The Book Love Foundation Summer Book Club: supporting teachers, supporting learning by Penny Kittle, Clare Landrigan, Fran McVeigh

April 14

I feel a tug on the back of my dress as I walk down the hall to debrief with the first-grade team of teachers. I shift my stance wondering if I somehow caught my hem on something. Then I hear her voice. Miss Clare. I turn and see her small fingers wrapped tightly around the […]

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Why We Need Summer Stories by Gillian McDunn

March 31

Toward the end of first grade, my son started wearing glasses.   Once we got past certain logistical issues, such as: where to store them? (not on the floor!) and when to wear them (not while swimming!)–he loved his new, improved vision. Reading had always been his favorite activity, and with the new glasses he […]

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Gaining Visibility: How books helped me find myself by Jessica Rinker

March 10

My parents raised me like a free-range chicken. They set me out on eight acres, surrounded by hundreds more, and basically said, “Come home by dark.” Actually, come to think of it, I don’t think they ever said that. I did have a bedtime, however, and that’s quite simply the only rule I ever remember […]

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The Kindred Spirits of Nancy Churnin by Gary Anderson

March 03

Since Nancy Churnin’s publication debut, The William Hoy Story in 2016, she has consistently produced high-quality, award-winning picture book biographies.  Manjhi Moves a Mountain; Charlie Takes His Shot; Irving Berlin, the Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing; and The Queen and The First Christmas Tree comprise a remarkable body of work produced in a relatively […]

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Writing for the Middle by Laurel Snyder

February 10

When I was in the sixth grade, there was this girl—we’ll call her Liv—who “developed” earlier than I did. Liv was the sort of girl grownups refer to as “fast.” She wore skimpy clothes. She was loud and sometimes rude.   She was also my friend. One night, during a sleepover at Liv’s house, we were […]

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You are enough, just as you are by Deborah Underwood

February 03

Bearnard’s Book came about in an unusual way—appropriate for a book about being yourself!   Usually a picture book author writes a manuscript, and if she’s lucky enough to sell it, the editor and/or art director at the publishing house choose the illustrator, who then designs the characters.   With Bearnard’s Book, Misa Saburi’s adorable […]

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Teachable Moment by Stacy Tell

January 20

Picture walks confused me. There, I’ve said it. I’m already feeling better about this post.   Throughout both my undergraduate and graduate school experiences, I spent a lot of time absorbing strategies and skills that would allow me to become an effective reading teacher. I’d heard the term picture walk before, as educators love a […]

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What Happened to My Reader? by Sarah FitzHenry and Jared Passmore

January 13

“What happened to my reader? Last year, he was in the library every week picking out books. I had to take his book away at meals. Now, I can’t get him to read anything. It’s like he has no interest in it.” This mystery baffles parents, librarians, and teachers alike. As students pass through middle […]

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On Becoming a Black Girl Reader by T.R. Simon

September 09

I can’t remember when I wasn’t a reader. Because I was an only child, and my father’s job required that we move every few years, I was often alone. I dealt with feeling lonely by making up stories. Everything in my room became a character: stuffed animals, dolls, Barbies, even our dogs and cats. The […]

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Looking for Light by Ginger Johnson

September 02

I am a great believer that small things can have a big impact. So on January 1, 2017, I began a yearlong search for the beauty in everyday life—in people, in places, and in the world around me. I wrote on Facebook:   One specific thing I’m going to do this year is to look […]

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