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June 6, 2007

A Fuse#8 Productions

A Fuse#8 Productions - A librarian at the New York Public Library's The Donnell Central Children's Reading Room, fusenumber8 is a prolific blogger and reviewer plus a lot of fun to read. Her interests are wide ranging, (just about anything to do with children's books), her commentary direct, her wit tart. Enjoy.

Bottom Shelf Books

Bottom Shelf Books - Authored by Minh Le, in Washington, D.C. this one is a lot of fun. His reviews and commentary are witty and racy. Not to everyone's genteel taste perhaps but I certainly appreciate his slightly off angle and off-color perspective. If I knew how to link to a particular place in a blog I would. In the meantime, try this alternative review of Mike Mulligan and his steamshovel as a sample of Le's style:

Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel Mary Anne are the toast of the town until the arrival of gasoline, electric, and diesel shovels render them obsolete. Unable to find work, Mike and Mary Anne move to a small town in search of employment.

Children, repeat after me: Karma's a bitch. As you may recall, the steam engine is what put folk hero John Henry out of commission. The legendary steel-drivin' man died after defeating the steam engine in a race. While Henry won the battle, his death meant that the steam engine won the war. Actually, the steam engine didn't win the war, because the industrial revolution is a heartlessly efficient devourer of souls and steam engines like Mary Anne eventually get replaced, joining John Henry in the dustbin of history.

Mary Anne's descent may be a case of poetic justice, but hers is a struggle that we can all relate to. Everyone strives to prove that they are special... but no matter how hot you are, something new will eventually come along to make you yesterday's news. Just ask Jennifer Lopez.

So kids, take note: Everyone eventually gets trampled by the steady march of time. You're young and cute now, but once that new baby comes along... well, you better start learning your multiplication tables or excel in a sport because you can't get by on your cuteness anymore. Welcome to the real world, punk. Now stop crying and get a job.


June 14, 2007

A Blog of Bosh

A Blog of Bosh - Covers Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Edward Gorey, James Thurber, Peter Newell and other practitioners of Nonsense literature.

A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy

A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy - "A discussion of books, movies, and TV shows; with an emphasis on books for children and teens. And whatever strikes my fancy at the moment. Cheetah is my seven year old niece; Peter Parker is my four year old nephew."

The scope of the blog is broader than just children's literature but that is it's cornerstone. Lot's of reviews and poetry. Substantially oriented to the front-list of books.

Annie's Books

Annie's Books - A library director's blog with lots of reviews, especially Young Adult.

Big A, little a

Big A, little a - a review rich blog by the editor of the online children's literature monthly The Edge of the Forest.

Book Buds reviews and more

Book Buds - reviews and more covers it. Lot's of material.

Book Moot

Book Moot - A miscellany of commentary, author discussions, reviews, etc.

BooksForKidsBlog

BooksForKidsBlog - "A blog which offers book reviews for young people of preschool to high school ages by a children's librarian with decades of experience in reading guidance."

Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken Spaghetti - A fun mix of reviews, commentary on doings in the book eco-system, and some nice hands-on observations of particular books with particular children. Plus - Chickens!

GottaBook

GottaBook - "Thoughts, opinions, and ramblings about (broadly) children's literature from my perspectives as a writer, parent, and volunteer elementary school librarian. Oh yeah, and poetry of all sorts... with lots and lots of Fibs."

Here in the Bonny Glen

Here in the Bonny Glen - A reflective blog in a holistic fashion on family, learning, home-schooling; and books are in there as well.

Jen Robinson's Book Page

Jen Robinson's Book Page - "Promoting the love of books by children, and the continued reading of children's books by adults." Lots of general bookish commentary and reviews, with particular focus on literacy and raising kids who love books.

Kat's Eye Journal

Kat's Eye Journal - "Musings, rants, and raves on writing, balancing work and family, and life after the MFA."

MotherReader

MotherReader - "The heart of a Mother. The soul of a Reader. The mouth of a smartass." And also a librarian working with children in a public library.

