Originally posted on Bank Street College Center for Children's Literature:
The Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2014 Edition includes more than 600 titles chosen by the Children’s Book Committee as the best of the best published in 2013. In choosing books for the annual list, committee members consider literary quality and excellence of presentation as well…
Category: Children’s Literature
PiBoIdMo Day 15: Floyd Cooper Walks Outside at Midnight
Originally posted on Writing for Kids (While Raising Them):
by Floyd Cooper I find inspiration in the oddest of places, at the oddest of times. Looking back after having illustrated about 100 picture books, of which only five I have also written, I find that I have been most inspired by things visual. Early in…
You Are Stardust Inspires Cosmic Awe in Kids
You Are Stardust begins by introducing the idea that every tiny atom in our bodies came from a star that exploded long before we were born. From its opening pages, the book suggests that we are intimately connected to the natural world; it compares the way we learn to speak to the way baby birds…
Ella Enchanted Study Guides and Book Trailers
Ella Enchanted is a Newbery Honor book written by Gail Carson Levine and published in 1997. The story is a retelling of Cinderella featuring various mythical creatures including fairies, elves, ogres, gnomes, and giants. In 2006, Levine went on to write Fairest, a retelling of the story of Snow White, set in the same world…
Charlotte’s Web Study Guides
Charlotte’s Web is a children’s novel by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams; it was published in 1952 by Harper & Brothers. The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the…
The Role of Literature in Language Arts Teaching and Learning: Developing Literary Understanding
Notes from my ED-LTCY 346 class this semester, Fall 2014 at Boise State University. Children’s literature is the foundation for a rich and effective language arts program. Children’s literature motivates readers, provides them with invaluable language experience and offers them opportunities to learn about themselves and the world. Effective teachers create classroom libraries that support their…
Whodunit “Space Case” By Stuart Gibbs is “Smartly Paced and intricately Plotted”
Also posted on TheJhub.com The whodunit is smartly paced and intricately plotted. Best of all, the reveal is actually worth all the buildup. Thrillers too often fly off the rails in their final moments, but the author’s steady hand keeps everything here on track. Fully absorbing. – Kirkus Reviews *** It’s a murder mystery on…
Meet Danitra Brown, “the most splendiferous girl in town”
“Choose whatever box you like, Mike. Just don’t put me in one, son. Believe me, I won’t fit.” ― Nikki Grimes, Bronx Masquerade Named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book as well as an ALA Notable Book, this touching collection of 13 poems about two African American girls named Zuri Jackson and Danitra Brown, is…
Standards for Reading Professionals From My Children’s Literature Syllabus
College of Education Department of Literacy Boise State University ED-LTCY 346- 1154 Children’s Literature CLICK HERE to see the full syllabus. Instructor: Michael Strickland, M.A. Here are the International Reading Association Standards for Reading Professionals as they apply to classroom teachers. Through participating in this course, you should be able to: Understand major theories and empirical…
Beliefs about learning for my children’s literature class
Experiences in ED-LTCY 346 class at Boise State University are based on the following beliefs about learning: (adapted from Dr. Kathy Short) Learning is an active process. o We will immerse ourselves in reading and responding in a variety of ways. Learning is a social process of collaboration with others. o We will explore…
