I wrote Moth & Butterfly Ta-Da! long before our lives were upended by a global pandemic and long before my daughter went to middle school and found herself on the wrong side of a friendship triangle. I also wrote it before my own life had some twists and turns. Now, as we edge to the […]
May
23
2020 – 2021: When Teaching is Like a Bad Cooking Show by Colleen Cruz
posted by donalynm
My favorite cooking show, and I know I’m not alone in this, is the Great British Baking Show. I love all the support and positivity of the show between the contestants. And I also love the seeming fairness of it. Times and ingredients are within the realm of realistic possibility. Almost all of the mistakes […]
May
21
Shaping Pathways Through Content Area Literacy: Instructional Models for Teaching with Text Sets by Erika Thulin Dawes and Mary Ann Cappiello
posted by CBethM
Literature-based instruction is having a moment and we’re confident that you’re as excited about that as we are. Not only do we have more access than ever to an array of well-written titles representing diverse perspectives and experiences, but current curriculum conversations are also recognizing the potential children’s literature holds for fostering critical literacy and […]
May
18
Ballet, Me, and THE OTHER SIDE OF PERFECT by Mariko Turk
posted by CBethM
Growing up, I loved to dance. I wasn’t nearly good enough to be on the professional track, but I loved it nonetheless, and I vividly remember the moment I found out from my ballet teacher that I would be going on pointe. (Quick pause for context: graduating from soft ballet slippers to pointe shoes that […]
May
16
Finding Our Way Back to Reading Joy: The 13th Annual #Bookaday Challenge by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
How’s it going? A vast question often impossible to answer these days, I know. The pandemic lingers. The school year limps to an end. Teachers, caregivers, and kids are exhausted. In many families, the fear of COVID-19 remains because of their unvaccinated children or health-fragile family members. In Asian American communities, fear of racist harassment […]
May
11
The Pain of Returning by Lisabeth Posthuma
posted by CBethM
A few weeks ago, the last video store in my zip code closed for good. On one of its final days in operation, I visited for a last look around. There wasn’t much left—some candy, a few posters, DVDs of titles all easily accessible on streaming services. The merchandise that remained was shoved into one […]
May
10
A Season of Bravery by Lisa McMann
posted by CBethM
It’s been a season of bravery. I’ve always loved books with underdog main characters who must dig deep within themselves to overcome near-impossible obstacles. When I think back to stories that captivated me as a child and as a young bookseller (my first job in an independent bookstore came at age 17), I come up […]
May
07
Birth of a Batpig by Rob Harrell
posted by CBethM
There are a few different origin stories for this particular super pig. There’s the Batpig that appears in my novel WINK, a creation of the main character Ross Maloy. And there’s the origin story of that character you can find in my new graphic novel WHEN PIGS FLY – that involves a mildly radioactive bat, […]
April
30
Nerdy Book Club Cover Reveal — EGG MARKS THE SPOT by Amy Timberlake, with pictures by Jon Klassen
posted by CBethM
Amy’s questions for Jon! 1. Where did the cover design come from? I know you collect books, so any inspirations from your collection? Also, I love how much of the story is compressed into that cover! Where did that come from? This cover was so much fun. When we started this series I had a rough […]
April
29
Flavors of Summer by Ira Marcks
posted by CBethM
Like a recipe, the perfect summer can be conjured with the right ingredients. Here are my personal favorite flavors of summertime. There are too many flavors of friends to get into here. I like to have a balance of sweet and sour. Make sure a few of them contain some essential vitamins. Growing up, I’ve […]