Occassionally sharp tongued perhaps, but I couldn't agree more with her observation "One of the bestselling preschool books of recent times was Walter the Farting Dog. At the same time, the American Library Association named as one of its best books Michael Rosen's Sad Book, a book in which Mr. Rosen talks about his despair over the death of his son. I believe that, for most of us, what we want lies somewhere between a flatulent canine and overwhelming grief."

Scholar's Blog

Scholar's Blog - "Blog for an English independent scholar of fantasy fiction. WARNING: I will post commentary about books in which I am interested and I may include spoilers, so if you do not like spoilers, do not read this Blog !"

Wands and Worlds

Wands and Worlds - "Fantasy and science fiction for children and teens."

wayfarers all

wayfarers all - "children's literature, childhood and culture (and anything else that strikes my fancy)."

wood s lot

wood s lot - OK, not technically children's literature focused but touching on all the things that I think are important in a child's world - art, beauty, poetry.

August 14, 2007

The Magic Web Mythology and Folklore

John Adcox's website with a plethora of folktale and mythology links.

August 18, 2007

Cheryl Rainfield

Cheryl Rainfield is an author with a couple of short stories published and various manuscripts in different stages. Her blog description is reasonably comprehensive: "My love of books is what this blog is about. I love sharing good books and resources on finding books, finding out about books, all things related to books, and connecting with other people who like to read and talk about the books they love."

The blog is visually very attractive, links to many other relevant blogs and sites and most importantly is just plain interesting. Well worth a click over to visit. She also maintains a site, Love Yourself, which in turn has a great library of her reviews (check under the Free Stuff for Writers tab and select either Teen Booklists or Picture Book lists).


September 25, 2007

Your Fairy Bookmother

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

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 mindy's book journal

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

January 17, 2008

Saints and Spinners

Saints and Spinners is the blog of Farida Dowler. Ms. Dowler has a particular focus on trickster stories as well as stories told through song. She has also has a pleasant sense of humor - See her series on the blog, Children's Books That Never Were, starting with Angus Lost (platypus edition).

September 4, 2009

PBwithJ

A mother reads to her five year old at PBwithJ and provides a one or two paragraph summary on the books read. 20-40 new books a month. A nice clean site: A picture of the book, a summary, an assessment of age level and identification of a couple of key themes.

March 18, 2010

Literacy Lava

Literacy Lava - Reading tips from Australian author Susan Stephenson.

A Book and a Hug

A Book and a Hug by Barbara Langridge.
I created abookandahug.com to help you find a book for your child. It's important to match children up with books they want to read. It can make all the difference in the world if you can figure out his or her "reading personality." So, just who is your child and what does your child look for in a book? A Books For Boys page is coming soon to help you define your boy in book terms. A Books For Girls page will follow on its heels.

Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile

Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile - Reviews from a baby bookworm.

March 22, 2010

Literacy is Priceless

Literacy is Priceless
Welcome to Literacy is Priceless! As a literacy and technology enthusiast, I am always sharing fun and free digital tools, reading and literacy resources with my colleagues and friends. This blog is my attempt to share useful ideas, activities and downloads with educators and life-long learners across the globe.

Random Jottings of a Book and Opera Lover

Random Jottings of a Book and Opera Lover
A newly retired, ex-commuting book and opera-aholic personal assistant living in the oldest recorded town in the UK, Colchester

BooksForKidsBlog

BooksForKidsBlog
A blog which offers book reviews for young people of preschool to high school ages by a children's librarian with decades of experience in reading guidance.

New Hero

Oh, my! I have a new hero. I just came across Hans Rosling, a Swedish professor, who loves data and explores how we can gain more knowledge from the data that abounds. Here is a video of one of his presentations on the changes in the global economy in the past forty years. Hans Rosling's site is GapMinder. Excellent stuff.

Saffron Tree

Saffron Tree >br>
Saffron Tree brings to you an eclectic mix - children's books from India and the US, and pretty much all over the world that will help children connect to their cultural roots and also appreciate other cultures....


