Mental Health: Several Lists
August 6, 2023
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Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood have contributed several lists for PreK-Grade 8 in which mental health is a part of the story.
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This is the Planet Where I Live
February 27, 2023
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Illustrating a book written by K.L. Going, This is the Planet Where I Live, Debra Frasier works with collage that exuberantly celebrates our connections to everything on this earth.
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Grandparents, Part 2
October 29, 2020
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Fictional Caldecott grandparents reveal interesting and surprising personalities. While the stories are imaginary, some of the characters are inspired by admired grandparents and mentors.
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Timeless Tales Program
January 15, 2020
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Creating a Connected Community of Readers: Intergenerational Storytime
After seeing a handful of articles about nursing homes opening up preschools in a shared space, as well as the benefits from this partnership, I wanted to find a way to create the same intergenerational connection in a library setting. We already had a relationship with our local retirement home as our Circulation Supervisor does monthly outreach and book checkouts for the residents, so I approached their staff with the idea.… more
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“I love that you always find a bookstore!”
December 11, 2019
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After posting photos on Facebook of a recent trip to Chicago, my friend Joanne posted the above comment. My heart soared a bit, knowing that my passion for books and bookstores garnered such a lovely, positive observation. It’s no secret that just about anytime I find myself traipsing through a new town, I am eager to check out the local bookstore. It seems fitting that as 2019 comes to a close, I recap my bookstore adventures from the past year and share a few highlights from five favorites.… more
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Serendipity
January 2, 2019
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I love the word “serendipity.” I also love when I actually experience the feeling of serendipity. It shows up unexpectedly in moments when I feel a surprising connection or happy coincidence between two seemingly separate things. It makes me believe in the power of the universe and often leaves me questioning whether these occurrences are more than a fluke. I especially love when serendipity shows up in my teaching, learning, and literacy life.… more
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Swimming in a Sea of Ideas
May 30, 2018
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Where do successful nonfiction writers get their ideas? So many places! The topics a nonfiction writer can write about are limitless. Sure, some ideas have been written about before, but nonfiction writers take that as a challenge. They ask what unusual angle they might take or if there is a different (or better) format in which to deliver the information.… more
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Planting Giant Pumpkin Seeds
April 14, 2018
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As I write this, Minnesota is in line to get hit with another Major Winter Storm.
I know many of you in the northern latitudes can sympathize as we’ve all been hit, but it’s mid-April, and even by Minnesota standards, this is demoralizing. Proms are being cancelled this weekend, the grocery stores are crazy, everyone’s watching the radar while they make soup, and I … I have averted my eyes from the window so as to better ignore the wet slop coming down and better focus on my garden planning!… more
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Melissa Stewart: A Fresh Look at Expository Nonfiction
March 17, 2015
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by Melissa Stewart
Narrative nonfiction. The words have a nice ring to them, don’t they?
Expository nonfiction? Not so much.
Rhymes with gory, purgatory, derogatory, lavatory. Gesh, it’s no wonder expository nonfiction gets a bad rap. And yet, plenty of great nonfiction for kids is expository. Its main purpose is to explain, describe, or inform.
As far as I’m concerned, this is a golden moment for expository nonfiction because, in recent years, it’s gone through an exciting transformation.… more
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