By now some who have followed this blog for a while have figured out that in our house, a perfect date night may well include dinner and browsing in a book store. Recently I did just that, armed with a discount coupon for a book of choice. I had a hard time deciding, so after … Continue reading
Recently, several friends posted a video on social media depicting a imagined text conversation among Harry Potter, Hermione, Ron, and others from the Harry Potter world. It is not a literary masterpiece but it did make me chuckle. One of the things I noticed was that without familiarity with the characters, the video was much … Continue reading
Some books make me chuckle. Some make me chuckle over a period of years. Judi Barrett’s Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing is one of those. In the unlikely event that you are a preschool or primary teacher who is not already familiar with this book, it is time you became acquainted. If you know … Continue reading
I’m always on the lookout for good, non-gory Halloween fun. This year I found it in Aaron Reynold’s Creepy Pair of Underwear! Why is young Jasper Rabbit afraid of his underwear? Just because they glow ghoulish green, and keep reappearing unexpectedly, that’s no reason to worry, right? Jasper isn’t sure. There is so much to … Continue reading
When I listed to 10-year-0ld author Oummu Kabba talk about her work, the sentence that struck me was near the end of the interview. Oummu described why she loved writing, saying, “When I write I feel like I’m in control of the whole world. . . I like having that power over my characters. . … Continue reading
Today I completed my grades for my university’s summer term, so I’m ready to breathe a big sign of relief and maybe celebrate a bit before I think about the next semester. Maybe that’s why I was so intrigued by a recent article about the amazing variety of official (and semi-official) days we can celebrate, … Continue reading
I am fortunate to have many creative friends. I have friends who make jewelry, write music, invent recipes, design innovative research projects, and a host of other creative things. Some of my friends write children’s books. Today I’m celebrating the release of my friend Mylisa Larsen’s second book, If I Were a Kangaroo. Even if … Continue reading
Sometimes when I walk through a bookstore, a book just calls out to me. It isn’t what I was looking for. More often than not, it isn’t something I need. But it calls, none-the-less. That is what happened with Kwame Alexander’s Animal Ark. Theoretically, Animal Ark is a children’s book. It certainly is appealing to … Continue reading
It is December again. WordPress has turned on the lovely blog snow. Even in this warmest of years, Michigan temperatures are falling, we’ve seen some snowflakes, and my end-of-semester crunch is beginning. And I realized with amazement that next month this little blog will be five years old. This seemed a good time to reprise … Continue reading
This week I saw two very different musicals. Well, to be honest, I saw all of one and parts of another. I was one of millions who have had the opportunity to see the PBS documentary on Hamilton, the Broadway smash musical that combines hip hop and history to tell the story of Alexander Hamilton, … Continue reading
