Read and Shine » crafts

Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year for families who celebrate it. Whether gathering together from across great distances or meeting nearby, the spirit of Christmas runs deep. One of the most important sentiments of the holiday is the act of giving to one another. Time, food, attention, and presents are all things that can be exchanged in the spirit of the Christmas holiday. This book list includes religious and secular titles for children ages 4-7 that highlight the act of giving gifts at Christmas and inspire other acts of kindness, as well.
Contributed by: Mary Lanni

	Babushka By: Dawn Casey Illustrated by: Amanda Hall After Babushka feeds and warms the three wise men, she decides to see baby Jesus on her own. Along the way, she meets children in need and gives them the presents she planned to give to Jesus.
	Baby Santa and the Gift of Giving By: M. Maitland DeLand Illustrated by: Phil Wilson When the Bond family sends a letter to the North Pole asking Santa how they share the spirit of giving on their upcoming trip to New York City, Baby Santa, and his reindeer host them on a day of helping others while seeing the sights.
	Grandma’s Christmas Wish By: Helen Foster James Illustrated by: Petra Brown A rabbit grandmother celebrates the infant, who is her best Christmas gift of all.
	A Homemade Together Christmas By: Maryann Cocca-Leffler A family of pigs decides that they will make their gifts for Christmas rather than buy gifts this year. But the littlest pig struggles to come up with an idea.
	Just Right for Christmas By: Birdie Black and Rosalind Beardshaw In this celebration of the joy of giving, one snowy Christmas Eve, a king buys some soft, red cloth to make the perfect Christmas gift for his daughter. Little does he know that the left-over cloth will be used to make presents for many more of the kingdom’s inhabitants, right down to the last teeny bit of cloth, which is made into a scarf just right for a mouse.
	The Legend of St. Nicholas By: Dandi Daley Mackall Illustrated by: Richard Cowdrey As Nick does last-minute Christmas shopping, he sees several Santas and overhears one retelling the legend of Saint Nicholas, which he takes to heart as he examines his own attitudes towards gift-giving.
	The Light of Christmas By: Richard Paul Evans Illustrated by: Daniel Craig When Alexander helps an old man instead of seeing the Christmas torch’s annual lighting, he does not realize the reward his kindness will bring.
	The Little Drummer Boy By: Bernadette Watts A poor boy named Benjamin is invited to meet the newborn king, but he does not want to go because he has nothing to give him.
	Little Robin’s Christmas By: Jan Fearnley Having given away all his warm vests to his cold animal friends during the week before Christmas, Little Robin receives a special reward from Santa.
	The Smallest Gift of Christmas By: Peter H. Reynolds Disappointed when a gift he wished for all year seems quite puny on Christmas morning, young Roland wishes for bigger and bigger gifts before learning a valuable lesson about being careful what you wish for.
	The Spirit of Christmas By: Nicky Benson Illustrated by: Jason Cockcroft It’s Christmas! There will be carols and candy canes and sparkling presents under the tree! But what about children whose families have no presents to give? Kind-hearted Drew wants to help them—but how? A magical story of how one little boy got a very special giving bag from Santa—and how his Christmas wish came true.
	The Stable Cat’s Christmas By: Christina Vrba Illustrated by: Gail Yerrill When an ordinary cat learns that a king has been born in his stable, he grows sad because he has no gift to give, as the other animals do.

Art is everywhere, and as children become more comfortable with their fine motor skills, there is more they can create. From finger painting to more delicate collage work and design, the possibilities shift and change over time. As children experiment with producing art themselves, it can be beneficial for them to learn about the many art forms in existence. This awareness can inspire further discovery and exploration both in reading about and in creating art. The books in this list are selected for readers and budding artists ages 5-7. Some titles can be used to inspire art projects directly, while other selections tell of famous artists and popular art forms that may be unfamiliar to young readers.
Contributed by: Mary Lanni

