My annual non-electronic gift guides are idea-sparking resources for parents and grandparents… …featuring gifts that inspire creativity, imagination, outdoor adventures, wonder, investigation. Watch for the first one this Friday. In tandem with REI’s awesome #OptOutside movement, that will be an …
Tag: wonder

a lush new fantasy…with just a dusting of Christmas
The Wonderling, written and illustrated by Mira Bartók published in 2017 by Candlewick Press Arthur is a groundling, a curious part-animal, part-human creature whose dear fox face and lovely chestnut eyes speak volumes of the sensitive, kind heart within. His …
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quiet wonderings, wild imaginings…five for kindling curiosity
All the books in today’s post have one thing in common: they make readers wonder. Children love to discuss crazy scenarios, what-ifs, and imagine-thats. Their funny bones are tickled by nonsensicalness. They love to stump one another with riddles. Children …
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strange and welcoming…on longing, stories, and G.K. Chesterton
I’ve just begun reading the book Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton and immediately am struck by one of his observations on humanity and what it is we’re all drawn to. If you don’t know Chesterton — and I am no expert …
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five fizzing with wonder!
To wonder why…or how…or if. To stand in wonder; amazement. Making time for a sense of wonder is monumentally important for our kids, and ourselves. These books can help get you there: The Wonder Garden, written by Jenny Broom, illustrated …
ten as the summer heats up!
magnificent, tiny sparks of wonder Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects, by Matthew Clark Smith, illustrated by Giuliano Ferri published in 2015 by Two Lions My clear favorite for this week is this fascinating biography of a …

books are for wonder and wondering
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales, “said Einstein. I don’t know the context for this tidbit of advice, but I like it …
take time to pause…five quiet books full of wondering
A while back, I posted some remarks from Kate Banks, an exceptional children’s author, who recalled an editor telling her that one of her books was “too quiet” for today’s market. Meanwhile, I’m reading (slowly) the intriguing book, Quiet, by …
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fiction favorites…Wonder
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. …