I attended the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat this weekend in Cincinnati. My favorite part of the event was the presentation by inspirational authors Becky Wade and Dani Pettrey. While speaking to us about planning, writing, revising, and publishing a book, Becky illustrated the creation of a novel with M&Ms. When I asked for permission to …
Just For Kids
#ibelieveinbookfairies
This summer, thanks to a couple of friends, I discovered The Book Fairies, a community of book lovers from around the world who have the desire to share books with others. From the website, I learned The Book Fairies launched in March 2017, and there are currently readers in “over 100 countries involved, from New …
United Through Reading
With Memorial Day memories fresh in my mind, I look ahead and begin preparations for our family’s 4th of July festivities. In addition to cookouts, parades, and sparklers, we will make our annual Independence Day donation to the United Service Organizations (USO). We receive USO mailings on a regular basis, and through one of these packets, I learned …
Chipotle-Inspired “Two Minutes About” Writing Prompt
While at the mall with my daughters last spring, we grabbed lunch at Chipotle in the food court. As the girls dug into their soft tacos, the print on the brown paper bag caught my eye. Tears blurred the words as I read “Two Minutes About Sardines” by Fue Xiong. The author describes the last meal his family ate on their final …
Story Quilts
Last year, my daughter’s fifth grade reading class was assigned a historical fiction quilt project. Impressed with this assignment, I immediately started brainstorming how this project could be modified, specifically for younger readers. My daughters love to read. They often like to write stories and draw pictures. If you know kids like mine, this could …
Blackout Poetry
My 11-year-old daughter and I attended Books by the Banks in Cincinnati this October. When we entered the Author Pavilion, she rushed over to meet Chris Grabenstein, the author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. Both of my girls were drawn to the book by the challenging puzzles that were woven into the story. After …
What’s Your Superpower?
As students in our school district geared up for Homecoming, our middle school organized Spirit Week. One day they dressed up in clothing from a specific decade. The next day they wore crazy hats. On the third day, their costumes were inspired by a favorite Disney character. They wore school colors on Friday to show …
Back to School Scavenger Hunt
Background vector designed by Freepik Now that most schools are back in session and many homeschoolers are diving into their curriculum, I thought it would be fun to create a Back to School scavenger hunt for young readers. Head to a store or bump around the internet (with adult supervision, of course) to search for …
A Visit with Suzanne Woods Fisher
Several years ago, my daughter received the first book in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series by Suzanne Woods Fisher and Mary Ann Kinsinger. While at the library, she discovered the other three books in the series. She borrowed the books several times that summer and took them everywhere. After we purchased a set for …
Bottle Buddies
While schools are preparing to open their doors for the first day of a new academic year, many parents and caregivers are scrambling for fresh ways to entertain their kids. My mom retired from teaching fifth grade several years ago. I remember Bottle Buddies being one of her favorite reading projects. Each year, she asked …