“You can’t be a good writer without being a devoted reader.” – J.K. Rowling “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” – Stephen King. The Number One […]
Continue ReadingNew Chapter Books! (September 2020)
Wow, I have SO MANY incredible books to share with you! If you like adventure, don’t miss The Hacker’s Key and The Canyon’s Edge. If you love animals, you’ll want to read A Whale in the Wild and The Endangereds. If you like amazing, real-life books, you’ll want to read Tune It Out, Fighting Words, and The Brave. Full disclosure, I […]
Continue ReadingShort Story Books for Middle-Grade Readers (Ages 9 – 12)
A reader wrote to ask me for a list of books with short stories for middle-grade readers, ages 9 – 12. Interestingly, short story anthologies are not in abundance for tweens but even still, there are some good options to keep kids reading. Short stories offer students an alternative to a long chapter book and […]
Continue Reading17 Ways for Kids to Learn New Vocabulary
Fluent readers need a big vocabulary. The more words a child knows, the better reader and writer they are. (Anderson and Freebody, 1981; Graves, 1986; Stahl, 1998) (DOE, NAEP, 2011) It’s up to us as parents to help our children learn and develop a large vocabulary. The best way to learn new words is to […]
Continue Reading31 New Picture Books, September 2020
You probably can guess what I’ve been doing lately — reading piles of picture books! This month’s selection explodes with many can’t-miss treasures to add to your libraries and classrooms. Because there are so many new books, I organized the list by topic. Enjoy! Table of Contents Identity / Antiracism […]
Continue Reading5 Parenting Strategies to Develop a Growth Mindset
I have a daughter who dislikes challenges. She’d rather give up than persevere. This is probably hugely affected by her sensory processing disorder and ADHD. How, I don’t really know. But I do know that she does not have what professor Angela Duckworth calls grit and author Carol Dweck calls it a growth mindset. Or at least it’s hidden […]
Continue ReadingSeven Secrets to Raising Eager Readers
Hi. I’m Josh. I write picture books like Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast. The 4th book in the series, Short & Sweet, releases next week! Because I’m an author, you might assume that I’ve always loved to read. You’d be wrong. I felt reading was a chore and grew up without an appreciation […]
Continue ReadingThe Ultimate Parent Guide: Starting a Book Clubs for Kids
Updated: 8/2020 Parents, if you’re looking for directions on starting a book club for kids, get ideas for set-up, discussions, food, and activities here. The purpose of starting a book club for kids is for kids to get social time with friends AND for kids to read lots of books. But book clubs accomplish even […]
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