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
Every year I tell myself I’m going to post spooky October suggestions in time for teachers to actually use them–and this year, finally, I’m going to do it. At least in the U.S., schools in October are full of pumpkins and ghosts and all things Halloween. Since the time of creepy obsession is upon us, … Continue reading
I love stories. I love hearing good stories and I love telling stories. I can still remember my unbounded delight when my elementary classmates enjoyed hearing installments of my magical sagas. And these days I love the moments I steal from work to write stories of fantastic islands for my favorite young people. Stories take … Continue reading
I make no claim that this is an unbiased review: One of my friends, Mylisa Larsen, just wrote a wonderful picture book: How to Put Your Parents to Bed. But you don’t have to believe me—The New York Times loved it, too. Here’s a preview, just to give you a smile. As you can tell, … Continue reading
I know young children are fascinated by dinosaurs. But I’m willing to bet that slightly older students—especially those who want to write well—will be equally excited about Alison Wilcox’s Descriptosaurus. Wilcox describes Descriptosaurus as a “thematic expansion of a dictionary and thesaurus.” It is a resource designed to help students aged 8-14 expand their descriptive … Continue reading
