Category: holidays

Though I’ve had a growing booklist for Black History Month and have a few books about Martin Luther King, Jr. on that list, I had never made a list of books specifically about Martin Luther King, Jr. until a follower asked me for one. Fortunately for us all, many picture books have been written about Dr. King, but the flip side of that is that it can be hard to weed through them all and find the really engaging, interesting, and thoughtful Dr. King biographies for young children.

Never fear, though, because I did some weeding and came up with seven marvelous picture books about Dr. King for you to share with your children and students, whether you read them for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (which is coming up on Monday, January 18, 2021!) or other times throughout the year. Read on to see which titles made the final cut!

Continue reading “Marvelous Picture Books for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day” →

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah in your house or are simply looking to educate your children about a holiday some of their friends or family might celebrate, I think the list I’ve gathered below will give you a great place to start! You might laugh, you might cry, you might be wowed… You also might learn a little something along the way about the Maccabees, the Festival of Lights, and Hanukkah traditions such as making latkes and playing with dreidels. Keep reading to see Hanukkah titles we love, as well as a little info about each.
Continue reading “Delightful (and Informative!) Picture Books about Hanukkah” →

If you follow me, then you have likely picked up on the fact that I absolutely love making booklists. While I love a good booklist focused on just about any topic, I have two booklists that I make annually that are easily my favorite to both make and read. One of them is my 90 Books for 90 Days of Summer booklist, and the other…

You guessed it! My Christmas list of wonderful Christmas picture books! Every holiday season, I create fabulous lists of 25 picture books for you and your family to enjoy together throughout the holiday season. And, every year, the lists are completely different! Which means, if you do the math, that I’ve got 75 (actually, more, because my first Christmas list had “25ish” books) fantastic Christmas books for you to choose from and cherish this holiday season. You can find the 2018 list here and the 2019 list here.

So, without further ado, here are 25 wonderful picture books for you to read this holiday season! Remember, these get snagged up quickly from your libraries, and they also have a tendency to sell out quickly from booksellers (especially the new releases), so take this list and get your hands on these books now, so that you’re ready to hit the road running when December 1 rolls around!

Continue reading “25 Christmas Books for 2020” →

Every year, I hear from many of you that you feel like you’ve got TONS of wonderful Halloween and Christmas books, but your Thanksgiving collections leave much to be desired… So, here goes— my huge list of Thanksgiving recommendations (specific to the Thanksgiving holiday —  be sure to check out this post for wonderful books about gratitude and thankfulness that comprises most of our November reading and influences most of our conversations about the Thanksgiving holiday). You’ll find it broken down by general category, and age recommendations are given as well, so hopefully you can find something to read with your children this month! Continue reading “Our Favorite Thanksgiving Holiday Books” →

Did you know that Native American Heritage Month takes place in the United States every November? While I love books about gratitude and thankfulness and even have favorites about the Thanksgiving holiday itself, I usually hold off on featuring them on our front-facing bookshelf till closer to Thanksgiving. Instead, we take the first part of November to focus on reading and educating ourselves about Native Americans, in honor of Native American Heritage Month.

According to the National Congress of American Indians, Native American Heritage Month is

“A time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Heritage Month is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.” (from the NCAI website)

For more information about Native Americans in children’s literature, I love Dr. Debbie Reese’s website, American Indians in Children’s Literature, and the First Nations Development Institute Children’s Literature Recommended Reading List.

Now, keep reading to see our favorite books to read that are written by and feature Native Americans, for your November and year-round reading pleasure!

Continue reading “Our Book Choices for Native American Heritage Month” →

It’s October, which means you’re already almost too late to try to grab Halloween books from your local library! Fortunately for you, I’ve got you covered with all sorts of Halloween reading. Below, you’ll find lists of our favorite Halloween-y (but not Halloween-specific) books, Halloween picture books, Halloween books for the youngest readers, and even Halloween chapter books for your older audiences. So take a look below, put some (or all…) of these titles on hold from your local library, and have a great time getting into the spirit of Halloween this month!

Continue reading “Our Favorite Halloween-y and Halloween Books” →

In less than a week, we will acknowledge the anniversary of the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Last year was the first year that we intentionally talked with our daughters about the events of 9/11, guided mostly through three of the picture books listed below. Knowing how sensitive and scary this subject can be for kids, I searched long and hard for books that we could read with them to help them begin to understand, in an age-appropriate way, what happened to our country that day. Below, I’ve got four titles (I added one this year, thanks to our amazing school librarian) that I feel are excellent books about 9/11 to read with preschoolers and early elementary students. I’ve also got a few titles that I couldn’t easily get my hands on, so please check those out too, and comment below if you’ve read them and would recommend them (or not!).

Continue reading “Four Terrific Books for 9/11” →