Borders Books has taken time to recommend books for different ages and reading levels for Oakland County Moms. Borders was also kind enough to suggest books for moms. These book recommendations and reviews from Borders make shopping easier!

Picture Books - Baby - Pre-School

First Snow In The Woods by: Carl Sams & J. Stoick

This beautiful story, illustrated with glorious and vibrant photographs, is full of wonder for both children and adults. Here is the story of the creatures of the forest preparing for the first snow. In their rituals of preparation for the winter to come, we are given gentle, reflective prose and rich, fascinating photographs: an owl silhouetted against the mysterious northern lights, dragonflies, hummingbirds, woodchucks, and the most graceful deer. Through this book, children can learn the wonder of the animals of the woods, and also of the changing of the seasons; adult can find lovely and poignant photographic images that bring the magic of the forest alive.

Goodnight Moon- By: Margaret Wise Brown

Perhaps the perfect children's bedtime book, Goodnight Moon is a short poem of goodnight wishes from a young rabbit preparing for--or attempting to postpone--his own slumber. He says goodnight to every object in sight and within earshot, including the "quiet old lady whispering hush."

Finding all of the items mentioned throughout the book within the pictures is a good bedtime activity--a reappearing little mouse is particularly pesky. By the end of the little rabbit's goodnight poem, the story has quieted to a whisper, and the drawings have darkened with nightfall. As you turn the last page, you can expect a sleepy smile and at least a yawn or two.

What’s Wrong Little Pookie- By: Sandra Boynton

Here's another winner from one of our favorite children's book authors... It's about the trouble that occurs when strong emotions -- unhappiness or anger or boredom or helplessness -- collide with a little person's inability to explain what they are feeling, or why. A toddler named Little Pookie is in a big funk, and his/her caregiver asks a bunch of questions to find out why. The adult's question appear in bold, dark typeface; Pookie replies in little red letters. This call-and-response structure makes this a really fun book for parents and kids to read together.

Early Reader- Ages 4-8

Magic Tree House #38: Monday with a Mad Genius- By: Mary Pope Osborne

JACK AND ANNIE are on a mission to save Merlin from his sorrows! Charged with finding the second of four secrets of happiness, the brother-and-sister team travel back in the magic tree house to the period known as the Renaissance. This time, Jack and Annie will need more than a research book and a magic wand. They'll need help from one of the greatest minds of all time. What will they learn from Leonardo da Vinci?

Stink and the World's Worst Super-Stinky Sneakers- By: Megan McDonlad

Grade 1-3–Stink Moody, Judy's little brother, is sure he can win the Super-Stinky Sneaker Contest because he has such a supersensitive nose. When his class goes to the Gross-Me-Out exhibit at the science museum, the second grader is able to identify every smell in the Everybody Stinks exhibit, from bad breath to B.O. This ability really impresses his classmates. He becomes Mr. Nose-it-all, and he hopes one day to smell a corpse flower, which has the worst odor in the entire world. When cancellation of the contest is threatened because one of the judges is sick, Stink's teacher comes up with a unique way to save the day, but it would mean that Stink would have to give up becoming a contestant. Stink is a delightful protagonist, comical and bright, and McDonald cleverly imparts information on smells.

Pinkalicious –By: Victoria Kann

Pinkalicious eats so many pink cupcakes that she wakes up the next morning with pink skin and hair. The color just won't wash off, and the doctor diagnoses her with Pinkititis and tells her to eat green food to get better. Still, when her parents aren't looking, she sneaks just one more treat–and turns red. Startled, she starts to choke down her veggies and finally returns to normal. When everything seems okay, Daddy asks what happened to the other cupcakes, and Pinkalicious's little brother bounds into the room with one in hand, happily showing off his new pink skin. The final Pink-a-boo! is sure to garner smiles. The computer-generated collage pictures are bold and appealing and will draw readers into the story

Independent Reader- Ages 8-12

Diary of a Wimpy Kid- By: Jeff Kinney

Middle school student Greg Heffley takes readers through an academic year's worth of drama. Greg's mother forces him to keep a diary ("I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I specifically told her to get one that didn't say 'diary' on it"), and in it he loosely recounts each day's events, interspersed with his comic illustrations. Kinney has a gift for believable preteen dialogue and narration (e.g., "Don't expect me to be all 'Dear Diary' this and 'Dear Diary' that"), and the illustrations serve as a hilarious counterpoint to Greg's often deadpan voice. The hero's utter obliviousness to his friends and family becomes a running joke. For instance, on Halloween, Greg and his best friend, Rowley, take refuge from some high school boys at Greg's grandmother's house; they taunt the bullies, who then T.P. her house. Greg's journal entry reads, "I do feel a little bad, because it looked like it was gonna take a long time to clean up. But on the bright side, Gramma is retired, so she probably didn't have anything planned for today anyway." Kinney ably skewers familiar aspects of junior high life, from dealing with the mysteries of what makes someone popular to the trauma of a "wrestling unit" in gym class. His print debut should keep readers in stitches, eagerly anticipating Greg's further adventures.

Bud Not Buddy- By: Christopher Paul Curtis

A 10-year-old boy in Depression-era Michigan sets out to find the man he believes to be his father. While the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted, Curtis imbues them with an aura of hope, and he makes readers laugh even when he sets up the most daunting scenarios.

Because of Winn-Dixie- By: Kate DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie, a big, ugly, happy dog, 10-year-old Opal learns 10 things about her long-gone mother from her preacher father. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal makes new friends among the somewhat unusual residents of her new hometown, Naomi, Florida. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal begins to find her place in the world and let go of some of the sadness left by her mother's abandonment seven years earlier