Books dominated the gifts my boys received this Christmas 2018. Between aunts and uncles, grandparents, parents and Santa, the boys made out like very successful book bandits indeed. I would have been very jealous about their haul, except that my own gifts included some great books too. Read more…Book Bonanza 2
gifts
Try this Treehouse
I had a Eureka! moment at Lightroom, one of my favorite bookstores in Bangalore, this summer. You see, I have been searching long and hard for an engaging, illustrated series for the 7-11 set that isn’t saturated with middle-grade cynicism, loser-cool, or gross-out potty humor (Books, I love you guys, but you know who you are!). And when my eyes alighted on The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffin and Terry Denton, I knew I had found what I was looking for. Read more…Try this Treehouse
How to prepare when Hamilton mania comes to town!
Hamilton: The Musical has finally come to Boston! And after a long wait for a birthday present given years ago, my lucky family and I got to see the show last night. And people, the show did not disappoint! In fact, it was 2 hours and 55 minutes of incredible.
Unlike my kids who know most of the lyrics inside-out, upside-down, and back-to-front like many kids across the country, I’ve been a bit of a Hamilton ignoramus. But these two resources helped me get quickly up to speed, and were great companion-pieces for my kids as well. Read more…How to prepare when Hamilton mania comes to town!
Museum finds: 10 great board books on art
A confession: When I visit a museum of any kind, I LOVE visiting the gift shop, sometimes even more than the museum itself. Stocked with unusual finds and carefully curated books, there is always the thrill of discovering something new that you can take home with you.
On a recent trip to the St. Louis Art Museum I first came across Mini Masters, a wonderful series of board books that I am excited to highlight. Read more…Museum finds: 10 great board books on art
Nonfiction friction
“How do I get my child to read nonfiction?” This is a common (often despairing) question I get when mentioning the blog. If you face a similar tussle, here’s one idea for ending the friction: Try a magazine subscription. Take a break from force-feeding dry tomes for now, and attempt a more digestible format. And as we get into gift-giving season, keep in mind: Subscriptions are the some of the best “gifts-that-keep-on-giving.” For the top recommendations from Read, Kids, Read!, Read more…Nonfiction friction
Saved by Science Friday
I’ve been tardy in recommending gift ideas for the holidays. But here’s a superb list of science-related books from Team Educate at Science Friday for the 0-12 set. They’ve even included STEM activities to accompany the books. Read more…Saved by Science Friday
There are 13 letters in “Happy Birthday”
Who knew? I hadn’t counted before. But once I had to put 13 candles on a birthday cake, it came to me! Well now, we are officially a family with a teenager on board.
Here are the books, among some other presents, our teenager got this year. Read more…There are 13 letters in “Happy Birthday”
Geniuses in the house!
Does the name Ken Jennings ring a bell? The trivia genius who famously won 74 consecutive Jeopardy games in 2004, making quiz-show history? Jennings is clearly a walking encyclopedia, but his true talent may lie in encouraging kids to embrace curiosity through the books he has written after his Jeopardy reign. His excellent nonfiction series for kids take on topics – Dinosaurs, Greek Mythology, Outer Space, etc. – and explore related facts, trivia and anecdotes in a thoroughly enjoyable way. Read more…Geniuses in the house!
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