The list includes 25 books and I will write five posts throughout the year with our selection of children’s books. Our family reads in Finnish and Italian language, but some of our picks are in English and I translate on the fly. Beside the link to the Helmet (our library network) archive, whenever possible I’ll include the link to the same books in other languages to make sure you can enjoy them as well. If you’ll find my recommendations valuable, let me know in the comments below.  This is the final batch of the challenge, it’s been fun!. If you wanna peek at my other recommendations, check out my previous posts: first, second, third, and fourth. Don’t miss next year’s challenge!

#21. A non-fiction book

Helmet (ENG) | ENG | FR
A book on nature was the first idea I had when I read this challenge. Yet I wouldn’t have imagined I would find such a great book. Author Matt Sewell, an expert ornithologist, has published several informative children’s volumes on animals and nature, with outstanding illustrations. Forgotten Beasts is a pleasant read also for parents and a great chance to learn more on extinct animals. One fun detail for us was discussing sizes and timelines. Even R (almost 6) cannot handle them easily, but it was fun to translate information into “this was as big as 3 cars in a row” or “this animal lived looong ago, when dinosaurs roamed the world”.

#22. The book title is just one word

Helmet (GER) | HelMet (RUS) | ITA | ENG | FR | SWE
Beware, this is an all time favorite in our household. I have read this book to my children so many times, that I can recite it by heart: Poop-di-doop! (Caccapupù in the Italian version). Despite most books in our Reading Challenge list were rented from our local library, we own this one. I discovered this book years ago during a trip to Italy, when we visited a library near my hometown and a volunteer was reading to small kids. The book is ideal for children aged 2 to 5 years old, as illustrations are colorful and simple, and written parts are very short. A lovely feature of this story is that there’s a recurrent word (“caccapupù“) that kids love to repeat throughout the reading. My kids especially love the interaction. Author Stephanie Blake wrote several other books and they are all great reads. Given her great success, few years ago, she even produced an animation series called Simon (aired in Finland during Pikku Kakkonen).

#23. A book in which I would like to be the protagonist

Helmet (ENG) | ENG
I mentioned in the previous post of this challenge how we are going through a heavy Fireman Sam phase here with E (now 3 years old). He’s gotten it so bad that sometime when he’s completing some task we can hear him singing to himself the jingle which plays during rescues. There are several books on Fireman Sam, perfect for children aged 2 to 4. We chose The Pondypandy winter rescue to stay aligned with the current weather. A nice surprise was finding that the book requires some interaction and the child to guess what will happen next. If your child is also obsessed with the TV series, this will be a nice surprise.

#24. A book published in 2018

Helmet (ENG) | ENG | ITA
This was easy since I am one of the four nerds who regularly checks the new additions of the local library. I chose Terry Fan‘s Ocean Meets Sky, a visionary story that will leave adults and children dreamy and with a warm heart. Illustrations are of another world, simply wonderful and so detailed in their imaginative nature. I wasn’t familiar with this author and I’ll definitely look up for more of his works. Amazon says this is a book for kids aged 5 to 8, but I think it’s suitable also for smaller children. It’s mostly an illustrated book, the storyline is very simple. A young child remembers his late grandfather and their shared love for the sea, and leaves on a dreamy expedition to find a special place his grandpa mentioned, where the ocean and the sky meet. One small detail I appreciated was that the protagonist was a Chinese child, which marries well my intentionality to include diversity in our family reads. This book surely would make a perfect gift.

#25. A book recommended by library personnel or a teacher

Helmet (FI) | FI | ENG | SWE
R’s teacher recommended the series of Pekka Töpöhäntä (Pelle No-Tail in the English version) and we chose the Christmas story called Pekka Töpöhäntä viettää joulua (“Pelle No-Tail celebrates Christmas”). Pekka is a lovely black cat living with his human family, who also has a secret life in the world of cats. This is Pekka’s very first Christmas. He’s surprised his human family has placed a tree in the living room and a bit scared by Santa. His cat friends will show him Christmas is a time of love and kindness to long for. Stories are for older children, I’d say age range 5 to 8. Every page has illustrations but the story is long and requires some concentrating. There’s plenty of books in the series and I’ve learned they have been translated into English too.

It was so much fun to follow this challenge! Will we continue next year? You bet we will. As a matter of fact, Helmet has recently published the new Little Helmet Reading Challenge 2019 and I have started already looking up what’s coming next. Join us in discovering new amazing children’s books!

The post The Reading Challenge 2018, part V (final) appeared first on The Elephant Mum.

