Quirky Book Lists
Back-to-School Favorites
This list was contributed by Deb Andries and Maurna Rome, friends, educators, and colleagues! Favorites from Deb Andries: Alma and How She Got her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal Dreamers by Yuyi Morales A Quiet Place by Doug Wood and Dan Andreasen The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López Truman by Jean Reidi and
Libraries and Librarians
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 on
The Animals in The Stuff of Stars
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
The BEARdecotts
The ALA/ALSC recently announced their Youth Media Awards, resulting in much excitement. The teacher librarians at a Minnesota private school with three campuses help their students look for excellence in children’s books by holding their own award process each year. Called The BEARdecotts, after their school mascot, the educators select books for a short list that they
Poetry Books That Celebrate
African American History and Culture
Poetry and the spoken word have prominent places in African American culture, due at least in part to a strong oral tradition that has been passed down through generations. Consider including poems from the books below in your read-alouds this month, and the year ahead, as a way to highlight the contributions of African Americans to our
Books about Somali Immigrants/Refugees
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
Earth Day
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
In Memoriam: Wendy Watson
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. Watson, is
Capers and Cons
When you (or your students) want a book that keeps you turning the pages for your weeknight and weekend reading, here are some suggestions for books with that nimble pacing and what-are-they-up-to plots. Many of them are just right for middle grade or avid younger-than-that readers, with a couple of teen titles added. (And, of course, all
Cloth and the Picture Book:
Storytelling with Textile Techniques
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
Pigs Galore
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
Theater Geeks!
If your children (or you) are captivated by talent shows on TV, or dreams of acting on the stage, or the next theater production at school, there are a chorus line of books just waiting to audition for your next favorite. Here’s a mixture of classic and new stories, ranging in interest from grades 3 through 7. All
Read Out Loud for Easter
As you prepare to celebrate Easter, we encourage you to include books in your celebration. A tradition of reading out loud before Easter dinner, after Easter dinner, as you awaken on Easter morning … perhaps each day during Holy Week? Here are a few gems we believe you and your family will treasure. Happy Easter! At
Thanksgiving is a Good Time for a Book
As food is being prepared and family gathers, as food is being digested and some people are napping, as sports and shopping beckon, perhaps it’s a good time to take out a stack of Thanksgiving books to read aloud as a family.
Third Grader Reading at a Sixth Grade Level
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