Ed Emberley’s 86th birthday is on Thursday, October 19. I loved his drawing books as a child, and as a teacher I was a huge fan of his picture books, Go Away, Big Green Monster, and his very first book, The Wing on a Flea. Now you may or may not know that we changed…
I’m thinking most teachers would graciously decline an offer to eat lunch on a school bus. However, what if the bus had a gigantic mermaid on the side? Are you still not sure? Okay, how about if you’re dining with author Jan Brett? That’s what I thought! Jan Brett and her giant mermaid bus are…
Roald Dahl, author of such wonderful tales as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, was born on this day in 1916. And this man not only wrote fascinating books, but he had a fascinating, sometimes tragic, life. Here are a few Roald Dahl facts: His first name is pronounced, “Roo–all.”…
Yes sirree, it’s the first Friday in July and that means…drumroll please…it’s giveaway time! This month you can enter to win an adorable guy who routinely rocks a pair of red PJs. Okay, let me be more specific. (I couldn’t resist having a bit of fun!) The adorable guy is none other than Llama Llama,…
Today is Bruce Degen’s birthday! If that name rings a bell but you can’t place it, he’s the author/illustrator of the classic picture book, Jamberry. The word play and detailed illustrations make this book a winner for early childhood. And here are some super activities to go with this well-known bestseller. Happy 71st Birthday, Bruce!…
The definition of a packrat is someone who saves (or hoards!) unnecessary things. So what exactly is unnecessary? Is something unnecessary if you haven’t used it in the past year? Perhaps. But what if…? Yep, it’s those dang what-ifs that grind my purging to a halt….
Do you know what my favorite classroom theme is? Dinosaurs. Students find them fascinating–and I do too! That’s why I’m super geeked about today’s special GIVEAWAY for Teacher Appreciation Week. You could win this fantastic bundle of dinosaur books! (There’s even a Spanish/English bilingual DVD of Groovy Joe!) How can you win? Simply reply to…
Today is the first day of National Children’s Book Week! This week long celebration spotlights children’s books and celebrates the joy of reading. The first Children’s Book Week was in 1919–so the celebration has been around for awhile! You celebrate books and reading every week by reading aloud to your students and supporting literacy skills,…
When someone dies, no matter who it is, I feel sadness—and I feel for the people who were close to that person and now have to move forward in life without them. I always feel worse when the person is a children’s book author. I think it’s because I assume that person had all of…
While roaming about on the Internet, I found this article about 20 indispensible high school reads. It’s an interesting list to peek at, if just to see which choices you agree with. Personally, I’m just glad they didn’t include any Faulkner on the list. I know he was an immensely talented individual, but Intruder in…