Frederick is a book that should be on every preschooler’s shelf. A Caldecott award winner, it’s the charming tale of a mouse with a talent for words, whose contribution to his community is through his stories. It celebrates imagination and being different. The one criticism I’ve heard about the book is that Frederick is too […]
Here’s a way to earn “cool points” with your pre-teens: Mention that scientists have named a newly discovered dinosaur Dracorex Hogwartsia, in honor of the dragons in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. Dinosaurs and Harry Potter. What’s not to love?
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea, a novel by Shyam Selvadurai, won the Lambda Literary Award last week in the Children’s/Young Adult Category. The book tells the story of fourteen-year-old Amrith, who lives with his godmother in Sri Lanka. A visit from a Canadian cousin causes him to explore both his sexuality and his feelings about
Yes, the honey-loving bear now joins the ranks of Hollywood immortals. Pooh made his movie debut in 1966 in the Disney short “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.” Not coincidentally, today also marked the DVD release of Disney’s “Pooh’s Grand Adventure – The Search for Christopher Robin.” Fans of the original A. A. Milne
It’s National Library Week, “a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support.” I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a few suggestions for making use of your local library, beyond the obvious one of borrowing books. (I’ve focused on ideas related to kids
My son loves music, and he loves books. I’m always excited, therefore, when I can find books about music for the pre-school age group. A modern (1995) classic, Caldecott winner Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, by Lloyd Moss is a gem. One by one, the book introduces various instruments, as each lends its sound to
Concerns about “homosexual undertones” in the children’s book And Tango Makes Three caused two public libraries to move it from the children’s to the non-fiction section. The book, about two male penguins who adopt an abandoned egg, is based on the true story of two penguins at the New York Central Park Zoo. Heaven forbid
I’ve been having an e-mail conversation with Mel, another blogger, about various children’s books. She has a great blog, “Life’s a Butter Dream,” on children’s “literary world,” with useful book and music recommendations, and information about children’s literacy and development. I thought I’d offer a couple of book recommendations of my own, based on books
