I’ve just returned from a marvelous holiday in Ireland and Portugal. My husband and I gaped in stunned wonder at majestic cathedrals, hiked in both blustery wind and sunshine along rugged coastlines, and were warmed by friendliness and hospitality from …
a jumble of fiction favorites
Today’s fiction list jumps all over the place: fantasy, sci fi, historical, contemporary and multicultural titles; graphic novels, imported novels, books in translation. Reading a variety of genres is refreshing and full of surprises. Some books usher me into the …
popping with pictures!… graphic-novel style books for beginning readers
Easy-to-read kids’ books have changed enormously over the years. It makes me so happy to see the range of styles and genres available now to new readers. One of the exciting recent additions is graphic-novel style books — books employing …
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a dozen treats for October
I’ve got scads of delicious stories to dish out to you just now, rising in stacks on my family room floor, so I’m going to tempt you with a dozen at one go and try to keep my comments brief. …
The 150th Birthday of Little Women
In 1868, two thousand copies of a book called Little Women were printed. It sold like hotcakes. Demand for the book was so high the publisher could not keep up, leading him to plead with its author, Louisa May Alcott, …
rising up for restoration
Did you ever have one of those weeks? When your top priorities are unseated by even top-per priorities, and your sturdy to-do list smizzles away like a sandcastle at high tide? Yup. I thought you had. That’s been this past …
especially for September
September is a time of returning. Returning to routines, to school, returning home from travels and vacations. Migratory creatures begin returning to warmer spaces, and daylight and nightfall return to more familiar cadences after the sun’s wild excesses of summertime. …
sail to new places
I have a definite soft-spot for books giving me a window onto other cultures. Today I’ve got a raft of enticing stories that do just that, and I’ll be returning to this topic again later this fall with a second …
awesome August options
August is a transitional month for many of you. Still full on summer, yet school routines hover just around the corner. The titles I’ve chosen for this month’s batch of books range the spectrum: some rejoicing in make-believe and fresh …
one crocodile, two crocodile, three crocodile
Now that Chance the Snapper, that wily Chicago alligator, has been captured, it seems the perfect time to unleash a trio of snappy crocodile books that emerged this year! Treat yourself to some toothy treats! Little Doctor and the Fearless Beast, …
