Search Results for "Mary" |

Enchanted Points of Entry

September 5, 2019 1 Comment

My first glimpse of Margaret Wise Brown’s house on Vinalhaven Island, Maine, was from a boat. It topped a granite slope, clapboard siding painted the same gray-blue as the sparkling Hurricane Sound. I was so excited I nearly fell overboard. We’d just passed the Little Island that Margaret had made famous in her Caldecott-winning book and I’d spotted a seal dozing on the rocks.… more

Vera’s Story Garden

May 23, 2019 2 Comments

Vera’s Story Garden Established
as a Literary Landmark by United for Libraries May 4, 2019 by Mary Paige Lang-Clouse, Director
Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library
Monticello NY I met Vera B. Williams in the early 2000s while working at the public library in Narrowsburg, N.Y. It should come as no surprise to anyone that knew her that Vera didn’t waste any time identifying and using her local public library.… more

Vera’s Story Garden

May 23, 2019 2 Comments

Pairing Verse with Nonfiction

April 18, 2019 No Comments

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 Boston and Launched a Revolution (Candlewick Press).… more

Headlights

April 4, 2019 2 Comments

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 like driving at night on a country road, when the only thing you see clearly is what is illuminated by your headlight beams; you’re aware of the shadowy shapes of other objects ﬂashing by along the roadside, but the illuminated area in front of you is what gets your primary attention.… more

Penny Candy Books

March 28, 2019 No Comments

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, engage, and challenge. … more

The Animals in The Stuff of Stars

March 20, 2019 2 Comments

When I first read The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer and Ekua Holmes, I was captivated by the beauty of the book and its lyrical thoughts about the earth and our environment. Ms. Holmes’ illustrations invite us to look closer, to discern the creatures she’s so artfully included. Ms. Bauer’s text includes a list of animals that roam the earth, bringing to mind all of the stories and facts about these specific animals, birds, insects, and reptiles.

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Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

March 19, 2019 No Comments

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.

The Arrow of Time

March 7, 2019 No Comments

When you walk into our house, you know immediately my husband and I are readers. The dining room is designated as the library, but there are bookcases and books in every single room, including the bathrooms. We subscribe to The Wall Street Journal and the Sunday New York Times, as well as Smithsonian, Audubon, and Sky and Telescope.… more

Emergency Car Kit

March 7, 2019 2 Comments

When I was a kid growing up in the north woods of Minnesota, a group of my neighborhood friends had a “Chipmunk Fort.” It was constructed out of a pile of old fencing materials in my friend Paul’s backyard; each kid had their own “house” in the fort. We spent some time collecting pretty rocks and oddly shaped sticks and soft clumps of moss to decorate our houses.… more

Books Are Our Emissaries

February 28, 2019 No Comments

As authors, we send our books out into the world and, if we’re lucky, they connect us to good people whose paths we wouldn’t otherwise cross. For 28 years, Dinner at the Panda Palace has been my excellent emissary. Dinner at the Panda Palace started as a simple counting and sorting book with lots of animals and a party atmosphere to make the learning fun. … more

Blue Dot Press | KO Kids Books

February 28, 2019 2 Comments

Meet Kathryn Otoshi, artist, author, educator, and the creator of two award-winning indie publishing companies, KO Kids Books and Blue Dot Press. In 2016, SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) recognized Blue Dot Press with their SPARK Award for excellence in independent publishing. Kathryn O’s books are bright, colorful, delightful, creative, and just plain fun.… more

Bim, Bam, Bop … and Oona, an Interview

January 30, 2019 1 Comment

Poor Oona — she’s always the last duck to the pond…. But then her frog friend Roy reminds her: you’re good with gizmos… And so Oona the duck goes to work in the barn on her gizmos, pouring her creative and determined self into getting to the pond before the faster ducks. Along the way, she learns there is more to life than just being fast and getting somewhere first.… more

Pairing Nonfiction and Fiction

January 24, 2019 4 Comments

Nonfiction and fiction are like peanut butter and chocolate. Each excellent on its own, but when combined…so sublime. INVITE A DISCUSSION My nonfiction account Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune (2016, grade 6 and up) describes the dramatic rise and fall of a 12th-century samurai. One of the joys of researching the life of this Japanese hero was learning about the underlying political, social and economic currents that resulted in the 700-year-long rule of the samurai.… more

Books Books Books

January 9, 2019 No Comments

Books Books Books
Mick Manning and Brita Granström
Candlewick Press, 2017 Book lovers appreciate the beauty, rarity, inventive design, and content of all types of books. Those in the vast collection of the British Library (more than 150 million literary artifacts on 15 floors and 400 miles of shelving) will help to make book lovers of the children in your life.… more

