As a child, my mother always read to me traditional books with moral lessons and never told me that I had to read anything specific according to a test, my given age, or reading level. Instead, she encouraged me to read anything I found interesting and fun and told me that reading was about having fun!
Read moreTHE KID LITERATURE WEBSITE & PARTY BY CARMELA DUTRA
Introduction by Little Bear: Our friends at KID LITERATURE are celebrating their ONE-YEAR BIRTHDAY with a week-long PARTY at their BRAND NEW WEBSITE! Join the party and you'll keep coming back for the friends, fun and encouragement! This Website is for independent authors, illustrators, parents, kids and anyone who loves picture books!
Read moreLorenzo's Story by Carmela Dutra and Lorenzo the Bear
While visiting a classroom of second graders I was asked a series of questions. Who is Lorenzo the Bear? Where did he come from? Is he real, or fictional? Will he have more adventures, and stories to tell? All excellent questions...
Read moreWhy I Write and Draw for Children by Kyle Skor
I suppose I could say it came to me first when I was really young. The 64-color box of Crayolas and whatever paper was available at home were inseparable from the idea of daily fun, play, and discovery.
Read moreEloise Greenfield - Rap Star! (:3 - By Little Bear
Our friend, children's book author Eloise Greenfield, has a new Youtube video! She's performing "Nathaniel's Rap," a poem from her book, "In the Land of Words"...
Read morePicture Books in Upper Elementary - By Emily Pickard
I work in a 4th/5th grade classroom and we read picture books every day. It's especially great seeing the 5th grade boys get pulled into the cute pictures in spite of themselves.
Read moreMentor Text: Picture Books That Teach the Craft of Writing in Grades 3, 4, and 5, By Lola M. Schaefer
[Part 2 of author Lola Schaefer's guide to using picture books as mentor texts in classrooms] Picture books are amazing. Not only are they a source of enjoyment and entertainment, but in the hands of a proficient writing teacher, they become so much more.
Read morePicture Books As Mentors: How Beauty and Art Guide Young Writers - By Lola M. Schaefer
[Part 1 of author Lola Schaefer's guide to using picture books as mentor texts in classrooms] We’ve all heard the expression “show, don’t tell.” It’s especially true in teaching. If students discover truths or concepts on their own, they are much more likely to remember and apply these in the future.
Read moreHow Rhythm and Rhyme Impact Learning Language - By Heidrun Worchel
Rhymes have the power to engage us with their pattern of repetition in sound and rhythm. We are encouraged to think along and our mind starts to participate. Perhaps we wonder how will the rhyme end? Can I come up with an ending word of my own?
Read moreA Beautiful Picture Book Time with Curious, Creative, Fun First Graders - By Eloise Greenfield
Last week, I celebrated the beauty of picture books in a program for three first-grade classes, in the library of Shepherd Elementary School in Washington, DC. The children were well-prepared with a love for and an excitement about picture books. Each of the classes surprised me with a dramatic, group performance of one of my poems.
Read morePicture Books Inspire Creativity! - By Martha Rodriguez
I read A Reel Cool Summer to six classes of smart, sweet, curious, silly, beautiful girls in three days. They listened carefully to the story, making mental notes of each detail. They laughed out loud as the characters in the book did, and said, harebrained, ridiculous, funny things.
Read moreCongratulations to Our Friend, Shirley Parenteau! - by Little Bear (:3
Congratulations to Shirley, David, and Bears on Chairs!!! Yaaayyyyyy!!!!
Read moreARE PICTURE BOOKS IMPORTANT? - By Shirley Parenteau
I had barely begun reading my picture book Bears on Chairs in a first grade classroom when a boy in front broke in. “It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “The picture shows four chairs on the first page, but there’s only one chair on the second page. Where are the rest of them? It doesn’t make sense!” ...
Read moreWhy the Library Is Important to My Community - By Ann Page
Since childhood, I have been fascinated with the wonder of books. My parents deserve all the credit for this. I remember my little hand enveloped in my father’s big one as we took our weekly trek to the local library. This is where I learned to borrow what now has accumulated into mountains of books in my lifetime.
Read morePICTURE BOOK MAGIC - By Anna and Audrey Vernick
(This piece was co-written by Audrey Vernick and her daughter, Anna.) AUDREY: My twelve-year-old daughter, Anna, and I are not in the heart of the picture-book demographic. But we both love picture books, read them often, and wanted to weigh in about the role picture books play in our lives.
Read moreLET YOUR IMAGINATION SEE YOUR OWN SONG - By Taylor Collins
These, the compelling ending words at the beginning of Eric Carle’s, I See a Song, led me to choose it as my most favorite picture book. A close second is my other most favorite picture book by Bill Martin Jr.-- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Read moreWHY I LOVE WRITING CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS - By Laura Duksta
When I was about seven or eight years old, I learned two very important things, one, that we're all brothers and sisters, and two, because of that everyone deserves our love, even if we don't agree with or like them. I remember very clearly thinking that I was going to travel then world, meet my brothers and sisters and share this message of love.
Read moreDRAWING UPON PICTURE BOOK MEMORIES - By Doreen Kassel
My love of picture books has influenced all my work. Whether I'm illustrating a book or creating a whimsical 3-D creature or beast, words & images from the books of my youth inspire me.
Read moreBUILDING A LOVE OF READING - By Donya Dickerson
As an editor and writer, I knew that reading would be a big part of my baby’s life. And, yes, as overenthusiastic parents, my husband and I started reading to the bump in my belly quite early, one of our favorite books at this stage being Ma, There’s Nothing to Do Here! And when our daughter Diora was born
Read moreSPECIAL MOMENTS & A LEGACY OF LOVE - By Kay Lindahl
My love affair with books started when I was very young. I still remember sitting on my mother’s lap and listening to her read to me and my older sister, enjoying the closeness and the excitement of the stories.