Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Sage is an orphan, always getting into trouble - but the worst sort of trouble is upon him. Bought from the orphanage by a nobleman, Sage finds himself in the company of Conner (the nobleman), his servants (Mott and Cregan), and three other orphans. Conner's plan is to position one of them as the missing... Continue Reading →
I love to read stories about family history, whether it is mine or someone else's. Lucky for me, Elaine Snyder tells the story of her grandparents who immigrated from Russia to New York City around the 1900's in Anna & Solomon. This is a sweet story - one with a sad beginning, but a happy... Continue Reading →
Paris is a beautiful city (I'm told - I've haven't been there yet), one that people of all ages can enjoy. Children and parents alike will enjoy A Walk in Paris by Salvatore Rubbino, a beautifully illustrated picture book which gives an overview of the city from a little girl's perspective. Even though I've... Continue Reading →
America the Beautiful: Together We Stand is a beautiful picture book celebrating the diversity of the United States of America. It includes the poem Katharine Lee Bates wrote, which later became a much-loved patriotic song. The publisher, Orchard Books, recruited ten different children's book artists to illustrated the poem - which includes a wide variety... Continue Reading →
How can you make a cherry pie when the Cook Shop is closed for July 4th? Fortunately, the young girl in Marjorie Priceman's How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A. has some great ideas. As an added bonus, if you follow the directions, you'll get to see most of the United States. ... Continue Reading →
Recently, my children and I learned quite a bit about the work women did to help the war effort during the Civil War. Quite a few women dressed up as men, and joined the army. Other women were couriers or spies. Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy by Seymour... Continue Reading →
Walter bakes delicious sweet rolls and breads for his village. The Duke and Duchess particularly enjoy his sweet rolls every morning. Then disaster strikes! The cat knocks over the milk, and Walter is forced to use water, instead of milk in his sweet rolls. The Duke and Duchess threaten to banish him from the village... Continue Reading →
Illustrator Mark Pett creates another beautiful wordless book in The Girl and the Bicycle. A young girl and her brother are walking down the street, when she spots a beautiful green bicycle in the store window. She works and works and works to earn enough money to buy it, only to discover it's gone when... Continue Reading →
After reading A Strong Right Arm about Negro League player Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, I immediately picked up We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson when I spotted it at the library. What a beautiful book! Nelson not only wrote the book, he also painted all the pictures. Even if... Continue Reading →
"Henry loved books. But not like you and I love books, no. Not quite..." reads the front fly of this book. I'm afraid to say more about the story - I mean you can guess the gist of it. But if I tell you more, I might give away the ending. And it's a lovely... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 