I have always loved picture books. Part of me realizes that I always will. Throughout the ages, children have been introduced to reading by means of texts bearing pictures as well as words, but it is only in recent years that critical distinctions have been drawn between books where the function of such pictures is…
Understanding Literature and the Child Reader
Anyone who writes down to children is simply wasting his time. You have to write up, not down. . . . Some writers for children deliberately avoid using words they think a child doesn’t know. This emasculates the prose and . . . bores the reader. . . . Children love words that give them…
Author-Illustrator Elisa Kleven’s Wondrous Worlds (plus a giveaway!) — Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)
Excuse me while I go all fangirl for a moment… I’ve admired Elisa Kleven’s work for years, beginning when I discovered the gorgeous delight THE PAPER PRINCESS…and then the sweet APPLE DOLL. My daughters and I had both books on our regular #bedtimereads rotation. In fact, for months the books never made it back to…
A Magical Tale From Start To Finish!
“Toren has been through a LOT. With a brother in charge who cares little for the family, she is forced to grow up fast. Toren’s strength is evident from the beginning; her little bits of struggling and defiance are really HUGE leaps of inappropriate behavior where she comes from.” In Toren the Teller’s Tale by…
Non-Fiction of Olympic Proportions (plus a prize!) — Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)
by Karlin Gray What do I know about writing nonfiction picture books? After my book NADIA: THE GIRL WHO COULDN’T SIT STILL was published, someone said to me, “Great timing with the 40th Anniversary of the Perfect 10! How smart of you to write that book now!” Um, no. Well, yes . . . but […]…
AXS CEO Troy McClain Featured at Special Needs Conference
Idaho Partnerships Conference on Human Services has a great featured speaker this fall: Troy McClain is the CEO of AXS , a full-service marketing, communications and business management firm focused on growing people and businesses to great heights. Their website says: Our annual conference is an opportunity to bring professionals, self-advocates and family members together…
Julia Vanishes Skillfully Blends Steampunk, Fantasy, Adventure and Magic
“Egan’s debut novel sparkles with storytelling that skillfully blends elements of steampunk, fantasy, adventure, and magic…A beautifully rendered world and an exquisite sense of timing ensure a page-turning experience.” – Publishers Weekly Julia has the unusual ability to be . . . unseen. Not invisible, exactly. Just beyond most people’s senses. It’s a dangerous trait in…
What Mastery-Based Learning Would Look Like in Idaho
As we discuss children’s literature, it is important to examine connections between learning with and through the written word and the policies that determine what goes on in classrooms. Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra is working to help lawmakers “move from the notion or the concept of mastery-based education to the actual concrete view…
Winners…and Another Contest! — Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)
I got zapped with the flu two weeks ago. Really walloped me, like being endlessly pummeled with pillows at a sleepover party. Just when I thought I was getting better—PHHHHHHUMPT! Down I went. Cold compresses, hot tea, lukewarm toast. Sleepless nights, endless days. What a funk! Now I’m happy to be back in the land […]…
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
“Will bring a chorus of laughter from sympathetic readers.”—Publishers Weekly Celebrating 40 years of a Judy Blume classic! Millions of fans young and old have been entertained by the quick wit of Peter Hatcher, the hilarious antics of mischevious Fudge, and the unbreakable confidence of know-it-all Sheila Tubman in Judy Blume’s five Fudge books. And…
A Summer full of monkeys, thrills and dangers
A tree full of monkeys the last thing fourteen-year-old Jay Berry Lee thought he’d find on one of his treks through Oklahoma’s Cherokee Ozarks. Jay learns from his grandfather that the monkeys have escaped from a circus and there is a big reward for anyone who finds them. He knows how much his family needs…
What is the difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction?
“Modern fantasy literature has unexplainable magic, and it is this element that captures the minds and hearts of children.” – Charles A. Temple, Miriam A. Martinez, Junko Yokota in Children’s Books in Children’s Books in Children’s Hands: A Brief Introduction to Their Literature. I love fantasy and science fiction. Children tend to read a lot of these stories because…
