Tag: reading
Why Family Literacy Day Matters
It’s hard to hear the word “literacy” and not assume that you will be met with a bunch of book-loving academics who will insist that you must spend your waking hours poring through books and chasing after the written word with unending glee lest you find yourself frowned upon by them and possibly the whole [...]
Books For Treats™ Canada – Feed Kids Imaginations This Halloween.
Find a giveaway. Host a giveaway. Learn more at www.booksfortreats.ca Books For Treats™ Canada – Beginnings: Books For Treats™ began with a simple idea from founder Rebecca Morgan – less candy, more creativity. It blossomed into an international movement to create a community of young readers through fun ways to connect to the stories of our [...]
6 Kids Books to Make the First Day of School Easier
I remember my first day of Kindergarten quite clearly. It was 1976 and my grandmother had made me the cutest ABC dress in the history of dresses. Oh, there was some drama – when my mother took me to get my haircut at the local beauty school and they had to cut most of it off [...]
Children’s Books About The Sweetness of Farm Life
Editor’s Note: As the dog days of summer set in, it may just be time to trade an afternoon in the sun for some sweet books in the shade. Here are a few that make our OBE all-time favorite list. First reviewed in 2008, they are the perfect mix of fun, sweetness and classic goodness. [...]
Spring Kids Books – Eggs & Rainbows
When it comes to books that celebrate certain seasons, it has to be those beauties that are all about Spring with their sweet shades of yellow, purple and green, sparkly wonderment and of course a hefty does of Easter eggs that long live on our shelves because they are so darn – well – they’re [...]
Poetry For Little People
We spend a lot of time storytelling in our house. Whether it’s reading books, using our imaginations or making up a grand tale, it’s so much fun to see what we can create. But, the one thing I could never get myself or our oldest daughter into was poetry. I wanted to and tried hard. [...]
Family Literacy Week Events In The Comox Valley
When we say “Literacy Last a Lifetime” it’s amazing how very base the ability to read well, tell stories and write like a champ are to having a rich, full, amazing life. Since time began, stories have guided us all and today after so many generations the stories of long, long ago ring as true [...]
Storytelling Anytime with Storynory Online
Since our oldest daughter was very little, she loved a good story. She combs the shelves at the library for new books on CD and will spend hours in the evening laying in bed and listening to a good tale – especially one that involves fables, magic, myth and a bit of wonder. Finding enough [...]
Connecting to Your Kids Through Books
Editor’s Note: Vancouver Island mom Joanne Allair is back today to share with us ways to turn stories into great family conversations and get more out of the reading you do together. I love her book recommendations at the end and reminders of why reading with your kids is so important. Enjoy! There are a [...]
Classic Holiday Reads for the Whole Family
I get seriously sentimental this time of year for the classic goodness of stories from holidays gone by. If there was a story I loved from my childhood, it definitely gets read in our house. Bust out the Frosty and Santa Claus is Coming to Town Golden Book collection. Hello to The Muppets, Sesame Street [...]
Tara Colborne – One Book Can Change A Teen Forever
It was all Jane`s fault. She made me feel understood. She really got me like no one else seemed to. My family simply could not appreciate why we were so close. But, it was like we shared the same brain. Okay, okay she wasn`t real and she wasn`t my best friend. I`m just talking about [...]
Halloween Faves from the 5-year-old Crowd
It’s time for spooky tales of fright that make you stay up through the night and get kids wondering about ghosts and ghouls, thinking their parents are silly fools. You’d think these rhymes, made up by our kiddo who LOVES to peek into all things scary mean she is edging toward the spookier realm of [...]
Learning Crafts – The Nature Alphabet
When it comes to making learning more accessible around the home, there’s nothing that we’ve found more effective than making projects that take basic skills like alphabet and numbers and turning them into creative adventures. We’re homeschooling for kindergarten this year and one of the big things that needed to be in place is an [...]
