Cumulative tales build the way a snowball does: they get bigger as each new point in the tale passes to add another layer to the whole. Items (and sometimes people) are collected as the story moves along. “Stone Soup” is such a tale and has various versions in many cultures. Cumulative stories are sometimes rhythmic, […]
New Snowball Stories Read More »
This article was last updated 16 January 2026 What’s better than a book award? A list of best books! Why? There are more titles to choose among and to compare and contrast. While judges who determine book awards are looking at lots of competing titles critically, with a list of bests, we get to see
Best of the Year Lists Are the Best! Read More »
As a librarian who has provided readers’ advisory support on the front line with kids, teens, and adults, and now trains library staff in both public and school libraries to deliver support for readers and would-be readers, I have come to recognize some salient differences among the age ranges: Genre fiction written for and engaging
A Smorgasbord of Series for Middle Graders Read More »
Mystical, mythical, and fantastical creatures seem to be taking the forefront of literature! Everyone, adult and kid alike, wants to read about these creatures and escape into a different world. One particular such being that is perhaps the most popular and powerful is the dragon. While adults are finding dragoncentric romantasy like Fourth Wing, children’s
It’s the end of another publishing year and the best lists are snowing upon us! What we love about the plethora of these lists from children’s literature experts, review publications, and national press resources is how so many perspectives pop into focus: diverse list makers see “best” in so many different—and complementary—ways. Some of the
Celebrating Titles Featured on 2024’s Best Books for Kids Lists Read More »
August is celebrated annually as Women In Translation Month. This is the time when we turn specific attention—and give gratitude—to the women writers and the women translators who make possible access to stories from many languages to readers who can access them only in their own home languages. Professional translation is an art, just as
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Summertime brings with it many wonderful things. In most places you get longer days, warmer weather, and no matter if you like them or not…more bugs! Outside our doors there is an entire society of fantastic critters going about their day in a miniature world that could easily go unnoticed to the untrained eye. This
Perfect Pair: Un-Bee-Lievable Bug Books Read More »
Sometimes it appears that attention from many quarters comes to rest on one theme or an object with unanticipated universal agreement that this is the IT topic for the moment. This year in kids’ books we’re seeing that happen with—eyeglasses! In books that come to us from Spain, the Netherlands via New Zealand, the United
Look Here! These Books Are Spectacular! 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 »
