Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Chris Van Allsburg, a talented artist and author, brings his unique eye to the younger crowd in his alphabet book The Z was Zapped. Each letter takes the stage, and something happens to it. The E slowly evaporates. The M begins to melt. The O is overgrown. And you can guess what happens to the... Continue Reading →
Author Arthur Geisert succeeded in writing an engaging picture book using just one word, and that one word is really a sound: oink. Oink is about a mama pig, her litter of piglets and their life on the farm. Geisert's near-black-&-white illustrations are beautifully delicate and detailed in telling the pigs' story. I can imagine... 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 →
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 →
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 →
Even adults will appreciate Just the Way You Are by Max Lucado. Lucado tells a story about a family of five orphan children who long for a family. Soon they discover the king is going to adopt them. What news! To prepare, they each get busy working on a gift for the king. All, but... Continue Reading →
Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting tells the story of Marianne, a young girl heading West on the Orphan Train. Her mother left her at the orphanage years earlier, promising to come for her after she had made a home for them out west. She never came back. Marianne is convinced her mother will meet... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 