Winter Extravaganza

December 19, 2018 No Comments

The first snowfall is like being transported inside a snow globe. The landscape transforms with a fresh sprinkle of snow on everything from the trees to houses. “Crunch, crunch” can be heard from the boots of families making their way outside to experience the first snow of the season. Snow is an experience where families can engage with each other through activities such as sledding, making snow angels, making snowmen, or making snow ice cream.… more

Connecting Kids to Nonfiction:
Personal Experience Matters

December 13, 2018 No Comments

Personal preferences and experiences guide our life choices. They impact what we wear, eat, do, even the people we spend time with. It should come as no surprise, then, that personal preferences also affect what we read— maybe even whether we read. Studies show that young readers who feel a personal connection to what they are reading demonstrate better comprehension and derive greater enjoyment from their reading.… more

The Christmas Alphabet

December 6, 2018 1 Comment

When our kids were small and we were building our Christmas book collection, the night on which we brought out the holiday books that had been in storage since the previous year was always a very special night. With #1 Son, this was but a handful of books at first; but once we added Darling Daughter to the family, and St.… more

Books about Somali Immigrants/Refugees

November 15, 2018 1 Comment

In an effort to help my children understand more about their own heritage, I have searched far and wide for books by or about Somali immigrants or refugees. Here are some of the best ones we have found. Though a number of these titles have not been written by Somalis, they have at least been informed by input from members of this community.

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Earth Day

April 18, 2018 1 Comment

Whether you are celebrating Earth Day this week or next week or every week, there are books here that will enchant your students or your family, opening up possibilities for good discussions.

Earth: My First 4.54 Billion Years
Stacy McAnulty, author
James Litchfield, illustrator
Henry Holt, 2017
primary and elementary grades Told from the viewpoint of the anthropomorphic Earth itself, this book tells the life story of our home planet, introducing it to “alien visitors.”

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Sorry — I Mean Structure—Seems To Be the Hardest Word

April 4, 2018 No Comments

There’s an old Elton John song titled, Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word. Well, I wonder if he’d mind if I changed the title to, Structure Seems to be the Hardest Word. Structure is a lot like voice; it needs to be present, yet it must be invisible and unforced. Without it, the writing may fall down just like a kindergartner’s block tower.… more

Re-claiming Women’s History — Still

March 21, 2018 1 Comment

At a meeting at the Dallas Public Library one day, a retired chief executive explained to me his vision for a permanent display on a soon-to-be-renovated floor honoring the men who built up the city’s downtown after World War II. I looked at him skeptically. “What about the women?” “There aren’t any,” he snapped back. Of course there were! But because a group of white men controlled politics in the city for decades, few people know them.… more

Skinny Dip with Lester Laminack

March 13, 2018 3 Comments

Lester Laminack is sought after as a speaker in school districts all over the country. A retired professor, actively involved in literacy on many levels, he’s thoughtful, articulate, and has a sparkling sense of humor. We’re pleased that this very busy author and speaker took time to share his thoughts with Bookology’s readers this month. What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever read a book? … more

In Memoriam: Wendy Watson

February 25, 2018 2 Comments

Wendy Watson was a third generation author and artist. Her grandparents, Ernest W. Watson and Eva Auld Watson, were painters and pioneer color block printers. Ernest was also founder and editor of the magazine American Artist, co-founder of Watson-Guptill Publications, and co-founder of one of the first summer art schools, the Berkshire Summer School of Art. Wendy’s father, Aldren A.

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In Her Own Words:
The Impact of Personal Accounts on Biography

February 22, 2018 1 Comment

I admit it. I am a history nerd. Like all biographers, I am fascinated by the past. I love learning about the world of long ago: what people wore, what they ate, the jobs they had, the wars they fought. And nothing thrills me more when I am researching than to discover a firsthand account, a personal writing … a primary source. How do firsthand accounts help biographers?… more

Let It Snow!

