Letter Blocks

I’m a sucker for true animal stories, and it seems that I’m not alone. For 13 weeks now, Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle—about a stray dog in Iraq who befriends a Marine and how their lives changed as a result—has hovered on the New York Times Bestseller List for children’s books. Read more...

Before there was the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, there was another hilarious series of books written in diary format. But this one was for younger children (ages 4 to 8). Written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Harry Bliss, Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider, andDiary of a Fly, feature the journal entries of—you guessed it—juvenile bugs. They’re laugh-out-loud silly and fun reading for both kids and grown-ups. Read more...

I was really inspired by Sandy_LR’s column last week entitled Plugged in All the Time. For an average teen to be exposed to up to 10 hours of media a day is staggering, but is it all bad? Read more...

Children’s literature is chock-full of talking animals and magical creatures. But in his books, Steve Jenkins reminds us that real animals are just as amazing and strange. It’s so entertaining, you forget it’s educational. Genius! Read more...

Last week, the Kaiser Family Foundation released the results of its latest study on how children use media and technology. After surveying 2,002 students (ages 8 to 18), it found that kids today spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes a day using electronic devices for their entertainment. As for time spent reading: Over the past 5 years, time spent reading books has remained the same for young people (about 25 minutes a day). Read more...

Secrets of a Lab Rat is a fun new series for middle-grade readers featuring the adventures of a ten-year-old inventor. His gross-out inventions—including sister repellent—win him notoriety at school, but can they prove he's responsible enough to get a new dog? Read more...

Your child can customize a Valentine’s Day book to send to friends and family... Read more...

Ever since Twilight hit the big screen, I’ve always been curious about what Stephenie Meyer had wanted her characters to look like. And now there's a way for me to see inside the head of Stephenie Meyer—well, sort of. On March 16, 2010, Twilight the Graphic Novel, volume 1, will be released... Read more...

In my house, we have four copies of My First Truck Board Book (part of the My First Board Book series by DK Publishing). They were all gifts from friends who have sons. It so happens that their sons loved this book when they were little. My friend Brenda predicted with a laugh, “Before you know it, you’re going to know the difference between a front-end loader and a backhoe.” Read more...

Bill Peet's picture books were always in the background during my childhood. I know that I read them, but it was my brother who checked them out of the library over and over again. Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that it was my brother who recommended Peet's autobiography for young readers. Read more...