by Carolyn | Girls, Graphic Novel, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Newbery, Older Elementary
There I was, at the public library, perusing the juvenile biographies. I was Looking for the 26 Fairmont Avenue books by Tommie de Paula when something else caught my eye. El Deafo. It wasn’t just the bright blue cover or the interesting title. I knew El Deafo...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Book Lists, For fun, Imagination, Picture Books, Wordless Books
Have you ever noticed that wordless books can be more challenging to “read” than other picture books? The pictures tell a complete story, but you (or your kids) have to come up with words to express it. Wordless books are a fantastic resource to help your...
by Carolyn | Parenting, Reading
If you’ve read the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, you know that time and again things go terribly wrong for the Ingalls family. And of all the books, On the Banks of Plum Creek contains the greatest misfortunes for America’s favorite pioneer family. I...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Cultural Diversity, Girls, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Newbery, Older Elementary, Read Alouds
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin features a young girl, Minli, who lives in a poor village with her parents. Her father tells her stories each night, but her discontented mother says the stories are a waste. In an effort to make her family happy, Minli...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Early Readers, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade
I was thrilled to be invited to appear on a local show, SA Live, to give children’s book recommendations for various ages! You can watch the recording by clicking the image below (my segment begins at 17:30), or you can read more about the books I chose below....
by Carolyn | Animal books, Board Books, Picture Books, Preschool
Learning the alphabet is a foundational skill for our kids. And ABC books are a great way to teach and solidify the alphabet in your preschooler’s mind. But let’s face it, moms, ABC books can be pretty boring. But alphabet books that tell a story?...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Boys, Character Training, Classics, Cultural Diversity, Historical Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Newbery, Read Alouds
How would you feel if you were 13, left alone in a cabin in the wilderness, responsible to take care of it until your family arrived? That’s the situation Matt finds himself in at the beginning of The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare. Through...
by Carolyn | Girls, Nature, Parenting, Picture Books, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Toddler
I never had a sister, but I do have three girls, so I’m always excited to find a book about sisters getting along (or learning to do so). And I’ve recently found a delightful series of picture books that do just that! Lori Nichols series about Maple and...
by Carolyn | Animal books, Audiobooks, Book Deals, Classics, Free
Librivox is an amazing organization, and I just want to say thank you to the thousands of volunteers who make it possible! In case you haven’t heard of Librivox, it is a website with thousands of free audiobooks. They are all older books whose copyrights have...
by Carolyn | For fun, Imagination, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Preschool, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Toddler
This fun picture book totally surprised me! I had expected Home by Carson Ellis to be about different types of homes people from around the world from highrises and ranches to igloos and wigwams. And Home does start out that way. Then, just when you think you know...
