Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
I will admit to being a novice at poetry, and in fact, not a huge fan of it. However, I am a fan of reading poetry aloud to children. I think one of the reasons I didn't like poetry was because I only encountered it in school, which wasn't very fun. My favorite poetry is... Continue Reading →
Patricia MacLachlan has done it again. "Done what?" I hear you asking. She's written a beautiful book about difficult relationships and finding your way through them. In The Truth of Me, Robbie's parents send him to his grandmother's house for the summer. They are touring with their woodwind quartet for the summer. Robbie is fine... Continue Reading →
If you would like to start reading poetry with your children, I would highly recommend starting with Joyful Noise by Paul Fleischman. In this book, Fleischman writes a number of poems about insects. Before you shudder and turn aside, give it a try! I am not a huge fan of insects, but Fleischman treats the... Continue Reading →
So many people have recommended that I read The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan, I've quite forgotten who first mentioned it to me. But it wasn't until after reading book recommendations from my writing classes - almost a third of whom chose to write about The Ranger's Apprentice - that I finally picked up... Continue Reading →
If you have seen Schindler's List, you will know the basic story of The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson. Leyson was the youngest boy Schindler was able to save from the Nazi killing machine. He relates his story of growing up in rural Poland, moving to the big city after his father... Continue Reading →
Mouse Minor is what everyone calls him, but it's not his real name. The hero of The Mouse with a Question Mark Tail doesn't have a name. And it bothers him immensly. He never knew his parents either. He lives with Aunt Marigold under the Royal Mews, the carriage house of Buckingham Palace. Mouse Minor... Continue Reading →
Author and illustrator Jon J Muth retells one of Leo Tolstoy's classic tales in the picture book The Three Questions. In his retelling, the main character is a boy who asks three important questions of his friends, a crane, a monkey and a dog. His questions are: When is the best time to do things? ... Continue Reading →
Lucy and Glory are orphans living in a workhouse in London. Lucy remembers having a family, and a home, but Glory was only a baby when the fever took their parents. In order to survive deplorable conditions, Lucy whispers stories in Glory's ear after lights out - stories of their mother, their father, their home... Continue Reading →
The whole town of San Lorenzo is preparing for the annual Christmas parade. Eleven-year-old Maria Gonzaga listens longingly to her friends' plans for their floats. Their families are hiring designers to create breath-taking floats - and Maria longs to participate. But San Lorenzo's parade has long been for the wealthy Anglo ranchers, not the Mexican-Americans.... Continue Reading →
It does seem odd putting "Lemony Snicket" and "Christmas Books" together in a title. Snicket is best known for his children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events - books which I tried reading. However, I could not enjoy them because they were so depressing. So what inspired me to pick up Lemony Snicket's Christmas... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 