Rat-a-Tat Cat is a card game for kids from Gamewright that requires players to use simple strategy, mathematical and memory skills. It has won tons of awards, including the Mensa Select award. I love it when our favorite games are recognized by Mensa because that makes me feel super-smart. I mean, winning obviously proves I’m a genius, right? Right? Ok, maaaaybee I’m not a genius, but still, the card game is enjoyable, doesn’t take long to play and is adaptable for different age and skill levels. How to Play Rat-A-Tat-Cat {affiliate link}: Each player is dealt 4 cards face down. Each card has a numerical value and the object is to end with the fewest points. During his turn, a player draws a card and must decide either to discard it or use it to replace one of his own cards. The twist is that players may not look at their own cards unless they draw the special “peek” card. Once a player believes he has fewer points than anyone else, he calls out “Rat-a-Tat Cat!”, at which time, the game ends, cards revealed and points are calculated. Special Considerations: - Good game play requires kids to memorize numbers and perform simple math equations in their heads.
- The game is recommended for ages 6 and up. Kids should have a basic understanding of addition to play.
- The game can be quite competitive as players race to exchange high scoring cards for low ones. One of the “power” cards gives the player the opportunity to switch cards with another player. Some kids can be upset by another player “stealing” his cards; in that case you can remove the “swap” cards from the deck.
Playing with Younger Kids at the Table: - The game can be modified so that 2 of the 4 cards are placed face up on the table.
- I play in a team with my 4 year old against my 8 year old. When we draw a card I ask his advice on swapping it. This gives him a chance to understand quantity (e.g. 9 is greater than 2) even though he isn’t yet able to calculate sums.
- Parents may find that kids can better remember the hidden card values than they can!
- My 4 year old makes the game more fun by calling out “ooh, that’s a nasty rat!” whenever he gets a rat card.
Rat-A-Tat-Cat has been around for more than 15 years, but this past winter was the first time I’d ever played it. Has your family played this game? Interested in our previous choices for Game of the Month? See them all! 
 If you are preparing a summer reading list for your third grader, this book list will be right up your alley. Kiddo will be entering 3rd grade in the fall, so I’ve been searching out some chapter books with a summer theme for his independent reading. The reading level of these books falls in the 2nd grade to 4th grade range and with the exception of Turtle in Paradise, all books are either part of a series or have companion books to encourage further reading.
Are you making a summer reading list for your child this year? What titles have you included? I’d love to get your recommendations! {Note: I’ve chosen these books based on my own opinions and included affiliate links for your convenience, should you wish to learn more about a particular book.}  
Like Bug Juice on a Burger. Both my son and I were delighted to receive a review copy of Julie Sternberg’s sequel to Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie . Brooklyn girl, Eleanor, is nervous about being sent off to Camp Wallumwahpuck. She doesn’t like learning how to swim, or the suspicious food, but with the companionship of new friends and camp counselors, she finds herself growing and learning. What I like best about Sternberg’s writing is her ability to tenderly capture a well-rounded picture of growing up by combining the small joys of new childhood experiences as well as its frustrations. Also available as an ebook.
 
How Tía Lola Saved the Summer. This is the only book in Julia Alvarez’ praised Tía Lola series that I have read, but I am eager to read more. A single father and his three daughters are coming to stay with Miguel’s family for a week during the summer. Miguel is not looking forward to the visit, but Tía Lola manages to make everything magical with her insight and understanding. Also available as an ebook.
 
Turtle in Paradise. 11 year old Turtle moves in with her extended family in this lovely gem of a book set in 1930s Florida Keys. Turtle’s time running around the neighborhood, meeting new people and having pirate adventures with her boy cousins make for a charming and funny story with old-fashioned overtones. Also available as an ebook.
 
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters. This is the 2nd book in an early chapter book series about 2nd grader Alvin Ho and his struggle to overcome his various fears. Alvin’s adventures coming to terms with his family camping experience are sweet and funny. Also available as an ebook.
 
Summer According to Humphrey. Humphrey is the classroom hamster hero of his own early chapter book series, which I unfortunately left off my list of early chapter books starring animal protagonists. In book 6 of the series, Humphrey and the class frog take a summer camp vacation with the teacher and some of the kids from school.
 