Mom's Book Shelf – The Toss of a Lemon
As the kids head back to school, it seems only right that we make a little bit of time in the day to get back to a little quiet ourselves with a great book that transports us away from packing lunches, after-school activities and the endless carpool. Padma Viswanathan gives us the ticket to that [...]
Books To Make Sure Your Readers Are Ready
If there is one bit of advice that teachers and veteran parents alike pass along this time of year, it’s that moving your kids back into school mode is made a bit easier with a trip to the book store for some pre-classroom reads. We’ve reviewed some great tween books for the older crowd this [...]
Smile-Causing Books About Behinds, Buddies & Being Kind
This summer our theme for books has been all about fun. If it looks like we’ll end up giggling, with a smile on our faces, at the end of the story, we pick up the paperback and head for some cool afternoon reading time. It’s been a great way to discover some really sweet new [...]
Books to Read When Teaching Kids About Local Food
I‘ve been in way back mode the last week or so taking a peek at some of the things we have written about in the past. One of them that keeps me coming back is books that are all about connecting kids to food. While we are far from harvest time in this neck of [...]
Must-Haves for Your Tween's Summer Reading List
Summer reading is all about adventures – whether it be to times long gone or another town where a great story lives that your kids can totally relate to. Some of this year’s hottest reads for young adults definitely fall into that category of “disappear for a while,” perfect for the occasional rainy day, a [...]
Mom's Book Shelf – Nicolas Dickner's Nikolski
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on Gayle’s post about connecting your family to the past through a less disposable way of life, you can read it HERE. Now, here’s Robin with the skinny on OBE’s June book of the month. I am so ready for another great book this month and, after Nicolas Dickner’s [...]
Easy Readers for the Scientist in Every Kid
We seem to have crossed a threshold of independence in our house lately that makes me mildly weepy for myself and very excited for the tiny person. She has always loved stories and the time we spend reading them together. The favorite comfort tales such as Grandfather Twilight, The Rain Babies, Miss Rumphius and Bunny [...]
Canadian Nature Books for Kids – Vanishing Habitats
I think we all remember those places that we used to escape to as kids – whether it be a field behind the school, a stand of trees we climbed at the local park or a long stretch of beach that marked summer fun every year. It’s hard to deny that – for most of [...]
Mom's Book Shelf – Anne Michaels' The Winter Vault
Good Morning and welcome to May. Nearly half of 2010 is already over and I feel like it’s time for one of those novels that I can pull out the lounger in the backyard one afternoon and disappear into. That is why I’m so looking forward to reading Anne Michaels’ latest work – The Winter Vault [...]
Mom's Book Shelf – A Discussion on Too Much Happiness
Good Morning. As I spent the last month poring through Alice Munro’s latest collection of short-story genius, I was really struck by how these stories less took me away from reality, but more plunked me right down in the middle of women’s lives. Munro spared no emotion and left me feeling that life is genuinely [...]
Educational Books About Earth Day for Grade School Kids
If there’s one publisher that is a go-to when it comes to great educational books that really hit the mark for kids, it has got to be Usborne Books. Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to come up with a good collection of Earth Day-related books for the kiddo, and it wasn’t until I [...]
Mom's Book Shelf – Alice Munro's Too Much Happiness
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on this morning’s Ask A Midwife column, you can check it out HERE. Now, here’s Robin with April’s book of the month. It’s a fabulous one… I have long been waiting to dig in to a great collection of short stories that actually resonates with me. Admittedly, my reading [...]
Mom's Book Shelf Discussion – Heaven Is Small
Editor’s Note: If you missed Heather Beckett’s new column on how she and her family lived abroad for a year you can read it HERE. Now, Robin jumps in to talk a bit about the March book of the Month, a great read from Canadian writer Emily Schultz. March seems like an extra long, but [...]
Kids Books Filled With Mischievious Easter Tales
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on Rebecca’s morning post about the gift of imagination, you can read it HERE. Now, Robin is here with three great Easter themed books for kids. Since Valentine’s Day there has been a bit of a countdown in our house. The tiny person doesn’t really care that much about [...]
