Back to School is here! This season brings a wide range of emotions for children. Whether they are excited or nervous, a great read aloud can help them to understand their feelings, connect with new situations, feel comfortable with change, and maybe even laugh about silly school shenanigans. The following books published in 2026 have stood out to me as great choices for this time of year.
Tag: collection development
My Favorite Children’s Chapter Books: Then and Now
One of my favorite parts of summer reading is seeing all the children check out their books, excited to start logging their minutes reading! Seeing what children are checking out also helps me to get to know them. Did they check out The Wild Robot? They like an adventure! Diary of a Wimpy Kid? This kid has a funny bone! Seeing all the books checked out this summer has made me reminiscent of the books that I loved as a child. In this post, I will share some of my favorite children’s chapter books from my childhood and from my time as a librarian.
Five Quick Tips for Starting a Decodables Collection in Your Library
As the science of reading gains traction, patrons are starting to looking for more phonics-based books. Leveled readers are great, but do not always focus on developing skills in a particular sequence. To develop those skills, patrons are better served by decodable books. Decodable books are typically sold in sets and follow a specific sequence. This allows the reader to build on previous skills. Because these sets are usually sold by education companies, patrons may not know where to find them. It’s a perfect opportunity for libraries to step in and increase access to these titles.
From Selection to Storytime: Strengthening Your World Language Collection
Libraries are a welcoming place for everyone. At the heart of that mission is a thoughtfully developed collection that is accessible, relevant, and engaging for both new visitors and lifelong patrons. Children’s collection specialists will undoubtedly purchase replacement copies of beloved series like Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid for years to come. Yet even smaller, less frequent acquisitions can have an outsized impact. Investing in a robust World Language collection sends a clear message of inclusion to bilingual families, affirms multilingual identities, and supports English language learners as well as students studying a second language.
Mindfulness: Books for Young Readers
I am the Youth and Teen Collections Librarian for the eight locations that comprise my library system, and I am responsible for purchasing all materials for ages 0-17. In the past few years, I have noticed an increase in materials addressing mindfulness, meditation, and calming activities for all age groups. Researchers and health professionals are sounding the alarm regarding the increased prevalence of depression and anxiety for children ages 3-17. While the pandemic had a huge impact on mental and emotional health, the current state of the world has continued to contribute to the concerning rise of stress in young children. The following booklist offers a variety of books for young readers to help navigate emotional challenges. I am hoping you will find some helpful titles to offer patrons, caregivers, and readers insight and guidance. Several books offer instructions for mindful breathing and calming movements. Many of the practices covered…
My Favorite Back to School Middle Grade Novels!
As we approach Back to School season, there are plenty of picture books to help little ones transition into a new grade or start school for the first time. However, school-age children reading middle grade novels can also benefit from novels that focus on school, from being a new kid in school to being an advocate for change at a young age. These are some of my favorite middle grade novels that are perfect for Back to School season!
Share Out: Circulation Challenge
In the last year, I have been purposefully building up the children’s programs to best accommodate the community and to increase the offerings of quality programs. The best thing I did for this was to hire an amazing children’s librarian. Our programs are popular, our numbers for programs are great, the caregivers and kids are really enjoying everything. The only thing I keep noticing is that we are not circulating a lot of books after programs.
Considering Tonies® and Yoto Players
Requests for Tonies® and Yoto Players have increased recently, prompting my library to take the plunge and add them to our collection. I’d like to share how we integrated them as well as my thoughts on each.