Small Reads for Brighters Days
Fall is my favorite favorite time of year, and fall color is one of the reasons for that. A couple of weeks ago, Randy and I tried out our inflatable kayak. We were on a small lake in St. Paul, and we got to admire a bit of fall color while a bald eagle hunted […]
On October 1st, some people in China celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival. Are you celebrating with your students? Add If You Were the Moon to your party! If you’re partying at least a day early, you can catch the virtual storywalk here. And for loads of moon […]
It’s almost Talk Like a Pirate Day! I can’t believe my A Is for Arrr! A Pirate Alphabet, was published 10 years ago! If you don’t have that book, check out this roundup of pirate-themed picture books. And don’t miss Pirates, by David L. Harrison and Dan Burr. It’s one of my very favorite poetry […]
Did you see the full moon last night? Sigh…one of my favorite things in the world. Dakota County Library in Minnesota has created a virtual storywalk of my book If You Were the Moon (Millbrook Press, illus by Jaime Kim). It’s set up in a park so it’s as if you’re walking through the park […]
September 8 is International Literacy Day! This year’s theme is Teaching and Learning in the Covid-19 Crisis and Beyond. It’s a great time to thank all the teachers you know for the extra work they’re doing to reach and teach your kids during challenging times. Thanks, teachers! Here are just a few activities I offer […]
One of the science topics I am constantly fascinated by is animal adaptations: how animals’ bodies and behaviors adapt to their environments. My favorite facts from Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle: How Animals Get Ready for Winter (Millbrook, illus by Claudine Gevry) concern Northern wood frogs that freeze solid and earthworms that migrate vertically, just a few […]
July 20 is the 51st anniversary of the first lunar landing! I bought stamps recently featuring this momentous occasion in our history. It really is astonishing to me that humans were able to walk on the moon. Want to celebrate the moon landing with your students or kids? Check out the post I wrote for […]
When I sign my book Meet My Family for readers, I write the above phrase. And when I read it out loud to groups, I invite kids to look for an animal family in the book that has something in common with their own human family. It’s fun to see kids’ eyes open wide when […]
Happy Monday! In case you missed it, illustrator Claudine Gévry and I shared bits of our process for Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle over at the blog of the fabulous Liz Dulemba on Friday. (Teachers, do you use her awesome coloring pages?) I hope you’ll stop by to learn a few of Claudine’s secrets and see some […]
Just a light behind the scenes story today. My latest book, Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle, is dedicated to my five great nephews and nieces in the Atlanta area. My husband, Randy, recently visited family down there, and he hand-delivered copies to each child. Then, because he is awesome, he took photos! I loved them and I […]
