SQUIRREL NEEDS A BREAK!
I’m thrilled to announce that my newest picture book, SQUIRREL NEEDS A BREAK, will be published by Charlesbridge on May 7th! Squirrel is especially grumpy after having been stuck in the nest all winter with three rascally kits so his friends decide to take the kits for the day to give him a break – how hard could it be, they think? By the end of a very busy day, Groundhog and his friends have a whole new appreciation for what Squirrel does as a single parent, and Squirrel realizes that he has family he can rely upon in his circle...
read moreSQUIRREL NEEDS A BREAK!
See these cuties from GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA? Well, they get to be the stars of their very own companion book! SQUIRREL NEEDS A BREAK, written by me and illustrated by the wonderful Matt Faulkner will by published by Charlesbridge in Spring of 2024! Watch this space for more updates....
read moreApril: Poetry, Earth Day, and April Pulley Sayre
April Pulley Sayre, a gift to the children’s literature community, passed away recently. In honor of her and her incredible legacy of picture books, I’m sharing a previous post. Look at all the ways you can use her books to teach in the most engaging ways! I had the pleasure of speaking at an early education conference where our theme was literacy and science. I brought stacks of books that tie into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) or STEAM (add Art) to share. Rather than just lecture all day, I led a session...
read more“The Capybaras” and the Message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Capybaras written and illustrated by Alfredo Soderguit This is my new favorite book, The Capybaras by Alfredo Soderguit. It’s a wonderful read anytime but it’s especially poignant to share in January when we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Soderguit beautifully shares one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s beliefs that we are all part of one community and all are worthy. The simplicity of the text and the art communicates in ways that draw us in for discussion. This book works with students of any age. The language is...
read moreLoving Kindness For Us All
If you’re looking for a picture book to give to a new baby, this is ideal! Loving Kindness written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Tim Hopgood is the perfect book for December. No matter what the faith of your students, this book shares a message we all need to hear. “You are beautiful just as you are. You are loved, and you love.” We see a sweet baby who grows and is connected to the big sister, who is loved and who loves. We see the animals who are connected to these humans, also loved. We see that everyone feels...
read morePlay It! “Ten Rules of Being a Superhero”
Twice during my years as a classroom teacher I had students that weren’t allowed to participate in Halloween activities for religious reasons. To keep the fun of dressing up without creating difficulties for any of your students, read Ten Rules of Being a Superhero by Deb Pilutti and become superheroes! Captain Magma and Lava Boy show us the rules with bright, captivating art and with short sentences to support younger readers. Big ideas like courage, integrity, and loyalty are introduced in kid-friendly ways, and there are good...
read moreYour Name is a Song
YOUR NAME IS A SONG by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and Luisa Uribe This is the book you need to start your school year. A little girl is upset because her teacher and classmates not only can’t pronounce her name, they seem to think it isn’t important to say it correctly. When the little girl goes home upset, her mother tells her that her name is a song. So the girl goes back to school and sings her name, sings everyone’s name. It is important to say names correctly. Everyone’s name. I looooove the pronunciation key that...
read moreTry Food as a Way Into Reading
Try It! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat by Mara Rockliff and Giselle Potter Learning is best done through experience, and food is definitely a way into learning for many of us. To tie reading in with some cool hands-on (and mouths-on) experiences, grab this biography, Try It! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat written by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Giselle Potter. Apples, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, these were almost the only things that Frieda Caplan saw when she went to her produce market. But Frieda wanted to try...
read more“We Shall Overcome”
Music can reach us in a way that nothing else can. During February – and every month – We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song written by Debbie Levy and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a cross-curricular book you can use to teach American history and social justice. “We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song” written by Debbie Levy and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton The song, “We Shall Overcome” has its roots in the time of slavery in America. Its impact has lasted for over a century and has...
read morePlay the Book!
“Groundhog’s Dilemma” written by me and illustrated by Matt Faulkner Oh, 2021, we waited all through 2020 for you and frankly, you’re not off to the start we’d hoped for. We’re exhausted in so many ways. We still need to show up for our little ones. We need a bit of lightheartedness. “Playing the book” is a fun way to connect while it helps your child deepen their understanding of a story. Groundhog is ready to be printed and played with! Groundhog and all of his friends are ready to be printed,...
read moreReading an “Again, again!” book in a new way
Happy Almost-the-End-of-2020! I think this year has been most challenging for those living with or working with small children. How do you keep them enticed if you can’t get new books from the library or from school? How do you keep yourself from going nuts if you’re tired of rereading the same books? Here’s how. Mara’s “again, again!” book. I can’t say I blame her! Ask your child, “What do you notice when you look at the cover of this book?” It’s really interesting to hear the...
read moreIt’s important: “Let’s Talk About Race”
Talking about race is hard for me, but that doesn’t let me off the hook. Racism isn’t either/or, as in I don’t shout hateful slurs therefore I’m not racist. I’m racist because I’d rather hide any prejudice I have from growing up as a white, middle-class, suburban female in America than have important conversations where I might feel uncomfortable. My silence won’t help our kids. So let’s talk about it. Let’s Talk About Race was written by Julius Lester and illustrated by Karen Barbour....
read moreEasy choice: GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA!
In Michigan, the only predictable thing about the weather is its unpredictability, and I bet it’s like that where you live, too. Weather makes life so hard for Groundhog in Groundhog’s Dilemma – my book!Half of Groundhog’s friends want him to predict an early spring, and the other half want a longer winter. Groundhog wants to please everyone, so when February 2nd comes, Groundhog has a dilemma: to see or not to see his shadow? I have free printable activities for you! Just click on the book cover on the right side of this...
read moreLess “tizzy-busy”, more joy!
Pout-Pout Fish fans, this is the just-right book for the holiday season! The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish is a wonderful addition to The Pout-Pout Fish series. Mr. Fish feels caught up in the “tizzy-busy” rush to find the perfect gifts. “… a gift should have meaning,Plus a bit of bling-zing,So I’ll shop till I dropFor each just-right thing!” The repetition of these lines not only supports our early readers, it completely captures the overwhelmed feeling many of us get. When Mr. Fish has shopped...
read moreHow-To Poems and My Love of Hedgehogs
“The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Richard Jones” How-to poems are an easy introduction to poetry, to nonfiction, and to writing what you know. This book of poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Richard Jones has such a wide range of topics that all your students will find at least one poem that they love. My favorites are “Toasting Marshmallows” by Marilyn Singer and “How to Scare Monsters” by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. This...
read moreStart your new year off with compassion
This is a post I’ve shared before but I think it’s more important than ever to make your classroom a place of acceptance and compassion from day one.It’s September, the start of a new school year. I have no apples for you teachers, but I do have the perfect back-to-school picture book to teach empathy and point of view: I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien. Maria, Jin, and Fatimah are new to their schools and to the United States. Through their stories, we get a glimpse of what it’s like to hear a new...
read more“Grandma Heaven” and “Grandpa Heaven”
Shutta Crum and Ruth McNally Barshaw are two of my most favorite people in the kid lit world. They have two new books out, “Grandma Heaven” and “Grandpa Heaven” that sweetly feature my own parents as two of the people enjoying the afterlife. Is Heaven a fun-filled place of laughter, companionship, and love? Who knows. Perhaps it’ssimply a state of the universal/eternal mind. Regardless, Shutta Crum knows that here in thiscorporeal world there are young worriers who’ve suddenly lost a beloved grandparent, and...
read moreGuess Who Is Out of the Den?
