Invitation to Create: books to get your kids creating over the holidays!

Do you have creative and curious kids who love tinkering, making and doing? The Ottawa Public Library is back this month with fiction, non-fiction and picture book suggestions to get your kiddos excited about being a “maker!” This post is written and curated by Amanda Spargo, the Children's Programming & Public Services Assistant at the Ruth E. Dickinson Branch of the OPL.

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Want to find any of these titles at the library? Visit the handy link Amanda created for us, which connects you to all the recommended titles! https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/list/share/69231035_wordgurlz/2010246103_kids_in_the_capital_blog_invitation_to_create

Non-fiction best bets for kids and families (ages 2-12)

1) Little Helpers Toddler Baking Cookbook: Sweet and Savory Recipes to Make, Bake and Share

By Barbara Camperti

2) Girls Who Build: Inspiring Curiousity and Confidence to Make Anything Possible

By Katie Hughes

3) Cardboard Box Engineering: Cool, Inventive Projects for Tinkerers, Makers & Future Scientists

By Jonathan Adolph 

4) Craft Lab for Kids: 52 DIY Projects to Inspire, Excite and Empower Kids to Create Useful, Beautiful Handmade Goods

By Stephanie Corfee

5) Play, Make, Create. A Process-art Handbook: With Over 40 Art Invitations for Kids

By Meri Cherry

6) Hello Crochet Friends! Making Art, Being Mindful, Giving Back: Do What Makes You Happy.

By Jonah Larson

Fun STEM-inspired chapter books (ages 6-10)

1) Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asla Citro
With magical animals, science, mystery and adventure this is a series with something for everyone.

2) Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka
When a lightning storm brings his robot creations to life, science enthusiast Frank Einstein and his assistants Klink and Klank work to defeat his arch-nemesis' evil doomsday plot.

Fun STEM-inspired picture books (ages 3-6)

1) Nerdycorn by Andrew Root

Meet Fern! She's a smart, creative unicorn who prefers building robots and coding software to jumping through shimmering rainbows and splashing in majestic waterfalls.

2) This is Ruby by Sara O'Leary

Ruby is a little girl with a sense of curiosity and enthusiasm that's too big to contain! Ruby is always busy -- she loves to make things, watch things grow and figure out how things work, with her dog Teddy by her side. And Ruby has lots of ideas about what she wants to be.

3) Our Shed: A Father-daughter Building Story by Robert Broder

A father teaches his daughter about woodworking and she contributes imagination and fun as they build a shed together.

4) Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall

Jabari is making a flying machine all by himself, but when it doesn't work the way he imagined, he learns about perseverance and problem-solving.

5) Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler

Celebrates the skilled women and men who work to see the plans of architects, engineers, and designers brought to life.