My friend Sarah Perry heads up The Second Step, a non-profit in Newton that provides comprehensive support services to survivors of domestic violence. She reminded me that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I don’t think about Domestic Violence much but when I researched books for kids on this topic, the titles alone broke my…
I’ve been researching Asian American and Asian furniture designers and artisans. Grasshopper and Sensei is enjoying the finds I am discovering and now she’s even talking about being an architect or furniture designer someday when she grows up. It’s not just the beautiful forms I’m searching for; it’s also the stories behind the designs. Take…
#OneSmallChange
Read these children’s books with single parents! Includes picture books and chapter books featuring single-parent and nontraditional families. The divorce rate in America peaked at around 50 percent in the 1980s and slowly has been trending downward. It is now slightly more than 40 percent. With so many divorced families, why are there more children’s…
In honor of Banned Book Week, let’s read a book on the list! 10 Books to Read for Banned Book Week Information on why the book is banned or challenged is excerpted from The Daily Beast. 1. TTYL series by Lauren Myracle The first book in the series, “TTYL,” was banned from a town in Texas…
I’m really excited to be judging Graphics (as in graphic novels) for the 2013 Cybils! What am I excited to read? Graphic novels that tell a great story, get kids excited to read, and have beautiful illustrations doing some of the heavy lifting of storytelling. I’d also love to discover more graphic stories for younger…
I started haunting our local bookstore to read picture books but I always feel guilty using it like a library so I make sure to buy a small stack. When it comes to picture books, I am the pickiest purchaser ever because I am buying for myself! The Dark made my purchase pile. I had…