Browsing Books: Sakatah Lake State Park

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 Welcome to Browsing Books! 

This season we are suggesting books you might enjoy for our Goodreads group: Armchair Travel to Minnesota State Parks. We give you a prompt connected to each state park, and you find a book to fulfill the challenge. You can use one of our suggestions, and you should feel free to read any book!

Sakatah Lake park was established in 1963. “Members of the Dakota Nation, the Wahpekute (Wah-pay-coo-tay) tribe inhabited the area that is now the park. They named the area Sakatah, which translates to “the sights and sounds of children playing on the hill,” ” To celebrate this lovely imagery, read a book with kids or a hill on the cover.

We give you links to each of these books on our show notes page, taking you to Amazon.com. If you click on any of them, and buy anything at all – including a nice book – Amazon will send us a small percent of the profits they made on these sales. Thank you for supporting CMLE!

Our books this week are all picture books for kids, with kids on the cover and some with kids on hills on the covers!

Tomorrow Most Likely (Read Aloud Family Books, Mindfulness Books for Kids, Bedtime Books for Young Children, Bedtime Picture Books), by by Dave Eggers

A bright new take on bedtime books: Rather than focusing on going to bed — and what kid wants to think about going to bed? — this book explores all of the dreamy, wonderful, strange things the next day might bring. Whimsical, witty, and hopeful, Tomorrow Most Likely is a revolutionary rewriting of a classic goodnight book from bestselling author Dave Eggers and award-winning illustrator Lane Smith.

  • A bedtime story for tomorrow ever after that families can enjoy together.
  • Soothing text and gorgeous illustrations will captivate children and adult.s
  • Dave Eggers is the author of many books including What Can a Citizen Do? and Her Right Foot. Lane Smith is the author/illustrator of several award-winning books for children, including The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.
  • Great family read aloud book
  • Books for kids ages 3-5
  • Picture books for preschool and kindergarten

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, by Barack Obama

In this tender, beautiful letter to his daughters, President Barack Obama has written a moving tribute to thirteen groundbreaking Americans and the ideals that have shaped our nation. From the artistry of Georgia O’Keeffe, to the courage of Jackie Robinson, to the patriotism of George Washington, President Obama sees the traits of these heroes within his own children, and within all of America’s children.

Breathtaking, evocative illustrations by award-winning artist Loren Long at once capture the personalities and achievements of these great Americans and the innocence and promise of childhood.

This beautiful book celebrates the characteristics that unite all Americans, from our nation’s founders to generations to come. It is about the potential within each of us to pursue our dreams and forge our own paths. It is a treasure to cherish with your family forever.

A Kite for Moon, by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple

Dedicated to astronaut Neil Armstrong, A Kite for Moon is the perfect children’s book to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first United States moon landing. Written by New York Times bestselling author of How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Jane Yolen and her daughter, Heidi Stemple, this book is a heartfelt story about a young boy’s fascination and unlikely friendship with the moon.

What would it be like if the moon was your friend? Find out as you walk alongside a little boy who journeys through life to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut. And then blast off with your little one as you zoom to the moon together!

The story begins when a little boy, who is flying his kite, notices a sad Moon. He sends up kites to her, writing notes promising he will come see her someday. This promise propels him through years of studying, learning, and training to become an astronaut. Until … he finally goes up, up, up in a big rocket ship with a fiery tail.

A Kite for Moon:

  • Features over 20 gorgeous illustrations by award-winning artist Matt Phelan
  • Contains a beautiful presentation page, making this book ideal for gift giving
  • Is the perfect storybook for children ages 4 to 8
  • Celebrates every child’s fascination with space
  • Features a gorgeous cover that sparkles and shines with gloss and foil

Carl and the Meaning of Life, by Deborah Freedman

Carl is an earthworm. He spends his days happily tunneling in the soil until a field mouse asks him a simple question that stops him short: “Why?” Carl’s quest takes him on an adventure to meet all the animals of the forest, each of whom seems to know exactly what they were put on this earth to do, unlike the curious Carl. But it’s not until the world around him has changed that Carl begins to realize everyone, no matter how small, makes a big difference just by being themselves.

My Papi Has a Motorcycle, by Isabel Quintero

When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she’s always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her.

But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there.

With vivid illustrations and text bursting with heart, My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl’s love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change.

Elvis Is King!, by Jonah Winter

Here’s the perfect book for anyone who wants to introduce rock ‘n’ roll and its king to the child in their lives. In single- page “chapters” with titles like “The First Cheeseburger Ever Eaten by Elvis” and “Shazam! A Blond Boy Turns into a Black-Haired Teenager,” readers can follow key moments in Presley’s life, from his birth on the wrong side of the railroad tracks in the Deep South, to playing his first guitar in grade school, to being so nervous during a performance as a teenager that he starts shaking . . . and changes the world!

Jonah Winter and Red Nose Studio have created a tour-de-force that captures a boy’s loneliness and longing, along with the energy and excitement, passion, and raw talent that was Elvis Presley.

CONCLUSION:

Thanks for joining us! We’ll be back next week with a look at the next park and the next book prompt!