Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Do you remember when Ramona Quimby (from author Beverly Cleary) suggested to her father that he turn on the "dawnzer light"? Her family laughed so hard because she misunderstood the words to the national anthem - "by the dawn's early light." Olive, the dog, has a similar problem. As she walks through town during the... Continue Reading →
Children may think that Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving since the very first Thanksgiving the Pilgrims celebrated with Squanto and his friends. While in one sense this is true, Thanksgiving wasn't established as a national holiday until much later in history. Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson explains the history of Thanksgiving as a holiday,... Continue Reading →
If turkey's thought, they'd run away A week before Thanksgiving Day, but turkeys can't anticipate, And so there's turkey on my plate. My children and I always enjoy a good rhyme from author Jack Prelutsky. In It's Thanksgiving, Prelutsky entertains readers with short and long poems about Thanksgiving. Written for beginning readers, this book has... Continue Reading →
I had never heard of anyone having a rabbit as a house pet until my co-worker Cindy introduced me to her rabbits. They roamed her apartment, hiding under the couch and nibbling on cords she had forgotten to hide away under the area rug. Author & Illustrator Clare Turlay Newberry tells the story of her... Continue Reading →
Tom Hawkins does not remember his parents. He feels compelled to climb around the buildings at his boarding school in England - especially on stormy nights. One night, as he climbs to the school's bell tower, he runs into trouble. He's not sure what kind of trouble, exactly, which makes it worse. Men in black... Continue Reading →
In Eggs 1 2 3, author Janet Halfmann combines a counting book with a nature book. As she takes readers through the number 1 through 10, she also introduces them to different egg-laying animals - from birds to butterflies, and bugs to fish. Betsy Thompson's paper art is a perfect compliment to the counting. Parents... Continue Reading →
Retold from the tale found in Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges is a classic for the modern ear. Saint George wears hand-me-down armor to face his first foe - an unspeakably huge dragon. The princess Una rides next to him, leading the knight to her home, where the... Continue Reading →
Note: This is a review I wrote in 2013 and for some reason didn't publish. Apparently, I also didn't write a review of Eight Keys - or at least I can't find one. Last year, my children and I listened to the audiobook of Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur - a beautifully written book about... Continue Reading →
If your library does not include the Little House books, the semi-autobiographical novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder, put them on your Christmas list! Every home should have a set of these. The series start with Little House in the Big Wood, where Laura and her sisters live with their parents. She includes all sorts of interesting... Continue Reading →
Beginning readers will enjoy the sweet relationship between Cowgirl Kate and her beloved horse, Cocoa, in Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman. Each short chapter tells about an interaction between the two of them, some more mundane than others. But all made exceptionally delightful by colorful watercolors by Betty Lewin (Click, Clack, Moo: Cows... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 