Autumn Leaves
It's October and thoughts turn to the annual changing of the leaves. Here are some of the best books about leaves and their trees to share with young readers.
Betsy Bowen
The Lost Forest
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 knowledge about those acres is recorded on plat books and maps that people in government and commerce consult all the time?… more
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 input from members of this community.
… more Skinny Dip with Brenda Sederberg
Brenda Sederberg is the current facilitator of the Chapter & Verse Book Club in Duluth, Minnesota. She's an enthusiastic reader and wonderfully avid about sharing the books she reads. A retired teacher, she continues to inspire learning wherever she goes.
One North Star, Three Creative Artists
Betsy Bowen’s book, Antler Bear Canoe: a Northwoods Alphabet, has been a favorite alphabet book for the last 25 years, reminding every reader about the things they love in their unique environment.
Now, a counting book will sit alluringly on the bookshelf next to that title. One North Star: a Counting Book (University of Minnesota Press) has been written by Phyllis Root, and illustrated with woodcuts by Betsy Bowen and Beckie Prange.… more
Slideshow: Block Print Illustration
Eric Rohmann’s wonderful illustrations for Bulldozer’s Big Day were made using block prints, also called relief prints. This technique has long been used to illustrate children’s books, especially early ABC books such as the The Ladder to Learning by Miss Lovechild, published in 1852 by the New York firm R.H. Pease.
The Bookologist has put together a slide show of some of our more recent print-illustrated books.… more
