Lois Lowry has done a great job marketing her latest book, Son. For a few weeks now, I haven’t been able to open a newspaper, turn on NPR or read through favorite blogs without hearing something about the final book in The Giver quartet. A few weeks, ago, I got an e-mail from my mom […]
Read moreMy dear friend Lindsey sent me a link this week. She wrote, “Have you seen this? It made me think of you.” I love that a beautiful collection of picture books made Lindsey think of me. That made me smile. And then the list made me smile even more. Michael Petrilli, the Executive Vice President […]
Read moreI am not a fan of comics or graphic novels or any book in which the words are in bubbles. I know that this is not a hip opinion in the world of children’s literature today but it is mine. So when I read about A Trip to the Bottom of World with Mouse, I […]
Read moreI currently have 1, 173 pictures on my iPhone. And many, many more on my computer. I haven’t put ‘real’ pictures into an album in years. This weekend, I was reminded of why that is a problem. For a long time, Katherine sat on Rob’s lap, pouring through pictures of Rob’s childhood. She saw him […]
Read moreYesterday I wrote about two of my favorite new picture books and questioned how one person could love Jon Klassen and Marla Frazee in equal measure. I think the answer lies in their strengths. Both talented authors and illustrators. Both with excellent senses of humor. One who appeals to the rainbow and smily faces in […]
Read moreSometimes when you’re an early reader and the book you were assigned for homework includes the word ‘true’ with no picture clues or rhyming clues and you get really frustrated and decide that you can’t read, the best solution is to listen to lots of great new picture books with your mom. p.s. More on […]
Read moreReally, The Great Unexpected was all that I had expected. With Sharon Creech as it’s author and the gazillion positive reviews that I had read, I was ready to be wowed. Often, that’s a problem. Living up to such high expectations can be the death of a book. Not this one. The story is a […]
Read moreOne of the best part of the KidlitCon was attending presentations given by many of the bloggers whose writing I have followed for years. Or even seeing some of the “bigger bloggers” walking through the halls. Yes- there was a hint of middle school going on… But then the truly best part was meeting […]
Read moreI love that I know so much about children’s literature. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and to share this love with my family and friends is such a treat. What I love even more is when I find out about something I should have known about for a long time and didn’t. The other day, […]
Read moreWith Cybils season upon us, I have begun to think even more than usual about what makes an Easy Reader, an easy reader. As a judge for the Easy Reader category, I got in to a few heated debates last year about the criteria for these books. It is both my personal and professional belief […]
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