The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children’s Books by Michelle…
Category: Reading Lists: Early Chapter Books
Early chapter book for kids who are just starting to read independently.
20 Great Early Chapter Books
I was a first-round judge for The Cybils Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books this past fall which meant that I read about 50 Easy Readers and 80+ Early Chapter Books that were nominated by the general public. Our group then came up with the shortlist, and then the round two judges picked a winner…
Katie Woo and Pedro Early Chapter Book HUGE GIVEAWAY!
PickyKidPix loves Katie Woo even though she discovered this series in 5th grade while messing around in her school library. She encouraged me to continue with the Katie Woo book giveaways because she wants to spread the love, and copies come my way that land in her room. I told her that a spinoff series about Pedro…
33 Children’s Books About Animal Shelters and Rescue Pets
There’s no such thing as a bad dog, just a bad owner. John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day is tomorrow, April 30. This day was created as a way to raise awareness for thousands of pets that are waiting for (and needing) adoption from the shelters. It…
20 Hamsters & Guinea Pigs in Early Chapter Books
I’m not sure what children’s publishing rule of thumb seems to dictate that hamsters sell Early Chapter Books but when I judged the first round of Cybils, there was a surprising amount of hamster-themed books in this category. This, of course, lets me search out more Early/Easy Chapter Books with hamsters as characters as well…
Fond Memories of Katie Woo & 3 Book #giveaway
When PickyKidPix was in 5th grade, she fell in love with the Katie Woo series but it’s not what you think. She and her friend Griffin liked to hang out in the Early Chapter Book corner of the library during library time. I would imagine that they were screwing around, as they tend to do. Their friend…
7 Great Diverse Easy Readers
I’m thrilled to be judging first-round Easy Readers and Early Chapter books for the Cybils! I’m joined by Katie Fitzgerald of Story Time Secrets, Jennifer Wharton of Library Thing, and Jean Little Library, Juliana Lee of Juliana Lee: Crafting Stories, Susan Murray of From Tots to Teens. The Easy Reader genre was my biggest challenge to find diverse,…







