We have some big plans for the summer, which Emily will share tomorrow. For today, here are some great picture books that tie in with some of the themes we’re going to explore. Such as TRAVEL The Not-for-Parents Travel Book, Lonely Planet Publications, 2011, 207 pages. Age/interest level: 6-up. Australians are probably the greatest travelers [...]
In 1868, after a grueling Civil War that defined America (by almost destroying it), the novelist and critic John DeForest wrote a piece for The Nation magazine titled, “The Great American Novel.” Surveying the literary field of the time, he could find no likely candidate for such a title. Washington Irving was too cautious, James [...]
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (see our review here) hurled Sherri Rinker’s star into the picture-book firmament. Accepted by the first publisher she submitted it to, the cheerful tale of five construction vehicles settling down for the night went on to become one of the top-selling picture books of 2011. Now the same talented team (Sherri [...]
For a parent, there’s nothing scarier than sending a high school graduate out into the world—and in fact, the world looks pretty scary these days. Not to mention confusing, even in matters that used to be taken for granted. Up until about ten years ago, for instance, it was a given that high-school grads eyeing [...]
In an earlier post I wrote about beginners “Bibles” and Bible storybooks. That was followed up by a post on the methods and merits and of the most popular English translations, then Bibles for elementary-age readers. Today, as we’re thinking about high-school graduations and college-bound sons and daughters, I’d like to look at Bibles aimed [...]
Chasing Jupiter, by Rachel Coker. Zondervan, 2012, 221 pages. Age/interest level: 12-up. Our story begins in small-town Georgia, 1969—but 16-year-old Scarlett’s world seems even smaller than the town. Since her rebellious older sister Juli is sneaking out at all hours, so much responsibility falls on Scarlett that there’s no time for friends or extra-curricular activities. [...]
As noted in last Tuesday’s post, I encountered Maurice Sendak when I was myself a child. My acquaintance with Russell Hoban had to wait until I had children of my own, and we met over that classic childhood dilemma: going to bed and staying there. Bedtime for Frances, published in 1960, introduced a self-willed, imaginative, [...]
We’re rounding out our Poetry Month coverage with three books for middle-graders: Gone Fishing: a Novel in Verse, by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Houghton Mifflin, 2013, 120 pages. Age/interest level: 6-up. The night before, Sam and his dad hunted night crawlers: Grass slick/ Worms thick/ tiptoe near and grab them quick. (Tercet [...]
I first encountered the Latin phrase Ave Atque Vale in a historical novel whose appeal (the novel’s, that is) was almost entirely nostalgic. It means “hail and farewell,” a way of saluting the past while at the same time leaving it behind. A valedictory is a farewell address, and right about now high schools and [...]
The False Prince (2012) and The Runaway King (2013), by Jennifer A. Nielson. Scholastic, about 350 pages each. Age/interest level: 10-up. When we first encounter the orphan known as Sage, he’s running full-tilt with a cleaver-waving butcher at his back and a stolen beef roast clutched in his arms. It seemed like a good idea [...]
I’ll bet most of us have warm memories of the local library. I grew up in Dallas, where one of the many benefits of the big city was the library system. The local branch was great, but we also took advantage, on many Saturday mornings, of the main library downtown, easily reachable by bus. I [...]
Subscribe to our biweekly email newsletter
Sorting Out the Children’s Bible Market
Toddling into the Word: First Bible Storybooks and Early-Reader Bibles
Tricksters and Fools
Church Literacy, Part One: Interview with Mom of a Dyslexic Child
Hail and Farewell: Maurice Sendak
Hayley: This is such an interesting post, Janie! I do nee...
Emily: That's funny, Jess! I actually really disliked G...
Janie: That's the great thing about literature, Jessalyn...
Jessalyn: We LOVE Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site!!!...
Jessalyn: I've read this book twice now... Once in high sch...
Recent Comments