by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade
Pioneer and fantasy are not two words I would normally put together. But Melissa Wiley does a charming job melding these two genres in The Prairie Thief. But the fantasy element still surprised me. I knew Wiley had written some of the extension books for the Little...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Coloring Books, Imagination, Resources, Uncategorized
Ok, I know you are here for recommendations of coloring books for kids. But first I have a question. What do you think of allowing your kids to color or doodle while listening (say to a read aloud or audiobook)? Perhaps your kids could benefit from it more than you...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Biography, Book Lists, Education, Historical Fiction, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Read Alouds
If you are looking for some Thanksgiving themed books to read with your kids, I think you’ll enjoy the five I’ve selected. I’ve tried to add some variety to my recommendations. Some books tell the Thanksgiving story, one talks about the season, and...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Audiobooks, Chapter Books, Classics, Girls, Historical Fiction, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Read Alouds, Recommendations
The Moffats, by Eleanor Estes, is listed on several wonderful book lists for children. My oldest daughter has enjoyed this book, along with the rest of the series, but I had never read it. I thought it was about time to rectify this omission. The Moffats is the first...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Baby, Board Books, Book Lists, Preschool, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Toddler
Let’s face it, moms. We complain that our toddler wants to hear the same book over and over and over. But that’s usually because it’s a book we can’t stand. But we do the same thing! We have a few books we prefer to read. At least, I know I do!...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Adventure, Character Training, Girls, Historical Fiction, Imagination, Middle School, Middle-grade, Mystery, Read Alouds, Scary Stories
How do you feel about scary stories for kids? When I was a kid, Goosebumps was a popular series, but, honestly, Nancy Drew was too suspenseful for me! On the other hand, my daughter loves “scary” books (at the same age that I couldn’t handle them)....
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Book Lists, Education, For fun, Imagination, Recommendations
This is the third post in a series on books that inspire creativity in kids. So far, we’ve looked at artistic creativity and inventive creativity. This post will focus on written creativity: the desire to create stories. These stories could be verbal, written,...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Book Lists, Boys, Education, Imagination, Middle-grade, Nonfiction, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Resources
Last week, we looked at artistic creativity. This week, I want to talk about a different set of books that inspire creativity in kids, specifically, inventive creativity. Ok, maybe I just made up that term, but what I’m talking about is the drive to invent or...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Book Lists, Education, For fun, Imagination, Recommendations
Most of us love to see creativity in our kids (as long as it’s not expressed in Sharpie on the living room wall). Encouraging creativity is a great way to boost our children’s self-esteem, independence, and perseverance. And let’s face it, creativity...
by Carolyn Leiloglou | Girls, Graphic Novel, Juvenile Fiction, Middle-grade, Newbery, Older Elementary
There I was, at the public library, perusing the juvenile biographies. I was Looking for the 26 Fairmont Avenue books by Tommie de Paula when something else caught my eye. El Deafo. It wasn’t just the bright blue cover or the interesting title. I knew El Deafo...