	Art and Max By: David Wiesner Max wants to be an artist like Arthur, but his first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various media, leading them to unexpected consequences.
	The Big Book of Art By: Hervé Tullet This spiral-bound, divided-page book with die-cuts encourages children to look at art from every angle, mixing and matching to create their own masterpieces.
	Emily’s Blue Period By: Cathleen Daly Illustrated by: Lisa Brown After her parents get divorced, Emily finds comfort in making and learning about art.
	The Iridescence of Birds By: Patricia MacLachlan Illustrated by: Hadley Hooper If you were a boy named Henri Matisse who lived in a dreary town in northern France, what would your life be like? Would it be full of color and art? Full of lines and dancing figures? Find out in this beautiful, unusual picture book about one of the world’s most famous and influential artists by acclaimed author and Newbery Medal-winning Patricia MacLachlan and innovative illustrator Hadley Hooper.
	The Jellybeans and the Big Art Adventure By: Laura Joffe Numeroff and Nate Evans Illustrated by: Lynn Munsinger The Jelly Beans—four friends who like to do such different things as paint, play soccer, read, and dance—paint a mural on an outside wall of Mrs. Petunia Dinkley-Sneezer’s candy shop that depicts them each doing what they love best.
	Kenya’s Art By: Linda Trice Illustrated by: Hazel Mitchell Instructed to get rid of all her broken toys, Kenya, with the help of her father, recycles them into art for her class project.
	Let’s Make Art By: Bill Stich Explains what sort of supplies people use to create works of art, including pencils to draw, paper to make an origami bird, and a camera to take photographs.
	The Little Hands Art Book By: Judy Press Arranged by such materials as paper, paint, clay, and markers, this book offers instructions for making over eighty art projects, including a paper car, Valentine mobile, clay snowman, and colorful kite.
	Math Arts: Exploring Math Through Art for 3 to 6 year olds By: MaryAnn F. Kohl & Cindy Gainer In Math Arts, children will: learn shape recognition by creating a Living Shape Sculpture, explore patterns with a Sticky Dot Illusion, discover the whole and its parts through a Parts and Pieces Relief, practice early graphing with a Cookie Graph, and much more.
	Max and Zoe: The Very Best Art Project By: Shelley Swanson Sateren Illustrated by: Mary Sullivan When Zoe has trouble drawing a self-portrait for the second-grade art project, she turns to Max for help.
	Shapes in Art By: Rebecca Rissman Can you spot the shape? Read this book to find out about the different shapes you can find in art. Books in this series introduce children to different shapes in a range of situations. Each book uses simple, repetitive text to teach children basic vocabulary, and includes stunning photographs that show how shapes can be found in many places. In Shapes in Art, children have to find a selection of shapes in paintings, sculptures, and other works of art.
	Viva Frida By: Yuyi Morales Photography by: Tim O’Meara The bilingual text explores the famous artist’s life and illuminates the laughter, love, and tragedy that influenced her work.

After months of quarantine, what might have once been a welcome summer break might now seem terribly boring. However, in honor of July being Anti-Boredom month, these titles are sure to inspire fun activities to fill the time and encourage learning and exploration. From crafts to cooking to science experiments, the non-fiction titles provide readers with tangible ideas and projects to pursue—often with little to no money required. The fiction titles connect readers with characters fighting boredom themselves and showcase the things they do to combat that feeling. Ideal for readers aged 8-12, these books are a great place to start when those summer doldrums roll in.
Contributed by: Mary Lanni