December 20, 2017 No Comments

Phyllis: The first real snow has fallen overnight, and the quality of light when I wake up is luminous outside the window. Solstice approaches, and we’ve turned our thoughts to books about winter and snow. So many to choose from! Here are a few. When my grown daughter saw a copy of Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton on my bookshelf, she cried, “Oh!… more

The Kindness of Teachers

November 29, 2017 7 Comments

I loved first grade. Fifty-one years later, I still have vivid memories of my teacher, Miss Follett. She played the piano every day. She read to us from her giant book of poetry. She showed us photos of her trips to exotic places, like Alaska and Hawaii. At Halloween we screamed in terror and delight when she hobbled into our classroom dressed as a witch.… more

Cloth and the Picture Book:
Storytelling with Textile Techniques

November 15, 2017 1 Comment

Author and illustrator Debra Frasier was invited to lecture on this topic to the Western North Carolina Textile Study Group, and the public, in mid-November 2017. This is the bibliography that accompanies Debra’s presentation, with book selections by Debra Frasier and Vicki Palmquist. If you would like to invite Debra to give this presentation to your group, please contact her.… more

Tiny House, Cozy Cabin

November 1, 2017 1 Comment

A few months ago, my husband and I sold our home of 30 years and decided to live full-time in our cozy cabin in the woods. We left behind greater square footage, a quaint and sometimes bustling village on the waterfront, and a home with lots of family memories. But it was time for a change. Time for more simplicity.… more

Pigs Galore

October 24, 2017 2 Comments

This past September, after years of writing and teaching the writing of realistic YA fiction, I was pleased to launch into the world a set of four early chapter books. Not surprisingly, the challenge of telling a story in 1000 words instead of 60,000 was huge. It was not the only challenge. Instead of focusing on a teen girl in turmoil, I was now writing about a talking pig.… more

Skinny Dip with Patti Lapp

October 10, 2017 1 Comment

A dedicated educator in Pennsylvania, we invited Patti Lapp to answer our twenty Skinny Dip questions. Who was your favorite teacher in grades K-7 and why? Mr. Jordan was my favorite teacher who taught 7th grade. He was funny and straightforward; all of us students respected him, and he certainly kept everyone in line. I attended a Catholic school, and he was unique in that setting.… more

Getting Inside the Head of the Long Dead

October 3, 2017 1 Comment

Don’t be alarmed by the ghoulishness of my title. Trying to resurrect the life of someone who turned to dust centuries ago is a challenge, especially if the person left behind no personal writings such as letters or diaries. But it can be done. In preparation for writing Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune, I read all the academic and primary sources I could find about late-twelfth-century Japan.… more

Food for Thought

September 28, 2017 2 Comments

As the first month of a new school year comes to a close, I offer some food for thought about nourishing our teachers. Literally and figuratively. Years ago when I was working on my administrator’s license I discovered a gem of a book called If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students! Guide to Success for Administrators and Teachers by Neila Connors.… more

Babies and Puppies

July 14, 2017 No Comments

What, really, can be more life-affirming than a beautiful baby or cuddly puppies? On June 26th, both arrived in our lives. One baby — our first grandchild, Olivia — born to our son and Korean daughter-in-law. We received the news via FaceTime from Seoul, South Korea. Though they had Broadway related jobs in NYC, they opted to move to Korea for awhile where they would have more time to work at becoming a family.… more

Skinny Dip with Susan Latta

May 23, 2017 No Comments

This week we’re all set to Skinny Dip with Susan Latta, who is celebrating the publication of her first trade book on September 1st, Bold Women of Medicine: 21 Stories of Astounding Discoveries, Daring Surgeries, and Healing Breakthroughs (Chicago Review Press). With historical to contemporary biographies of women who have found cures, advanced medicine, and tended to the sick with compassion, Susan has written an inspiring book that teen readers will find fascinating.… more

No Trout Tomato Soup for Two

April 25, 2017 1 Comment

Enjoy this recipe for tomato soup from Creekfinding's author, Jacqueline Briggs Martin.

Spring Break 2017

April 20, 2017 4 Comments

I’m still relishing the memory of spring break. Surrounded by mountains and plenty of sunshine, I stumbled upon a literacy oasis that up until then, I had only visited in my dreams. Almost a month later, I am still intrigued and inspired by what I experienced. I knew instantly that this magical place would be the topic of my next Bookology contribution. In fact, I believe I have enough material for a year’s worth of articles about this very special sanctuary of learning.… more

This Is Just To Say

April 6, 2017 No Comments

April is National Poetry Month, which is as good an excuse as any to take some poetry books off the shelf and have a read. I’m quite methodical in April — it’s the hint of spring in the air, I suppose. I clean my office and then I build a stack of wonderful poetry books — some Billy Collins, a little Emily Dickinson, a tome of Robert Frost, Shakespeare’s sonnets, Mary Oliver, naturally…..… more

Hidden Figures

February 23, 2017 No Comments

This week, my mother and I heard Margot Lee Shetterly, author of Hidden Figures, speak at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series. Shetterly’s book tells the true story of Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan — three of dozens of African-American women who worked in the 1950s and ‘60s for NASA in math, science and computing.… more

Merna Ann Hecht and Our Table of Memories

January 19, 2017 5 Comments

When one poet, Merna Ann Hecht, and one educator, Carrie Stradley, observed their community, their schools, their students, and realized that a plethora of life experiences surrounded them, they put their teaching and their hearts together to create The Stories of Arrival: Refugee and Immigrant Youth Voices Poetry Project at Foster High School, in Tukwila, Washington.… more

Potato Latkes

December 22, 2016 No Comments

One of the traditional foods served at Hannukah celebrations, this recipe for Potato Latkes will have your nose twitching and your mouth watering! Happy Hannukah!

