Lisa Varchol Perron and Monica Aker teamed up for a lovely storytime just in time for Mother’s Day. Their books celebrate moms and mental health. Lisa Varchol Perron is a psychotherapist, so this topic is right in her wheelhouse. Monica also has a personal connection to her story: Lisa Varchol Perron’s books include: – Kite…
Category: Reading Lists: Picture Books
Best picture books for kids including Caldecott and other award winning books for children.
Eat Local Always Collaboration FREE downloadable ELA Library Toolkit
Thank you to Boston Local Food Program for including Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World in this Eat Local Always FREE ELA library toolkit: Eat Local Always FREE Toolkit from ELA Library I was honored to be part of their program in Boston! p.s. Related posts: ‘Food for the Future’ makes…
How to Fold an Origami Crane (activity for BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US)
To fold an origami crane, you will need a square piece of paper. It does not have to be origami paper. Here are the instructions via a diagram from the U.S. Park Service, though personally, I find the diagrams to be confusing: This is an activity for Barbed Wire Between Us. …
Fortune Cookies for Everyone! featured in Boston Public Library Recommended Book List!
I used the Boston Public Library’s children’s book lists for years when my children were young. We used to read ten picture books every night because picture books worked for all three ages, and my kids expected each book to be outstanding. This meant that I had to seek out award-winning books so as not…
11 Children’s Books Featuring Origami Cranes & 5 Signed Book Giveaway of BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US!
In Japan, the crane (tsuru) is a symbol of peace, good fortune, and longevity. It is a bird of happiness and spreads good luck. It is believed that folding 1,000 paper cranes (senbazuru) will help to bring about hope, healing, and peace. These children’s books featuring origami cranes also send a message of hope and…
UNBREAKABLE and BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US interview in Publishers Weekly
In Conversation: Mia Wenjen and Jolene Gutiérrez Mar 31, 2026 Mia Wenjen and Jolene Gutiérrez both grapple with the cruelty of internment and family separation in their new picture books Barbed Wire Between Us and Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp, respectively. The two authors spoke about depicting difficult subject matter for young readers,…
8 Summer-Themed Picture Books + GIVEAWAY!
Please welcome my guest author, Charlotte Offsay, with her list of 8 Summer-Themed Picture Books. Summer will be here before you know it, especially where I live on the East Coast, where we go from Spring to Summer in about 9 seconds. We are giving away a copy of The Quiet Ocean. To enter, please…







