Given this is a presidential election year, I know you've been searching for the perfect (non-partisan!) political primer. Look no further ...
Introduced in last year's bestselling, award-winning Dream Big, Little Pig!, tenacious little Poppy did just that and proved that pigs can indeed fly ...
Surely this is one of the most dramatic before-and-after reading experiences I've ever had: I read Mountains last fall when it first landed on my desk and then again just recently after I landed back from East Africa. What a difference a few thousands of miles...
Well, FINALLY, it's my turn! The rest of the family got their Rabbit, Tiger, and Rat editions over the last few years ...
Much to my children's dismay (and longing), we don't have a dog (allergies). I am, however, so lucky to have a regular canine companion, Z, whose mother brings her on our twice-a-week hikes through the woods. As I was sniffling and snuffling through this heartfelt...
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...
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...
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...
Today's theme, I've decided, is families that come together in unexpected ways. I have good reason – I'm moderating an event at the Library of Congress on transracial adoption at noon (eek!) – and I have a gorgeous debut novel I must share (it's always about a...
As most Haruki Murakami fans as well aware, the countdown to the pub date of his latest 1Q84 ends after this weekend ...
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,...
"How do we know / what animals say / when they say what they say / with their sounds every day?" How, indeed ...
The First Tale: The Robe of Skulls The Second Tale: The Bag of Bones The Third Tale: Heart of Glass The Fourth Tale: The Flight of Dragons Since today is Independence Day, I figured the time is right to explore our colonial roots and see what one of...
Here's the initial scene: an orange fox chases a grey rabbit, both heading toward an almost-washed out wooden bridge perched over a fast-moving river swollen from heavy rains. The rabbit sees the bridge as an escape route, while the fox is convinced he's about to get...
Once upon a time B.C. – that's Before Children – the hubby and I had four furry practice kiddies. One of them was named Bob. As in Bob Cat. He was named by my middle brother, who lived with us on and off (in between...
Even if you're not a dog-lover, you'll pause and sigh over these pages, especially to look more closely as these expressive, trusting faces. And if you've been waffling about adopting that four-legged addition your two-legged offspring keep begging for, you just might be convinced ...
Warning: reading this whimsical globe-trotting picture book debut from Amy Gibson with your young 'uns will surely make them peripatetic adventurers sooner than later in life. Divided by continent, Gibson wanders the globe sharing giddy, often enlightening poems about animals familiar and hidden. In South America,...
Surely the wintry melée is over, especially since our son and I have the tell-tale signs of sneezing and wheezing with the bursting buds. Not that we're complaining, of course! Celebrate the warmth with little rabbit and his friends as they shed the last season. All...
Lucky for the Smithsonian to own a piece of legendary Olympic ice skater Kristi Yamaguchi ...
When I hear "collateral damage," one thing I've never thought of before (I know, shame on me!) are the animals! And how much more tragic are the animals trapped in cages ...
