Who We Are
These books all remind us of an important truth. We are more than just ourselves. We live in community.
storytelling
Little Lulu Gave Me Fairy Tales
Many children were once introduced to fairy tales by Andrew Lang’s books or the complete stories of Grimm or Anderson. Yet I was steeped in fairy tales through Little Lulu comic books.
Listening for Stories
Each morning, when I can, I walk two and a half miles. I walk for exercise because I write most of the day. But mainly I walk to listen for stories.
Children’s Literacy Foundation
Imagine the joy of a child who never had the privilege of owning a book being able to choose new hardcover or paperback editions for free out of hundreds displayed in front of him. The Children’s Literacy Foundation doesn’t have to imagine. Staff have seen the excited smiles on these young faces for the past 23 years, and they hear the same question wherever they go.
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
A to Zåäö
A to Zåäö is an alphabet book, a museum exhibit catalog, an introduction to the Swedish language, and a picture book illustrated by a mother's watercolors and her son's pen-and-ink drawings.
Snapshot: Wordless Books
Wordless picture books are great for many reasons. They emphasize the importance of art, build on important literacy skills, help children become storytellers, and they are a reliable source for imagination.
The Big Book Adventure
You’ll never guess
Where I have been
Or who I met
Or what I’ve seen.
Shall I tell you? A pig and a striped-tail fox each begin with that refrain, leading the other one through an exciting revelation of the books they’ve just read. They become a part of the story they’re telling, just as one does when one falls in love with a book.… more
Where I have been
Or who I met
Or what I’ve seen.
Shall I tell you? A pig and a striped-tail fox each begin with that refrain, leading the other one through an exciting revelation of the books they’ve just read. They become a part of the story they’re telling, just as one does when one falls in love with a book.… more
My Grandma and Me
My Grandma and Me
Mina Javaherbin
illustrated by Lindsey Yankey
Candlewick Press, 2019
ISBN 978−1−4263−3304−0 If you were fortunate to have one or two or three loving grandmothers, this book will touch your heart. Grandmas can be the most loving people in our long lives, teaching us about life, passing along traditions, sharing stories, helping us become wholesome adults.… more
Mina Javaherbin
illustrated by Lindsey Yankey
Candlewick Press, 2019
ISBN 978−1−4263−3304−0 If you were fortunate to have one or two or three loving grandmothers, this book will touch your heart. Grandmas can be the most loving people in our long lives, teaching us about life, passing along traditions, sharing stories, helping us become wholesome adults.… more
Thanksgiving Tea
The week before Thanksgiving I was part of a wonderful Thanksgiving-themed Storytime. Excellent books were read: Otis Gives Thanks by Loren Long and Thankful by Eileen Spinelli. We sang through There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Turkey by Lucille Colandro, and Simple Gifts by Chris Raschka. All was going swimmingly — beautiful children, rapt and smiling. They were very young, but you could tell they were read to regularly.… more
For The Beast in Us All
The theme of being yourself is familiar. Many books, movies, and plays are devoted to this idea. When it’s done well, we all sit up a little straighter, laugh more confidently, and dream about all the things we’d like to do to be true to who we are. Children need to hear this message often so another book, one that tells the story in a different way, is welcome.… more
No Pigs in Space?
Some of my readers know that the very first story I wrote (in second grade) was Pigs in Space. I still have it. I still wonder whatever prompted me to write it. This was before the Muppets launched their pigs into space. And it was definitely before Kim T. Griswell and Valeri Gorbachev launched their pig into space in Rufus Blasts Off!… more
Candace Fleming Tames the Wild West
Our thanks to author Candace Fleming for sitting still long enough to answer in-depth questions about her conception for, research into, and writing decisions for Presenting Buffalo Bill: the Man Who Invented the Wild West, our Bookstorm™ this month. Fleming’s answers will inform educators, providing direct quotes from an oft-published biographer of beloved books that will be useful for teaching writing and research skills in the classroom. … more
Bookstorm™: Presenting Buffalo Bill
Presenting Buffalo Bill provides an excellent opportunity to teach differentiation between fiction and nonfiction, mythology and fact, as well as the discernment, research, and discussion skills that are naturally born out of this type of close reading. Buffalo Bill’s life and Wild West Show are exciting and the author makes them all the more vivid and engaging with her writing.… more
Visiting Brigadoon
Steve and I returned earlier this week from Montpelier, Vermont, where we spoke at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, specifically to the alumni of their Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program. We were there to talk about “Marketing as Storytelling,” with the goal of making these typically introverted writers feel more comfortable about touting their books.… more
One Day at the Farmers Market
Saturday was gorgeous, and (Oh joy! Oh rapture!) the opening day of the Mill City Farmers Market, one of my favorite markets here in the Twin Cities. I got up and out the door in such a hurry I forgot my market basket, but no matter — there were just the earliest of crops available: asparagus, spinach, rhubarb….… more
Summer Adventures
The other day, a public librarian asked on social media for graphic novel recommendations for readers aged 6 to 12. I immediately recommended the Adventures in Cartooning series by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost.
The first book was Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles into Comics, introducing us to The Knight, Edward the chubby horse, and the Magic Cartooning Elf.… 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
Epic felt
Three small board books … encompassing the first three Star Wars movies and a year-long craft project.
As I read each book, all 12 words, one word and one photo on each two-page spread, it slowly dawned on me just how ingenious they are.
In those 12 carefully chosen words and scenes from the movie, Jack and Holman Wang, twin brothers and admirable artistes, manage to evoke the entire saga of the first three movies.… more
We Didn’t Always Know the Way
by Vicki Palmquist
A step-by-step, slightly tongue-in-cheek but mostly sincere, guide to reading a book, How to Read a Story by Kate Messner, illustrated by Mark Siegel (Chronicle Books), will have you and your young readers feeling all warm and cozy and smart.
With advice in Step 2 to Find a Reading Buddy, we are cautioned “And make sure you both like the book.”… more