Tween Must-Have Sci-Fi and Mystery Reads
Editor’s Note: If you missed Robin’s Spring Break craft roundup this morning, you can catch it HERE. Now, here’s a look at some must have Spring Break reads for those tweens in your life. Here’s the list: Good Afternoon. It may be time for some quiet time around your house, making a trip to the [...]
Mom's Book Shelf – A Discussion on All That Matters
I have to say that I now have a whole new appreciation for Vancouver and its evolution as a city, as well as the unbelievable conditions under which people come to this country and endure with the hopes of a better life thanks to Wayson Choy. His novel, All That Matters, was February’s book of [...]
The Love List of Kids Valentines Books
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on the morning post introducing February’s author of the month, Wayson Choy, you can read it HERE. Now here’s Robin with a list of kid-approved Valentine’s Day books: Love is in the air, and there’s nothing like a silly, fun, sweet children’s story to make Valentine’s Day great fun for [...]
Mom's Book Shelf – Wayson Choy's All That Matters
I am so excited to announce February’s featured author and book of the month – mostly because I can’t wait to get started on a new novel and sink my teeth into a book that’s been on my shelf for ages. As Chinese New Year nears, I wanted to take the time to examine Chinese-Canadian [...]
Tween Reads – Savvy by Ingrid Law
Editor’s Note: Good Afternoon. If you missed the discussion on Zoe Whittall’s novel Holding Still For As Long As Possible, you can catch it HERE. Now, I’m excited to introduce Maddy Erickson as the newest addition to the crew of writers here at Our Big Earth. Maddy – as well as her reviewing co-hort Madeline [...]
Mom-P-Inc. – Discovering Community Literacy
When you say the word “literacy” the images of libraries and academia often come to mind. It takes you down a mental path of helping kids learn to read and guiding adults through the challenges of needing to be able to interpret for themselves written words in order to manage the day-to-day tasks. To me, [...]
Environmental Ed Books for Children
Editor’s Note: If you didn’t catch Karen Pantuso-Swanson’s sweet story this morning, you can read it HERE. This afternoon we have Gayle Bates sharing some of her favorite eco-focused children’s books. Here’s she is: What a way to start 2010 – getting to talk about two of my most favourite things: the environment and books! Recent [...]
The Wisdom of Children – The Freedom of Innocence
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Karen Pantuso-Swanson is with us this morning sharing a lovely story that displays the ease and confidence that come with the innocence of childhood. Enjoy. Here she is: “Kids: they dance before they know there is anything that isn’t music.” – William Stafford My mom is a tap-dancer. She taught me to dance [...]
Mom's Book Shelf – Zoe Whittall's Holding Still for As Long As Possible
One of my major resolutions for the new year is to spend more time reading for myself, something that went by the wayside far too long ago. I tried very hard to get back into it last year, was even blessed enough to be invited to be part of an incredible book group filled with [...]
The Best Children's Books of 2009
One thing that never seems to give in our house is the love of a great story. We pound through tons of books and if anyone knows what she likes best, it’s the 4-year-old. We’ve had such a great time discovering some seriously great new reads this year to spend afternoons curled up on the [...]
Favorite Stories to Celebrate the Winter Solistice
Editor’s Note: Good afternoon. If you missed out on the morning post, you can check out Rebecca’s post on Waldorf Kindergarten classrooms HERE. Now, we’ve got four of my favorite books to celebrate the solstice with your kids through stories. Although we are just short of a week away from celebrating Christmas, one of my [...]
Classic Winter Children's Books for a Roaring Fire
Editor’s Note: If you missed our morning post, Gayle Bates gives us a peek into holiday traditions around the world and how to take part in some global giving HERE. Now, we’re checking out two Winter children’s book faves that are a part of OBE’s holiday events at the Filberg Lodge. Chestnuts roasting on the [...]
