I came across this book while at the Upham’s Corner and fell in love with it instantly!  It was amazing – every page was a new adventure in creation and art.  No wonder it won a Caldecott Honor.  Make sure to check out this book today!

How can you deny the classics – like ANYTHING by Shel. Shel was the man. He wrote a lot – some was good – some was great and very little was terrible. I wish I had met him in real life. This was written in a different time – late 60’s I think – so make sure you read this very funny book about a boy trying to sell you a cheap rhinoceros – all the good points and some of the bad ones… all hilarious but some out of date. Still, a treasure in any child’s library!

I thought this was an appropriate book after what happened in the last blizzard to many of us!  I hope everyone has power back at this point – and if not I hope it won’t be much longer!  The book is a fantastic look into a family’s summer night when they are struck with a power failure!  What does everyone do when they can’t use the computer or the phone?  Read it and find out!

I was talking to Tom, a good friend of mine, who is someone you guys out there might be more familiar with as one of the duo from Toe Jam Puppet Band. (P.S. – If you’ve never heard of the Toe Jam Puppet Band – look up their schedule – they are fantastic!) Tom and I were discussing his recent departure from everything cyber. He wanted to focus on the real things in life. It made me think of this book. A simple but powerful story of what can happen when you stop texting and actually look around once in a while!

As an added bonus – click on the pic of the book above to watch the video trailer for the book!

There are a lot of books about kids in the snow – and this is one of the tops. A big sister has to answer the thousand of questions that her little brother has about snow. My favorite was “What do snowmen eat?” I’ve always thought, if they get really hungry, they can eat their carrot nose.

One of the greatest thrills of the lives we get to lead on this little planet is discovering the wonders this world has to offer. The feeling of realizing WHY something happens is one of the best feelings. This book is a fun way of looking at a creature discovering the wonders of fall and watching the world change around him. Check out this book today!

This fun and interactive book is perfect to showcase the classic Halloween costumes that people wear! Sometimes, when kids, who are otherwise afraid, get used to the idea of seeing masks on people in books it helps in real life too! I found it interesting that Amazon, the link I usually leave for people to purchase books, does not have it in stock – so this time I have left you a link to the Scholastic store. This board book really works well with young readers – so get it today and make storytime a game!

I am sorry I lapsed in showcasing a book of the month! Now that the busy summer has ended I have an opportunity to get back on track! Here is a fantastic book I found while visiting Harwich this past July. I had a great experience visiting France many years ago – I still look back at that time fondly. If you have a chance, take a look at this visually wonderful book!

I can tell that there is maybe a handful of times that books have made me smile after I was finished reading them. This is one of them! Found in a classroom in Bridgewater, right before my show, I had the time to read this tale about a monster who isn’t all that good… at being a monster!

I had such a blast with the children who joined me for the “Building Stories” workshops – and one of the exercises that sparks the most imaginative responses is when they try to come up with a story surrounding an image from “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick”. Well, here, a whole slew of famous authors do just that – they create a story out of one of the illustrations. It’s quite the read! Make sure you try doing this with your children!