Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with recommendations and children

Recommend some non-white kids' books

featherboa — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:24:41 -0800

Can you recommend some children's picture books that don't just feature white faces? I run a kids' bookshop and it's been bugging me that almost none of the picture books we stock feature a non-white child as the main character. I'm trying to remedy that.

I'll probably be getting My Two Grannies, but ideally the storyline wouldn't be particularly about race. I do stock Rastamouse and that's probably closer to what I'm looking for, except it's about a mouse.

The shop's in London, and I try to keep the books skewed more British than American, but if you have a favourite from anywhere in the world, please let me know.

Similarly if you want to recommend a kids' book without pictures that fits the theme, I'd love to know about that too.

Need Books/Movies for Kids Going to Rome

bjennings — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:55:33 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for books, movies and even music that might be relevant for a group of middle school (7th & 8th grade, ages 12-14) kids who are going to Rome over spring break. I'm a teacher, and I'm leading a group of 20 middle school kids as well as three other faculty members. I'd like to be able to recommend novels, movies and music for them.

They've all read Caroline Lawrence's "The Roman Mysteries" series. I'm very familiar with the range of children's and young adult historical fiction, especially that set in ancient times. I'd love to have any recommendations for novels set in modern Italy. Some of the students have read Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons", but teen and young adult books would be great, too.

I suggested "Roman Holiday"; all of the parents said "Oooh, I love that movie", and all of the kids were bored out of their skull. Fluff like the Mary Kate and Ashley "When In Rome" and "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" is right up their alley.

I figure music is a long-shot, but maybe there are some recommendations there as well. Thanks!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

Soliloquy — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 09:40:12 -0800

It has come to my attention that my five year-old cousins do not have any Christmas music. Recommendations for fantastic albums, please! So many albums, so little time. I'd like to find them some great music that can be played over and over, without annoying the adults. Of course they'll need the classic Christmas carols, but they are of German and Vietnamese descent, so a nod towards either heritage (or a compilation of Christmas music from around the world) would not go unappreciated. And one of them shows some musical aptitude, so ideally the album(s) will stimulate his interest in that. What do your kids particularly enjoy?

Best book series for children and young adults?

MonkeyToes — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 18:17:22 -0800

Book series for children and young adults? Recommendations welcome. There is I'd like to lay in a supply of some of my favorite series (Hobbit/LOTR, The Great Brain, Wrinkle in Time, Chronicles of Narnia, Foundation) for my young son. Help me figure out what else I should add to the shelves.

What were your favorite book series for children and young adults? What series have your children enjoyed? And why? (All genres considered, and yes, I have looked at this, this, and this). I'm looking for series in the hopes that he'll read the first book, and then ask for the second, and then the third... My own preferences run along the fantasy/sci fi axis, but I'm willing to look at other genres.

Bonus points for series that have come out in the last (cough) 20 years. I've read Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter, but little else as far as series go. His Dark Materials? Gormenghast? I feel like I need a little remedial education in this area. Thanks.

Good websites for toddlers

itchy — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 23:49:43 -0800

Hi, does anyone have any good recommendations for great web sites for 2 to 4 year olds? My 2 1/2 year old has started getting interested in playing on the computer. I know a couple of sites for kids his age, but would love recommendations on other good sites for 2 to 4 year olds, particuarly ones that are educational, entertaining and easy for him to navigate (he's only using the mouse, not the keyboard at this stage). Thanks!

Children's books about cities

matildaben — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 11:33:50 -0800

Please recommend children's books about great cities of America and/or the world. A six-year-old who lives in a gorgeous and very rural area expressed a spontaneous interest in the urban (specifially, she announced of her block tower that it was "Chicago!!!"). Her very urban non-biological auntie would like to encourage this sophisticated young lady to understand more about the ways of big city life and the offerings of the great cities of the world. Could you recommend some good books for early readers (4-8 range)? An Amazon search has revealed the works of Martha Day Zschock but I would like recommendations of books you have actually seen or read. (Eloise, of course, is a given.)