Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Author Keith Baker follows his lovely LMNO peas alphabet book with the equally enthralling 1-2-3 peas. Like most counting books, 1-2-3 peas embarks on counting up to ten. Each page features large, textured numbers which contrast nicely with the tiny peas as they do what the narrator tells them to do, like "look" and "row".... Continue Reading →
In a crowded market of alphabet books, Keith Baker's LMNO peas stands out. His adventurous peas cavort through the alphabet. They participate in all sorts of fun activities, like building, climbing, dancing, farming, quilting and reading. Peas fill every page, along with colorful and textured alphabet letters, which dwarf the peas on each page. The... Continue Reading →
I cannot say I have ever heard an adult tell their child, "If you don't clean your room, we will buy you a blue whale!" But it doesn't really matter. Billy Twitters heard that, and although he didn't believe it, his parents DID buy him a blue whale. Which is ridiculous. Which is what makes... Continue Reading →
Words are powerful, but the gift of reading can be taken for granted in a country with a high literacy rate. It wasn't always that way. Children who grew up in the South, as slaves, did not have the opportunity to learn to read. In Words Set Me Free by Lesa Cline-Ransome, the author tells... Continue Reading →
My girls grabbed Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett before I had a chance to read it. Every time I picked it up, they both told me, "Oh Mom, you'll love that book! It's really funny!" And it is! Barnett, and his illustrator Adam Rex, get quite involved in the story Barnett is writing.... Continue Reading →
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, people around the world mourned with America and the terrorist attack which claimed so many lives. However, one tribe in Kenya did more than mourn. When one of their own returned home for a visit from America, the tribe decided to give 14 of their cows to America.... Continue Reading →
The title, Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit, made me think of a Moose who doesn't have any friends, who didn't fit in at preschool, or some such quandry. But the picture book by Catherine Rayner is much more simple than that. Ernest doesn't fit on the page. So he and his little friend spend... Continue Reading →
In the 1930's, a lot of families had a lot of kids. And many of them were able to field their own baseball team. But none were as successful, and none played together as long as the Acerras in New Jersey. Brothers at Bat by Audrey Vernick tells their story. The Acerras had 12 boys... Continue Reading →
The question on the back of the book says it all: "When is more more than enough?" The picture book More by I.C. Springman follows a magpie obsessed with collecting more and more things, until disaster strikes. Fortunately, her field mice friends are there to help her, and the magpie learns a lesson about purging... Continue Reading →
Have you ever tried to read a story to your children, but they kept interrupting you with questions? You know exactly how Papa Chicken feels in David Ezra Stein's delightful picture book Interrupting Chicken. The little red chicken is so excited about the storyline of the book he's listening to that she interrupts Papa Chicken... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 