Children's Books About The Dino Adventures of Cats & Dogs
Editor’s Notes: Good afternoon. If you missed out on the morning post from Rebecca on the tradition of advent, you can catch it over HERE. Now it’s time for a review of two very fun children’s books and a giveaway… We have moved into the comedy portion of our daily story routine these days. There’s [...]
Children's Books About Magicians
Editor’s Note: If you missed the morning post on the amazing things kids say that make us rethink our perspective from Karen Pantuso-Swanson, you can read it HERE. This afternoon we have a book review and a giveaway. Have a great afternoon. There are some books that you and your kids are just generally going [...]
Children's Books Full of Not So Scary Monsters & Witches
Some kids love Christmas. Some love Easter. Mine, she L-O-V-E-S Halloween. I love the wawawahhhhhhhh coming from her when describing vampires and ghouls. But, really when you ask the tiny person what kind of stories she wants to read right now, the terms mildly spooky, a little mysterious and a lot funny are on the [...]
Children's Books Packed with Fun Rhymes
There’s a theme in our house right now. We have the time to rhyme about slime on a dime. It’s not a crime, a bit sublime without an ounce of grime. So, when we look for a book that has a lyrical hook, it’s no surprise that children’s author Julia Donaldson is exactly what we [...]
Books for Girls Who Are One of A Kind
Our kiddo is tactile. Her learning doesn’t start in her head, it starts with her hands. When you give her a forest to check out, a fossil to dig up or a beach to explore she’s like a sponge, soaking in all of the information and learning through fingertips. She’s also a great adventurer, always [...]
Tween Reads and Reviews by Maddie Erickson
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Summer break kicks off this week and, for lots of parents, that means finding some perfect Summer reads for their families. Now, you can get some tips on THE tween Summer book list, and not from crazy, old parents. Today, I’m excited to introduce Maddy Erickson as the newest addition to [...]
Children's Books About Fairy Folk & Spring Day Dreams
Long hot days this time of year make me want to find a big, giant maple tree to spread a blanket out under, unpack a lunch full of cool veggies and fruit and lay back to begin a few hours of uninterrupted day dreaming. Since the likelihood of that happening is less than the odds [...]
Children's Picture Books All About Dad
Once in a while we jump in on the KidBookBuzz.com Blog Book Tour and today we are checking out the very sweet, dad-focused tale of fun Summer imagination Crocodaddy by Kim Norman, illustrated by David Walker. Early readers and picture books are the hot thing at our house right now – right next to crazy [...]
Great Canadian Kids Nature Books
Spring brings out the scientist in me (ha, you all laugh. When am I not in science girl mode?) I am a botanist/ecologist/microbiologist/nature loving curious type from the word go. But, this time of year I get serious about our nature learning and head out into the deep forest of the local bookstore for some [...]
Homeschooling – Choose The Right Books
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. Today, Royston farmer and homeschooling mom Louisa McClellan is here to talk shop on how to find the right books for your kids. Reading is a HUGE part of our lives around here and I, seriously, pound through dozens of books a month searching for the gems out there (long live [...]
Books for Girls Who Love To Play In The Dirt
Good morning. It’s super late for me to be getting going this morning (8 a.m., yikes!). I am totally dragging my butt today in the work universe, mostly because I have plans to ditch the office long enough to spend the ENTIRE DAY outside combing beaches, roaming trails and wrapping it all up with a [...]
Art Project Books for Kids All About Science and Math
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a kid who wanted to move her life to one centrally scientific and seriously fun location – Science World. Somewhere between the dinosaurs and Lego land, her brain engaged the science universe (or at least the serious fun universe) and now there’s no [...]
An Interview with BC Kids Book Author Scott Higgs
Good morning. Today we’re checking out the charming tales of Haley & Bix, two best friends who are sweet, caring and totally cool. Our daughter and I picked up the first in the series: Haley & Bix, Best Friends No Matter What, a while back and totally loved this easy reader. So, we jumped at [...]