Mother Reader

Mother Reader
One of the bestselling preschool books of recent times was Walter the Farting Dog. At the same time, the American Library Association named as one of its best books Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, a book in which Mr. Rosen talks about his despair over the death of his son. I believe that, for most of us, what we want lies somewhere between a flatulent canine and overwhelming grief.

A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy

A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy
Liz B. began Tea Cozy in 2005. What is Tea Cozy? It's a discussion of books, movies, and TV shows; with an emphasis on books for children and teens. Guest contributors sometimes join in the conversation.

Parents and Kids Reading Together

Parents and Kids Reading Together
An experienced author, presenter and literacy expert for over 13 years, Mrs. Miller focuses primarily on the important world of children and family literacy. Her expertise as a writer and communicator also lends itself of consulting on business writing and communication. You can visit her at www.readingisforeveryone.org

The Book Whisperer

The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller.
Donalyn Miller is a 6th grade language arts teacher in Texas who is said to have a "gift": She can turn even the most reluctant (or, in her words, "dormant") readers into students who can't put their books down. Donalyn is the author of The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child (Jossey-Bass/Education Week Press). She first appeared in teachermagazine.org in the popular"Creating Readers" Ask The Mentor column. She writes about how to inspire and motivate student readers, and responds to issues facing teachers and other leaders in the literacy field.

March 23, 2010

Book Aunt

Book Aunt
As an English major in college, I used to study in the children’s book section of the university library because it felt like I was among friends. Since then, I’ve achieved my dream of having a home office lined with bookshelves full of children’s books, and I am also a children’s book writer. For a quick look at who I am, read this poem by James Stevenson, "Why": "Why is it/While other people/Are thinking about all kinds of/Important things.../I am thinking about/What it would be like/To jump barefoot/Into an open box/Of jelly donuts?"

Book Nut

Book Nut
The assorted book reviews (and other mostly book-related things) of a Stay-Home Mom with Four Daughters who has an Avid Love of Reading but is cursed with a Bad Memory. She hates wandering the stacks at the library and/or the bookstore looking for something good to read and so thrives off of recommendations.

Educating Alice

Educating Alice
I’m Monica Edinger and this blog of mine is about teaching, my life’s work; literature, especially that created for children; history, especially as it is taught to and learned by children; Africa, especially Sierra Leone where I was a Peace Corps Volunteer; educational technology (say student blogging ); and other sundry topics as they come to my attention.

StorySpace

StorySpace
storytelling-exploring new ideas in travel,history culture and ...stories that make us...

Mama Writers

Mama Writers
Being a mom and a writer is hard, and the only other people who know just how hard are other Mama Writers. We want you to know that you have a place to come where you belong, where you can feel like part of a real community. And that’s something very special.

March 25, 2010

Welcome to Mitali's Fire Escape!

Welcome to Mitali's Fire Escape!
a safe place t chat about books between cultures

Literacy Launchpad

Literacy Launchpad
Reflections of an Emergent Literacy Teacher


I.N.K.: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids

I.N.K.: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids
Here we will meet the writers whose words are presenting nonfiction in a whole new way. Discover books that show how nonfiction writers are some of the best storytellers around. Learn how these writers practice their craft: research techniques, fact gathering and detective work. Check out how they find unusual tidbits, make the facts interesting and write something kids will love to read. Explore how photos and illustrations are integrated with the text to explain an artist's vision of the world. Consider what subjects are flooding the market and what still needs a voice. Rethink nonfiction for kids.

Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves

Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves
Obsessively seeking children's books of old to share with my son.

Reading to Know

Reading to Know
Welcome to my biblioblog! I'm Carrie, a stay-at-home mom who enjoys reading and reviewing books.


Bright-Kids

Bright-Kids
Educational and fun ideas for children and families

March 26, 2010

A Year of Reading

A Year of Reading
Two teachers who read. A lot.
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