My lovely hair stylist is having a baby! Yay! Naturally, because I'm me, I had to get her some board books for her sweet pea. Many people like to give books at baby showers. It's a wonderful way to start (or build up) a child's first library! But if there's one thing I know, it's that SOMEONE will show up with a copy of GOODNIGHT MOON or WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE or BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE? I can pretty much GUARANTEE they will get these books, if they don't h

Singing with children seems to be a no-brainer. It's fun, and if you sing a soft lullaby at bedtime, it lulls them to sleep. But singing together has even more great benefits! Singing songs helps children train their ear to hear the many parts that make up words, including rhymes, letter sounds, and syllables. From songs they learn new vocabulary (does anyone talk about their water spout in regular conversation?) and gain background knowledge. It helps with memory, motor coor

Last November, I wrote about why humor is important in children's books, and I promised a post about my favorite titles. Finally, FINALLY, here it is. This is by no means an exhaustive list, because I love SO MANY books that I'm sure I'll leave some out. Also, a caveat: Some of these only kids will find funny. Some of these will make you both laugh. But since kids ARE the target audience here, I'm less worried about you. Sorry, not sorry. I will try to update this periodicall

“Play is often talked about as if it were a serious relief from learning. But for children, play is learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” - Fred Rogers Mr. Rogers knew what he was talking about. Play is how children learn! Through play, they are experimenting, pretending, imagining, using their bodies, practicing interpersonal skills, trying new things, exploring, and so much more. Here are some great picture books that celebrate the work of childhood, WE ALL PLAY

Honestly, I don't know what happened last year. I don't feel like I read... anything? But I did. I just don't remember much. It's been a challenging year, for many of us, I think. Our brains are good at helping us to mitigate stress by making sure we don't remember it well, but that also affects remembering the good things (like great books). So I'm combining all the categories for my list this year because the list will most definitely be shorter. Here's are some 2025 books

*Originally published at In the Writer's Web. Updated 2026.* Most of us have heard of the Caldecott and Newbery medals – children’s book awards that have been around for, well, a VERY long time. But have you heard of the CLEL Bells? No? Take a seat, I’ve got a story to tell. I’ve been a librarian, as of this summer, for 27 years. And in those 27 years, my job has changed quite a bit – in good ways and bad. But one incredibly satisfying way in which it’s changed is in the

2025 was... weird. For many reasons. The country, and indeed, the world, was a big source of stress for most of us, and writing for children didn't always seem like the most important thing to be doing. But we know books, especially books for children, ARE important and our stories are worth telling, so somehow, we persevere. Here's how my year looked: Queries : 2025 was a lighter year for me in terms of queries - only 12 sent. I think that was due to a combination of factors

Before children learn to read on their own, the are building the foundation they will need TO learn to read. One of the things they're developing is their print awareness . Children are beginning to notice words all around them - on signs, in books, on boxes, - and that words have meaning. They're learning, too, how books and print work. There are lots of ways to help your child develop this skill. You can point out words and say what they mean. You can look for signs and ex

Did you know learning about math begins early? I'm not talking learning to add and subtract, I'm talking about foundational math skills ,...