When I was in elementary school, I don’t remember the library as being a particularly joyful place to be. I was never scolded or told to leave like some other kids were, but it wasn’t somewhere I felt comfortable being. I’m sure the librarian read us a story from time to time, I don’t remember. […]
March
09
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY or: What I Feared I’d Sing in the High School Library by Laurie Keller
posted by CBethM
March
08
The Top Ten Favorite Picture Books So Far in Mrs. Sokolowski’s class
posted by donalynm
In our fifth grade classroom picture books are revered for the amazing art form they are. Today I asked my students a question: If you had to pick one picture book that every classroom should own, what would it be? When I limited the number to ten, groans were heard across the room. Comments ranged […]
March
07
POLL: What are your favorite movie adaptations?
posted by CBethM
I admit it. I have The Wizard of Oz on the brain. It’s our school musical this year and I have been having a fantastic time helping an amazing crew of students, staff, and parents put it together since auditions. Being part of the musical has been so much about the people involved. But rewatching the movie […]
March
06
Reading Outside the Box (and on it, and under it, and around it…) by Nancy Tandon
posted by CBethM
ACT ONE: EXPECTATIONS INT. – LIVINGROOM – STORYTIME Parent fluffs pillows on couch and calls children to her. Nearby is a basket overflowing with library books. First child chooses book and calmly snuggles next to parent. Second child races into room, listens for two seconds, then begins climbing on parent’s head. CUT! Cut! This […]
March
05
Splintered by A.G. Howard – Review by Brian Wyzlic
posted by CBethM
Many who know me know I have a thing for the dark and mysterious, especially in literature. I enjoy the perilous universes of dystopian books. Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors, and I’ve worn that on my sleeve. Another favorite of mine whom I haven’t touted as loudly is Charles Dodgson, better […]
March
04
The Warmth of a Shared Experience by Cynthia Lord
posted by CBethM
When I do a school visit, teachers will sometimes confess to me that they cried while reading one of my novels aloud to their students. They’re often embarrassed, but I always say, “Oh, no. Please don’t feel that way. You may have changed a child’s life in that moment.” That’s exactly what happened to […]
March
03
One Day You Will by Caroline Starr Rose
posted by CBethM
Each Friday in my fifth-grade class, we were required to turn in a book report and recite a newly memorized poem. No kidding. (In my teaching days, when students told me the amount of reading I asked of them was far too hard [thirty minutes a night, if you're curious], I’d tell them about Mrs. […]
March
02
Forever a Word Nerd by Carol Weston
posted by CBethM
When I was a kid, I was more tomboy than bookworm. I had brothers and boy cousins, and rather than read, I played Spud and Kick the Can. When I did read, I read more comic books than book-books. More Archie and Richie Rich than Ramona and Nancy Drew. But I always enjoyed returning to […]
March
01
Top Ten Illustration Mentors by Shawna Coppola
posted by CBethM
For the past year I have been obsessed with visual language and, in particular, illustration. My living room at home is littered with my favorite picture books as well as such titles as The Doodle Revolution by Sunni Brown, Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd, and The Best American Infographics 2013 […]
February
28
Battle of the Kids’ Books by Monica Edinger
posted by CBethM
SLJ’s Battle of the Kids’ Books is a March Madness-style contest for children’s and young adult books now in its sixth year. It begins with the three individuals (myself, Jonathan Hunt, and Roxanne Feldman) that make up the entity known as the Battle Commander reading, reading, and reading before coming up with the 16 contenders […]
