Tag Archives: picture book

Lifting Spirits

Pandemic dangers and safety limits . . . uncertainties about the shape of the upcoming school year—it remains hard to be upbeat when these woes press us down.  Low spirits, of course, affect kids as well as adults.  Two recent … Continue reading

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On Fire

Blazing sights and sounds dominate the news.  Very young readers may have “tuned out” the U.S. impeachment firestorms, but the vivid, heartrending images of Australia’s animals burned in that country’s worst-ever firestorm season are unforgettable.  These wildfires sparked just as … Continue reading

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Bigger Than Life? Tall Tales and “Fake News”

We Minnesotans love tall tales—especially ones about Paul Bunyan.   Kids read about how his huge feet supposedly stomped out our 10,000 lakes and how the giant chopped down thousands of trees with one ax stroke.  The communities of Bemidji and … Continue reading

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Diversity: The December Dilemma and Beyond

The month of December has long foregrounded issues of diversity in multicultural countries.  As Christmas approaches in predominantly Christian countries, how do we acknowledge the presence and holidays of other religious groups?  Some non-Christian parents even call the problems raised … Continue reading

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The Marvels and Pleasures of Rereading

I am smiling as I sit down today to share thoughts inspired by The Marvels (2015), the newest beautiful book by award-winning author/illustrator Brian Selznick. The Marvels continues the hybrid format—interspersing pages of prose with pages of wordless visual narrative—that … Continue reading

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