My new favorite picture book easy readers are written by author and illustrator Jan Thomas. Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny! is the perfect book — rhyming, bold illustrations, and funny as heck! It follows the also hilarious book, Rhyming Dust Bunnies. One dust bunny (the blue one) has rhyming issues — but it turns out he’s... [read more ]

Guest post by Geoffrey Hayes, author of award winning Benny and Penny Toon Book, The Big No-No and over 40 picture books. Having spent many years working in the traditional picture book arena, I am now writing and illustrating children’s comics as well. Although I have been a longtime comics fan, doing comics for kids has given me a finer appreciation... [read more ]

View Original Newsletter HERE. Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook Written and drawn by Eleanor Davis, inked by Drew Weing Bloomsbury Kids, 2009 Winner of 2009 Graphic Novel Cybil Award Kids who save the world from bad-guy adults?  What’s not to love about a story like that?  In this case, three (eleven and twelve year old) kids... [read more ]

This summer, try telling mixed-up fairy tales!  Recommended for road trips, plane trips, camping trips, bedtime and waiting rooms. From three different fairy tales, pick a character, a setting and a plot.  Put it all together in your own unique way and voila — you have a mixed-up fairy tale.  You are now a storyteller.  For example: -... [read more ]

Playaways are, dare I say, God’s gift to parents. Seriously. Last week, we found Playaways at the library and I didn’t hear a peep out of my kids for two hours! I actually read my own book. (And fell asleep on the couch.) Luxurious. But, I am not a slacker mama.  Really!  Because Playaways are audio books in a cute little box, accessible... [read more ]

Guest post by Maya Bisineer, author, mom and founder of Memetales. I do not recall making up stories until I had my kids. And then, all of a sudden I started making up stories – out of thin air. Well, not really thin air. I think the imagination spark that kids create and  the inspiration they provide really makes us all wildly creative. In... [read more ]

Starting Your Parent-Child Book Club 1.  Decide who to invite. (Group by interest, age or gender.) 2.  Select the first book, date, time and location. 3.  Read the book with your child. 4.  Plan discussion questions and/or activities. Involve your children in this process or let them plan it themselves. 5.  Add snacks and you’re ready to... [read more ]

I have fond memories of the wonder and possibility of wordless picture books in a particular inner city classroom in east Denver. Wordless picture books give pre-readers and beginning readers reading success.  Why?  Because  kids are good at “reading the pictures”. They look and tell the story as they see it unfold in the illustrations.... [read more ]

Guest post by Suzanne Santillan author of picture book, Grandma’s Pear Tree. My favorite picture book as a child was “Mrs. Twiggley’s Tree” written by the late Dorothea Warren Fox. It was a quirky tale about a terribly shy woman who lived in a tree with her dog and some visiting bears. During the story Mrs. Twiggley rises above her shyness... [read more ]

“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” – Maya Angelou Any book? Are you seriously questioning Ms. Angelou? Yes! ANY book. Which means . . . . . . your child gets to pick the book. . . . you might think the book is stupid. (My Little Pony comes to mind.) ... [read more ]

My article for the fifth issue of Literacy Lava, talks about my discovery of graphic novels — and that graphic novels aren’t just for struggling readers. Literacy Lava is a free pdf for parents or anyone who wants kids to love reading, writing and communicating, is now available from Susan Stephenson’s website. In this fifth edition... [read more ]

Ever go through your day in such a rush of busyness that you don’t stop to notice the moment — any moment? Living mindfully helps us observe and trains our senses to absorb each moment.  As writers, we use this to write with sensory details. Practice living mindfully and observing with your five senses. Even younger (not-yet-writer) children... [read more ]