Did you know that Thursday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day? Time to straighten those eye-patches and polish your hooks and go on a hunt for buried gold. And possibly sneak a book aboard your pirate ship. Here's eight (four picture books and four juvenile novels) you might want to make room for in your treasure chest. Picture Books: Pirate Nap: A Book of Colors by Danna Smith and Valeria Petrone. This book is a favorite in our house, with two little boys making up pirate adventures … [Read more...]
Seven Ways to Help Your Child Love Reading
Our resident children's librarian, Janssen, has been peppering MPMK with all sorts of great book lists this summer (see them here). But recently I realized that as amazing as those lists are, I'm not fully tapping her potential. So, with school back in session, I thought now we be a good time to ask for her thoughts on how to raise book-lovers. Here's what she had to say... As a voracious lifelong reader, I care deeply about helping my children learn to enjoy reading. Of course, if … [Read more...]
Shhh: 7 Amazing Wordless Picture Books
I used to find wordless picture books so disconcerting. Where were the words? How was I supposed to know what to say? Now, though, I love the chance to focus more on the illustrations and also let my child interpret the pictures for herself. It's so fun to see her figure out the story based on the images, and it's just a pleasure to see a different reader pick up something you had never noticed or interpret the story in a completely different way. It's a perfect way for pre-readers to … [Read more...]
Back to School: 4 Picture Books and 4 Chapter Books
Ack!, our in-house children's librarian, Janssen, has done it again with her latest list of recommended reads! Llama, Llama Misses Momma is seriously beloved at our house and was a big help with preschool transition, Ramona was one of my all-time favorite characters as a kid, and anything written by Mo Willems is solid gold in my book. Hope you guys love these back-to-school reads as much as I do! Isn't back-to-school season a great time of year? Of course, it can be stressful and busy, … [Read more...]
Under the Sea: Nine Books to Splash Around With
Are you spending your summer at the beach, the pool, or the spray-ground? With these heat waves across the country, there's a good chance your swimsuit or at least your backyard hose is getting a lot of use this year. But if you're looking for a watery adventure that doesn't require sunscreen, check out these 9 books about life in the water and near the ocean floor. Some of them are non-fiction, some of them are fantastical make-believe tales, and all of them are fabulous. Flotsam by … [Read more...]
Fractured Fairy Tales: 7 Stories You Thought You Knew
Are you familiar with fractured fairy tales? They are stories that spin off the well-known versions of classic fairy tales, and they are usually extremely clever and fun. I loved reading them to my elementary students because they loved comparing the similarities and differences between the stories they knew and the ones we read together. There are hundreds of fractured fairy tale books for all ages (and if you find that your kids really enjoy them, ask your librarian for more suggestions). In … [Read more...]
We’re Off! 7 Books to Take On Your Summer Travels
There's lots of parts of travel that can be overwhelming (packing for a whole family, anyone?), but the trip itself shouldn't be one of those things. Some of the best memories of childhood can be the time squished in the backseat of a car with your siblings or experiencing your first plane ride! Whether you're traveling by plane or train or car this summer (or even if you're staying home and just have antsy kids to entertain), these books will keep everyone engaged and happy for hours, no … [Read more...]
Six Books for Princesses
I'm totally smitten with the reading list Janssen has curated for us this week. Whether you're pro-princess or princess averse, we all want princesses with qualities our kids can look up to! Question of the Day Has your daughter gone through a princess phase? If so at what age did it strike and how long did it last? If you have a little girl, you probably can't avoid the princess scene altogether. Even if you don't introduce your child yourself to the world of ball gowns, glass slippers, … [Read more...]
Book Nook: Top Kid Reads for Spring
Resident MPMK children's librarian Janssen is back today with her top 10 picks for Spring and, bonus, a few Easter favorites too. I'll definitely be picking up a one or two of these to add to S and C's Easter basket this weekend. QUESTION OF THE DAY Do you have a seasonal home library for the kids? (We started ours about a year ago and it's so fun to see S and C's excitement over the books they remember from last year hitting our shelves again.) I've always loved spring, but now that I … [Read more...]
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