Catherine Urdahl and Her Reading Team
It’s been a month since I’ve seen my grandchildren, who live five hours away—a month since we’ve snuggled up with our favorite books. For me, a month is a long time.
grandchildren
Deb Andries and Her Reading Team
February 2021
Reading teams do read together, and my Reading Team(s) and I have been doing just that. However, as you view the photos of the twins, Hayes and Myles, now seventeen months, you see them reading by themselves.
Ann Angel and Her Reading Team
February 2021
Our Raising Star Readers contributor Ann Angel always has a unique take on selecting books for her Reading Team. Here, Ann talks about books that encourage what she calls “mindfulness moments” — titles that help kids (and adults) slow down and focus during our current “wild” times:
Our house is home to three generations. So husband Jeff and I live with Teddy, a rather rambunctious five-year-old, and his mom.… more
Catherine Urdahl and Her Reading Team
December 2020
Raising Star Readers is delighted to introduce a new Reading Team, this one led by children’s book author Catherine Urdahl. Here, Catherine shares some heartwarming reading moments, with enough book-love and remembered summer sunshine to take the chill out of the coldest of December winds:
Juni and Catherine
I read to my daughters from the time they were infants, and now I have the joy of reading to my two-year-old granddaughter Juni and my new grandson Colby.
Deb Andries and Her Reading Team
November 2020
Raising Star Readers is delighted to drop in again on Deb Andries and her Reading Team as they celebrate diverse new offerings from Deb’s local library. Here’s how Deb describes the books that are helping to bring her joy:
Reading remains a joy. Reading remains a treasured moment and a teachable moment. Reading is shared.
Joyful reading occurs when the twins, Myles and Hayes, now 14 months, make every attempt to “sit” and “eat” the book!
Ann Angel and Her Reading Team
September 2020
As our Raising Star Readers column kicks off another school year, educators and caregivers both continue to face the kind of challenges few of us could have imagined last fall. Here, Ann Angel describes how her Reading Team is countering the “pandemic bubble” by adding nonfiction books to their list of favorite reads:
Hey there, parent or grandparent, raise your hand if you’re a pandemic teacher.… more
Ann Angel and Her Reading Team
May 2020
In this Raising Star Readers update, Ann Angel shares how reading aloud helps carry on her family’s heritage of storytelling. Here’s how Ann describes it:
With Stay-at-Home a requirement in most states, mine included, I only see some of my grandkids via Skype and Zoom. But I have a daughter and grandson living with us. That means we’re balancing work and Teddy’s school, so, of course, I get involved.… more
Deb Andries and Her Reading Team
April 2019
We’re especially delighted to celebrate with Deb Andries (a.k.a. Grammy) this month as she launches her newest Reading Team. Here’s how Deb describes the experience:
My heart has always felt this “explosion of love” when we’ve welcomed a grandchild into our family. I vividly remember when our grandson Parker, now 14, was born, and the pure and elevated joy I felt.… more
Norma Gaffron and Her Reading Team
February 2020
Norma Gaffron is thrilled to have this chance to share her family’s long tradition of reading aloud. Her children and grandchildren are now grown, but they took the time during their Christmas Eve celebration to share a picture book together. Norma’s son Tim took the photos of Lauren (21), Norma (88), and Erik (25) enjoying Tuesday by David Wiesner.… more
Ann Angel and Her Reading Team
January 2020
Raising Star Readers relishes this chance to catch up with Ann Angel and her multigenerational Reading Team. For this entry, Ann was especially focused on how the words and visual art in picture books lead kids to think and to dream. Here’s how Ann describes it:
Long before I had kids and grandkids, I thought I’d grow up to be a visual artist.… more
Deb Andries and Her Off-to-School Reading Team
September 2019
Starting kindergarten is a special time, and it’s really special when you get to read books with Grammy to get you ready! For this addition to our Raising Star Readers feature, we’re delighted to once again be showcasing Deb Andries, a National Literacy Consultant who lives in Wisconsin, and two of her grandchildren, who are both starting kindergarten this fall.… more
Deb Andries and Her Reading Teams
May 2019
For this addition to our Raising Star Readers feature, we’re delighted to once again be showcasing Deb Andries, a National Literacy Consultant who lives in Wisconsin, and her grandchildren: Finley and Grayson, who live in Cumberland, Wisconsin, and Emmersyn, who lives in Sartell, Minnesota. Grammy and her Reading Teams recently shared Guess How Much I Love You, written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram, while enjoying milestone read-togethers during their Mother’s Day celebrations.… more
A Match Made in Heaven
A little more than two years ago I shared a Teach it Forward column entitled “Books for my Grandbaby and Me.” As I celebrated the arrival of my first grandchild and marveled at the joy of becoming a first-time grandma, I embraced the chance to share my love of reading with this most precious future book lover. It was a match made in heaven … a little one to hold gently on my lap while sharing book after book.… more