Summer with Elisa. Long time readers of my book lists (yay for long time fans!) know that I hold a special place in my book-loving heart for Johanna Hurwitz’ Riverside Kids series. SuperDuper Teddy was one of the first chapter books I read aloud to my oldest son and the series is about a group of kids living in an Upper West Side Manhattan apartment building. Summer with Elisa is one of the easier books on this list and perfect for early chapter book readers. These books are mostly out of print but the excellent news that they are now available for the Kindle.
 
Summer Reading is Killing Me! (Time Warp Trio, No. 7). I admit, the title sucked me in, but when I read the description I laughed out loud. The three boys find themselves trapped in a world with literary characters gone wrong. The narrator describes, ”I saw Homer Price being carried by the Headless Horseman. Dracula was dragging Winnie the Pooh in a headlock. Mr. Twit was breaking Harold’s Purple Crayon.” Kiddo has read several of Jon Scieszka’s Time Warp Trio books, but not this one, so it’s on the list for sure!
 
Justin Case: Shells, Smells, and the Horrible Flip-Flops of Doom. This is the latest book in Rachel Vail’s Justin Case series about about an imaginative, intelligent boy who worries about pretty much everything. It’s the summer before fourth grade and going to camp presents a whole new set of challenges, but Justin is determined to rise to the occasion. Both of Vail’s Justin Case books have received starred reviews from Kirkus — no easy feat.
 
Starring Grace. Summer is the perfect time for Grace and her friends to have some wonderful, imaginative adventures right in her own backyard. This is a solid early chapter book about the heroine of the much loved picture book, Amazing Grace .
 
Runaway Ralph. This is the middle book in Beverly Cleary’s classic Mouse and the Motorcycle trilogy. I have read all three out loud to Kiddo in the past few years, but that’s no reason not to pick up the book for independent reading. Ralph spends his summer at Happy Acres Camp evading cats, making friends and eating pb & j. Also available as an ebook.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links may result in a small commission. Including affiliate links does not affect which books I recommend and supports the time it takes me to make these free book lists for you. In addition, I received a free review copy of Like Bug Juice on a Burger for review purposes. All opinions are my own. ******************************************************************************* If you have a book review, literacy or book-related post, please share it! As before, you are welcome to submit one to three present or past posts, but please do not submit commercial or duplicate posts. You can also grab the button below and share the love on your own blog. You can also follow The Children’s Bookshelf on Pinterest or visit TCB’s co-hosts: What Do We Do All Day?
No Twiddle Twaddle
Smiling Like Sunshine
My Little Bookcase
The Picture Book Review
Sprout’s Bookshelf
MeMeTales
Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns 
This month children’s book illustrator Melanie Hope Greenberg is offering up two darling printable coloring pages that serve as great little cards for mom or dad. They are printable if you want a quick Mother’s Day or Father’s Day card to color at the restaurant while waiting for your traditional brunch, or you can save them for mom or dad’s birthday. The blank space can serve as a place for a handwritten message, or cut it out to turn the card into a frame. 
Download and Print: Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Printable Coloring Page Cards You can meet children’s book illustrator Melanie Hope Greenberg every month on the second Sunday at New York City’s Hip Tot Festival. This month the show is on Mother’s Day, so take your kids and listen to The Trummy Tones. Visit one of the affiliate links below to learn more about Melanie’s children’s books. More about the illustrator: Melanie Hope Greenberg is an award winning author and illustrator of more than 15 children’s books, including Good Morning, Digger and Down in the Subway . Her popular book, Mermaids on Parade was selected as a Bank Street Best Book, and for the Texas Reading Club and PBS Kids Summer Reading Lists. Melanie’s illustrations have been published internationally so take a peek at her illustration website. She was an artist-in-residence at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and conducts author-illustrator workshops at schools and libraries all over the country. You can connect with Melanie (and share photos of your kids doodling on her coloring pages) on facebook. Visit Melanie’s Blog to find out how you can get one of her books autographed. They make lovely gifts, especially for kids who might like diggers or mermaids. You wouldn’t happen to know any kids like that, would you?      
(scroll through third party vendors to find Melanie’s vendor link)
This coloring page and others will be collected on a Pinterest board. This post contains affiliate links which may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!) for this blog. Thanks for your continued support!
Ah, summer reading. Warmer days have begun and now is a good time to choose a few summer read alouds. There are few things more pleasant than cracking open a book on a lovely, sunny day. My kids and I have picked out a stack of books to read aloud when we are lounging outdoors at the park or community garden. If you are looking for some books to supplement your school’s summer reading list I hope this list provides you with a bit of inspiration. Some of these titles are actually new to me, others we have read before (reading chapter books over and over is good!), and some I’ve read, but haven’t yet introduced to the kids. Summer Chapter Books to Read Aloud: I chose these book for a variety of reasons. They don’t all have specific summer themes, but they all called out to me about the carefree adventures and magical inspiration that summer always promises. If you have young kids, take a look at my list of 50 chapter books to read aloud to preschoolers for further suggestions. If you don’t like to tote around a stack of books in your beach bag, I’ve noted which titles you can download to your e-reader. {Note: As always, books are chosen only by me and my kids! I’ve included affiliate links so you can learn more if a book strikes your fancy.}  
Farmer Boy. Can you believe I have never read a Little House book to my kids? I admit, although I really enjoyed them when I was a kid, I’ve never felt a great desire to read them aloud. It’s time to change that.
 
