Do you all remember when I reviewed Little Mole Finds Hope back in February? If not, be sure to scroll back in my feed and check that post out! And if so, get excited, because Little Mole is back for a Christmas adventure, and I’ve got a copy of this delightful new book to give to one of you! Read on to see a little about the book and how to enter the giveaway.
Continue reading “Little Mole’s Christmas Gift by Glenys Nellist, plus an Instagram Giveaway!”
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”
You ask and you shall receive! My first ever holiday gift guide is ready for your shopping pleasure! My husband and I thought long and hard about the gifts we’ve given the girls over the years that have had significant lasting power and brought us lots of open-ended joy… And, we came up with 30 gift ideas to share with you this year. From gifts to inspire creativity to outdoor play to subscription boxes, we’ve got you covered. We personally own and love (or have received before, in the case of subscription boxes) 29 of the 30 gifts on this list, so you can bet they’re vetted and worthwhile! The only gift on here we don’t have personal experience with is a subscription box that one of our girls will receive this year.
And remember, though I didn’t put any books on this list, we almost always give books for birthdays and holidays. Sometimes the book is the gift itself, and sometimes it goes along with a gift. Remember that I have LOADS of booklists and book recommendations here on my website, so you can find wonderful books to gift here, too.
Continue reading “Holiday Gift Guide 2020”
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”
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”
I love the 4th of July. I love spending the day with my family and friends, often spending the whole day outside. I love swimming, be it in a pool, lake, river, or ocean. I love baseball games and Cracker Jack boxes. I love grilling (or barbequing, depending what part of the country you’re in…), hot dogs, and apple pies. I love fireworks. And I love celebrating our country and our independence, because despite our historical and current mistakes, America is a pretty great place to live.
Now that I’m a parent, it’s important to me that my children understand the historical context for Independence Day as well as enjoy the celebrations and traditions that take place on the 4th of July. So, as usual, I turn to books! Below, you’ll find a mix of books to help your family or classrooms prepare to celebrate Independence Day. Some of these books are very July 4th-specific, other provide some historical context to Independence Day, and others are beautiful celebrations of America. Whatever you’re looking for, I hope you find some good seasonal and patriotic reading!
And, be sure to check out these terrific books for celebrating Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, with your children!
Continue reading “Fantastic Fourth of July Reads”
Do you know the historical importance of June 19th, or Juneteenth? I’ll be completely up front and honest and admit that until a few years ago, well into adulthood, I had never even heard of Juneteenth. Fortunately for me and my children, my work with children’s books led me to some amazing titles about Juneteenth, which led me to learn more about this nationally celebrated commemoration of the official ending of enslavement in the United States. As Maya Angelou has been wonderfully quoted over the years, and especially in these last few weeks, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you do know better, do better.” Now that I know about Juneteenth, I am doing better, and I wanted to spread the word so that you can, too.
Continue reading “Two Powerful Juneteenth Books”
If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember that we read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, about a month ago for a rabbit-themed family chapter book read aloud just before Easter. It had probably been at least 10 years since I had read this book in the classroom, and I was struck every single day we read by just how beautiful this book is. On top of that, my girls absolutely LOVED Edward’s story, asking for more and more chapters each day we read (I think we were able to finish this in about 4 days!). Sharing what makes The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane so magical became obviously necessary, so read on for a little insight into the emotional evolution of this beloved toy. Continue reading “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo”
If you’ve been following along for a while, then you know that when it comes to holiday/seasonal reads, I love finding good books that can be used to celebrate a specific holiday or season, but that are also impactful for year-round reading. I also believe one of the best ways to help our Earth is to help children learn about plants, animals, and the actual makeup of the earth around them– the more they understand about the environment around them, the more they will be inspired to take care of it. So, if you’re like us and spring seemed to come late to your area, or if you’re looking for wonderful books to teach children about our planet and how to care for it that you can read year-round, look no further than the list below! Continue reading “Earth Day Books to Read Year-Round”
For those of you who love to read books about bunnies, eggs, chicks, etc. during springtime and the Easter season, this list is for you! Below are some of our very favorite books that generally relate to Easter festivities, but can easily be incorporated into your year-round library.
(If you’re looking for Easter-specific books, both secular or religious in nature, be sure to check out yesterday’s post!). Continue reading “Our Favorite Books about Bunnies and Eggs”
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