Margo Bandini has always felt secure. She had Papa, Mama, and her little brother Charlie - although he had given the family quite a scare several years earlier. But it is now 1933, and Margo's world seems to be falling apart. The sheriff sale sign in on the front door of her home. Her best... Continue Reading →
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
"This is the best book EVER!" cried my 10-year-old, lifting Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor high in the air. We had just finished listening to the audio version of the book, read by Lynne Thigpen. I had tried reading it aloud to my children, but being a white woman from... Continue Reading →
Oodles of Animals
Not surprisingly, animals are the focus of Lois Ehlert’s book Oodles of Animals. Each page features one, or several, animals portrayed in Ehlert’s colorful collage artwork, accompanied by short, rhyming poems describing each animal. Ehlert features a wide variety of animals, from mammals like bears and foxes, to reptiles like crocodiles and snakes, to birds... Continue Reading →
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin may seem an intimidating book to some readers. It's quite thick, with 278 pages. However, the words are large, the chapters are short and the illustrations are beautiful. Lin tells the story of Minli, a girl growing up in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain. Life... Continue Reading →
The Willoughbys
Oh my goodness. Our family just finished listening to The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry - and we LOVED it! Lowry writes a parody of old-fashioned stories like Anne of Green Gables and James and the Giant Peach - except the children decide they want to be orphans and plot to get rid of their parents. ... Continue Reading →
Hattie Big Sky
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson is a coming-of-age story set in Montana during World War I. Hattie is an orphan, shuffled from one unwilling relative to another for most of her life. Then a letter arrives in the mail. Hattie's uncle has died, leaving her his homestead claim in Montana. Although she is only... Continue Reading →
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
I was digging through my bookshelves recently, looking for books I could donate, when I came across one of my children's favorites. I read We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury so many times I think I can still almost recite it from memory. As it sat on my desk... Continue Reading →
What Do You Do, Dear?
Children need help learning manners, and Sesyle Joslin has created the perfect manner book for children. Maurice Sendak (of Where the Wild Things Are fame) drew the pictures for What Do You Do, Dear?, which makes this book extra fun. Joslin helps children understand what to do in the most interesting situations. What do you... Continue Reading →
The Ravenmaster’s Secret
Set in the Tower of London during the 1730's, The Ravenmaster's Secret by Elvira Woodruff tells of a daring escape from the Tower. But Forrest Harper isn't sure he has the courage to help with the escape. The older boys at the Tower bully him, his mother requires him to watch over his little sisters. ... Continue Reading →
Faith, Hope and Ivy June
Ivy June Mosely cannot believe it. Her teacher pulled her name from the coffee can, so she is going to be her school's ambassador to a private school all the way in Lexington! She'll go live with a family in Lexington for two weeks, and attend the school with a girl her own age, name... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 