Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Children ready for short chapter books will enjoy the I Survived... books by Lauren Tarshis (the author of Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree). These action-packed adventures tell the story of a child, usually a boy, who has survived a catastrophe - like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, etc. The stories... Continue Reading →
The poor exclamation point in Exclamation Point! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld cannot find where he belongs. He always stands out among the crowd, even when he tries to blend in. Then he meets the question mark, and suddenly his purpose becomes more clear. Delightful turns of phrase and puns will keep adults... Continue Reading →
Poor Rabbit! He has just discovered a strange black rabbit is following him everywhere. He tries everything to get rid of that Black Rabbit, but nothing works until Rabbit runs into the forest. Ahh! Finally, Rabbit is alone. But then, Rabbit notices two eyes shining in the darkness. Is it the Black Rabbit? Author &... Continue Reading →
Every time I read a book by Patricia MacLachlan, I am in awe of her gift of telling simple, yet heartfelt stories. White Fur Flying is no exception. Zoe's family rescues dogs. Not just any dogs, her mother rescues Great Pyrenees, "140 pounds of white fur." (To be honest, I'm not a dog lover, and... Continue Reading →
Sometimes I feel the world celebrates extroverts to the detriment of introverts - those of us who recharge and refuel being by ourselves, who don't feel a need to be involved in every conversation, who are perfectly entertained with favorite toys and our imagination. People like Oliver. Oliver, the title character in Birgitta Sif's picture... Continue Reading →
Unspoken, A Story from the Underground Railroad, a picture book by Henry Cole, is an unusual book. First, Cole illustrated it with graphite illustrations - no color on the page, except the ocher yellow of the paper itself. While a tad plain, Cole's drawings are striking - full of detail and emotion which draw the... Continue Reading →
What should a person do when they find a beautiful pen? Write with it of course! Except when dealing with this pen. This pen only writes what it wants to write, not what the writers want to say - which make for some very funny situations. So who will be able to bring this pen... Continue Reading →
I rarely read book reviews, but I happened to read one about My Father's Arms are a Boat by Stein Erik Lunde. It describes Lunde's book as "lyrical" - and I can't think of a better way to describe it. Many things are implied in the text - the young boy's anxiety, the father's sorrow,... Continue Reading →
I'm not sure if Du Bose Heyward wrote The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes for children, or for their mothers. The Country Bunny is a sweet tale of a little girl bunny from the country who dreams of becoming one of the five Easter Bunnies. As a child, all the other bunnies laugh... Continue Reading →
A panda walks into the library, eats a peanut butter sandwich, shoots off a couple of arrows and leaves. The librarian shouts after him, "Why did you do that?" "Because that's what the book says I do," the panda replies. The librarian opens the book and finds a misplaced comma. "PANDA: Large black-and-white bear-like mammal,... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 