It's the official end of book week (sigh) and I figured, why not go out with a party?  Book themed celebrations are all the rage lately and I'm all for the trend.  So to wrap things up I've got a summary of the three main breeds of literary shin digs. First, is "The Book Donate" party.  We all know kids get a lot of toys at birthday parties, many of which they probably don't need.  The idea here is to have guests bring a book to donate in lieu of a gift.  The secret is to start this type of … [Read more...]

Today is the last official day of Book Week and I promised you a big announcement BUT... I've decided to postpone it until after the holiday.  I know, I know - I'm such a tease!  I'm sorry, really and truly, but I ended up finding just too much good stuff and I couldn't fit it all into only 4 days.  I needed today for two more stellar roundups.   First up this morning, I have three resources for finding fun activities to go along with your reading.  The Storybook Recipe series just … [Read more...]

  For post #3 of Book Week, I wanted to share with you an amazing resource I recently discovered via Made by Joel.  As a parent, I try to do everything I can to help my kids succeed and books are one of my key tools for doing so.  I've found that even for my 2 year old a quality picture book can be immensely helpful in prepping him for new situations or helping him understand new emotions.  Just this week, for example, we hauled ourselves (and baby sister) to the library and checked out a … [Read more...]

We're back today with our second installment of "MPMK's Learning to Love Reading Book Lists" (note the name change - summer got away from us, as it often does, so the term "summer reading list" no longer seemed appropriate).  Before we dive in, here's a little refresher on the woman behind the lists: Lisa, who happens to be my cousin, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Literature for Children and Young Adults at The Ohio State University. She reads everything from board books for babies to … [Read more...]

Welcome to the official start of MPMK's Book Week!  I hope you're excited about it as I am.  As I mentioned on Friday, we have lots in store - reading lists, projects, reviews, giveaways, resources, and more.  There's going to be so much good stuff that we're switching it up and posting more than once a day - so be sure to check back often!  It will all culminate in a big announcement at the end of the week.  Ready to get started?  Away we go...Sometimes the hardest part about promoting literacy … [Read more...]

I'm so excited to announce a new series starting today - MPMK's Learning to Love Reading Book Lists.  Several of you have written me requesting book recommendations lately.  So I contacted my cousin Lisa and asked if she'd be willing to do a post or two on summer reading for the kids.     Lisa is a fantastic resource because she's currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Literature for Children and Young Adults at The Ohio State University. She reads everything from board books for babies to … [Read more...]

It was Eric Carle's birthday on Saturday and to celebrate two wonderful child development blogs posted in his honor all last week.  Head over to An Amazing Child and The Imagination Tree for lots of activities, projects, and of course reading.  One of my favorite posts was this one (pictured above) on how to make initial art using the beloved illustrator's trademark tissue paper printing method.  (You can see a slide show of this method at his website here.) If you'd like to throw a belated … [Read more...]