Moms Inspire Learning

Open 2 Books: Mirrors Open Windows

 

Thank you for your patience while I'm transitioning to a new site design and format. The process is taking longer than I expected. I really can't put a time frame on it at this point.

In the meantime, I'd like to expand upon the theme of embracing uniqueness, and the ability to see beyond the weaknesses we all have. It's a subject that's so important for people of all ages, but especially for children.

Adding a Splash of Color to the Learning Process

 I don't accept review requests very often; but when Barbara Esham asked me to review 4 picture books in The Adventures of Everyday Geniuses series, I didn't have to think twice. They're right up my alley, and a much needed addition to the world of children's literature.

Normally, I'm not interested in books that clearly set out to teach something, but somehow these are different. Children will be able to see themselves in, and learn along with, each of the main characters. Katie, David, Stacey, and Max all start with a black and white view of intelligence, and end up with a much more colorful one.

How many of us, as adults, still see light in our strengths and darkness in our weaknesses? How many have them all in such a gray area that they can't see them at all?

National Poetry Month: Flashback and Resources

"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood." ~T.S. Eliot

It's like the sound of ocean waves, a waterfall, a song, or a moment in time.

Welcome to National Poetry Month! Read all about it, and find some related picture books and activities, at these links:

• Picture Books for Young Poets (2 Parts) (2009 posts)

• Poets.org.

• Scholastic.

 Here are some other poetry-related posts:

• A World of Water, part 4

• No Place Like Home

• Book to Garden Connections

• Father's Day Read Alouds: Boys, Men, and Insects

• One Powerful Picture Book

Are You Giving Your Toddler a Recipe for a Wonderful Life?

The sooner children are exposed to a wide variety of books and healthy foods, the more likely it is that they will become essential ingredients in their recipe for life. They watch and listen to everything those around them say and do.

The French Fry Lesson

"I don't eat vegetables," Oliver told Grandpa. "I only eat french fries." ~Oliver, the picky eater, in Oliver's Vegetables, by Vivian French (author) and Allison Bartlett (illustrator).

Tell that to someone who tends a very large garden.

This grandpa is a very clever man indeed. Since Oliver was spending the week with him, he decided to let him have his French fries. That is, if Oliver could find potatoes in the garden! Until then, he would have to try something else he found, without moaning and groaning.

Little does Oliver know, potatoes aren't so easy to find in a large garden. And so...

Of Picky Eating and Avid Reading

"I think it's nice that there are all different kinds of lunches and breakfasts and dinners and snacks. I think eating is nice." ~Albert, a friend of Frances, toward the end of Russell Hoban's Bread and Jam for Frances.

I have fond memories of reading this particular picture book with my children. As there are many picky eaters in this world, it has wide appeal.

If you're the parent of a child who wants to eat the same thing every day, or worse, for every meal and snack, like Frances does, you've got to get your hands on this book! Well, if you haven't already. It's not like it's a new one. Oldies are goodies, though, aren't they? We've got to keep them alive and kicking.

Snack for the Mind: Take a Picture Book Break!

Many of us have at least one children's book that we keep coming back to. You know the one.

It could be the very first one that comes to mind right now, or it could be one you haven't thought about in a while. But it's still there, in your heart.

Spiders, Webs, and Literacy

What's the first picture book that comes to your mind? What was it that made it memorable? Was it the actual book, or the person you were reading it with? Was it the illustrations?

Why do some children's books draw us in right away, while others we struggle to get through?

Rethinking "Don't Worry. Be Happy."

Do you remember that song by Bobby McFerrin? I haven't heard it in a long time, but today's children's book brought it right back into my head. I can hear it so clearly!

While it brings a smile to my face, the title of the song is much easier sung than done. If you worry a lot (and I'm guessing the state of the planet has more than a few more worried than usual), here are two things you can do (in addition to listening to whatever song inspires you) to ease your mind:

Is Sheila Rae Really Brave?

"It suddenly occurred to Sheila Rae that nothing looked familiar." ~Kevin Henkes, author of Sheila Rae, The Brave