Book Bits, March 17th, 2014
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! First, we must congratulate DL for winning the Freddie Ramos giveaway! During the month of March, we’re focusing on high interest reads. Two groups that the folks in the industry often talk about are boys (“boys don’t read”) and diversity (“where are the books for ‘diverse’ kids?”); the claim is that…
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Ukraine: Lessons in Liberty and Compassion, Pt. 2
Last week, we began our Ukrainian series with a personal reflection from our executive assistant, Hayley. Having recently visited orphans in Ukraine, Hayley gave us insight into their situation, which is only made more tenuous by the current political upheaval. And most importantly, she gave us a detailed look at how we (and our kids!) can…
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Librarians’ List: Easy/Leveled Readers, part 1
Oh, those early (slow) reading sessions when your son or daughter labors to sound out each and every phoneme…. It seems to take forever to listen to one page, doesn’t it? And what should they be reading when the process starts to become just a little bit easier for them? Your friendly RedeemedReader librarians have…
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Meet Lulu and Freddie: 2 Terrific Chapter Book Characters (+ a Giveaway)
Ready to move on from Frog and Toad? Henry and Mudge getting too easy for your newly independent reader? Rest assured: Junie B. Jones, Judy Moody, Captain Underpants, and their ilk are not the only new kids on the block. Back in my day, readers would have graduated from Frog and Toad to a book…
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Presidents Day–What the Hayes?
There didn’t used to be a Presidents Day; instead, Americans observed Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Washington (Feb. 22) separately. But since those two had thoughtfully arranged to be born in the same month, and achieve the rank of Best President, and we didn’t want to slight the other 42 (I guess)—why not just slide them…
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Presidents’ Day: a Librarians’ List
Presidents’ Day is one of those weird little holidays: school children rejoice in their day off, and lots of people don’t give it another thought. Lincoln and Washington both have birthdays this month, but we thought we’d broaden our focus on this list to include the Presidents in general and a couple in particular. Below,…
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Book Bits (February 10, 2014)
Lots of interesting little links and tidbits for you today in our weekly Book Bits feature (formerly Web Newberys)! Please remember that we do not necessarily endorse every book listed through these links. Rather, these are interesting ways to see what the nation is reading, what book trends are circulating, and other oddments we bibliophiles…
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Valentine’s Day
As Christians we are called to practice so many forms of love besides the romantic kind. Themes for Valentine’s Day can be broadened to emphasize kindness in all kinds of human relationships, from friendly to intimate. Whether or not chocolate is involved, it is worth taking time to enjoy expressing the unique gift of love…
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Award-Winning Science Picture Books
The Animal Book: a Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest—and Most Surprising—Animals on Earth, by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, 208 pages. Age/interest level: 6-up. Steve Jenkins has made a name for himself writing about specified corners of the animal kingdom (see our review of The Beetle Book) and illustrating them with…
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The Spiritual World of The Hobbit + Giveaway
(Giveaway is now closed) The ever-increasing popularity of Middle Earth has brought a profusion of books written about both J. R.R. Tolkien and his created world. The recent Hobbit movies have focused this popularity on Tolkien’s prequel to The Lord of the Rings. Those who love to read about the unexpected journey of Bilbo Baggins…
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