Resources

Sylvan Dell Publishing is a small and relatively new press out of South Carolina producing high quality books for younger children. Their tag line is "science and math through literature". Unlike many efforts in this vein, these are good stories that happen to impart knowledge through good writing and superior illustration. The noble intention of imparting knowledge fortunately does not suffocate the story telling.

They have twenty-five titles in print and if you are teaching kindergarten through third graders anything to do with the environment, ecology, animals and marine life, and related topics, it is probably worth visiting their site. They have lesson plans, activity guides and links to related websites, all arranged by title. They also have their titles aligned to various state and federal standards. Finally they also have them measured according to the Lexile, Accelerated Reader and Reading Count measures. We carry their full range of books.

From the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia we have this very useful site outlining the history of Constitution and with numerous links and other resources for kids to learn about one of the more enduring accomplishments of this country, the US Constitution.

Slightly Foxed is a delightful British quarterly publication launched in 2004. As they describe their mission:

Eclectic, elegant and entertaining, Slightly Foxed unearths books of lasting interest, old and new, all of them in print. Each issue contains 96 pages of personal recommendations from contributors who write with passion and wit. Slightly Foxed aims to strike a blow for lasting quality – for the small and individual against the corporate and the mass produced.

Their remit is all literature, not just children's, however, probably 20-30% of their articles either are about children's books or touch on them.

I like the fact that they focus on sustaining attention on lasting quality, and the fact that they often cover children's books. However, their strength is simply excellent and compelling writing. The quality of the essays reflects their choice of contributors and the value of what those contributor's have to say.

Of the many thousands of books I have purchased in my life, I doubt I have ever purchased a book on cooking. And yet I found myself reading an essay some months ago by a contributor recollecting and elaborating on a cooking book from the 50's or 60's. And not just reading the essay but thinking to myself, "I need to keep my eyes open for that book".

If you want great writing about neglected books I highly recommend Slightly Foxed to you.

Your Fairy Bookmother is rich in commentary and practical reviews. "Rachael Vilmar presents news and reviews from the colliding worlds of children's books, young adult books, librarianship, knitting, cooking, and motherhood."

Kids Lit, "Books and More for Children and Teens", is a site rich in reviews, especially in contemporary children's books. The blog is written by Tascha Saecker, a librarian who is the director of a small library in Wisconsin. It is, as she says, a "friendly place where books for children and teens are celebrated."

Propernoun Dot Net is written by a librarian with a rich array of reviews, book news, tidbits about reading, and interesting miscellany.

Two Lives Publishing - Our mission is to publish and distribute quality books for LGBT families. Here you'll find great books (and a few CD's and DVD's) for kids that depict families like theirs, and books that will help LGBT parents with challenges unique to them.

Worth the Trip - K.T. Horning's blog; "I am a librarian and a children’s & young adult literature specialist, and life-long reader of LGBTQ literature. (Christopher Robin was gay, wasn’t he?)"

Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

Safe Schools Coaliton - An international public-private partnership in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth is to help schools - at home and all over the world - become safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Rainbow Babies - The Rainbow Babies vision is to provide a central area for general information on the many aspects of GLBT pregnancies and parenting. We will also provide space for parents or would-be parents to share their stories about their respective paths to parenthood.

Rainbow Rumpus The Magazine for kids with LGBT parents.