When I was a kid, my parents had stacks and stacks of old National Geographics. I loved them. I read about places all over the world, from deep in the ocean to the tops of mountains, from cities to wild veldts and jungles. They were stuffed with amazing, exotic, and gorgeous animals and locations … [Read more...]
Baseball And The Bambino
Hockey season is done. I am so not into soccer. And to be honest, baseball is not my game, either - but I know plenty of people love it. My entire in-law family, for example, who have season tickets, go as a family event, and usually take my kids a couple of times a season. For families who love … [Read more...]
Kid-Approved Graphic Novels
My kid, a ten-year-old girl, has gotten into graphic novels and has asked me to bring her some. Always happy to oblige a request for actual books, we've been testing out a few to see what she likes. Curious? Maybe you also have a kid of similar age? Here's the things to know about this … [Read more...]
Kids In The Kitchen
Every time cookbooks show up in Scholastic flyers, I recommend them. I always tell you about how good they are for kids. So I know this is not news, but cookery for kids? Good stuff, and this book is also pretty interesting in its approach. Starting From Scratch, by Sarah Elton OwlKids, ISBN: … [Read more...]
Why DO We Fight?
I'm reading the last book of the Divergent trilogy, in which we learn about the war that is hinted at earlier, and how factions came to be. And in the news, Russia's activities in the Ukraine are reminiscent of how more than one conflict in history began. With all this in the ether, seems like a … [Read more...]
Super Squirrel To The Rescue!
So I mentioned the other day that Kate DiCamillo had won (another) Newbery medal this year? This is the book! Flora & Ulysses, by Kate DiCamillo Candlewick Press, ISBN: 978 0 7636 6040 6 Kate DiCamillo, it must be said, is a beautiful writer. I've loved several of her past works - The … [Read more...]
Mad Scientist School
This new series is the perfect starting place for getting your kids into inventing and experimenting - don't say I didn't warn you! Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab by "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith Quirk Books, ISBN: 978 1 59474 648 2 When siblings Nick and … [Read more...]
Safe Away From Here
This year is the 75th anniversary of the Kindertransport, one of the stories of the Second World War that is as sweet as it is bitter. Two new books commemorate the evacuation of young children and introduce this lesser-known piece of history to a new generation of children and teens. Rescuing … [Read more...]
Science! And Social Science!
Fun non-fiction titles for the young fact-lover in your life. How To Make a Universe With 92 Ingredients, by Adrian Dingle OwlKids, ISBN: 978 1 77147 008 7 This is the most entertaining book you may ever read about the elements and how they combine to make up the world around us. It starts out … [Read more...]
Building a Bully
What makes a bully? A set of instructions is interspersed with writings of the victim in this unusual book on a hot topic. The Bully Book, by Eric Kahn Gale Harper, ISBN: 978 0 062 12513 2 Designed as a found notebook with two sets of pages intermingled, The Bully Book tells the story of a … [Read more...]