	112 Ways for Kids to Have Fun Without Money By: Sam Gross and Kate Gross Illustrated by: Sam Rockwell Lists free games and activities that combat boredom, featuring such ideas as playing hide-and-seek, building a tree house, writing a book or comic strip, and setting up an Olympic course in the backyard.
	Aster and the Accidental Magic By: Thom Pico Aster is bored at her new home in the mountains in the middle of nowhere–until she meets an odd old shepherdess and her woolly dogs, a sneaky trickster, and an angry fox.
	Big Book of Building: Duct Tape, Paper, Cardboard, and Recycled Projects to Blast Away Boredom By: Marne Ventura Grab some paper, cardboard, duct tape, and other materials and get ready to blast away boredom! Inventive young builders will love creating awesome projects such as treasure chests, tin can robots, space stations, swords and armor, and a whole lot more. With easy to follow step-by-step instructions, readers will be building their own fantastic projects in no time!
	Build Your Own Mini Golf Course, Lemonade Stand, and Other Things to Do By: Tammy Enz Young do-it-your-selfers have a fantastic resource to build cool stuff they’re interested in. From constructing their own fort to assembling a rocket, the simple instructions in these books will have readers working on their own in no time! It features: Step-by-Step Instructions; Material Lists; Fact Boxes; Full Colour; Table of Contents; On-Page Definitions of Glossary Terms; Glossary; Index; Read More Resources; and, Safe Web Sites.
	Busting Boredom with Experiments By: Jennifer Swanson Feeling inventive? Get ready to bust boredom with wacky experiments! Learn how to create lightning bolts, build a catapult, and much more. With clear instructions and helpful photos, busting boredom with experiments has never been more fun.
	The Girls’ Summer Book By: Ellen Bailey and Nellie Ryan With activities like making fortune tellers and throw pillows, and tips such as how to plan the perfect picnic, girls are sure to love this activity book! It also includes spot-the-difference puzzles, doodle pages, mazes, and more!
	Indoor Games! By: Lisa Regan Whether it’s a rainy day, a party day or you are on the move, this imaginative and engaging bindup will have games to suit every need. Start playing!
	The Lava is a Floor! By: Justin Shady and Wayne Chinsang Illustrated by: Jeremy R. Scott Monster brother and sister Clarg and Blarg relieve their boredom by pretending to be human, since humans are much weirder than any of the other creatures they encounter.
	Math Lab For Kids By: Rebecca Rapoport and J. Yoder Even unenthusiastic math students will be fired up to learn with these hands-on labs! Math Lab for Kids is a fun, engaging, and colorful approach to the wide world of mathematics. Through a combination of math games, logic puzzles, activities, and hands-on demonstrations with things like prisms, kids will explore math concepts with renewed excitement. And don’t worry about expensive supplies; everything you need comes included or is easily found around the house!
	Mighty Mo By: Alison Brown Mo the raccoon is searching for something special that he can do to relieve his boredom, but all his attempts turn into disasters, until something happens at the zoo that requires Mo’s special skills.
	On a Magical, Do-Nothing Day By: Beatrice Alemagna Sent outside by their mother on a rainy day, a child is dismayed when their handheld game falls into the pond before they encounter giant snails, wet mushrooms, and other elements that awaken them to the sensory aspects of nature.
	The Phantom Tollbooth By: Norton Juster Illustrated by: Jules Feiffer Milo, a young boy with little interest in anything, takes a trip through the Phantom Tollbooth to the Lands Beyond where he meets an enchanting cast of characters that teaches him the importance of words, numbers, ideas, creativity, and enthusiasm for life. Includes an introduction by Maurice Sendak and “Celebrations of The Phantom Tollbooth” by various authors.

After a long stressful school year, children can use something fun. Doing something you like is a mood booster and hobbies are just that! Whether you are into indoor or outdoor hobbies, want to learn a new hobby or increase your skills in a current hobby, our reading list provides plenty of hobbies to choose from. Books in this list are geared towards ages 8 through 13.

