Punxsutawney Phyllis is by Susanna Leonard Hill with illustrations by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Phyllis is an outdoor kind of girl and she knows her weather, including the signs of spring. But she’s a girl. Will she get her wish to be the next Punxsutawney forecaster? Read and find out! Pegged for ages 5-8. The Kids’ Book […]
It’s the last day of January. And in two days we will get word about when we can expect winter to end. If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it’s back to huddling under blankets. But if he doesn’t, we’ll be breaking out the bikinis and flip flops before we know it! Forecasting is an ancient […]
Today’s inspiration comes from the many many people and organizations across the country teaching about black history: The 107 historically black colleges The thousands of African-American history departments at colleges across the country The hundreds of thousands of elementary and secondary school teachers who educate their students about black history The filmmakers, playwrights, poets, historians, […]
New and Fabulous Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ekua Holmes tells the story of a black woman sharecropper in the Mississippi Delta who dared to register to vote in a time when there were often grave consequences for insisting on this right. […]
When I was a small child, I was taught that the continent on which we live was discovered by Christopher Columbus. For a long time, I had the hardest time remembering if he was Italian or Spanish (in fact, of course, he was Italian but sailed for Spain). I remember I had a hazy image […]
Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals. –Martin Luther King Martin Luther King preached nonviolence in the 1960s. How are his ideas inspiring action in 2016? The Sea of Rage Our media fills our lives with constant news […]
New and Fabulous I Am Martin Luther King, Jr. is a new story from Brad Melzer, illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. It tells King’s story from his own point of view – first person narrative. And it starts from when MLK was just a little boy having experiences that any little boy might have. The result […]
I was a child during the time Martin Luther King changed America. I was ten years old when he was killed. What I remember most about him in my child’s eye memory are the rhythms, the cadences of his speeches. Even though I did not understand all that he was talking about, I understood that […]
This week’s theme has been about making the best of winter by jumping into outdoor fun. I have such fond memories of bundling my little ones into their enormous snowsuits, wrapping their faces in soft scarves, tucking their hands into waterproof mittens, helping them pull on knee-high boots. But what about kids whose families don’t […]
New and Fabulous Toys Meet Snow is a new story from Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Caldecott winner Paul O. Zelinsky. Three toys venture out into the snow one afternoon while their owner is away. This is the toys’ first time outside on a wintry day and they each muse about their own unique take on […]