I’m thrilled today to have Suzanne back in the house! And, boy, does she have a fun new book to share with us. It’s the durn near perfect story of superstar Dolly Parton. There are so many superlative elements in this book that I wasn’t sure where to begin. Highlights: …
I’ve come to value Twitter and Instagram as wonderful places to find new books. Thanks to one of them (can’t remember which!) I found today’s delightful picture book, ELEPHANT’S BIG SOLO, written and illustrated by Sarah Kurpiel, and published a few weeks ago by Greenwillow Books. I had an instant …
As New York transitions from blueberry season to cranberry, Berry Song, the first self-authored book by Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade has taken root on the whiteboard ledge in my classroom, where I keep all the books I anticipate kids grabbing over and over again. In this story, a plucky little …
I am a huge fan of Bao Phi’s work. His debut picture book, A Different Pond, won the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Award, a Caldecott Honor for illustrator Thi Bui’s amazing artwork, as well as many other accolades. It was also a mentor text for my own picture book, …
Remember Mary? Nice, huh? I especially love the part about “well-paced couplets that read effortlessly.” Writing a rhymer is a big challenge. It’s hard to make those couplets read effortlessly, but that is always one of my primary writing-a-rhymer goals. On top of telling a real-deal story, the rhythm has …
Owl T. Fencepost just wants quiet. So he writes a letter to B. Squirrel at the bookshop asking for various (funny) ‘how to’ books to make his world a more peaceful place. But the bookshop is out of each of Owl’s requests and so B. Squirrel begins to send him …
Wondering about my use of the word magic? Well, any book that instantly silences two little boys, 6 and 4, who then pore over every page as I read aloud, repeatedly insisting that I stop to let them study the details of EVERY spread, is magic to me. The gist …
A dozen years ago, my neighborhood improved vastly when the town stretched a footbridge across the nearby marsh and built Windsor Castle Park, which includes miles of woodland and riverside trails. I love finding mushrooms along the trail. They seem to come in hundreds of colors. I was drawn to …
Here in NYC, I am soaking up the last few weeks of summer vacation. It’s hard to think about the frenetic energy of school during the laziest August days. But one thing I look forward to as September looms is imagining all of the glorious books I will enjoy with …
I wish I’d picked up a copy of AMAH FARAWAY by Margaret Chiu Greanias and illustrated by Tracy Subisak before I presented to bilingual and ESL educators a couple of weeks ago. This book explores the feeling of living in and between two cultures in a heartfelt but fun and …