This was my cultural reality and the reality of most Asian kids that I knew, but there’s a flip side to everything. Are Chinese Mothers Superior? That is a mighty aggressive headline, first of all. Very un-Asian-like. This extreme style of parenting correlates to 1) standard of living for parents (lower = stricter), 2) recency of immigration (more recent = stricter), 3) stay at home parent vs 2 working parent (stay at home = stricter), and 4) insanity of parents (more insane = stricter).
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain is Fantastic
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: Stretch It, Shape It by Dr. Joann Deak [non fiction picture book, ages 4-8] is gently encouraging kids to try new things after taking time to point out how the brain works. The message to the kids is that you are one sculpting and shaping your brain so be the driver not the passenger in this amazing journey called life!
Read to Me Picture Book Challenge
This a great challenge by There’s a Book (a fabulous children’s book blog, by the way) that ANYONE can participate in. You don’t have to be a blogger to join! You can read to your child OR you can just read them yourself! Who’s in? I am! I am going to try to read 200 picture books and blog on them with my kids during the year.
Best Young Adult (YA) Non Fiction
I guess I am a children’s book award junkie. I really love all short lists for awards even more so than the actual award recipient. There is just something so exciting about a short list; anyone can be the winner. This genre: non fiction for young adult is not where I am reading ahead of my eldest yet as she is just eleven, but I am excited to learn about this award and I’m pretty sure that it will fit the bill for one of my kids in the future.
12-year-old author of fantasy chapter book
In the case of Nancy Yi Fan, it’s clear she was born with a special gift. My 10-year-old, nearly 11-year-old brought home this book for me to blog on. (At the same age, Nancy had banged out a draft of this book and was sending it in to publishers!).
Great Gifts for Kids Around $20 for Holidays or Birthdays
Top 10 Children’s Books: Trying Out New (Bad) Behavior
I think it’s essential for children to try out new behaviour in a safe place. Like it or not, this probably means at home, on you, the parent. It’s a child’s way of spreading their wings; trying out new personalities and traits. A safe way to experiment is important because your child knows that you will always love her or him no matter what. But a book can also be a safe way to try out new behavior as a reader if you talk about the book in the context of how it makes you both feel.