• Lists

    24 Best Books for Baby Shower Gifts

    baby shower

    Baby showers are a wonderful way to celebrate the addition to a family! And as a librarian, I will always gift books for the family. In my honest opinion, you can never have too many books and you spend a lot of time snuggling a baby in their first few…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish People I’d Like to Meet

    Top Ten Tuesday

    I’ve been really lucky to meet a lot of amazing authors at conferences across the country. I also “know” a lot of authors, illustrators, and other bookish people on social media. But, for today’s Top Ten Tuesday post, I pulled together a list of people I’d love to meet and…

  • Lists

    12 Middle Grade Titles Set at Sea

    mindfulness

    Whether you love the rocking of the waves or you get seasick just thinking about it (sorry about that!) these 12 middle grade titles set at sea are sure to have you yearning for a trip to the water. When I pull together book lists about specific topics or themes,…

  • Lists

    9 Books Inspired by The Magician’s Elephant

    elephant

    Kate DiCamillo is an author whose books I will read no matter what they’re about. She has a way with words that is absolutely beautiful. And Kate can delve into tough topics in an age-appropriate way that just works. Her book, The Magician’s Elephant is being made into a movie…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Art Heist Middle Grade Mysteries

    Top Ten Tuesday

    In today’s blog post for Top Ten Tuesday, we had the chance to choose a “genre freebie.” And I’ll tell you how I ended up in sharing books in this tiny little niche of a sub-genre – art heist middle grade mysteries. When I sat down to choose a genre,…

  • Lists

    12 Mindfulness Books for Parents, Caregivers, & Teachers

    mindfulness

    I think just about everyone can benefit from a little mindfulness! “Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens” (Greater Good Magazine). This is often easier said than done, but with anxiety, high levels of stress, and mental…

  • Lists

    12 Read-Alikes for the I Survived Series

    wilderness mountain with towering pine trees

    Today I’m sharing 12 Read-Alikes for the I Survived series. The I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis is a popular one in my library. At just over 100 pages, these books are quick reads that bring history to life in action-packed text. And now they’re also being re-released as graphic…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Heroes & Heroines

    Top Ten Tuesday

    Today’s theme Favorite Heroines got adjusted just a little to Favorite Heroes & Heroines so that I could share some of my favorite middle grade fantasy titles! I tend to claim that I’m not much of a fantasy reader, but in truth, I am. I’ve found that I can find…

  • Lists

    2023 CLEL Bell Award Winners

    play blocks

    The CLEL Bell Awards are announced annually by the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL). Five books are awarded “in recognition of five high-quality picture books that provide excellent support of early literacy development in young children.” CLEL doesn’t just award books an award. They also create early literacy activity…

  • Lists

    2022 CYBILS Award Winners

    trophy and medal

    The CYBILS or Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards were presented on Valentine’s Day (or February 14th). And with a crazy week at work, I’m finally getting a chance to sit down and check out all the winners this year! The CYBILS “aims to recognize the children’s and young…