A girl who transforms into a queen, a mermaid, a fairy or a ballerina. A dragon who dreamed of being a firefighter. A son who shares a magical connection with his father, making them one. A revolutionary hero in the backlands of Bahia. A woman traveling with a blue horse.
For children, the month of July comes with the promise of the long-awaited school holidays. This period has magic in the air and infinite possibilities, even more so when a great book is involved.
In some northeastern states, such as Bahia, school holidays have already ended, but taking the habit of reading beyond the classroom is important throughout the year. Fun and immersive, reading expands knowledge, enriches vocabulary and develops the child's capacity for empathy.
Oh, and why not join the trip?
Reading together is more fun and provides special moments for family and friends to get closer, serving as an incentive to create a love for stories.
To fully explore the narrative present in the books, it is worth reading aloud, exploring different voices, onomatopoeia, theater, playing with costumes or simply sharing the reading.
But where to start?
We've put together 5 book recommendations for children's holidays, with suggested age groups, to entertain and inspire. Good reading!
Five book tips
The incredible Serena against the fearsome Aspiraldo
→ By the author Natália Paiva, with illustration by Luísa Amoroso
Serena is a very imaginative girl. While her father vacuums the different spaces in the house, Serena transforms herself into a queen, a mermaid, a ballerina or a fairy, fighting with her imaginary friends against a fearsome monster with a long nose that wants to suck up everything, called Aspiraldo. In a sound narrative, with rhymed verses in ten stressed syllables, “A Incrível Serena Contra o Temível Aspiraldo” takes us to the children's universe that transforms everyday domestic life into fantasy, smiles and lots of affection. To make reading even more immersive, the book comes with a QR Code to access music made to accompany the story.
Cyril: the dragon who dreamed of being a firefighter
→ By the author Carolina Bacelar, with illustrations by Enéas Guerra
Cyril is not a normal dragon, like those that torment the lives of princes in fairy tales. He belongs to the royal lineage of winged metallic dragons. Except he doesn't even look like a dragon. Instead of fire, he really likes water. Your first word? Water. What do you most like to do? Swim in the Verdant River. Main joke? Set fire to the bushes and bring some water to fight the small fire. “Cirilo, the dragon who dreamed of being a firefighter” is a fun children's adventure, with well-crafted text, set in a magical land, but which presents us with a very real super power that is accessible to everyone: willpower.
When we are one
→ By the author Alessandro Marimpietri, with illustrations by Esteban Vivaldi
Inspired by the experience of complicity and affection in the relationship between the author and his son Lucca, this book sheds light on the relationship between parents and their children, allowing both to grow and gain a deeper understanding of life and its symbolic meanings.
In poetic language and accessible to children, permeated by a richly illustrated narrative, the book “When We Are One” enchants people of all ages.
It can be read by parents, to their children; by children, for their parents or, even, it can become a great reading opportunity to be shared with the family. This is a book that praises the experience of fatherhood and the power of love as a chance to reinvent life.
Antonino Peregrino
→ By the author Osvaldo Costa Martins, with illustration by Luci Sacoleira
The book “Antonino Peregrino” introduces new generations, in a poetic way, to the character Antônio Conselheiro, responsible for leading the Canudos camp, in the backlands of Bahia. Narrated in the first person, the publication brings the reader closer to the singularity of Conselheiro, who called himself “the pilgrim”.
Words and figures intertwine to tell about a historical moment that seems very current: segregation, the attempt to silence the Northeast by the Southeast, exclusion, the concentration of income, land, racism, xenophobia, the lies produced by certain centers of power to empty popular strength, all of this is at stake.
The guard woman
→ By author Sara Bertrand, with illustrations by Alejandra Acosta
Jacinta wants to know how her mother is going to breathe inside the coffin and her aunts tell her that it's better for her to take care of her brothers. From her mother, Jacinta remembers the sound of the spoon hitting the glass when she stirred the milk to make sure there were no lumps. Jacinta laughs with her brothers and her father when he manages to get home early from work and they have dinner together and he ends up pulling candy and sweets out of her ears. Jacinta is a strange little animal, in a world where other children have mothers. Jacinta does not have a guardian angel, but a woman who travels on a blue horse and always watches over her. In 2017, the original Spanish edition of “The Woman of the Guard” received the important New Horizon/Bologna Ragazzi award at the Bologna International Children's Book Fair, in Italy.
The work was also recognized as the best children's book title by 451 magazine, in 2019, and received the Seal of Distinction from the UNESCO Reading Chair.
Discover our complete collection of children's books here. These are works made with great care and delicacy, to delight children aged 0 to 100.
