Audiobooks have made so many of our three-hour drives from Austin to Houston so easy, and also made our drives to and from school relaxing before school went virtual. Here’s a list of our “greatest hits” list so far, arranged (roughly) from youngest to oldest audiences – within a range of older elementary to lower YA. The way my life… Read more »
When I started my children’s picture book series, I never imagined creating over 25 posts full of our favorite books. From robots to gardens, dogs to fairies, and everything in between. Now it’s time to celebrate a handful of fun children’s books just because, no theme required! You can see all my children’s book recommendations here, or visit my children’s… Read more »
Some things are totally fun for make believe, but you’d never want them around in real life. Pirates, living dinosaurs, Jedi battles, etc. Basically anything where you get in fights or get eaten. Ninjas fall into this category, because real ones were hired assassins. Pretend ninjas, though, are just silently cool and acrobatic. Way better. Despite the common childhood fascination… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
I am remiss! Back in 2013, I posted our list of favorite kids’ books about awesome girls, but I haven’t given the boys their spotlight! Let’s remedy that. From quiet to loud, here are the boy-led stories that have made both the grownups and the kid in our house very, very happy. Any suggestions for more? Leave ’em in the… Read more »
Some topics that may not come up when you’re asking a kid “What do you want to read about next?” In our house, “nature” would never be one of the answers. However, the following children’s books about nature and the natural world have been hugely popular here, for kiddo and grownups alike. Hope you enjoy them as much as we… 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 »
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 »