The picture book section of our library is like a candy store for me. Boy Detective is now eight years old, but he still enjoys good picture books, so there’s nothing to stop me from collecting armfuls of them. Then I bring you the best here on the blog! All my children’s book recommendations are here, or check out my… Read more »

I’ll never outgrow reading picture books. Lucky for me, eight year old Boy Detective doesn’t seem to be outgrowing them either. Until that luck runs out, I’m enjoying reading him all the amazing books I find in the stacks of the Austin Public Library. Here’s a roundup of some of our recent favorites. Hope you find something to love in… 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. I’m not done yet, but I’m taking a break from themes to celebrate a handful of fun children’s books just because. (New to my blog? All my children’s book… 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 »