March Marks a Month of Civil Rights Marches: A Classroom Activity to Inspire Understanding

March marks the month of historic marches for those involved in the Civil Right’s Movement. It also offers a timely activity for teachers and parents trying to answer questions about ...

Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen

A BOOK AND THREE COOKS I come from a family of cooks–wedding cakers, professional bakers, big-dinner makers. So it makes some sense that my two kids want to get their hands messy ...

President’s Day Picture Book and Project

WE, THE PEOPLE, have been celebrating a form of President’s Day for the last 130+ years, and we’re still debating some of the most fundamental principles of what it means to ...

Nature A to Z Art Project

In 2010, the U.S. scored 17th of 34 developed nations that were tested in the area of science. That’s an unfortunate rank for a country that prides itself on being ...

Celebrate National Reading Month

BUY A BOOK FOR BABY A good children’s book is three times richer in vocabulary than conversation, and mastering language early is a building block for future knowledge acquisition. Q: ...

A Garden Party on a Grey Winter Day

 About January, visions of sugar plums and hopes for snow days are quickly replaced with dreams of a garden–flowers, bumblebees, birds. This year, we were so tired of waiting that ...

Pink and Say: The Importance of Historical Fiction

Those who try their hand at writing historical fiction for children are creating an interest that will drive the next generation of historians and scholars. I’ve spent the last 10 days reading ...

A Family Story Tradition

The original Rudolph story’s last page. For some picture books, the story behind the story is just as good as the one in print. This is true for the original ...

Pre-schoolers Love the Gingerbread Man!

This award-winning book is perfect for the early childhood set! Teachers, are you looking for a reason to make cookies at school? Pre-schoolers love stories and snacks, so The Gingerbread ...

Holiday Help for Parents: Elf on a Shelf

Dear Carol V. Aebersold, Chanda A. Bell, and Coe Steinwart (Elf on a Shelf-ers)— Each set contains both book and elf. Thank you for sharing your family tradition through this ...

Polar Express: Make An Inexpensive Classroom Keepsake

Kids will request this timeless tale again and again. All aboard! Teachers, are your little engineers ready for holiday break? If visions of sugar plums are dancing in their heads, ...

The First Day of Christmas: A Gift to Nature

For the next few days, this blog will feature some of the best seasonal kid’s books, with 12 picture books for Christmas. The first one is a family favorite, Stranger ...

The Power of One Person and a Picture Book

Sometimes the power of one can have a surprising impact on a child’s life, especially if that person loves books. Enter nanny Kara Murdock.   BACKGROUND Day after day, Kara ...

Snow Drifts + Story Time + Hot Chocolate = Perfect Winter Day

Use Picture Books to Encourage Kids to GET OUTSIDE this winter! ‘Tis the season for insulated pants, puffy parkas, and fuzzy boots! While it may take those cute-as-a-button kids an ...

Do you haiku?

Teaching Haiku and Word Selection with a Picture Book   Q: Why torture students by making them learn and create classic forms of poetry? A: Because brevity, structure, and beauty ...