26
Jan
Last Stop on Market Street Bus Craft
I’m over at Library as Incubator Project celebrating the 2016 Newbery winner and Caldecott and Coretta Scott King honoree, Last Stop on Market Street (public library | local bookstore) by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson. Learn how to make this delightful 3-D bus craft just like the one CJ and Nana ride in the […]
14
Jan
The Tea Party in the Woods + Pie Art Project
There’s something eerie and otherworldly about walking in the woods in the wintertime. It is quiet, yet holds many secrets… Maybe even a bit of magic. The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi (public library | local bookstore) embodies this feeling perfectly. A young girl, Kikko, sets out to deliver a pie her […]
16
Dec
Glowing Books for the Black Light Booth
No, this post isn’t about a storytime rave. The black light booth I assembled a year ago has mainly been used for art projects and light play, but lately we’ve also been using it as an enchanting way to explore books. Children’s books with fluorescent colors and/or glow-in-the-dark features spring to life in the booth! Using ultraviolet […]
2
Dec
Favorite Children’s Books About Winter
Since this autumnal booklist for kids ended up being quite popular, I’ve assembled another seasonal list of favorite children’s books about wintertime just in time for the snowy, blowy winter season. You’ll find handfuls of lesser known titles, a splash of new books, as well as tried and true familiar stories that I hope you and yours enjoy […]
23
Nov
Sonya’s Chickens + Chicken Coop Pretend Play
Learning through story is a powerful way to engage kids, especially when it comes to learning about the interconnectedness of the natural world in which we live. Life and death and are not easy topics to communicate, but Phoebe Wahl’s picture book, Sonya’s Chickens (Public Library | Local Bookstore) does a masterful job using storytelling […]
15
Oct
Favorite Halloween Books
My fondness of Halloween started at a very young age. Perhaps it was the glowing pumpkins lining the streets, or stories of witches riding in the night, or inky October evenings with the moon hanging low in the sky… Aaaaah Halloween! But one thing I know for sure is my romance with this holiday was […]
8
Oct
Poison Ivy Identification – Leaflets Three, Let It Be!
It’s lurking in your yard… It’s hidden at the park… it’s dun dun DUUUUUUN… POISON IVY! This pesky plant to humans used to make me fearful and uneasy, mostly because I had absolutely no clue what it looked like, and like most fears– The unknown is scary. That is until I read Leaflets Three, Let It […]
20
Oct
No Such Thing
Halloween is my *favorite* holiday of the year, which means of all the holidays I have soft spot in my heart for Halloween picture books. This year, I fell hard for No Such Thing, by first time picture book author, Ella Bailey. As Halloween nears, young Georgia notices bizarre happenings around her house. A vase falls out […]
26
Aug
3 Magical New Pictures Books
As with most children (and adult children), magic is pretty much the best thing in the world. Picture books featuring mermaids, unicorns, dragons, or fairies are an automatic win. This fall, there’s a surge of unique stories with magical creatures so full of imagination and wonder that really go above and beyond. Notably, Julia’s House for […]
6
Apr
Thingy Things Get a Makeover
Thingy Things by Chris Raschka Find them at: Your Library | Your Local Bookstore Published: Abrams Appleseed (April 8, 2014) Recommended Reading Age: 2-6 You may recall a post I wrote last year about the Thingy Things series, by Chris Raschka. Ever since stumbling upon these books, I’ve been hoping and wishing a publisher would […]
