Skip to main content

You Need to Read: Charlie Brown

Growing up, Charlie Brown's movies were a staple of my elementary school around the holidays.  Halloween?  "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  Thanksgiving?  "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."  Christmas?  "A Charlie Brown Christmas."  You couldn't hit a major holiday without at least one teacher, and sometimes several, showing a Charlie Brown movie in class.  I think we can all agree that a movie in class equaled the best day ever.  So it's maybe no surprise that I equate Charlie Brown with holidays and good times.  As a gift to Charlie Brown for all the fun holiday times had NOT doing schoolwork, I've compiled a list of books tailored just for his unique interests and challenges. 

To give Charlie Brown an excuse to quit trying to kick that dang football-

Written by Tim Green
Harper Collins Children's Books, 2021. Fiction. 296 pgs.

After Ben's dad, a former NFL player, receives a heartbreaking ALS diagnosis--connected to all those hard hits and tackles he took on the field--Ben's mom becomes more determined than ever to get Ben to quit football. But Ben isn't playing just for himself. This might be his dad's last chance to coach and his teammates need a quarterback that can lead them to the championships. But as Ben watches the heavy toll ALS takes on his dad's body, he begins to question his decision to play.

To introduce Charlie Brown to his creator-

Written by Joan Holub
Penguin Workshop, 2022. Biography. 108 pgs. 

Charles Schulz loved drawing from the time he was a young child, and as he grew older, he turned this passion into a  successful career writing the beloved Peanuts comic strip. Follow his path from youth to adulthood and learn how Peanuts came to be.

To assist Charlie Brown in finding his inner-strength and confidence in himself, all without paying an underage narcissist a nickel to be his therapist-

Written by Fatima Doman
Next Century Publishing, 2018. Informational. 

Help children discover their strengths and learn how to use them consistently. "True You! Authentic Strengths for Kids" reveals pathways to engagement at school, in relationships and in life, bringing out the best in children.

To help Charlie Brown deal with bullying in a healthy way-

Written by Holly Duhig
Kid Haven Publishing, 2019. Informational.

Using a scrapbook-style format, "Dealing with Bullying" helps readers answer common questions about dealing with bullying. 

To show Charlie Brown that he's not the only lover of tiny, tired Christmas trees-

Written by E.E. Cummings
Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
Dragonfly Books, 1994. Informational.

In this beautiful picture book featuring the beloved Christmas poem, "Little Tree," e.e. cummings describes the wonder and excitement of a young brother and sister who find a little tree on a city sidewalk and carry it home, where they adorn it with Christmas finery.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Fowl Play

  Fowl Play By Kristin O'Donnell Tubb New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. Fiction 277 pages. Still reeling from her beloved uncle's death, Chloe Alvarez is comforted and confused when at his last will and testament reading, Uncle Will gifts her his African Grey parrot, Charlie. Charlie has a robust vocabulary and loves to make Alexa requests for her favorite songs, but when she starts saying things like, "homicide," and "cyanide," Chloe becomes convinced that Uncle Will may have met his demise by murder instead of a genetic disease, as was previously thought. Ultimately, bringing in her brother, Grammy, and Uncle Frank (and of course Charlie,) Chloe's ragtag and adoring family support her search for answers ---going on stakeouts, engaging in fast pursuits, and searching for clues. But as the suspects stack up and the mystery grows, Chole will learn that the process of death and grieving is complicated, and in the end her Uncle Will's words that, ...

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Review: A Game of Noctis

A Game of Noctis By Deva Fagan New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 310 pages. On the island of Dantessa, social standings and wealth are determined by your place in the Great Game. If you keep on winning, you can reap treasures, power, and security for yourself and your family; but if you lose too many games, you'll be exiled to Pawn Island and a life of servitude. That's what happens to 12-year-old Pia's grandfather. Due to poor vision, he struggles to see the games, but also can't afford new eyeglasses without winning. When his score falls to zero, he is sent away. Desperate to bring him back, Pia joins a ragtag group of misfits to form a team for the annual game of Noctis. The game requires contestants to perform dangerous challenges in front of a live audience, and no one outside the wealthy Diamond District has ever won. Each member of Pia's team, the Seafoxes, has their own reason to compete, but if they're going to win they'll h...