Stories for you Ears with Odds Bodkin
There once was a little, orange record player. You know, the kind that had it’s own case that you could close up, tucking the electric cord inside and would play LPs or 45s if you hadn’t lost the little insert that made the tiny records fit on the turn table. It followed me everywhere – [...]
Magic Tales of Unicorns, Dwarves & Discovery
Our house seems to draw a huge crowd of the mystical and magical lately. Every since we discovered Forest Fairies with the help of our friend Maureen (of Strong Start fame) and The Last Unicorn showed up in the DVD player, our house transformed into a fairytale land that pretty much skips the prince and [...]
Caldecot Award-Winning Children’s Books
Good morning. For the last few days, I’ve been meaning to pull something substantial together as a part of Family Literacy Week in Canada. But, my mental idea bank wasn’t letting me withdraw much in the way of anything labeled “substantial.” Thankfully, there are brilliant people out there who are great at lending a hand [...]
Wonderful Winter Children's Books by Jan Brett
There are a few truly great children’s book authors – storytellers who can take a piece of imagination and bring it alive with the touch of a pen. They’ve got that magical touch, mesmerizing children (and parents too) for generations. Jan Brett is one of those greats. Maureen over at Brooklyn Elementary Strong Start first [...]
The Best Children's Books of 2008
Being there to watch stories spark a remarkable imaginary universe for our daughter has been, by far, one of THE BEST and most amazing things that has come from the last year. I am a story junkie, always have been, loved ‘em so much I made a career out of telling them. So, discovering amazing [...]
Children's Stories of Winter That Make Your Heart Fill With Love
Ken was horrified that I’d brought a book like this home from the library. While I went for what was shaping up to be a long visit to the midwife on Tuesday, he and the tiny person broke into the latest stack of books and CDs that had come home with us from the library [...]
Holiday Books to Warm the Heart and Learn To Bake With
I like to think of our family as a crew of non-traditional traditionalists. We love Christmas and birthdays, presents and sweets. But, in ways that present the age-old traditions of those times with a classic sense of heart, not necessarily a classic point of view. After falling hard for Eve Bunting’s holiday gem The Night [...]
Nature Journal – Trumpeter Swans
When I was a kiddo, nature and I had an odd relationship. Growing up at the base of the mountains, the grandeur of nature’s “big-ness” struck me every time I walked outside. I wanted to explore, just to be left alone to check out the world. On the other end of the deal, a mild [...]
Children's Books to Celebrate Thanksgiving
When I first got the invitation to join in the blog book tour for This Is The Feast by Diane Z. Shore, illustrated by Megan Lloyd, I wasn’t entirely confident as we here in Canada have long passed our Thanksgiving holiday. But, all it took was opening the package, personally sent from Shore, with a [...]
Usborne Books for Peeking Inside Bodies – of Humans and Water
Editor’s Note: I totally forgot to post this earlier. I’ve got free Usborne toddler books That’s Not My Truck and That’s Not My Train for random commenters today. So, jump in! There we were in the bathroom at the Courtenay library, camped out in the last stall trying to take care of business before story [...]
Story Boxes for Kid Storytelling
Storytelling is big around our house. The tiny person is totally into making up her own universe filled with adventures, conversations, friends and a bit of drama to keep it interesting. I’ve always been excited about her penchant for telling tales. But, there are definitely times when the stories veer off into the “We’ve obviously [...]
The Home School – Lapbook Learning
Editor’s note: Whether you are a homeschooler or a parent looking for ways to extend your kiddo’s school learning experience, there is nothing like discovering tools that are inventive, easy and great ways to plug kids into their own way of learning. That’s what makes it so fantastic to introduce Rosina Huber. Her enthusiasm for [...]
Preschool Love Stories That Celebrate Fall
Fall is magic. Even when the blustery wind and endless rain sets in, the contrast of perpetual gray against the brilliance of the golden hills and mountainsides makes us all want to stand there a bit in awe. OK, not too much, as days like the last few remind me that we are headed into [...]
