For National Poetry Month or any time of the year, read poetry daily to your kids. It doesn’t have to be poetry specifically written for kids either. Unfortunately, my kids weren’t excited about the whole poem a day idea of mine. At all. So first, I found poems they would like and second, found poems they […]
Picture Books
New Picture Books (March 2019)
My office is filled with piles of new picture books — it’s gotten a little out of control. Today, I’ll share with you some of my favorites from those piles. Or at least the piles I’ve read so far… I did pull out the nature books which I’ll share closer to Earth Day and the […]
Get the Giggles with New, Funny Picture Books
Do your kids like funny books as much as mine? These new picture books will appeal to your kids who love stories that make them laugh. BIG LIST OF THE FUNNIEST PICTURE BOOKS Get the Giggles with New, Funny Picture Books I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt This zany counting book with all […]
Picture Books to Teach Problem and Solution
Use mentor text picture books to teach problem and solution text structure which improves reading and writing skills including making informed predictions. Show children what to expect in a problem-solution story as well as how authors structure a problem-solution story or essay. While there are many picture books that model problem and solution, these are […]
Mentor Text Children’s Books to Teach Vivid Description
We can model for our kids how good writers use all their senses in their writing to show not tell. Use mentor texts in your writing workshop to teach growing writers descriptive writing using sensory images, vivid verbs, precise adjectives, and rich figurative language. Certainly, many poetry books capture this kind of vivid description in […]
Short Nonfiction Books for Reluctant, Struggling, & Wiggly Readers
Struggling readers, reluctant readers, and wiggly readers all benefit from exposure to short nonfiction books. Primarily because in these books, they can jump around in their reading sequence. That means that kids can read whatever strikes their fancy in any order that they wish. For those wiggly readers, they can take breaks in nonfiction without […]
What Else Can Kids Read? 7 Reading Ideas Beyond Chapter Books
Think beyond chapter books when asking your kids to read. Chapter books are just one of the many reading options. Here are seven more reading ideas to entice your kids into more and more reading. 7 Reading Ideas Beyond Chapter Books 1. Magazines I’ve stopped all my magazine subscriptions just in time for my kids to ramp […]