by Kelly | Dec 13, 2011 | Librarian's Picks, Librarian's Picks: Early Learners, Librarian's Picks: Intermediate Learners, Librarian's Picks: Parent Resources, Librarian's Picks: Teens, Monthly Booklist Archive |
Winter is the best time to curl up with a book, and share some of those precious moments. The shorter days, and the longer nights just seem to encourage the coziness that comes with reading together. So, here are a few of my favorites along those lines. Cozy up, share the love, and enjoy!
by Kelly | Nov 17, 2011 | Featured Fridays, Librarian's Picks, Librarian's Picks: Early Learners, Librarian's Picks: Intermediate Learners |
In honour of our first snow, I’m featuring a couple of my favourite snow books.
by Kelly | Oct 28, 2011 | Librarian's Picks, Librarian's Picks: Early Learners, Librarian's Picks: Intermediate Learners, Librarian's Picks: Parent Resources |
For this week’s Featured Friday, I’ve decided to feature one of my favourite picture books. It lives on our bookshelf, and makes me happy every time we read it. It’s beautiful, it’s touching, it’s sweet and it’s silly. When You Were Small is written by Sara O’Leary and illustrated by Julie Morstad. It’s published by Simply Read Books. One of my absolute favourite publishers (every book is a treasure). It is one of my favourite gift books. It may be a little early, but just in case you are looking for a wonderful Christmas gift for a parent, child (or both!), you might want to consider it. It’s understated. The illustrations are done in pen and ink, mostly black and white, with light colour washes. It’s a family history story. And a bedtime ritual. Every night Henry asks, “Dad, tell me about when I was small…” It’s just the right amount of silly. “When you were small, we used to give you baths in the teapot.” “When you were small, we let you sleep in one of my slippers. The left one.” It’s lyrical. Each page starts the same way, and has the same lovely cadence and rhythm. “When you were small…” It’s beautiful. The binding is lovely. The book has a matte finish, with lovely muted colours. It could be on display in a fancy home. It could live on your coffee table. It has a great ending. “Don’t you remember?” Henry’s father replies. It doesn’t belong on a coffee table. It belongs on a bedside table. Kid’s or parent’s. It speaks to imagination, a family’s love for...
by Kelly | Sep 25, 2011 | Librarian's Picks, Librarian's Picks: Early Learners, Librarian's Picks: Intermediate Learners, Librarian's Picks: Parent Resources, Monthly Booklist Archive |
The Monthly Booklist Nature Connections Welcome to our very first monthly booklist. September is a beautiful month, and what better way to connect your kids with nature, than to go outside? These books will keep you motivated to get outside with your kids, long after the summer has faded. Happy trails! Where Once There Was a Wood by Denise Fleming With Denise Fleming’s trademark cut paper illustrations, this book makes a powerful and poignant environmental statement. Including nature activities & a great bibliography, this one is perfect for starting the ecological conversation with children young and old. Sunflower Houses by Sharon Lovejoy When I discovered this one a few years ago, I fell in love with the idea of growing a house made of sunflowers. The subtitle “for children and their grown-ups” captures the magic of this delightful garden activity book. Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars by Sharon Lovejoy It isn’t often I’d put two books by one author in a booklist, but this one is so lovely I had to include it as well. Although aimed at grandmothers, it is chock full of magical ideas perfectly suited to homeschooling families. Gardening, cooking, crafts and more, this book has all you could want for a year full of nature connections. Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson Any of the books in the “Henry” series would be sure to delight. The cubist illustrations, coupled with the homage to the life of Henry David Thoreau, make a perfect introduction to nature observation for children of all ages. Young ones will delight in the story, while...
