Summer Storms: A Reading List
Aug
16
2019
Late summer means thunderstorms and, sometimes, hurricanes, too. Our collection of storm-themed books can be used to learn courage in the face of bad weather and to find resilience in times of change that we cannot control. [continue reading]
Literature in Context: A Literary Guide for Maple Syrup Season
Mar
19
2019
In late winter when the days are warm but the nights are still cold, the sap starts to run in sugar maples. Throughout New England, buckets and tubing begin to adorn trees, and the steady plinking of sap dripping into buckets can be heard throughout the sugarbush. This month’s literature guide spotlights titles that can [continue reading]
Literary Guide for Robert McCloskey’s “Make Way for Ducklings”
Aug
19
2013
“Make Way for Ducklings,” written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey, is our featured title this week in our Summer Reading Resource series. This downloadable literature guide, written for use with 1st & 2nd grade students, includes outlines for activities that call for readers to create their own list of rhyming family names, write a new [continue reading]
Literary Guide for Roald Dahls’ “Danny the Champion of the World”
Jul
29
2013
Our Summer Reading Resource Literary Guide series continues this week with Roald Dahl classic, “Danny the Champion of the World.” The literature guide is written with 4th grade students in mind, but the story can be easily read and appreciated by younger students who have begun reading chapter books… a fun book for bedtime read-aloud [continue reading]
George Washington Carver: A Life in Poems
Feb
26
2013
In honor of Black History Month I want to share an extraordinary book about an extraordinary human being: Carver, a life in poems (Front Street, 2001) is an intimate portrait of the botanist, inventor, scientist, artist, musician, and teacher, known as George Washington Carver. Written by acclaimed poet, Marilyn Nelson, the book takes us through [continue reading]
3 Folktales for National Folktale Month
Jan
22
2013
Three Favorite Folktales It’s National Folktale Month! And I’m digging into the vaults to share three of my favorites, all starring leading ladies. For me, folktales are food for the soul. And when packaged into a picture book, also provide a feast for the eyes. They are an important part of your child’s literary diet, [continue reading]
Picture Books for Spring Time
Apr
24
2012
A Trio of New Picture Books Just In Time For Spring Every year I am surprised when the fields and forests finally turn green. Just when I think it will be brown and barren forever, the snow turns to rain, the ground thaws, and those first brave shoots make their appearance. — Springtime gives me [continue reading]
200 Years Ago: The Boyhood of Charles Dickens
Mar
27
2012
A Boy Called Dickens Imagining the Boyhood of A Legendary Author This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. Though Dickens never published an account of his life, and didn’t speak of his childhood until he was in his 30’s, a new picture book imagines what a slice of his youth [continue reading]