Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
In the modern age of consumerism and materialism at Christmas, Patricia Polacco's An Orange for Frankie tells a beautiful story of gratefulness and generosity. Based upon Polacco's own family history, the picture book tells the story of Frankie, the youngest boy in a large family. It's close to Christmas during the Great Depression, and the... Continue Reading →
How many times have you heard the Christmas story, and the gifts of the wise men from the East? How many times have you wondered, "what exactly is myrrh?" The Third Gift by Linda Sue Park is beautifully illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, and tells the story of a young boy who is learning his father's... Continue Reading →
Author and illustrator Patricia Polacco had a wonderfully interesting childhood, which makes for delightful pictures books (read more here) - and her holiday books are no exception. In The Trees of the Dancing Goats, Polacco describes one Hanukkah she celebrated with her mother, brother and grandparents in snowy Michigan. She tells about her family's traditions... Continue Reading →
Generally, I am not a fan of repackaging beloved stories for marketing purposes, but I make an exception for the Little House story books. (See my review of other Little House story books here.) For the holidays, HarperCollins Publishers pulled out all the Christmas's Laura Ingalls Wilder described in some of her Little House on... Continue Reading →
Stan & Jan Berenstain, creators of the beloved Berenstain Bears, didn't realize what a hit those bears would be when they wrote and illustrated their first book together. So Stan wrote Nothing Ever Happens at the South Pole as a follow up to that first Berenstain Bears book. But because they were so popular, Stan... Continue Reading →
Author Patricia Maclachlan wrote Your Moon, My Moon for her granddaughter, who lives in Africa. For grandparents who miss their grandchildren, Maclachlan distills the longings, the dreams and the heartache into simple sentiments children can understand. The grandmother wonders if her grandchild remembers her, remembers what they did together, if the grandchild thinks of her... Continue Reading →
Amanda loves celebrating Thanksgiving with her large family at her Bubbe's house. Bubbe always prepares a special feast - she cooks and prepares every day for a month. But the best part of the holiday is right before bed, when Bubbe lets her choose a wishbone, and they make a special Thanksgiving wish. But then... Continue Reading →
In the midst of all the holiday preparations, I encourage you to sit down and enjoy The Peterkins' Thanksgiving, adapted by Elizabeth Spurr from Lucretia P. Hale's original story from 1880. The large Peterkin family is ready to sit down to eat their delicious Thanksgiving feast. They are looking forward to the food their cook... Continue Reading →
Author and illustrator Marty Kelley brings children and parents alike Fall Is Not Easy, a delightful picture book about a tree. The tree enjoys every season, except fall. Winter is easy because the branches are bare. Spring is easy because the leaves grow. Summer is easy because the tree just enjoys the sun. But fall!... Continue Reading →
Early chapter book shelves are full of books about the most popular movies, TV shows and cartoon characters, so when I find a good reader which both my children and I can enjoy I rejoice! No Fighting, No Biting! by Else Holmelund Minarik is a classic. I loved the illustrations by Maurice Sendak (Where the... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 