Mental Health: Picture Books
For a child experiencing anxiety, phobias, depression, or grief, a picture book is a good conversation starter. This list, developed by Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood, is essential.
families
Mental Health: Family Mental Health: Middle Grade
Ann Jacobus and Nancy Bo Flood, authors and educators, developed this list of books for middle grade readers with family mental health as a focus.
Books for Baby Gifts
Books are a wonderful way to encourage families to start the read-aloud habit early and often. Here are suggestions from people who work with children, families, and books.
The Genius Under the Table
Eugene Yelchin grew up in Stalinist Russia, the Cold War Soviet Union. We grow to love his parents, his grandmother, his brother Victor, but most especially Eugene. His memories are at once sad and humorous.
Javaka Steptoe
Though our focus this month is on Javaka Steptoe, we want to begin this column with another book by his father, John Steptoe, Daddy is a Monster…Sometimes. This book is narrated by two children, Bweela and Javaka, who begin, “We are Bweela and Javaka and we have a daddy. He’s a nice daddy and all, but he got somethin’ wrong with him… .”
Tricia Springstubb
I’ve been reading Tricia Springstubb’s books ever since her first picture book, Phoebe & Digger, was published. I eagerly await each new book. They are books that resonate with many young readers: chapter books, middle grade novels, and one picture book. They are stories of families, neighborhoods, and the changes that confront every child. They are thought-provoking, serious, and laugh-out-loud funny.… more
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. 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
Rolling the Storytelling Blocks
by Vicki Palmquist
Looking for hours of fun with a book the whole family can enjoy … or one person can easily study to learn to write or tell a story … better? Then you’ll want to give this a try: How to Tell a Story, written by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Brian Won, and published by Workman Publishing in 2015.
This book comes in a box.… more
Looking inside
by Vicki Palmquist
For several years, I have been dipping into a book that I keep beside my desk. It’s called Today I Will: a Year of Quotes, Notes, and Promises to Myself (Knopf, 2009). Two acknowledged masters of children’s literature, Eileen Spinelli and Jerry Spinelli, wrote it. They are parents and grandparents and one can feel their love and concern for future generations in this book.… more
