Just like the title says: almost everything was Disney/Marvel branded, etc. Or Minecraft, Disney princesses etc. It was almost all Just corporate crap with no quality prose or narrative to be found. (It’s shocking we accept this or the fact that not a single book of fun poems or classic kids literature was on offer for children.)
So help me out: I have two boys ages six and eight.
And oh: These are things for me to read to them right now as my older one has reading challenges, and my younger one is just started.
I have “where the sidewalk ends” by Shel Silverstein and they absolutely love it when I read them poems from that. I don’t need recommendations that are necessary. “classics”, but just something with some meat in it. I just can’t believe how bland the stories are that are at these book fairs.
I’m looking for Some thing that has more brains and narrative and vocab and prose than another Disney-avengers-nothing-at-all
Happens “book” for boys and “ Disney descendants” schlock for girls.
I mean, do you remember Bridge to Terabithia? My goodness. It says infinitely more than all these cheap little graphic novels combined.
by Feed_Me_No_Lies
4 Comments
You really can’t go wrong with Roald Dahl! I loved those stories as a kid. The BFG, Matilda, and The Witches were my favorites, also James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory of course, and Fantastic Mr. Fox is probably a great one for very young kids.
The Silverwing series by Kenneth Oppel
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques
Hilda graphic novels
For the 6 year old, I think the Zoey and Sassafrass series is great.
If they don’t object to reading about a girl, Pippi Longstocking is great for kids that age
Try suggesting your school partner with a local independent bookstore for a book fair! The items in the Scholastic set are chosen for popularity and attractive price points, so an indie has to work harder to meet financial requirements without leaning on licensed characters and pencil erasers, but it can be done. Some indie bookstores specialize in offering a really cool, kid-friendly, teacher-approved fundraising event.