Reading Ahead
Me, All Alone, Reading This Book
Sometimes, the illustrations are wonderful but the language is captivating. You know how you read a picture book and you can’t decide which part to focus on? Should you look at the picture first? Should you read the story because it’s the thread that’s pulling you through? Well, when you read “He was a long-leggedy man with
The Best Wish of All
Once in awhile I find a book on my reading pile that I’ve passed by a few times. It might be that the cover doesn’t make sense to me and I shuffle through to choose another title. Or the title might be silly (in my mind) and I don’t open the book because something else catches my interest. And then
Summer Travel
Here are three words that may be looming large in your mind: Long. Car. Trip. You’re packing games, snacks, an audio book or two, several books to take turns reading out loud, and … The Kids’ Book of Questions. I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid and we went on long car trips
Superheroes and Bad Days
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been wishing for an honest-to-goodness superhero to save the day. If adults are feeling that way, kids, who pick up all of our emotions, are wishing for the same thing. Batman and Wonder Woman led the list of most popular Halloween costumes in 2016. The proliferation of superhero movies is
Chef Roy Choi’s Story
Every time I re-read this book, it makes me happier. I’ve grown quite fond of the books being published by Readers to Eaters and I eagerly anticipate each new book. Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix is another food artisan biography from Jacqueline Briggs Martin, this time co-written with June Jo Lee. Jackie writes the flavorful
March Shorts
Oooo! Here in Minnesota, shorts in March mean chills. These books will give you chills – in a good way! Cat Goes Fiddle-I-Fee Adapted and illustrated by Paul Galdone Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1985 (reissued in April 2017) I recognized the title immediately as I song I know well, sung as “I Had a Rooster” by Pete Seeger on Birds, Beasts, Bugs & Little Fishes in
I’ve Been Enchanted
This is a rare admission from me because it’s about a book whose main characters are animals. I’ve stated before in this column that animal books have never been a favorite of mine, even as a child. Surely there are others of you out there who are too shy to admit the same thing? In my determination to read older
Those Kennedys
America has a fine tradition of elected officials who care deeply about the people, places, and policies of the United States of America. Two recent books highlight the good works of, and respect for, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the First Lady and President from 1961 to 1963. Although President Kennedy was assassinated
Graphic Storytelling
A good graphic novel should pose a mystery. As it opens (last possible minute), the reader often has no clue what’s going on. It’s often an unknown world, even if it looks like our world. This isn’t that different than the opening of a conventional print book but, for some reason, people often react to graphic novels by telling
The Delight of Reading Older Books
One of my favorite types of reading is to go back and read books I’ve missed from years ago. I once spent an entire summer reading books that were published in the 1950s. I had such a strong feeling of the decade after reading those books that I felt more connected to people who lived then. That feeling of
Irresistible Reading: How Things Work
Now, if that Science Encyclopedia wasn’t cool enough, here’s another sure-fire hit for kids who love to read facts, true stories, and know how things work. In fact, the book is called How Things Work and it’s another powerhouse from National Geographic. As the book admonishes, “PUT THIS BOOK DOWN NOW. It’s dangerous. It might
Feeding the Naturally Curious Brain
“You’ll discover mouthless worms and walking ferns … ” (pg. 13) And with those words, I’m charged up for the hunt. Along the way, I can’t help being distracted by a satisfying amount of irresistible information in National Geographic’s Science Encyclopedia. If you learn best visually, there is a surfeit of images to stimulate a curious mind. If you
Essential Holiday Giving: Books
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.
Orbiting Kindergarten
That lively, quirky-thinking duo from Planet Kindergarten have teamed up once again for Planet Kindergarten: 100 Days in Orbit. Many schools use the 100-day marker to reflect on how far they’ve come since the first day of kindergarten. Social graces, etiquette, mindfulness, assignments, singing, pledges … they’re all included in this new book. But the extra-fun
Tucked In for the Winter
Every detail in this book is heartwarming. You know that the author and the illustrator and the book’s publishing team put a lot of love and respect into bringing this story to readers. From the moment you see the opening end papers, a forest and pasture ablaze with fall color, until you discover the closing end papers, that