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Spice up your kids’ reading life with these new (and awesome) graphic novels–great for summer reading, don’t you think? If you need convincing why graphic novels and comics count as reading, read my reasons here. New Graphic Novels I Recommend Mal and Chad Belly Flop! by Stephen McCranie ages 6 – 9 A hilarious new book [...]

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If your kids are beginning readers, ages kindergarten to second grade, you’ll want to buy or borrow enticing books that will keep your kids reading over the summer. Here are lots to choose from. When you choose, remember to consider your child’s interest and reading level. Reading Level: Early Readers (Not Ready for Chapter Books [...]

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Is your child ready to learn the alphabet and letter sounds? You’ll love the new Alphabet Animal Friends book series from Newmark Learning. Alphabet Animal Friends help your child master letters and letter sounds with photographs of real objects and animals, playful rhymes, and cute characters. I’m already a fan, and think you will be, too. [...]

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When AJ, my eldest daughter discovered a free cupcake app on the iPad called Hello, Cupcake!, it sparked a new interest in baking. (It’s a great app by the way, clear directions with photo support.) Not only that, baking cupcakes helped her develop her self-confidence and independence. Who knew baking could give a tween so [...]

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Remember when you thought parenting would be so fun and easy? Yeah. Me, too. Ha. Aaah, the confidence we had in those pre-kid days! Parenting is much harder than I could have ever imagined. That’s why I can always use a good book to help me become a better parent to my unique and special [...]

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Do you have a child with attention issues? I’ve wondered for years if my oldest daughter had attention issues. She almost always had a difficult time focusing but sometimes could focus intently for hours. I thought I would wait and see how she did in school before investigating any farther. But, recently she’s been having [...]

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I know you’re always looking for new, engaging middle-grade novels for your kids ages 9 – 12. I’ve been reading newly published middle grade chapter books and found some gems to recommend to you and your kids. See what you think! The Quilt Walk by Sandra Dallas historical fiction I’m a big fan of Sandra [...]

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Miniature fascinates my children — I think most children. Which is why we were inspired by the picture book, The Matchbox Diary, to make miniature blank books for writing and drawing. Paul Fleishman’s gorgeous new picture book, Matchbox Diary, shares the history of an Italian grandfather who shares his immigration story with a grandchild, all [...]

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You know how great audiobooks are for kids, especially reluctant readers. Now I want to tell you the absolute best audio stories that my family enjoys both in the car and at home. Greathall Storytelling Recordings by Jim Weiss Jim Weiss’ storytelling is so engaging. He’s gifted, and so brilliant with voices. Throughout the narration, [...]

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Believe it or not, audiobooks count as reading and are a great way to get kids into books. Benefits of Audiobooks It counts as reading. It is quiet. Motivating for reluctant readers Builds vocabulary background knowledge visualization listening skills Audiobook Listening Choices CDs Playaways Tablets Phones Computers How to Choose an Audio Book Choose a [...]

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Yes, Google Reader is going away. So, if you’re using it to read Imagination Soup, you need to switch to another reader, Feedly. OR subscribe by email. Click here to do that. According to my mentor, Michael Hyatt, you have several choices: Feedly, News Blur, Old Reader, Reeder and Taptu. He recommends Feedly. It’s free [...]

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When spring break begins, you’ll be ready. Because you don’t need to go on fancy vacations to have fun. You can stay home and pretend play for days. Throughout life, imagination remains a key to emotional resilience and creativity. – Stuart Brown, Play To help your kids pretend play, make your own thematic pretend play [...]