It’s Alfie Summerfield’s fifth birthday when Stay Where You Are and Then Leave by John Boyne opens. By the end of this short, affecting middle grade novel, Alfie’s only nine, but in the intervening four years he’s been every bit as brave as his Dad, who’s gone off to fight for Britian in WWI. Alfie’s… Read more »
Book Room
Map Art Lab: 52 Exciting Art Explorations in Mapmaking, Imagination, and Travel
Taking a trip this summer? Why not preserve the memories of your travels in a creative, project-based way? Map Art Lab: 52 Exciting Art Explorations in Mapmaking, Imagination, and Travel is filled with plenty of intriguing labs that can do just that! Co-authored by siblings Linden McNeilly and Jill K. Berry, this book offers fifty-two… Read more »
Librarian’s Corner: Summer Vacation Reads
Hooray for summer! As a school librarian, I love summer – maybe even more than my students. It’s the time of the year when I can catch up on all the wonderful books that I didn’t get a chance to read during the school year. I adore experiencing new worlds, people, and places from the comfort… Read more »
Librarian’s Corner: Cool Summer Reads!
Summer reading is, for me, all about reading for pleasure. Don’t worry about taking notes for book reports – just grab one of these titles, find a sunny spot, and enjoy! For the youngest readers: Duck, Duck, Moose! written by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones (Disney-Hyperion, 2014) This super-silly book is great… Read more »
An exciting summer reading list from ReaderKidZ
Many schools around the country will stay in session longer this year, due to winter’s weather, but summer is ahead of us. Perhaps the days of that favorite season aren’t as long and lazy as they used to be; children lead busy lives these days. Still, summer is the perfect time for young readers… Read more »
The Many Voices of Poetry
Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More!: Poems for Two Voices by Carole Gerber, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (Henry Holt & Co., 2013) Perfect for spring, these poems for two voices introduce the “blooming, bursting, and buzzing” world of plants and insects. Students will find inspiration to write their own conversation poems for two voices based on these whimsical offerings. With poems… Read more »
Dozen of Cousins by Shutta Crum, illustrated by David Catrow
Dozens of Cousins is a rollicking, frolicking, phenomenally active story about a band of multi-aged cousins joining together for their annual family reunion. Told in verse, the actions of these wild ‘beasties’ rumble off the page and straight into the reader’s hearts. Inspired by a poem written by Shutta Crum about her childhood escapades, the… Read more »