Essential Holiday Giving: Books

November 29, 2016 14 Comments

Hands down, there is no better gift for holidays or birthdays than a book. You can find a book to suit every interest, every taste, and your budget. You can always feel good about giving a book (unless you’re giving a gift to someone who lives in a Tiny House … ask first). Here’s my list of suggestions for the holidays. It’s filled with books that are informative, beautifully illustrated or photographed, useful, well-written, but mostly books that can be savored or cherished, with uplifting stories.… more

Trailblazing Illustrator, Elizabeth Shippen Green

November 16, 2016 2 Comments

Younger readers may not fully appreciate how difficult it was for women to break into the highly competitive field of illustration. For many years, men were routinely hired for advertising art, newspaper and magazine illustration, and children’s book illustration. Elizabeth Shippen Green, born in 1871 and dying in 1954, was one of the earliest female illustrators to win high regard, helping to open the door a little wider for the women who followed her, Her father was an artist-correspondent during the Civil War.… more

Third Grader Reading at a Sixth Grade Level

November 1, 2016 5 Comments

Responding to a parent request for books that would interest her third-grader-reading-at-a-sixth-grade-level, we crowd-sourced a list. Big thanks to Sara Alcott, Linda Baie, Lesley Mandros Bell, Karen Cramer, Caren Creech, Melinda Fant, Ellen Klarreich, Vickie LoPiccolo, Ellen McEvoy, Laura Moe, Tunie Munson-Benson, Vicki Palmquist, Carrie Shay, Faythe Dyrud Thureen, Cindy Walker, and Sharon J. Wilson. Unlike our usual annotated booklists, we are presenting this one in alphabetical order by book title due to the length of the list.

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Candace Fleming Tames the Wild West

October 25, 2016 1 Comment

Our thanks to author Candace Fleming for sitting still long enough to answer in-depth questions about her conception for, research into, and writing decisions for Presenting Buffalo Bill: the Man Who Invented the Wild West, our Bookstorm™ this month. Fleming’s answers will inform educators, providing direct quotes from an oft-published biographer of beloved books that will be useful for teaching writing and research skills in the classroom. … more

Vinegar Pie

October 20, 2016 2 Comments

In honor of our Bookstorm, Presenting Buffalo Bill: the Man Who Invented the Wild West, we discovered that on the wagon trail, when fresh apples weren't available, apple cider vinegar made a tasty pie.

Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook

Everything You Need to Ace Five Subjects

October 11, 2016 No Comments

I’ve had this TBR pile of five very attractive, come-hither-looking books begging to be recommended for weeks now. The spines are bright primary colors so I know that even when I shelve them they will be calling to me. And I think they’ll be calling to your students as well. I open what are for me the two scariest volumes (eat your vegetables first — oops, as an adult, I find I LOVE vegetables), Everything You Need to Know to Ace Science in One Fat Notebook: Notes Borrowed from the Smartest Kid in Class (Double-Checked by Award-Winning Teacher) and Everything You Need to Ace Math in One Big Fat Notebook: Notes Borrowed from the Smartest Kid in Class (Double-Checked by Award-Winning Teacher).… more

Coming Home to Safe Harbor

October 4, 2016 No Comments

Phyllis: This summer I had the opportunity to sail for a week in Lake Superior, so we are turning our thoughts to books about the sea (including the great inland sea that borders Minnesota, so vast it makes its own weather). If we can’t go sailing right now, we can at least read about it in a fleet of good picture books.… more

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

September 27, 2016 No Comments

Inspired by our Bookstorm feature this month, Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger, there was a pot of stew bubbling in many a hobo camp during the Great Depression and many a hootenanny in the '50s and 60s'. This quick-to-assemble version can stay in your slow cooker until you're ready to eat.

Driver’s Ed

September 15, 2016 No Comments

It’s amazing that I passed my driver’s test on the ﬁrst try, since I can see now that I was a pretty bad driver. But I was an excellent test-taker, and the State of Minnesota sent me home with a score of 96 out of 100. Mere weeks later I backed the family van into the mailbox. It’s not that my parents didn’t try their best to improve my driving skills.… more

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