need something fun to do with the whole family this weekend? Check with your neighborhood branch to see what festivities are planned, then swing by with the family pick up some books and get registered for Summer Reading! You could win prizes!

Children

The Bell Award is given annually to 5 picture books, one from each of the categories Read, Write, Sing, Talk, and Play, which represent the five practices to develop early literacy skills. The following list are the shortlist nominees and winners for 2014.

Bell Award Winner, Read category:

Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier

Other notable "read" books:
Again by Emily Gravett
I’m Not Reading by Jonathan Allen

Open Very Carefully: A Book With A Bite by Nick Bromley

The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman

Bell Award Winner, Write category:

The Things I Can Do by Jeff Mack

Other notable "write" books:
Henri’s Scissors by Jeanette Winter

Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin

My First Touch and Trace: First ABC by Tiger Tales

The Line by Paula Bossio

Bell Award Winner, Sing category:

Nighty-Night, Cooper by Laura Numeroff

Other notable "sing" books:
Lullaby by Langston Hughes

Marc Brown’s Playtime Rhymes by Marc Brown

Maria Had A Little Llama by Angela Dominquez (English and Spanish)

Sing by Joe Raposo

Bell Award Winner, Talk category:

Moo! by David LaRochelle

Other notable "talk" books:
Diggers Go by Steve Light

I Like Berries, Do You? by Marjorie Pitzer

Rain by Linda Ashman

Which is Round? Which is Bigger? by Mineko Mamada

Bell Award Winner, Play category-

Nino Wrestles the World by Yuri Morales

Other notable "play" books:
Hooray Parade by Barbara Joose

Wiggle by Taro Gomi

The World is Waiting for You by Barbara Kerley

Windblown by Edouard Manceau

For more information about the Bell Awards, visit: http://clel.org/content/bell-awards

Young Adults

Here are some excellent reads for teens to help them decided what to read for the start of the summer reading program. More great YA titles that was picked by the Young Adult Library Association for 2014 can be found at: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2014-best-fiction-young-adults