informational books

Tales in Tune:  Music and Picture Books

Fusing the delights of music and story is a powerful way to teach basic concepts as well as explore deeper ideas and emotions.  Over my nearly 30 years of teaching young children, I’ve set a LOT of knowledge to simple tunes: the names of continents, oceans, countries and states, math concepts, simplified steps of the […]

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Shaped manipulatives sorted by preschool aged child

Get into Shape(s)!

This has shaped up to be a good year for new kids’ books that focus attention on—shapes! Some shapes—and books—are simple, some simply fun (as well as informative), and some sophisticated—just the way geometric forms run the gamut from easy to grasp to complex. Learning to recognize and name shapes helps build the toddler, preschooler,

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Covers of books featured in post

Mastering the Art of Kindness

November 13th is World Kindness Day, a day to reflect on one of the most universal and unifying principles. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, start ripples of change that can transform the lives of children, families, and communities across the world. This selection of picture books and board books are the

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Book covers of Ancient Egyptians for Kids, Mummies Unwrapped, The Unofficial Guide to the Egyptian Afterlife, Hide and Seek Ancient Egypt

Unwrapping the Secrets of Ancient Egypt

This article is by Publisher Spotlight intern Lauren Neely. Happy King Tut Day! 101 years ago as of November 4, 2023, King Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered by British archaeologist, Howard Carter, in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, where 63 pharaohs were buried from 1539 BC to 1075 BC. In celebration of this day, here are

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Man, Woman, and Child standing outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park sign

Pages Under the Stars: Books to read while Camping

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things to do is to enjoy a good book swinging in a hammock or resting during a hike break back at the campsite. And there are so many good books to enjoy! Let me tell you about some of our recent favorites both frontlist and

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Sew Sister cover

Mooning Over Some New Books

This is article is by Publisher Spotlight’s Rhena Curran. Happy National Moon Day and National Space Exploration Day! July 20th 2023 marks 54 years since the Apollo 11 mission during which Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. In honor of this – and the two supermoons coming next month –

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Count on These Picture Books for More than Number Names

Like literacy, numeracy comprises a diverse set of skills and relies on the development of capacities to observe, reason, and follow models. Merriam-Webster offers a concise definition: numeracy is the ability to understand and work with numbers.  Like alphabet books, counting books come in a wide range of styles and quality. Like the alphabet, however,

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Clive Is a Nurse

What Can You Do with a Skill Like That?

If you have had a toddler around your home, you know that dream career considerations can start early in life. Toddlers enjoy acting out the very tasks they find most engaging when they see others do them, from collecting trash (BIG trucks!) to serving in a diner (Little order pads!). By the time youth graduate

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Food for Hope interior

Feeding Food Awareness

This spring brings a new crop of informational picture books that offer readers of all ages new insights on healthy eating, food access, and food preparation.  Food topics, of course, are of perennial interest and these new books join contemporary classics featuring food heroes, kids’ science related to food topics, and food gardening. Let’s take

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