Our New Home: Immigrant Children Speak is a powerful book written by the children who have immigrated to Canada from countries such as China, India, Russia, Ghana, Malaysia, Argentina, Germany, and Pakistan. I love that this book gives power to the voices of the children. (Not to mention, that this is a great book to [...]

*Picture book, realistic fiction for preschoolers through second graders *First grade girl as main character *Rating: Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t) is such a cute picture book and perfect for teachers and parents to share during National Book Week or any time reading needs to be celebrated. (Well, that’s all the time, right?) [...]

In September, I’ll be teaching a course through WOW! Women On Writing about writing children’s short stories, articles, and fillers. I am re-posting an interview below with Angela, WOW!’s executive editor, that appeared on their blog, The Muffin, at the beginning of this year. I hope that it helps any of you who have thought [...]

My generation knows Danica McKellar best as Winnie from The Wonder Years, and West Wing fans know her as Elise Snuffin (8 episodes). But that’s not why I chose to write about her on my blog on a Monday–it’s because she’s helping girls around the world (especially in the United States and Canada) improve their [...]

*Picture book, humorous fantasy (tall tale), for preschoolers through second graders *A rancher and his wife are the main characters. *Rating: Meanwhile Back at the Ranch is one of my favorite books to share with children. (It’s by the same author as The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash. Short, short summary: Rancher Hicks is [...]

I teach a class through WOW! Women On Writing about social networking for writers–but it could actually be for any small business owner or blogger. As I said last Wednesday, I know many of you, who read my blog to get ideas for the classroom, library, and home school, are also writers and bloggers. Here’s [...]

For today’s Monday post, where I like to highlight a book or organization that is spotlighting or helping girls and women around the world, I have chosen Extraordinary Girls (Charlesbridge Publishing). The photos alone are fantastic, showing girls of different ages and races, smiling and doing amazing things. It targets girls in the upper elementary/lower [...]

Guest post by Irene Roth! Finding Lincoln By: Ann Malaspina Illustrated by: Colin Bootman (Paintings by Coretta Scott King Honor artist) Albert Whitman and Company, 2009. This book is based on a true story. It is about an African-American boy who wants to get a book out of the main library in Alabama about young [...]

I know that many of you are not only parents, teachers, and librarians, but you are also writers in all stages of your career. If you are looking to increase your freelance income or work as a children’s writer, then I want to tell you about my friend Suzanne Lieurance. I met Suzanne about eight [...]

Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter is one of those special books that we should all share with children at home and in our classrooms. It is the true story of a girl in Afghanistan, Nasreen, who did not speak to anybody after the Taliban took over, and she lived [...]