Welcome to Day Four of the A to Z April Blog Challenge. This year I’m wandering through children’s books with maps. Who doesn’t like dinosaurs and love to learn where they once roamed the earth? One of my classroom favorites is: Where to Look for a Dinosaur by Bernard Most (author and illustrator) The simple […]
C is for Cities
I live in rural America but love to visit cities to get my fill of museums, theaters, restaurants, and shops. Today I am sharing a great book for those who love the excitement of being in the city. 50 Cities of the U.S.A. written and researched by Gabrielle Balkan Illustrated by Sol Linero Wide […]
B is for Biography – mapping a trip around the world
Welcome to Day 2 of Blogging A to Z where I’m blogging this year about maps found in children’s books. I love to find a biography that includes maps of where the subject lived and traveled. I am fascinated by Nelly Bly and all that she accomplished. She was the ultimate traveler! The Daring Nellie […]
A is for Atlas, Adventure, and Australia
A is for April which means that the 2018 A to Z Blog challenge has officially begun. This year I am on the lookout for Literary Maps. I am defining literary quite loosely as I am focusing on maps in children’s books. Unfortunately, people don’t seem to be that interested in maps these days. I […]
Here and There – a global celebration
One of the great things about traveling is seeing how every day life differs from place to place. If you, like me, like to visit markets to see what is on the shelves or participate in activities to learn about people and their traditions then you will enjoy Here and There by Susie Rae (author) […]
Literary Maps from A to Z – theme reveal
My life of wanderlust began within the pages of books. Stories accompanied my maps fascinated me as a child. I spent hours pouring over book maps which made feel that I was traveling with the characters. I even wrote my own stories, always illustrating them with maps. I also sketched real life maps for Halloween […]
A Challenge! Vivien Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words Contest Vivien Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words Contest
I love a challenge so when I read about Vivien Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words Contest, I was intrigued. Based on a challenge Bennet Cerf gave to Dr. Seuss to write a story using only 50 unique words, (he came up with Green Eggs and Ham) writers are challenged to write a 50-word story. It’s […]
The Rock Maiden – A Chinese Tale of Love and Loyalty #ReadYourWorld
The Rock Maiden – A Chinese Tale of Love and Loyalty By Natasha Yim (author) and Pirkko Vainio (illustrator) Wisdom Tales: 2017 picture book ages 4-9 Today I am excited to share a wonderful book as part of Multicultural Children’s Book Day. I love it when books transport me to another time and place. […]
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library – #ReadYourWorld
SCHOMBURG: THE MAN WHO BUILT A LIBRARY by Carol Boston Weatherford (author) and Eric Velasquez (illustrator) Picture book for ages 7 – adult Candlewick Press: 2017 Can you imagine building a library? I can and I’ve found my inspiration. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was an amazing man unfamiliar to most people. But, everyone should know his […]
A Journey through Israel
Hello to 2018! I’ve been absent from the blogging world for awhile but I have been reading piles of books and traveling. It’s good to be back! I just returned from a field trip of Biblical proportions. We journeyed through Israel and are still processing all that we saw, learned, and experienced. It was a […]
New Book to help celebrate National Adoption Day
Today I’d like to share a special book for those of us who have chosen international adoption as a way to build our families: Babies Come From Airports by Erin Dealy (author) and Luciana Navarra Powell (illustrator) “Some babies come from the hospital, Some babies come from airports, but all babies come from love.” This […]
Kindness Counts
Today is officially Kindness Day but don’t you think that people should be kind everyday?? It is never to early to encourage children to be kind and a perfect place to begin is with this retelling of the classic Aesop’s fable: The Lion and the Mouse Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney […]
The Life and Legacy of Pura Belpre lives on in Fresno
Here in the Central Valley of California, we are fortunate to have Artes de Americas , a museum whose mission is to make Central California a flourishing place for Latino arts. For the past few weeks, a number of REFORMA de Fresno* members Josie Bustos, Aideed Medina, Armando “Luie”Garcia, Ivan Calimano, Sandra Rios Balderrama […]
Hispanic Heritage Month – Rebozo Revival
September 15th to October 15th has been designated National Hispanic Heritage Month. Here, in Central California, there is much to celebrate. The Rebozo Revival is one of the exciting events being held this week. This five-day celebration was founded by rebozo expert Lourdes Sevilla. She has brought four master weavers from Mexico to exhibit their […]
Board Books that won’t make you bored
Little ones love to listen to stories over and over. There are times, I admit, that I have wanted to hide a book rather than read it for the 14th ( or 40th) time in a day. Here are some board book series to mix in with old favorites. All Aboard! California: A Landscape Primer by […]