The Midnight War of Mateo Martinez by Robin Yardi (Carolrhoda Books, 2016) is the story of Mateo, a boy who thinks of himself as a knight with magical powers, his new best friend, Ashwin, and a couple of … shall we say… interesting skunks. Mateo swears that the skunks not only stole his beloved, old trike, but… Read more »
Book Room
Bears, Buddies, and Author Carmen Oliver
Photograph by Sam Bond Photography Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies by Carmen Oliver, illustrated by Jean Claude DIANNE: Congratulations on your debut, BEARS MAKE THE BEST READING BUDDIES. What a fun book! Having spent so many years teaching kids how to read, I appreciate how you’ve nailed all the details – slipping in “buddy… Read more »
Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies by Carmen Oliver, Illustrated by Jean Claude
Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies (Capstone, 2016) is propelled by the power of persuasion. In it, Adelaide wants to convince her teacher, Mrs. Fitz-Pea, to allow her reading buddy to participate in their classroom reading project. The problem is that Adelaide’s reading buddy is a bear. Not a tiny teddy bear, mine you. A… Read more »
Inside the minds of five-year-olds.
I love BEAR AND BUNNY (Candlewick Press), written by Daniel Pinkwater and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand for so many reasons. The biggest is the fact that if I didn’t know better, I’d swear the author was five-years-old. I’ve been listening to Pinkwater on NPR for many years, however, and have also read his books, so… Read more »
Bank Street Children’s Book Awards for 2016!
Each year, the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee reads all books published for young readers, and grants three awards, one in fiction, one in nonfiction, one in poetry. Here they are! Best in Fiction: The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (Dial) During World War II in the city of London, nine-year-old… Read more »
One Day, The End
One Day, The End (Short, Very Short, Shorter-than-Ever Stories) by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrated by Fred Koehler (Boyds Mills Press, 2015) “For every STORY, there is a BEGINNING and an END, but what happens IN BETWEEN makes ALL the DIFFERENCE.” DIANNE: Let’s talk about your newest book, ONE DAY, THE END. What a marvel!… Read more »
The Best of the Best Books: ILA Notable Books for a Global Society
The top 25 books selected as ILA- Notable Books for a Global Society are engaging, many-layered, diverse, and amazing. The variety of topics extends from bullying (RED) to women’s rights told in picture-book form (DRUM DREAM GIRL) and novel-in-verse (AUDACITY) and human rights in a plethora of forms: SITTING BULL; IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CRAZY… Read more »
