Imagination Soup |

Essential Back-to-School Picture Books

As your children return back-to-school, read these essential picture school-themed books about the first day, separation anxiety, making friends, and being yourself. Honestly, I love how picture books can help prepare our kids for what to expect in new situations. (Although, there isn’t anything to totally prepare students who will be learning online. But you […]

New Picture Books, August 2020

If you need a good book to read to your children or students, these new picture book titles will hit the spot! New Picture Books, August 2020 The Ocean Calls by Tina Cho, illustrated by Jess X. Snow KOREAN CULTURE Dayeon wants to be a haenyeo, a Korean treasure-hunting mermaid, like her Grandma but she’s […]

Mentor Texts for Teaching Small Moments Writing

If you’re looking for new picture books that capture small moments, here’s a list of current picture books to get you started. I about to launch the Imagination Soup Writers Homeschool Curriculum which will start with personal narratives and small moments. The goal with this homeschool curriculum is to teach kids writing craft moves using […]

Parent Death in Middle-Grade Books (Ages 8 – 12)

Children who experience a parent’s death, the loss of a mother or father, feel overwhelming emotions. Reading well-written middle-grade books like these may help some kids cope with the loss of a parent with stories showing that other kids have experienced loss and grief also. Stories can also show the possibilities of dealing with grief. […]

11 New Picture Books, July 2020

I don’t have as many new picture books to tell you about, and some are from previous months. BUT, these books are great and worth your while to read. 11 New Picture Books, July 2020 Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Luisa Uribe IDENTITY A beautiful, beautiful story that helps a […]

27 New Nonfiction Books, Summer 2020

I’ve been saving the nonfiction books from the last few months so I hope you’re ready to read a long post about 27 nonfiction books you need to know about for summer 2020. If you’re looking for a biography, you’ll find many good choices. Below the biographies are nonfiction books about biomes, yoga, history, and […]

Mentor Texts to Teach Juicy Word Choice in Writing

When we teach children to use rich, wondrous words by filling them up with the sound of many wonderful words. We must read to them them authors who use astounding word choices. We must encourage them to read high quality mentor text picture and chapter books filled with precise, lyrical, sensory words. Katie Wood Ray, […]

25 Children’s Chapter Books on Kindle Unlimited (Ages 6 – 12)

Whether you’re looking for an easy chapter book or a middle grade chapter book, here’s what’s available on Kindle Unlimited for your kids ages 6 to 12 to read. A reader recently asked me to write this list for her kids who both were looking for good books on their Kindle apps with their Kindle […]

Interactive Adventures: Read, Write, Draw Books for Kids

All readers, especially reluctant readers, need books that motivate them to read. Which is why I want to share these interactive adventure books that ask readers to fill-in, draw, and doodle to help the story move along. Talk about motivating and fun! Read, Write, Draw! Interactive Books for Kids Escape This Book Tombs of Egypt […]