August Bookshelf + Giveaway

August Bookshelf + Giveaway

books, reading list, what ya reading, children's books, parenting books, summer reads
We received some of these titles for review purposes. As always all opinions are honest and solely my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Summer is about getting outside and being kissed by the sun. It is about making memories. It is about smiles and laughter. And in our home, it is about reading new books and learning about new people and places. This month’s bookshelf is filled with fun (and educational) titles. It also has a giveaway!!!! We love when we can add to your library. Keep reading to see what and how to win.

Who Was Jesse Owens? – With the Summer Olympics happening this year, it was a great time to introduce JustaBXgirl to an athlete who was also a part of history. Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics. That is enough to make him impressive yet, there is so much more to his story. I’m happy to have introduced it to her.

Who Was Kobe Bryant? – I can’t front. Seeing the Was instead of Who choked me up a bit. It’s still hard to believe that Kobe Bryant is no longer here. JustaBXgirl isn’t into Basketball so she wasn’t a fan of his. I enjoyed reading this with her because even though she’s not into the sport, she can understand and relate to the focus and dedication that he had.

What Are the Summer Olympics? – This was a great way to introduce this summer’s games. Don’t worry, it can also be a good way to debrief the games. It shares the history of the Olympics and gives us the ability to have real discussions. It isn’t a fairytale book only highlighting the greatness of the games. It shares hard to talk about real-life things that have happened during and surrounding the games. I think it’s a great discussion book for families.

What Are the Paralympic Games? – I regularly talk about #representationmatters on this blog and my social media pages. The Paralympics are part of that ideology. Too often, people with disabilities are ignored and treated as if they are not as important as others. I think this book is a great message to kids that strength, bravery, and determination are found in everyone. It is up to each of us how we nurture our abilities. The Paralympics are recent history. They began in 1948 but didn’t become international until 1952. That’s only two years before my mother was born! This book was a history lesson and a motivational text all in one.

Get Real and Get In – My niece is going into her senior year of high school! I cannot believe it. I am so proud of her and all she has done to be at the top of her class. That doesn’t mean that she gets to coast through her senior year. That means that we must prep to help her achieve her next set of goals. This book is part of that prep work. I was excited when it found its way into my inbox because truth be told, NYC schools aren’t really worrying about prepping students for college right now. This book doesn’t just give answers, it asks questions. It makes the reader really think about what they want. It gives great advice and allows space for true reflection. I enjoyed it and hope my niece does too.

More Surprising Stories Behind Everyday Stuff – JustaBXgirl gets so excited when National Geographic Kids books show up in our home. I do too. I know that we are getting ready to learn some quirky trivia and begin planning all types of fun times. This book gave us exactly what we need. It drops nuggets of amusing education on things we look at daily! The Bet You Didn’t Know bites are JustaBXgirls favorites. These bite-sized facts keep JustaBXgirl interested in learning more. We really love the Manners Around the World section. Did you know that you should never stand your chopsticks straight up in your rice? In Japan, that practice is done at funerals, when a bowl of rice is put before the coffin of the deceased!

National Parks Guide U.S.A – I love to travel but have never been that interested in traveling domestically. Enter recent world events and my mindset has shifted. This book made me excited for a few reasons. The first is that it introduced me to a number of options that I did not know existed! The second reason is that even if I can’t visit these places, the information and photos make me feel like I’m visiting. And finally, this is going to be so helpful for homeschooling this year. JustaBXgirl was introduced to the states and their capitals last year. Now I can have her discover the National Parks and place them using her prior knowledge.

Almanac 2022 – There is so much information in this book. I know, it’s an almanac, there’s supposed to be lots of information. JustaBXgirl and I enjoy flipping open to a random page and reading through. We like to see if it is something we already know. If it is, we congratulate ourselves. If it isn’t, we decide if it is a topic that we want to delve into further.

Ultimate U.S.Road Trip Atlas – We’ve recently started studying local maps. This book is great for showing JustaBXgirl how we’re connected to other cities and states. It is also a great way to figure out where to next! I’ll be adding this to our social studies curriculum this year too! It is a fun way to help JustaBXgirl remember what she is learning.

125 Wacky Roadside Attractions – We are all about the wacky and the weird. We give each attraction a weird rating and decide if it is a place we want to visit. Just be aware, this book includes attractions around the world so don’t think you can just jump in the car and get to all of them!

We are grateful that our friends at National Geographic Kids will be sending one of our followers a set of their books featured here. Head over to my IG post to find out how to enter.

Written by
justabxmom
Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply

Follow @justabxmom

Instagram has returned empty data. Please authorize your Instagram account in the plugin settings .