• Activities

    Storytime Theme: Superheroes (2023 update)

    superheroes family

    As I continue to update some older storytime themes, today we’re focusing on superheroes. The last time I did a superhero storytime lesson plan was in 2016, so it’s definitely been a while! I chose to not use Marvel or DC characters, instead focusing on normal kids and animals with…

  • Lists

    12 Fantasy Middle Grade Graphic Novels

    magic wand

    Fantasy middle grade graphic novels are probably one of the absolute furthest genres and formats of books that I feel like I would enjoy and yet look at this awesome collection of 12 fantasy middle grade graphic novels! These are recently published (think the past three years) and were ones…

  • Lists

    12 Best YA Historical Fiction

    historical header

    Since I was young, I’ve always loved historical fiction and read a lot of it growing up. It can be more difficult to find YA historical fiction as much of YA leans toward fantasy/science fiction and realistic fiction. But, I’ve pulled together a list of titles from backlist to recently…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Are a Treat to Read

    Top Ten Tuesday

    Today is a Halloween freebie for Top Ten Tuesday! And while I was thinking about what to focus on for this week’s theme, I decided to go with a Halloween theme of trick-or-treat and focus on really fun picture books. These ten picture books are fun, interactive titles that will…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Socks (2023 update)

    sock feet

    It’s another update week! This time we’re updating our Socks storytime with some really fun stories and some great songs and activities too! I love wearing socks, so I think could be a really fun program to encourage kids to wear cool socks to the program (and don’t forget your…

  • Lists

    21 Ballet Books for Kids & Teens

    bedtime

    I’ve taken ballet on and off throughout my life. I’m always hopeful that I’ll have way more control over my body than I do! I tend to be very clumsy and often find myself cutting corners too quickly leading me bruised all over. I think ballet is a beautiful art…

  • Lists

    Top Ten Tuesday: Atmospheric YA Reads

    Top Ten Tuesday

    When I saw today’s theme, I started laughing because I had literally just created a list of 9 Atomspheric Middle Grade Titles last week. For today’s list, I decided to focus on YA titles. And while, I’m a scaredy cat when it comes to creepy books, I wanted to pull…

  • Lists

    9 Picture Books for Kids Who Are Afraid of the Dark

    bedtime

    A fear of the dark is not uncommon for kids of varying ages. This book list provides wonderful read aloud options for kids who are afraid of the things that go bump in the night. I don’t remember being afraid of the dark as a kid, I was more afraid…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Robots (2023 update)

    robot

    It’s another update week! Robots is a fun STEM-themed storytime! With a wide variety of titles including fiction and nonfiction, board books, and picture books, this storytime theme can work with a large audience. You can use this as a jumping-off point for a preschool lesson plan about what robots…

  • Lists

    12 Middle Grade Books that Lead to Great Book Discussions

    kids reading

    Books are a great way to discuss big topics, themes, and feelings with kids of all ages. Middle grade students especially like to talk (we know that!) and the books listed below are not only great discussion titles, they’re all great titles period. Whether you’re looking for the fantastical or…