Our 2nd grade teacher said that Ralph Masiello was, hands down, the best author-illustrator school visit she had ever seen. I think the kids in her classroom would agree. Ralph kept the kids in her classroom riveted, clinging to his every word, and he had some wonderful advice to impart. He started off by talking…
Category: Reading Lists: Picture Books
Best picture books for kids including Caldecott and other award winning books for children.
19 Children’s Books about Zoos
From board books to fiction, take a look at these fantastic zoo books for kids! Perfect for learning about animals and a visit to the zoo. A trip to the zoo is such a joyous occasion, isn’t it? Our urban zoo in Boston is a little sad, so we typically go to the Roger Williams…
5 Picture Books on Death and Dying
My mother is Buddhist and I grew up going to mostly weddings, funerals, and remembrance ceremonies at Buddhist temples in the Los Angeles area. Years later, when I attended UCLA for business school, I ended up in West Los Angeles’ Little Japantown a half block down the street from the Buddhist temple that my grandparents…
19 Moon Themed Books for Kids
I just got the latest Red Knit Cap Girl picture book, a sequel with an environmental message, and this inspired me to create this list. I had hoped the first one would win a Caldecott, but alas, no. It did win a New Times Best Illustrated Book award, but here’s hoping that Red Knit Cap…
Picture Book Advent Countdown
I am just not good at crafts. I wish I was but I’m not. This is why I am so excited about a Christmas Crafts for Kids book. I can really use it. I’m also excited that the author is a fellow blogger, 123 Homeschool 4 Me, Beth Gorden. Her eBook contains more than 100…
Top 10: Runaways in Children’s Books
The joy of children’s books is reading about things, and thereby living vicariously, without actually having to experience the discomforts or stress of it. Herein lies the beauty of runaways in children’s books. I remember two runaway chapter books that made me jealous of such a wonderful adventure. They bookend my list. And these runaway…
Wordless Picture Book of the Day
I think that Jerry Pinkney is one of the finest watercolor illustrators ever to grace a children’s book. I would include Alan Say in that category as well. There is just something magical about Pinkney’s storytelling abilities when he puts brush to paper. Even as he conveys an old and well-known fable, he brings his…







