If You Were a Dog (FSG, 2014) is crafted with active language that a creative child with a lively imagination will absolutely love. Illustrator Chris Raschka’s simplistic watercolors, comprised of pastel curves and lines, connect perfectly with the buoyant innocence of author Jamie Swenson’s energetic text. If You Were a Dog is fantastically suited for… Read more »
Book Room
MARTIN LUTHER KING, BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Martin Luther King, Black History Month This week as a nation we celebrate the life, work, and words of Martin Luther King. We celebrate his courage to have a dream of justice for all. Until the moment of his death, he maintained the ideal that only when all people are free from fear to learn,… Read more »
Imani’s Moon by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Hazel Mitchell
In Imani’s Moon written by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Hazel Mitchell (Charlesbridge, 2014), Imani has big dreams. She wants to touch the moon but she’s the smallest child in her village, and her peers make her feel even smaller with their mean taunts. Imani’s mother shares stories with her daughter about Olapa, goddess of the… Read more »
A brave girl, a stray dog, and an ending that will make you cheer through your tears
There have been a slew of good middle grade books published in recent years about children who face learning or behavioral challenges and that’s wonderful. So many children are moving through real life facing these, and other, challenges. To be able to see themselves in the pages of a book has got to be a… Read more »
Fleabrain Loves Frannie by Joanne Rocklin
It’s 1952, the year Charlotte’s Web was published and the year of the horrific polio outbreak. Francine Katzenback is a victim of the dreaded virus and is confined to a wheelchair. The public is panicked, consumed in fear of the contagious virus, leaving Frannie isolated and lonely. She is befriended by a flea. That’s right…. Read more »
Winter Bees and Northern Lights
The ReaderKidZ are back, sending best wishes for the New Year with lots of time set aside to enjoy many of your favorite books! This month we’re reviewing a small collection of our own “Old and New Favorites.” Share some of your own, won’t you? We’d love to hear from you! WINTER BEES & OTHER POEMS OF THE COLD by… Read more »
Giveaway! – BLUE on BLUE
December’s coming to a close, which means our giveaways will end very soon. But for those looking for one more gift, we’re pleased to add BLUE on BLUE by Dianne White and illustrated by Beth Krommes to our DECEMBER GIVEAWAY list. Recently included on the Boston Globe’s Best Picture Books of 2014 list and the Washington Post’s December’s Best Books for Young… Read more »
