The graphic novel format is used to tell a variety of stories. Autobiographical, memoir, and “slice of life” comics — written for an audience of grownups, young adults, and older kids — seem to have exploded in the last few years. When I looked at my favorite comics that did not have people in capes, superpowers, or anything blowing up,… Read more »
When the folks at Candlewick Press offered to help me host a giveaway of The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy, it didn’t take me long to say yes! In our family we love Halloween-themed books, and we love finding well-written girl characters. [The giveaway is closed (Nikki won!), but read on for more about this great series!] (New to… Read more »
Hearing people yelling in the street near our loud neighbors’ house, I pull back the office curtain to check it out… C-Man: I think it’s basketball. Me: Football. C-Man: Good thing you checked before calling 911 on them again. Me: I would never call 911 without looking! But yeah, I think calling the cops on your neighbors for playing football… Read more »
We basically celebrate Halloween all year in our family. I know we’re not the only ones. Monsters, witches, and other spooky stuff are just fascinating to some kids. (Okay, I confess, to some grownups as well!) So we’ve read a ton of spooky, monster, and creature books, but for this post I’ve narrowed it down to the best – the… Read more »
Dear All The Songs I Am Deleting From My Computer’s Hard Drive, It’s not you! I’m sure you’re just as thoughtful, well-crafted, and entertaining as you were when I started listening to you 25 years ago. Or 10 years. (Or, for some of you, one year.) The problem is that I’ve changed! For some of you, I’ve changed from being… Read more »
When it comes to renting movies, I have a list of the next 10 films we’re going to watch. C-Man, on the other hand, likes to browse. Especially in the new arrivals section. That’s where he found Wadjda. It’s the first feature-length film made in Saudi Arabia, which has no movie theaters. It was written and directed by female filmmaker… Read more »
Overheard from the front seat, where I was driving along minding my own business… and only Boy Detective was in the back. Or so I thought. Boy Detective: You can’t just say you want to invent something and have it happen. It takes lots and lots of stuff. Fortune Wookiee: HGNRL! Boy Detective, skeptical: How could you make a magic… Read more »
My kid, like many others, loves imaginary creatures. Fairies are often his #1 pick, but dragons follow right behind. Dragons get more high-quality attention than fairies in children’s picture books, so it’s a bit easier to find good kids’ books about dragons. Here are our favorites! They’re so good I’d recommend them to an adult for a light enjoyable read,… Read more »
This group of comics stood out so sharply for me as happiness-increasing portrayals of non-heterosexual and other queer folks. I couldn’t resist making a friendly post with all of them together, even though I could have put them into the more “topic” focused comics posts. Let’s get started, because I know you’re going to find something here to love. (New… Read more »
If I told you Karate Girl was a good movie, I’d be lying. Luckily, a movie can be fun without being good. So we had a fine time watching this tale of Ayaka (Rina Takeda), a teenage girl who must save her sister from the evil karate school that killed their father when they were very young. (Don’t you hate… Read more »