Spooky Stories of Bones and Bunnies
In a little, tiny house on an everyday sort of street lived a little girl who loved monsters. It seemed her destiny to dig those spooky ghouls, as her dad had adored them even longer than her, creating more than a few in his time, and they lived everywhere in that house – framed, in [...]
Preschool Books About Being Green
Hi. My name is Robin…and I’m a book-a-holic. It doesn’t matter, really, what kind of book it is. I more than likely get an e-mail newsletter about it. I love to look through lists, check out what’s new – and I love kids books most of all at my current place in life. The only [...]
An Interview with Young Adult Author Jeanne DuPrau
I love talking with other writers, getting a bit of insight into how their creative brains work and how they pull everything together. Jeanne DuPrau and I had the chance to trade questions in a brief interview recently as she heads off to promote Diamond of Darkhold and her soon-to-be-released movie City of Ember. As [...]
Tween Reads – Diamond of Darkhold
For a long time, parents with older kiddos have asked me to offer up book reviews for the tween crowd. We read and read, and read some more around here. But, chapter books and novels hadn’t been a part of our repretoire – until my oldest nephew fell in love with books and now inhales [...]
Preschool Harvest Tales of Pumpkins & Fruit
I love Fall. How can you not dig a time of year when the toques come out, the skies turn a brilliant shade of blue and everything delicious in the comfort food universe is fresh from the fields? So many of the quiet, heartfelt, comfortable memories in my life come from picking apples in Eastern [...]
Kids Books on Potty Humor & Funny Phobias
I‘ve been going over and over in my head how to start this book review. There’s no really delicate way to admit to it. I’ve always been the kind of kid – mostly because anything to do with the topic was absolutely banned in my house as a child – who believes in the value [...]
Check Out The TumbleBooks Library Online
So, there I was snacking down on rice crispie treats, watching the tiny person soak herself in the only bit of water available at low tide at The Filberg when it was revealed to me. The kiddo, she was soaked…and cold…and would eventually fall hands-first into a big, red jellyfish. But, at least I knew [...]
Children's Books That Inspire Kids To Work Together
Where oh where has my Summertime gone? Seriously, I am ill prepared for the onset of soggy wetness of Fall on the island – still totally imagining that I had at least another month of chances for beach runs and leisurely hikes without having to consider unholy amounts of rain gear and busting out the [...]
Children's Books To Use As Reverse Psychology to Help Them Eat & Sleep
Ken and I, we were quite skeptical at first. These books, they seemed too easy to actually work. Could it be possible that all we had to do was read an engaging story, with adorable, lovable characters who didn’t want to eat or sleep to make our grumpy 3-year-old think that eating and sleeping was [...]
Making Bookmarks to Track Our Tales
Our daughter loves stories. From the second she pops her head up in the morning until she falls asleep to them at night, yarns about everything from how monsters make nutty butter to the vacations her collection of puppets are on float through the air non-stop. She is ALWAYS making something up, building imaginary cities, [...]
Children's Books That Make You Want To Run Through the Meadow
Since I finished reading Food Not Lawns by H.C. Flores I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the changing face of yards. When I was a kid, a big yard, perfectly mowed and glistening green was the envy of every parent in the neighbourhood. But, it wasn’t the manicured lawn I loved. I spent [...]
Summer Reading Together
Editor’s Note: Mom and CV teacher Helen Oliphant has dropped by today to lend us a hand getting into the learning that happens away from the classroom this Summer. She kicks it all off with tips on how to help your kiddos get reading, with a little help from mom and dad. “Thurs. June 2, [...]
Books for Kids Learning to Lend A Hand
For late-night or early-morning readers, I apologize for our technological glitch with the Rainy-Day Book Club this morning. Apparently, I shouldn’t start working when half asleep. The results are, as you saw, half:) Back to the business of great books. In the middle of the first of what surely will be many rounds of defiant [...]
