Well, FINALLY, it's my turn! The rest of the family got their Rabbit, Tiger, and Rat editions over the last few years ...
Trust me on this one: Debut author Glenda Armand’s Love Twelve Miles Long is THE perfect book to share today. "This was a special night," the story begins, "Mama had come to visit ...
On his deathbed, Irena Sendler's father taught her the lesson that would guide her life. At age 7, she internalized his dying words: "...
It's another weekend ...
The simple things in life always deserve our greatest gratitude: Today, this day of turkeys and thanks, those of us with our families close by are quite possibly the luckiest people on earth. Take the small family of three in this gorgeous yet bittersweet story …...
Quick: Growing up, how many kids did you know who carried epi-pens? I can't think of a single child (I'm dating myself, I'm sure), except for silly me, but mine were for bee stings. That certainly is not the case now! Our daughter was always...
What formative experiences make a great children’s book illustrator? In the case of Allen Say and Ed Young, both Caldecott medalists, the journey begins with unusual childhoods in wartime Asia. Connecting the dots from those beginnings to what would become long and successful careers, Drawing...
A magician, his dog, their groceries come home and settle in to relax, eventually drifting off for a nap. Meanwhile, a rabbit peeks out from the magician’s hat, sees the snoozing man and dog, notices the carrot on the counter, and decides he must have...
Let me know if you’ve heard this one before – a poor man gets rich, gets greedy, not to mention careless and lazy, and loses everything. No … I’m actually not referring to the latest Wall Street headlines! This playful new version gets retold by peripatetic...
I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that counting books are ubiquitous on kiddie shelves. And, alas, too many of them are just same old, same old: dressing up the familiar 1, 2, 3, is surely not an easy task. So when something clever...
Tashi’s beloved grandfather – her Popola – has been sick in bed for two weeks. “’The doctor’s doing all she can,’” her mother assures Tashi. But Tashi soon realizes that what will help Popola most may not be medical at all. Tashi asks Popola about how...
Ever feel like a total beast when you're soooo hungry? Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen surely understands midnight hunger: "the HAMPIRE left his pen / In quite an awful mood. / His belly growled. / 'I need,' he howled, / 'To sink my fangs in food!'" In spite of the danger...
For parents of a certain generation, Raffi was like the Pied Piper: he sang, kids listened, they often fell asleep. Back then, that was the mark of a miraculous, massively talented performer. In our house, Thing 1 had a serious preference for "Baby Beluga" at bedtime,...
I think someone clearly pushed the 'fast-forward' button and jammed it ...
For those who missed the perennial chart-topper on the list of “Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2010” during the recent Banned Books Week 2011, feel free to click here. That's your eyebrow-raised warning right up front that even though these two delightful protagonists both have families, one...
In case you needed another reminder, Banned Books Week continues for a couple more days ...
Welcome to Banned Books Week 2011, which begins today and ends October 1. Leading the "Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2010" – at the top for the fifth year in a row, with a respite at #2 in 2009! – is little Tango. Reasons cited: "homosexuality, religious viewpoint,...
Cleopatra: "Serpent of the Nile" by Mary Fisk Pack, illustrated by Peter Malone Agrippina: "Atrocious and Ferocious" by Shirin Yim Bridges, illustrated by Peter Malone Mary Tudor: "Bloody Mary" by Gretchen Maurer, illustrated by Peter Malone Catherine de' Medici: "The Black Queen" by Janie Havemeyer, illustrated by Peter Malone Marie...
With prolonged bleak skies across the East Coast thanks to Katia, Lee, and incoming Nate (not to mention recovery from Irene), Marisol McDonald is one brilliant, rambunctious, delightful diversion. "My name is Marisol McDonald, and I don't match," the flame-haired, brown-skinned, fearless, Peruvian Scottish American little girl announces....
From the creator of some of my favorite kiddie books ever comes another 'free-to-be-me' invitation. Peter H. Reynolds has an uncanny ability to capture children both visually and literally ...
