Letter Blocks

Unfortunately for kids, parents make a lot of decisions for them: what they can watch on TV, what time they have to go to bed, what they eat for dinner... But allowing your kids to choose some things for themselves—like what books they read—can make kids feel proud and accomplished. It will also ensure that they're reading because they want to, not because they feel they have to. Read more...

The first thing my child ever saw on TV wasn't a Baby Einstein video. Instead, my daughter, then 23 months old, was watching a Scholastic DVD titled The Wheels on the Bus. Too much talking would bore her but music had the potential to keep her interested. Well, my toddler was enthralled. Read more...

This time around, we’re talking about picture books: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett, and Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak. I’ll be honest, when I heard that these books would be made into movies, I was both intrigued and nervous: how can you possibly make a 2-hour (well, 1 ½ hour) movie out of a 30-page picture-book? Especially WTWTA, which contains very little written story. Read more...

You still have some time to pick up a pumpkin and stockpile candy for the trick-or-treaters. But how about a sweet but sugar-free treat for the kids in your life: a few Halloween-ish books to set the mood? Read more...

My love of ghost stories has always been a tale of forbidden fruit: what I secretly consume when no one else is watching. Now I'm surprised to find myself worrying about whether some stories are too scary for the young readers in my life. Read more...

These days I’m deep in everything poop-and-pee related. I have a toddler who's just begun toilet training. (To those of you who have successfully completed this process—congratulations, I’m jealous. To those of you who have yet to take the plunge or are struggling with it yourselves, my sympathies.) Where to begin? In addition to the typical paraphernalia like potty chairs and training diapers, I picked up some picture books to help get my little one excited about the whole process. Read more...

My son’s favorite part of a book is the spine. Whatever board book we happen to be reading, he’ll grab it with his chubby paws, turn it around, and start gnawing away on the spine. Yum! Did I mention he’s only 7 months old and teething? Read more...

I’ve been on a Judy Blume kick lately. I just love her writing style and, more so, her subject matter. She writes about characters and situations that the reader can relate to. Since I focus my attention more on the reluctant readers, I decided to delve into the world of Fudge, a fun five-book series that your child will likely enjoy. Read more...

I didn't set out to collect books on nursery rhymes but somehow I ended up with eight! It's a mystery as to how I got started. I don't remember growing up listening to a lot of Mother Goose. In fact, before I had kids, I barely knew the words to all but a few. Yet there I was, reading nursery rhymes to my daughter when she was a baby. Read more...

For years I’ve been hearing rumors about the making of the movie, Where the Wild Things Are. I couldn’t imagine how they would make this classic picture book into a full-length live action feature film. And it seemed like the movie would never get made. But now—finally!—it’s here. I’m curious to read the reviews and find out what the critics think. But with Spike Jonze as the director (and also a co-screenwriter with Dave Eggers), I have high hopes. At the very least, it’s going to be original. Read more...