Puppy Place by Ellen Miles It is hard to find just the right book for children transitioning from early readers to beginning chapter books. Not only is the text more challenging, but also many times there are fewer pictures than the reader has grown accustomed to. However, the tradeoff is great! Your reader will now enjoy more detailed plots and really get to stretch their imagination. Many transitional chapter books are series and if you can find a series they enjoy, they will have many books to choose from.  The Puppy Place series by Ellen Miles is a wonderful option for animal lovers, and especially dog lovers. Brother and sister Charles and Lizzie Peterson foster puppies in their home. The plot is similar in each of these realistic fiction books as Charles or Lizzie somehow stumble across a puppy in need of a home. Each book in the series features a different type of dog and has facts about the breed sprinkled into the story while the Petersons try to find a perfectly m...

  My son just turned one at the end of last month and he loves being read to. I’ve noticed that the board books that really grab his attention are the ones that have actual photographs of people, places and things. I think he likes seeing images of other little people. These are some of our favorites right now. And when I say favorites, I mean we sit down to read them over, and over, and over (and sometimes even over) again. Baby Up, Baby Down: A First Book of Opposites by  Abrams Appleseed   This simple and fun board book introduces baby to the concept of opposites: near/far, up/down, quiet/noisy. But what makes it so much fun are the photographs of toddlers performing each action. My son will laugh as I bring the picture of the toddler close to him for “near”, and then laugh again when I take the toddler away for “far”. Baby Loves: A First Book of Favorites by Abrams Appleseed   What does baby love? Eating a banana! Can you find the picture of the banana? J...