The list includes 25 books and I will write five posts throughout the year with our selection of children’s books. Our family reads in Finnish and Italian language, but some of our picks are in English and I translate on the fly. Beside the link to the HelMet (our library network) archive, whenever possible I’ll include the link to the same books in other languages to make sure you can enjoy them as well. If you’ll find my recommendations valuable, let me know in the comments below.  The year is almost over and so will be this series. If you wanna peek at my other recommendations, check out my previous posts: first, second, and third.

#16. Someone goes to school in the book

HelMet (ENG) | ENG
Even though it’s not the central topic of the book, this challenge gives me a chance to introduce you to a brilliant book which R, now 5, greatly appreciated: It’s hard to be five. R is a very compliant child (wish her little brother would try to imitate that) and I thought this book may give her space and words to express how she feels. I was totally right! She asked me to read it time after time! The story is narrated in first person by a new 5 year old. He has a baby brother and complains about the changes that took over after he turned five. For instance, why he has to walk anywhere, while his brother gets carried on a stroller? Why can’t he get dirty like in good ol’ times? It’s so tough to act responsible, he doesn’t feel small anymore and he’s not all ready to grow up. R went through a similar phase few weeks ago and I’m so glad I found this book for her! Authors Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell have published several successful books, mostly based on relationship and empowerment for children. You should check them out!

#17. Someone gets out of trouble in the book

HelMet (ENG) | ENG
When someone says trouble, I always think of Curious George! My kids love the animation series and I thought reading a book would be fun. In Curious George and the Pizza Party, George gets invited to a pizza party at a friend’s. He’s too impatient to bake his own pizza and while no one’s looking… well, the outcome is quite a parent’s nightmare, but George is as cute as ever and like every time he puts all the effort to solve the tricky situation. My nickname for E is “monkey” and between his small round head and his attraction for trying to execute his unconventional ideas, E is my little Curious George. We often joke about it in our house. E truly enjoys to watch George think and get out of trouble.

#18. The book cover has a vehicle on it

HelMet (FI)  | HelMet (SVE)| FI | ENG
We are in full “Fireman Sam’s phase” here, so we had to choose Paloauto Rientää Hätiin (English version: Fire Truck is Flashing). This was E’s favourite book in this batch and I’m pretty confident I can recite it by heart even if we read it in Finnish. In the story a fire breaks out in a city building and the fox firemen get ready, drive to the place, and save the day. There are other books in this series Busy Wheels by Mandy Archer, so if your child is more into ambulances, tractors, or spaceships, they’ll find the right book.

#19. The book has a pet in it

HelMet (ENG) | ENG
We recently got a cat and, as a natural consequence, the kids lost interest in our guinea pigs. I thought this challenge would be a nice opportunity to help them reconnect with our other pets and I found this lovely series called Zoe and Beans. We picked the story Hello Oscar. Zoe is a curious girl, Beans’ her inseparable dog friend. One day, they find a guinea pig in the garden… then another… then a turtle. What’s going on?
A perfect book for 3-5 years old, with big nice illustrations and not much text. Right away we ordered three new books of Zoe and Beans!

#20. The book is connected to a game

HelMet (ENG) | ENG
Being a geek, I had hoped to find some toddlers’ book connected to a videogame, but no way. We went more classic with Maisy Plays Football by Lucy Cousins. The Maisy series (Maisy was translated to Maisa in Finnish) is a classic in our house. The stories are perfect for 2-5 year olds and I love the colourful and simple pictures. There’s a book for every milestone: going to daycare, spending the night at a friend’s, going to the movies… but also stories about daily life and playing with friends. If you haven’t read any Maisy’s book, you definitely should!

The year is almost over and so will be this series soon. Stay tuned for the last post, the very last batch of books. It’s been so much fun to discover new books and watch my kids grow and appreciate new stories. If you have book recommendations, I’d love to hear them out: drop me a line down in the comments. Until next time :).

The post The Reading Challenge 2018, part IV appeared first on The Elephant Mum.

The list includes 25 books and I will write five posts throughout the year with our selection of children’s books. Our family reads in Finnish and Italian language, but some of our picks are in English and I translate on the fly. Beside the link to the HelMet (our library network) archive, whenever possible I’ll include the link to the same books in other languages to make sure you can enjoy them as well. If you’ll find my recommendations valuable, let me know in the comments below.  After the first and the second batch, I’m ready to present our next 5 recommendations.

