by Carolyn | Adventure, Animal books, Audiobooks, Character Training, Fantasy, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Recommendations
I just finished reading an advance copy of Ember Falls by S.D. Smith, and it is magnificent! Ember Falls, the sequel to The Green Ember, is full of twists and turns, intrigue, and action. Heather and Picket have grown into confident, mature characters, but all their...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Character Training, Fantasy, For fun, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Scary Stories
I have three words for you: Mysterious Benedict Society. If I made a list of my top ten read-alouds, this would be on it. We listened to the audio book recently, and although we’d read the book to my older kids before, it was fun to see my six-year-old...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Education, Parenting, Read Alouds, Reading, Recommendations, Resources
I was recently challenged by my librarian to participate in the adult summer reading contest. And that got me thinking. What books can I recommend to parents who want to instill a love of reading in their children? After all, summer is a great time to do a little...
by Carolyn | Biography, Book Lists, Education, Nonfiction, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Recommendations
When I was a kid, I was pretty certain history was the most boring subject ever. All those names and dates to memorize. Who cared. I’m pretty sure today’s historical picture books could have changed my mind and made history interesting. The Right Word:...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Education, Parenting, Recommendations
Practical gifts are great, but sometimes you just want to give something meaningful or sentimental, especially as a child moves from one stage in life to another. Giving picture books for graduation gifts can be a great way to memorialize the occasion whether your...
by Carolyn | Education, Fantasy, Imagination, Parenting, Recommendations, Resources
I’m so excited to share with you my appearance on the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast with Sarah Mackenzie. We talked all about Fantasy Books for Christian Kids. It’s episode #41, and you can find it right HERE. If you didn’t grow up reading fantasy, you...
by Carolyn | Audiobooks, Chapter Books, Classics, Girls, Historical Fiction, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Read Alouds, Recommendations
The Moffats, by Eleanor Estes, is listed on several wonderful book lists for children. My oldest daughter has enjoyed this book, along with the rest of the series, but I had never read it. I thought it was about time to rectify this omission. The Moffats is the first...
by Carolyn | Baby, Board Books, Book Lists, Preschool, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Toddler
Let’s face it, moms. We complain that our toddler wants to hear the same book over and over and over. But that’s usually because it’s a book we can’t stand. But we do the same thing! We have a few books we prefer to read. At least, I know I do!...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Education, For fun, Imagination, Recommendations
This is the third post in a series on books that inspire creativity in kids. So far, we’ve looked at artistic creativity and inventive creativity. This post will focus on written creativity: the desire to create stories. These stories could be verbal, written,...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Education, For fun, Imagination, Recommendations
Most of us love to see creativity in our kids (as long as it’s not expressed in Sharpie on the living room wall). Encouraging creativity is a great way to boost our children’s self-esteem, independence, and perseverance. And let’s face it, creativity...
