Be Brave, Young Man!

August 8, 2015 2 Comments

Me: I’m going to vacuum now. Boy Detective: I laugh in the face of danger!

6 Winning Kids’ Books About Sports

July 28, 2015 No Comments

What I know about sports could fit on an index card, but I do know a good children’s book. So here are some of our favorite children’s picture books about sports, from a mom who loves books and a kid who loves books AND sports. Boy Detective enjoyed these in his preschool and early elementary years, and I also genuinely… Read more »

Does everything have a rhyme?

May 28, 2015 3 Comments

Boy Detective: Does everything rhyme? Me: Are you asking whether every word has something that rhymes with it? Boy Detective: Yes. Me: I don’t know. I would imagine there could be a few words that don’t have a rhyme, but not many. C-Man: I bet it’s hard to rhyme Quetzalcoatl. Me: I was excluding names and scientific terms from that… Read more »

Our 14 Favorite Silly Children’s Books

April 7, 2015 8 Comments

Silly is one of our family’s favorite things. Boy Detective loves to laugh, so it doesn’t take much to get him giggling. I’m more of a hard sell. To make me laugh, you have to bring funny AND clever. (And I don’t like potty or gross-out humor.) The following books were perfect for both of us, and many got at… Read more »

Stop whatever you’re doing and read The Princess in Black

March 29, 2015 10 Comments

When Candlewick Press offered us a review copy of The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, I said yes! Because who wouldn’t want to read this? Incognito princess fighting monsters? Perfect! Art by LeUyen Pham? Even better! (New to my blog? All my children’s book recommendations are here, or check out my children’s books Pinterest board. My… Read more »

I feel VERY reassured, thanks!

March 3, 2015 12 Comments

Boy Detective: If I had to go without pizza, or go without you, I would probably go without pizza so I could be with you. Me: “Probably.” But you haven’t quite decided yet. Boy Detective: Here’s the more reassuring thing! That situation will probably never happen.

Sins of the Father: Superpowered YA Done Right

January 13, 2015 12 Comments

Multicultural and diverse literature has been such an amazing thing for our family. We’ve had to search for it, but we have found so many wonderful writers and artists from diverse backgrounds, telling stories that star all kinds of characters. Our lives are richer because of these folks’ hard work and talent. So when Diverse Book Tours was looking for… Read more »

My 2015 Happiness Project: Month The First

January 7, 2015 11 Comments

(Just a heads up that my book posts use affiliate links, but check your local library too!) In 2009, Gretchen Rubin published The Happiness Project, detailing her year-long experiments in being happier. I didn’t hear of it until November 2013, when my friend Shannon wrote about it at her blog Salt Lick Lessons. And then it took me more than… Read more »

Shh! We Have a Plan (and you know what they say about plans)

December 2, 2014 No Comments

Have you ever been in that meeting where everyone is making a Big Important Plan, and you’re saying “hang on, there may be a problem!” and NO ONE is listening? Candlewick Press publishes so many of our favorite kids’ books, and they were kind enough to send over Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton. And this book is… Read more »

4 Children’s Books About Fairies That Adults Can Love Too

November 29, 2014 2 Comments

Fairies are possibly the most under-represented imaginary population in quality children’s picture books. I don’t understand why! My son has always loved fairies, so it’s taken extensive digging in the Austin Public Library catalog to create even this short list. And forget about finding any diversity, sadly enough. But here are the children’s books about fairies that have warmed my… Read more »

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