#11. A sad book

HelMet (ENG) | ENG | ITA
We are no strangers to book dealing with difficult stuff (have you seen my list of children’s books to talk about feelings?). It’s so easy to find reads with positive messages and feelings, but I want to cultivate resilience in my children and welcome alternatives. This is why I warmly recommend The red tree as our choice for a sad book. The final message is positive but not sugar coated. It describes sadness with powerful metaphors and imaginative artwork. The main character simply goes through the day with her sadness and finds a pinch of hope when she goes back home. I love the realistic message: sometime you are sad and feel lonely, and you just have to sit with the discomfort.

#12. A book about a place you have not been to

HelMet (ENG) | ENG | FR | ESP
We loved this challenge and chose A walk in Paris. The kids, R especially, are used to travelling. R was excited to learn about the enchanting French city. It was also nice for a change to read about a girl going on a small adventure with her grandpa. The book has a final foldable page with the Eiffel tower, an impressive finale! Rubbino wrote also A walk in London and A walk in New York: check them out!

#13. The book title has words in alphabetical order

HelMet (FI)
We’ve been lazy with this one! It wasn’t easy to find an exciting book with this requirement. In the end, I simply let R choose some books and picked one which fulfilled it, the classic Prinsessa Ruusunen. We all know the story and have watched the animation movie, but this deserves a special mention for the high quality of the illustrations.

#14. The book has a dragon in it

HelMet (ENG) | ENG
This was much easier, yet we chose another classic, The reluctant dragon. This is a very famous (and cute) fairytale, with a powerful message about being true to yourself and defying expectations. The village people are scared of the dragon, despite him being on his best behaviour. A young boy befriends him and warns him that a knight has been summoned by the village to kill him. However, the dragon is peaceful and carefree. Luckily, the knight is wise and understands he’s not a threat. They combine forces to fight prejudice and bring everyone together. Disney produced a short animation movie on this fable, yet the book we chose is an independent representation.

#15. Starting a book that slightly frightens you

HelMet (ENG) | ENG
R is terrified of skeletons and First day at skeleton school was a great find to process that. Once I had set my mind on a specific fear, it wasn’t easy to find a good (and age appropriate) read. This book is funny, imaginative, and ends with a cute twist, that is the little monsters being terrified of human children! E appreciated it as well, this was probably the best discovery in this whole batch and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

We are over half in our Reading Challenge list. It’s so exciting to discover new children’s books through it. Do you have other candidates for the listed categories? Drop me a comment, as we are always on the lookout for new reads!

If you liked this post, you may enjoy also:
The role of books in our multicultural family
The best Christmas gift, a personalised book by Wonderbly
The Reading Challenge 2018 continues…

The post The Reading Challenge 2018, part III appeared first on The Elephant Mum.

The list includes 25 books and I will write five posts throughout the year with our selection of children’s books. Our family reads in Finnish and Italian language, but some of our picks are in English and I translate on the fly. Beside the link to the HelMet (our library network) archive, whenever possible I’ll include the link to the same books in other languages to make sure you can enjoy them as well. If you’ll find my recommendations valuable, let me know in the comments below. We kicked-off the challenge with the first batch, now it’s time to proceed to our next five.

#6: The book takes place in an imaginary world

HelMet (FIN) | ENG
This was fairly easy with toddlers’ books, wasn’t it? We chose a sweet book on friendship called Knight School. It tells the story of two great friends, a young knight and a young dragon. When they start school, their timetables keep them apart, until they decide they miss their friend too much and leave for a small adventure in the forest. Great for 3+, after few reads R has learned the story and now reads it to her little brother (cuteness overload!).

#7: A book chosen for you by a friend or a family member

HelMet (FIN) | ENG
I have asked my best friend to recommend a book for the challenge. She has children of the same age as mine and I know she loves books as much as me. She recommended the Finnish version of Pig won’t is naughty by Richard Scarry. I don’t know about you, but Scarry’s books are among my favourites! We own several, both in Finnish and Italian language. When she gave me the title, I knew this book was a winner. Indeed, it hit the target with E. Guess why, it’s the story of a naughty little pig who never does what he’s told. I only hope he’s interested because it resonates and not because he’s sourcing new ideas!

#8: A comic book or magazine

HelMet (ENG) | ENG
This was a hard find, as my children as small (under 5) and the typical comic books’ readers are older. I borrowed more than one title, but Fairytale Comics was the only suitable for them. And it’s a great book. I’ll be honest, this is good for adults as well. It collects classical fairytales from all over the world. Each story is illustrated by a different artist and has a humorous spin. My oldest loved it and asked to read some stories several times. As an adult, I love comic books, and I was glad to take the chance and introduce them to the kids.

