If you’ve never met a rescue animal—and a rescue dog in particular—then you might not know that they are the four-legged definitions of gratitude and resilience. Some rescue dogs may come from previous loving homes where life circumstances forced their humans to re-home them. But just as many—and, sadly, probably many, many more—come from pasts […]
Canine Companions: Rescue Dogs and Beyond Read More »
The newly released list from Bank Street College of Education reflects their Children’s Book Committee’s choices from 2023’s publications. Bank Street’s seal of “best” is recognized by librarians, teachers, teacher training programs, and parents as a gold standard guide to children’s books. The selection committee is composed of more than two dozen members who are
Bank Street Books Announces Newest Best Children’s Books of the Year Read More »
But wait, there’s a difference?! OF COURSE I would know they’re all different, right? I’m a whole adult human, a teacher, a mother, a writer. I’ve read thousands of fairy tales and folktales. Surely SURELY I know the difference! Well, when faced with trying to articulate which is which and what is why off the
Fairy Tales, Folktales, Oh, My! Read More »
As the old year makes way for the new, let’s take a look through some fresh retellings of old stories. Some of these stories are rooted in folklore; others have been recrafted from literary works of bygone centuries. All offer new ways of seeing and understanding the roots from which they grow, just as insights
Old Tales Told Afresh Read More »
We’ve been collecting all the kids’ book lists we can find and highlighting the titles mentioned that come from our US-based publishers. (For listed titles from our many international publishing friends, just look here.) Like many of our beyond-the-US-borders publishers, our American kids’ book publishers provide titles from abroad in translation, as well as books
O, Come All Ye Book Lists! Read More »
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,
Get into Shape(s)! Read More »
Sun and rain and all kinds of flowering plants surround us in the Northern Hemisphere during the month of May. This year seems especially bountiful in May-perfect picture books to share. Anne Booth’s Bloom, illustrated by Robyn Wilson-Owen (Tiny Owl Publishing) has been praised by The Sunday Times, a large number of other critics, and
A Big Bouquet of Books This May Read More »
Books tell stories—both factual and imagined—and most stories need words to communicate the writer’s ideas to the reader. Words, like books, come in all shapes and sizes and can be put together in ways both traditional and creative. Let’s celebrate words with some recent picture books about them! Let’s start with Ivan Brunetti’s beginning reader
For the Love of Words Read More »
Fathers receive their special day of public (and family) recognition on the third Sunday of June. To celebrate, we’ve gone to our stacks to show off some books featuring stories (and pictures) about dads. The Haircut, by Theo Heras and illustrated by Renné Benoit (Pajama Press) provides a toddler and daddy bonding story of a first
Father’s Day Picture Books and Books with Pictures Read More »