Category Archives: picture books

Best Children’s Christmas Books – My Annual Post

Posted on December 14, 2025 by Jennie

This is a repost of my favorite Christmas books.  The only new edition (featured in my last post) is Mr. Willowby’s Head Over Heels Christmas.  Every year these books grow stronger, because children love them.  These are the books children … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Imagination, Inspiration, literacy, picture books, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 52 Comments

Mr. Willowby’s Book, Then and Now

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Jennie

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, by Robert Barry is a delightfully predictable tale of a tree that is too tall.  Each time the top is snipped off, it goes to someone else who has the same problem, and so on.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Imagination, Inspiration, literacy, picture books, reading, wonder | Tagged , , , | 58 Comments

Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Jennie

Halloween is exciting for children.  At school we had a ‘Day in the Dark’, using flashlights and glow sticks for light.  Playing with black playdoh on shiny foil, painting with neon paint and using a black light, and playing with … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Halloween, Imagination, Inspiration, jack-o-lanterns, picture books, preschool, storytelling, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , | 61 Comments

My Eric Carle Museum Visit

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Jennie

I love this picture! I visited the Eric Carle Museum, and as always, was surprised and delighted by what I saw and what I learned. Author and illustrator Astrid Sheckels read aloud her new book, Flora and the Jazzers, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Eric Carle, Eric Carle Museum, Expressing words and feelings, Imagination, Inspiration, museums, picture books, reading aloud, Singing, The Arts, wonder, young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 76 Comments

My Favorite Picture Books of the Summer

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Jennie

  Norman and the Smell of Adventure, By Ryan T. Higgins Norman has a best friend – Mildred.  She’s a tree.  While they have favorite things they do every day, Norman is getting bored.  He wants to do something new, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Imagination, Inspiration, literacy, picture books, reading, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 69 Comments

Summer at the Eric Carle Museum

Posted on August 25, 2025 by Jennie

A trip to the Eric Carle Museum is my ray of sunshine, my inspiration.  Seeing original art illustrations and finding new children’s books gives me joy.  This summer visit was wonderful of course, and filled with new discoveries. The lobby … Continue reading →

Posted in art, children's books, Diversity, Eric Carle, Eric Carle Museum, Inspiration, picture books, The Arts | Tagged , , , , , , | 84 Comments

Making History Come Alive For Children – Part 2

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Jennie

As I read one of the classic children’s books, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, it turned out to be an unexpected history lesson.  This wonderful book begins with a charming little house on a hill, living through days … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Early Education, history, Inspiration, literacy, picture books, preschool, reading aloud, School, storytelling, Teaching young children | Tagged , , | 63 Comments

Why Goodnight Moon?

Posted on June 29, 2025 by Jennie

Why do I read aloud GoodNight Moon to my preschoolers every day? Yes, every day, right before chapter reading. It has the words that paint images in the minds of young children.  It has rhyming that sways.  The words feel … Continue reading →

Posted in books, children's books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Gloria, Heart, history, Inspiration, Library, literacy, picture books, preschool, reading aloud, reading aloud, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 75 Comments

Gifting a Book to the Public Library

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Jennie

Discovering a great new book is one thing. Reading the book to children, over and over again, is another thing. Gifting that book to the public library is the icing on the cake.   The Little Red Chair, by Cathy … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, joy, Library, literacy, picture books, reading | Tagged , , | 83 Comments

Happy Easter from Boston’s Make Way for Ducklings

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Jennie

Photo courtesy Universal Hub Robert McCloskey’s classic story, Make Way for Ducklings, is immortalized in bronze statues in the Public Garden on Boston Common.  Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings, Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack  are all … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, children's books, history, Imagination, Inspiration, picture books, The Arts | Tagged , , | 73 Comments