Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
The Granddaughter Necklace by Sharon Dennis Wyeth is loosely based upon a necklace handed down from her grandmother. She imagined it had been handed down from the most distant relation she was able to find - a woman who had immigrated to America from Ireland. Instead of starting with Frances, the most distant relative, Wyeth... Continue Reading →
Most people are familiar with the American folk song, Yankee Doodle: Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony... (Are you singing it now?) Even if you're not familiar with the song, you'll enjoy reading Tom Angleberger's book Crankee Doodle. In this picture book, the soldier of the American Revolution is - you guessed... Continue Reading →
Some of my kids are afraid to attend the public schools because they've read so much about bullies. It doesn't matter what I say, what their public-schooled siblings say - they have seared into their brains the stories they've read or listened to about bullies at school. Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seeger will be a... Continue Reading →
My cousin is having a baby, and instead of cards they requested that we give books. I scoured my shelves, looking at the board books and picture books I had saved from when my children were tiny. Of course I couldn't find a single book I could give up! In my scouring, I came across... Continue Reading →
How odd is it that an otter would fall in love with his food source? Everyone agrees, it's pretty odd. Unusual. Impossible, even. Otter cannot love a fish. It is just not right. After much consternation, wondering and questioning, Otter realizes that he does love a fish. And the fish loves Otter. So they buck... Continue Reading →
I think I'm going to have to create a new category for my books - Wordless Books. It seems like an oxymoron - how can you have a book with no words? - but I've been finding quite a few at my library, and they are lots of fun. The Boy and the Airplane by... Continue Reading →
A Scottie and his ball get separated, so he traverses his apartment building trying to find it. While searching, he makes friends with the other animals in his building, and when they eventually find his ball, they all play together. Scout by Gordon McMillian is a sweet story, full of simple illustrations which will catch... Continue Reading →
Visits to great-grandparents can reveal a lot about children, and about the great-grandparent. In The Matchbox Diary, a young girl meets her great-grandfather for the first time. As she explores his library full of collections, he invites her to choose something and he will tell her about it. She chooses a cigar box full of... Continue Reading →
Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look and illustrated by Meilo So tells the story of Wu Daozi, one of China's greatest painters. As with all historical great figures, his story has been enlarged and exaggerated, although his artistic ability was not. Look writes a fictional account of Daozi's life, based upon references in Chinese... Continue Reading →
If I asked you, "Who is Golem?", you'd probably answer, "That horrible creature from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings who coveted the One Ring." You'd be right, even though Tolkein spells the name differently. But Golem is a mythical character from Jewish folklore - long pre-dating Tolkein's work. In fact, knowing the... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 