When Sue Found Sue
Interviews
Is there any museum exhibit more fascinating than Sue, the T. rex, at The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois? Now there’s a curiosity-raising, shyness-recognizing, discussion-worthy book about the other Sue, the woman who discovered the T. rex during a dig in South Dakota. For elementary school students and your dinosaur-inspired kids in the library and […]
Waiting for My Editor, part 5
Page Break
Waiting for my editor … Okay, she’s busy and can’t get to it. Meantime, I can’t just wait around … a new book is knocking at my door.
When We Reach Them
When We Reach Them
We’re out of school today in observance of Oaks Day here in our area. This morning, Anita Silvey, children’s literature expert and resource, reminded us on Facebook that Pete Seeger celebrates a birthday today. 100 years. I might not have known that without her post. How many of us would? How many of us would […]
Successful
Teach It Forward
Success. Thesaurus.com offers more than fifty synonyms for the word “success”… accomplishment, fame, happiness, progress, triumph, and victory all have a place on the list. With testing hysteria making the rounds in schools and classrooms everywhere, the definition of success as it relates to reading, has likely weighed heavily on the minds and hearts of […]
Richard Adams Gave Me Rabbits
Big Green Pocketbook
Knee-deep in spring! The rabbits will be here soon, rangy after a long winter. They like our yard because we have low bushes good for hiding and we let the lawn go to clover and dandelions. I like to think rabbits feel safe because they have little chance elsewhere. If ever there was an animal […]
Aging Down, Aging Up
Nonfictionary
Back when my kids were little, I started work on a nonfiction SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) series called the “Best Behavior” series. More than a decade later, these board books and paperbacks are still going strong, I’m happy to say. Titles in the series include Teeth Are Not for Biting, Voices Are Not for […]
Wish You Were Here
Writing Road Trip
There are lots of ways that young writers can use actual collaging and related techniques to build a setting for their own stories.
Possible Detours
Writing Road Trip
Once, in one of my (not uncommon) moments of thinking that I could no longer handle the financial uncertainty of the children’s book writing life, I read a book that purported to match creative people to potential career pursuits. I read the advice, filled out the quizzes, and finally received my assigned “type.” With great […]
Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather
Reading Ahead
Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather Trudi Truett illustrated by Scott Plumbe (with a blend of photos) National Geographic Partners, 2019 ISBN 978−1−4263−3304−0 I’ve written a prior Reading Ahead essay about my love for The Nebula Secret, the first book in the Explorer Academy series. Now book two, The Falcon’s Feather, continues the story and I […]
Strictly No Elephants
Red Reading Boots
It had been one of those news days…. Actually, there had been a string of such news days—hate-filled headlines, bombastic egos, dangerous threats. The world seemed extra prickly and dangerous. It’s at these times that I especially like reading with kids. Fortunately, I had a reading gig all lined up at an elementary school—it […]
Fresh Air: Taking Storytime Outdoors
The Lamppost
“We could never have loved the earth so well if we had no childhood in it.” —George Eliot In the state of Iowa, where I live, the change from winter to spring is like an on and off switch. Yet, at the end of another vortex, Spring has finally come to Iowa. Spring is a […]
Friends, Friends
Two for the Show
Jackie: We two friends have been doing this blog since 2015. Yet, we’ve never done a column on books about friends. We know there are many, and many classics, such as the always-satisfying Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel, or William Steig’s Amos and Boris, or James Marshall’s George and Martha. But today we […]
Waiting for My Editor, part 4
Page Break
I’m not just being WHINY here (well, maybe a little). But I have a FIRM DEADLINE for the finished book.
Pairing Verse with Nonfiction
Nonfictionary
Why write nonfiction in verse? If you do, is it still nonfiction? Good questions in a time when genres are expanding. I’ve used verse in two nonfiction stories: a picture book, Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph, and a book for ages ten and up, Siege: How Washington Kicked the British out of […]
Libraries and Librarians
Quirky Book Lists
We’re posting this when it’s National Library Week, but we believe every week should be Library Week. If you love public, school, and special libraries as much as we do, add these books to your reading list and share them with your favorite readers. As always, if you have a book you believe should be […]
Headlights
Writing Road Trip
Recently, I’ve been thinking back on a time when my focus was riveted on helping to care for a family member who was dealing with serious medical issues. It’s been stressful to have this large “life moment” disrupt my normal routine, but it also brings with it a certain kind of clarity. It’s kind of […]
The Lost Forest
Interviews
How many books can you name that are about surveying … and a mystery? I know. Right? And yet we see surveyors every day in fields, on busy street corners, and in our neighborhoods. What are they doing? Would it surprise you to know that nearly every acre of your state has been surveyed? That […]
Penny Candy Books
Small Press Medley
Imagine walking into an old-time dry-goods store. Hear the wooden floor squeak. Peer through the glass case at the wondrous display of penny candy. Close your eyes and taste your favorite … root beer barrels, red-wax lips, ropes of red licorice. Instead of sugary sweets, Penny Candy Books offers a selection of books that delight, […]
Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
Cookology
Just Like Rube Goldberg author Sarah Aronson shares her recipe for a yummy, sugary treat, one that she believes Rube Goldberg would have loved because he was a fan of Cool Whip.
Bookstorm™: Just Like Rube Goldberg
Bookstorms
Educators across the country have been inspired by Rube Goldberg’s intricate, clever, engineering-based, but unlikely-to-be-made-in-real-life cartoons. Students are gathering to create their own Rube Goldberg machines, using everyday objects in fun and innovative ways to accomplish simple tasks with fun results. Just Like Rube Goldberg inspires all its readers with the details about Rube’s childhood […]
Make This!
Reading Ahead
Make This! Building, Thinking, and Tinkering Projects for the Amazing Maker in You Ella Schwartz, photographs by Matthew Rakola National Geographic Kids, 2019 When presented with this book, wheels start turning, ideas begin popping, and your temperature rises! This is going to be fun. And a carefully thought-through learning experience … but who needs to […]
Kids & Books…Books & Kids
Red Reading Boots
Last week I was a teacher-presenter at a young authors and artists conference for a couple of days. Tremendous fun—the kids who come to these things want to be there and want to learn. They’re readers, writers, artists! They are an engaged, engaging, and exuberant lot, which I enjoy immensely. I taught six sessions on bringing conflict […]