Children’s Literature – Stories of Acceptance for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Odd Velvet By Mary E Whitcomb Illustrated by Tara Calahan King Chronicle Books, 1998 I feel a deep sense of connection to Velvet, the title character of this story of acceptance and uniqueness by Mary E. Whitcomb. I was (and still am) a bit of an odd ball. Like Velvet, I never felt a strong connection to the masses, although, also like Velvet, I never seemed to be too bothered by this fact. Odd Velvet is a modernly illustrated and charming tale representing a childhood utopia, of sorts. Certainly we who are oddballs ourselves, or are parents of oddballs, would … Continue reading →

Children’s Literature – American History for Kids

Introducing children to history and politics may be a tricky thing to manage. How old does a child need to be before it is fair game to discuss the American Revolution and the Founding Fathers? At what point do you venture into a conversation about the presidents and the role of politics in our daily lives? These are tough questions and while I do not have the exact answers for what is best for you and your family, I can suggest two books that do a fine job of teeing up the discussion of these very topics. John, Paul, George … Continue reading →

Breaking out the Baby books

Wow, we accumulated A LOT of baby books during our little girl’s infancy. There must have been hundreds of board books, cereal box freebies, and classic titles like Beatrix Potter and Winnie the Pooh packed away into the nursery room closet. Organizing these editions was one of the bigger, yet more pleasant, jobs that needed to be completed before baby number two’s birthday. Naturally, our three year old wanted in on the fun and during that shared experience I saw something amazingly cute and charming. Our little “big-girl”, upon seeing all these slightly-familiar-yet-new-again books, had an overwhelming desire to return … Continue reading →

Walking the Big Apple

We love to walk. With the exception of that week in Paris last year, when our 2 ½ year old daughter asked to be picked up and carried, every single day and always before our rented apartment in the 6th arrondissement was even out of sight, we walk almost everywhere the suburban layout of our town allows (which, sadly, is not very much). But in Paris, she couldn’t even make it to the curb on her own two feet! In New York, however, she is infinitely more willing to match us stride for stride, which is a very good thing … Continue reading →

Children’s Literature – Little Miss Liberty and Adele & Simon

Quick reviews of two wonderful kids’ books that my family is enjoying right now. Both are set primarly in Paris, France and are a joy to read aloud to a toddler. Little Miss Liberty by Chris Roberston Chronicle Books, 2005 Buy today from Amazon.com for only $4.99! You may be surprised to learn that before she climbed up onto her pedestal in the middle of New York Harbor, Lady Liberty was just a little kid growing up in Paris, France who had loving parents, went to school and loved to eat and read. All of it is true, at least … Continue reading →

Family Fun: The Magazine

I’ve seen all kinds of websites, but I didn’t know there was a print magazine called Family Fun, until I saw it in my dentist’s waiting room yesterday. I had to smile despite the hideous pain from my toothache. I decided to look it up today. They offer all kinds of ideas from parties, crafts, printables, games, and of course, you can subscribe to the magazine via the Family Fun website as well. One of the cute things I saw in the print version was a section with fun food ideas. Well, making it fun is the best way to … Continue reading →

Family Book Club

You have no doubt heard of book clubs. Even Oprah has a book club, or at least she did for a while, back when I used to watch her occasionally. A book club is a group of people that select a book, which all the members will read, and the group will then get together to comment on it. Members may praise, rate, or critique the book or give their opinions regarding literal or metaphoric passages. Well, a family book club is going to be a bit more simplistic, by necessity. Young children aren’t going to wax philosophical over feats … Continue reading →

The Fine Written Line: Fantasy & Reality

Recently, my nephew was doing some exercises in a workbook and he asked if he could read a selection to me. It’s not often a 7 year old uses words like selection, so I said of course and I sat and listened as he recounted a story about the Pilgrims coming across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Mayflower to land at Plymouth Rock. At the end of the of the piece, there were several questions, the first question asked: Is This Story Real or Make Believe? The difference between the two of them is very distinct for the majority of … Continue reading →

The Art of Story Telling

The art of storytelling is one of those that is drifting by the way side of high-speed life – elusive and far from the usual. Storytelling is more than just reading a story out loud to an audience. Story telling is infusing the story with the life of the characters, adopting their tones, their emotions and more. Story telling is about capturing the imagination of the audience and transporting them into the world you are telling them about whether you are reading the text, reciting from memory or spinning the yarn out as you go along. Reading to Children We … Continue reading →

Parents Visiting the Library: Reading to Children

Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours at my daughter’s school volunteering in the school library and putting up books before having lunch with my daughter. Eating lunch with your child at school is a great idea, my midget loves it and so far we’ve made it a weekly meet and greet. But yesterday was special for more than just going to volunteer in the library and having lunch with my daughter. Yesterday, I spent 50 minutes after the lunch hour back in the library reading to the children in my daughter’s kindergarten class. She was thrilled to see me. … Continue reading →