Poppy. We are currently reading the first book in Avi’s very popular Tales from Dimwood Forest series, Ragweed . Ragweed is such a huge hit, especially with my 4 year old who is constantly interrupting conversations throughout the day to tell me “Silversides [the cat] needs to go to jail!” that you can be sure we will be reading, Poppy, which is the next book in the series.
 
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy. This is one of my favorite summer-themed books of all time. Birdsall’s series about the Penderwick girls manages to be both old-fashioned and contemporary at the same time. In the first book, the Penderwick girls and their father spend the summer in a cottage exploring the grounds of a sprawling mansion. Also available as an ebook.
 
Matilda. This one is on the list for selfish reasons: I really want to see the Broadway musical, Matilda, and I haven’t read the book since I was a kid. It’s an excellent book, so I feel justified picking it! Also available as an ebook.
 
The Rescuers. This book is new to me! I’ve actually never seen the Disney movie version. The book was out of print for many years, but was re-issued a few years ago. Adventure, tiny animals, a Norwegian poet in danger, what more could you need in a summer book? Also available as an ebook.
 
Charlotte’s Web. Here’s another one I haven’t read to the boys, yet! I feel a bit like a fraud when there are so many classics I’ve yet to read aloud. My 8 year old saw the book sitting on the table and informed me his friend was reading it at school and told him it was a great book. I’m pretty sure it will live up to his expectations. Also available as an ebook.
 
Bed-Knob and Broomstick. Full confession: I adored this movie when I was a kid and it wasn’t until many years after seeing the film that I read the book. It has lots of adventure and high-flying fantasy, perfect for a summer escape. Norton wrote The Borrowers , which is also under consideration for our summer reading list. Also available as an ebook.
 
Half Magic. Kiddo agreed that we could read this book again. It will be new for his 4 year old brother and you can’t go wrong with it. One magical summer four siblings find a coin that grants half a wish, creating irresistible adventures. This is one of my must-read books for every child and I can’t wait to read it again! Also available as an ebook.
 
Betsy-Tacy. Yes, I am ashamed to say I have not read this classic aloud, either! It was one of my all time favorite books as a kid and I’m hoping my 8 year old will pick up the sequels to read independently. Also available as an ebook.
 
Moominsummer Madness. What can I say, every summer should include a little Finnish whimsy. I haven’t read this particular installment of the beloved Moomin book series, but I dare anyone not to love the enchanting little creatures.
Do you have any plans for summer read alouds with your kids? Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on an Amazon link and make a subsequent purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Including affiliate links supports the time it takes me to make these book lists for you and does not affect which books I choose. Happy reading!
I found some wonderful resources last week through The Children’s Bookshelf, including a few new book lists to add to my ever-growing collection of titles to check out from the library. If you missed the linky last week because of Screen-Free Week, I’m sure you had a relaxing time away from the computer and no doubt got in lots of reading time with your kids. I hope you are able to find time to take a look at last week’s post and share something new today. Here are some kids’ book list ideas to get your reading jump started: ******************************************************************************* If you have a book review, literacy or book-related post, please share it! As before, you are welcome to submit one to three present or past posts, but please do not submit commercial or duplicate posts. You can also grab the button below and share the love on your own blog. You can also follow The Children’s Bookshelf on Pinterest or visit TCB’s co-hosts: What Do We Do All Day?
No Twiddle Twaddle
Smiling Like Sunshine
My Little Bookcase
The Picture Book Review
Sprout’s Bookshelf
MeMeTales
Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns
More Recent Articles
| 