#9: A book where someone reads a book

HelMet (ENG) | ENG | ITA
I’m very excited about this find! It’s a book is a super fun read. It’s ideal for small kids (2 to 4 years old), has amazing illustrations, and it’s quite funny to read for parents. There’s even a version for smaller children, with cardboard pages, called It’s a little book. Donkey is tech-savy and has never seen a book. Monkey explains what books can – well, cannot – do and the love of reading wins Donkey’s heart over. A must have for small children!

#10: The book includes a sea or an ocean

HelMet (ENG) | ENG
There’s a whole series of books about Hanna Hibiscus. This is simply delightful. For starters, I love to find stories depicting a multicultural family like ours is. Moreover, Hanna’s character is too lovable not to appreciate her. She’s smart, full of life, and joyful. Both my kids loved this book. It may appear long for a small toddler, but it relies a lot on repetition, which is something small kids enjoy. It kept E glued to the pages! R loved that the story was set in Africa, a far away country. For us, this will surely be the first of many more Hanna Hibiscus’ reads.

Here’s our second batch of children’s book recommendations. Did you find new reads? Do you have better suggestions? Let me know down in the comments.

Did you enjoy this post? Check out these posts on children’s books:
My 10 best children books about feelings
The role of books in our multicultural family
Challenge accepted, HelMet!

Disclaimer: this post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a % on sales at no additional cost to you.

The post The Reading Challenge 2018 continues… appeared first on The Elephant Mum.

The list includes 25 books and I will write five posts throughout the year with our selection of children’s books. Our family reads in Finnish and Italian language, but some of our picks are in English and I translate on the fly. Beside the link to the HelMet (our library network) archive, whenever possible I’ll include the link to the same books in other languages to make sure you can enjoy them as well. If you’ll find my recommendations valuable, let me know in the comments below.

#1: A book where someone moves to a new place

HelMet (ITA)| ITA | ENG
Drums rolling… We chose the Italian story “The call of the swamp” which, incidentally, is a book about adoption! The plot has a positive ending, but can be a little dark. To me this was a plus, since many adoption books tend to swipe under the carpet any negative feeling. Adoption is never mentioned explicitly, so you can read it without going into detail. It’s a book about the meaning of family and finding your own identity. It was a casual and great find!

#2: A book of poetry from your country

HelMet (ITA) | ITA
“Il libro dei perché” was published before I was born and it’s still popular. Gianni Rodari was one of my childhood’s authors and never gets old. We have few of his books in our personal collection and this poem book is one of them. The title means “The book of whys” and replies in rhymes to all the questions kids can make. “Why there is day and night?”, “Why the car goes forward?”, “Why grown-ups are always right?”. Rodari has a unique way to write from the child’s perspective. This book of his was not translated, but many others were and in several languages, so you may want to do a search.

#3: A book that starts a series

HelMet (ENG) | ENG | ESP | FR | ITA
“The princess in black” came highly recommended and, believe me, you cannot be disappointed. The series includes several books and we plan to read all of them. The main character is the perfect princess Magnolia, who hides the secret identity of princess in black, heroic monster fighter. It’s an empowering, light, and funny story. The book is too long for R (almost five), but we read few chapters every night, and it worked great. There’s an illustration in every page, so even E (two years old) could keep his focus.

#4: The book title has a place in it

HelMet (ITA) | ITA
I don’t know how it’s possible that these books never got translated from Italian language. Pimpa is an Italian character which was created before I was born. The Pimpa books are simply great for small kids. The stories are very imaginative and cover several contexts. We use these books to foster Italian language and love the drawings. We chose “Pimpa nell’antica Roma“, where Pimpa visits the city of Rome. A great way to introduce kids to the wonders of the capital of our birth country!

#5: Read an ebook or listen to an audiobook

HelMet (ITA) | ITA
As weird as it may sound, I regarded this as the hardest of this batch. I’ve borrowed several audiobooks in the past and my kids couldn’t care less. So, I thought, no way they’ll listen to this. Well, they surprised me and asked to listen to “Cappuccetto Rosso” twice. I’ll be honest, I don’t understand why. It’s a fine audiobook but I cannot see how it’s any different from the ones I have borrowed earlier. In any case, I was happy to introduce them to this new way of healthy entertainment. If they start to like audiobooks, we’ll be able to enjoy them on long car trips.

Here’s my first batch of books for our reading challenge. We are enthusiastic readers already, but I love the idea of pushing myself to find new exciting books to enjoy with my children.

Did you enjoy this post? Check out these posts on children’s books:
My 10 best children books about feelings
The role of books in our multicultural family

The post Challenge accepted, HelMet! appeared first on The Elephant Mum.