Stories for Generations – Discovering Living Books
When we first started talking about homeschooling our daughter, I started to read. I researched nearly every homeschooling philosophy out there, scanned blogs, subscribed to newsletters, checked out and pored through a huge pile of books from the library and realized pretty darn quickly that we are an eclectic secular homeschooling family. There are bits [...]
Children's Stories with a Sleep Charm
We have a new bedtime routine. Books and stories have always been a part of our evening ritual. But, it wasn’t until the tiny person graduated from board books and we started discovering the world of classic storytelling that the warm, quiet and connective time spent reading her to sleep entered into our lives. Of [...]
Books For Girls That Inspire Them To Be Women of Heart
When I was a tiny person, I dreamed of life as a great explorer. I lived in my imagination, with an entire universe of imaginary friends who roamed the sidewalks and pounded the pavement of the city with me, in search of magic. As many are, mine was a complicated childhood. Disappearing into a world [...]
Nature Books for Preschoolers That Inspire Discovery
After a long Winter of snowy tales, the tiny person and I hauled out the books about blooming flowers, baby animals and sunshine a few weeks ago to get ourselves geared up for the activity of Spring. I’ve definitely had a tough time charging myself up lately…whether it’s the chill factor in the mornings or [...]
Children's Books About Spring Migration
The swans are disappearing. The thousands of lovely, white, long-necked beauties are vanishing by the day after packing local farm fields snacking down all Winter. Thankfully, they aren’t being destroyed. It’s just time for them to head back to Alaska because a cozy rainy season on the island means they’ve got some baby making to [...]
Children's Books About Spring Sprouts and Maple Syrup
When I was coming up with the excellent reads for this installment of The Rainy-Day Book Club, it seemed most fun and appropriate to honour the debut of our gardening journal Sprouts and the incredible yummy goodness that February brings us from Eastern Canada in the form of maple syrup. While many parts of North [...]
Children's Books for Music and Movement
As our daughter gets older, she’s all about telling stories – not only with her words, but with every part of her being. She loves to sing stories, dance stories and make up stories about creatures that can only be described by jumping around in the craziest of ways. Books are always a great way [...]
Board Books for Kids In Need of Some Culture:)
Eating and art are two things that kiddos of any age cannot escape in today’s culture. Discovering the wonders of exotic foods and the beauty of art in all forms is such a great way to open families up to new ideas, cultures and adventures. The good news is that there are plenty of ways [...]
Children's Books About The Magical Pieces of A Forest
I am in love with the forest. Growing up in – and living most of my life surrounded by mountains and wilderness – something deep inside always resonated profoundly with me. Strangely I didn’t really begin to understand why until I started plugging into nature from a kiddo’s perspective. Getting on your hands and knees [...]
Arctic Tales for Children to Love
I don’t want to be a part of the generation who has to some day explain why Canada’s amazing north vanished in our lifetime. How the mighty creatures of the Arctic and the intensely rugged Inuit culture literally melted away. Never in our history have we as a society been more aware of our direct [...]
Children's Classics for Every Bookshelf
I had entirely different plans for today’s Rainy-Day Book Club. I wanted to plug you in to some gems this holiday season that are about celebrations from around the world like Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, St. Lucia Day and Kwanzaa. Unfortunately, I searched high and low locally and found, well, not much that I would consider [...]
Kids Books with Winter Holiday Charm
Finding sweet, sentimental holiday stories for tiny people with a nod to tradition and a modern flair is no easy task. In the last couple of weeks I have pored through my fair share of seasonal tales. I was completely impressed with the library’s wide range of stories of celebration from around the globe. But, [...]
Learn Your Monsters and Then Go Find Them with Monstrology 101
Welcome to the first edition of the CVK Rainy-Day Book Club. A while back, in the midst of pulling together portions of our Rainy-Day Survival Guide, I was out cruising local book stores and ran into a pal who said that she’d stopped reading with her young kiddos because she had no idea how to [...]