	The Art of LEGO Design By: Jordan Schwartz The Art of LEGO Design explores LEGO as an artistic medium, revealing rarely-known and creative ways to build impressive models with LEGO.
	Making Books with Kids By: Esther Smith Making Books with Kids features more than 25 creative, kid-friendly projects in design, illustration, paper decorating, binding techniques and more. Book artist and author Esther K. Smith offers an exciting resource of easy-to-follow instructions supported throughout with step-by-step, full-color photographs and illustrations. Each sequence is accompanied by finished samples and variations as well as the inspiring work of a prominent book artist.
	Paint it: the art of acrylics, oils, pastels, and watercolors By: Mari Bolte Step-by-step guides show how to create a variety of projects using acrylics, oils, watercolors, and pastels.
	Trash to Treasure: fun, easy projects with paper, plastic, glass & ceramics, fabric, metal, and odds & ends By: Pam Scheunemann With easy step-by-step instructions, this book will help kids get creative and recycle and repurpose their trash into handmade treasures. All projects feature common everyday items to reuse in a fun new way along with step-by-step instructions and photos.
	Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun By: Joshua Glenn Activities parents will remember from their childhoods are presented alongside bold new possibilities: science experiments, crafts and upcycling, board game hacking, code-cracking, geocaching, skateboard repair, yarn bombing, stop-action movie-making – plus tons of trivia, best-of lists, and forward-thinking ideas made accessible to kids.
	Starting a Sport By: Harold T. Rober A simple guide for the different sports available to kids, explaining what equipment, if any, is required for each sport, what safety gear must be worn, and the special skills needed. A good start to guide children in learning about a sport before they start playing it.
	Photography for kids!: a fun guide to digital photography By: Michael Ebert Keys to capturing exciting images range from advice on how to take photos of small things such as insects to self-portraits and pictures that can be taken on any trip. Kid-friendly instructions and photo shoot ideas make this a fine basic guide that displays the basics of what makes a photo composition great.
	Cooking Skills By: Stephanie Turnbull Describes basic cooking skills and techniques, along with several easy recipes from around the world. Includes glossary, tips and tricks, and information on cooking careers.
	Cakes By: Laura and Jess Tilli Each of the five sections in this book focuses on a different type of cake or skill with cake making. The table of contents provides difficulty ratings and symbols that show children when they will need adult help and each recipe has a delicious picture of the actual cake along with an ingredient and equipment list. Drawn illustrations of exactly how to do each step accompany the written directions below the picture.
	Crocheting By: Gwen Blakley Kinsler Demonstrates the techniques of basic crochet, and uses step-by-step illustrated instructions to create six different projects.
	Bewitching Bead &Wire Jewelry By: Suzanne Tourtillott These 40 fun projects–rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, cuffs–will inspire wire workers, beaders, and all types of creative crafters.
	Garden to Table By: Katherine Hengel Presents six common garden vegetables that are easy to grow and explains how to give them their perfect conditions, whether inside or outside. Accompanied by clear, colorful photographs, the instructions for growing, harvesting, and cooking the food is perfectly suited to young readers.
	Yoga By: Sarah Tieck This Move Your Body book is a fast, clear read for young people. Chapters include types of yoga, how to engage in yoga safely, and how yoga contributes to good health.
	How to Play Guitar in 10 Easy Lessons By: Dan Holton Presents a guide to playing the guitar for young readers, explaining how to hold a pick, find each chord, and improvise.
	Learn to Speak Music: a guide to creating, performing, & promoting your songs By: John Crossingham A guide to help young readers learn music by revealing every nook and cranny of how it’s made. Rather than just a guide to instruments and theory, it explores every aspect of the pop music world, from songwriting and artwork to promotion and setting up a practice space. Special features include: insider’s advice on choosing and buying an instrument, finding the right bandmates, setting up gigs, overcoming stage fright, emulating high-priced studio techniques at home, and much more.
	So You Want to be a Comic Book Artist? By: Philip Amara Amara starts with the practical basic panels, gutters, and balloons before explaining what you’ll need for a home studio, including the gear to get started. Includes comics’ creator interviews, which are filled with extremely specific tips about influences, writing tools, and jobs. Includes similar profiles of young amateur artists.
	1-2-3 Calligraphy!: letters and projects for beginners and beyond By: Eleanor Winters Teaches beginners how to do calligraphy by shaping letters from traditional and modern alphabets and also includes other projects.
	Light Your Way: make a candle By: Carla Mooney Explores the history and science of candle making. Includes step-by-step instructions for making beeswax and milk carton candles. Other topics include decorating candles and candle safety.
	Coding Projects in Scratch By: Jon Woodcock You can learn to create mind-bending illusions, crazy animations, and interactive artworks with this collection of Scratch projects! Woodcock shows you simple steps to becoming an expert coder, and helps you improve your coding skills so you can share games online.
	Magic Skills By: Stephanie Turnbull Describes the types of skills needed to do simple magic tricks, and how to train and practice to become a famous magician. Includes instructions for preparing props and tips for making the tricks and illusions work the best. Readers learn card tricks, number tricks, science tricks, and more.
	How to Play Chess By: Daniel King Whether you’re a complete beginner or a more experienced player looking to improve your game, this step-by-step guide will help you play like a champion. Plan your moves with amazing 3-D illustrations. Discover tactics and strategies that will add firepower to your attack and strengthen your defense. Learn tips and techniques to improve your skills and solve the toughest of chess challenges. Includes practice chessboard and press-out pieces, so you can play as you learn.