• Activities

    Storytime Theme: Dogs

    dog

    I’ve been blogging for years and I’ve never posted a dog-themed storytime! How is that even possible? My own dog, Aria, is an absolute handful. She’s a pitbull rescue pup who’s almost ten years old. She’s a smart and anxious dog which often gets her into trouble. But, she’s also…

  • Lists

    2022 Holiday Picture Book Gift Guide

    gift guide

    The holiday season is drawing near and for many people that means gift-giving in abundance! Not surprisingly while I was growing up, my Christmas list often included a list of books. There were often American Girl books on my list to fill out my collection as well as a ton…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Five Senses

    touch

    Here’s another great STEM storytime theme about the five senses. You can do one storytime for all of the senses together or break this out into a series of storytimes focusing on each sense individually. I’ve pulled together a few books about all the senses and one book for each…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Imaginary Creatures

    storytime

    This was so fun to pull together! These picture books about imaginary creatures are absolutely adorable and great read alouds. What I love is that this can be just one storytime with a wide variety of imaginary creatures or you can choose just one creature and find a few more…

  • Lists

    10 Middle Grade Anthologies

    tween posing

    I’m really excited to share this book list with you today! I think anthologies are a great way to introduce readers to A LOT of writers in a very non-threatening way. But, first let me back up a bit and explain what I mean. An anthology is a collection of…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Art

    kids making art

    Art is something that everyone can do! These wonderful titles are a great way to encourage kids’ imagination and creativity with an emphasis on process rather than product. Pair these titles with songs, rhymes, and activities for a very simple storytime that works so well for toddlers and preschoolers. Disclosure:…

  • Lists

    30 Best Books for Beginning Readers

    kids reading

    Learning to read is a big deal for young kids! And finding the right level of books can be difficult and frustrating for everyone. The last thing we want any child to feel is mad, frustrated, impatient, and sad when learning to read. We want kids to feel empowered when…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Days of the Week

    calendar

    I honestly can’t believe that in all the years that I had storytime, I never did a Days of the Week theme. Granted, I worked mostly with young toddlers and not preschoolers, but here we are. Today, I focused on picture books that specifically talk about at least most of…

  • Lists

    20 Chapter Book Read Alouds for Young Kids

    family reading

    More often than not, parents will stop reading aloud when their kids become readers themselves. But they shouldn’t! Reading aloud is such a wonderful way to spend time together as a family! Not only is it great family time, but it can also introduce kids to new vocabulary, teach them…

  • Activities

    Storytime Theme: Colors

    colors

    A classic storytime that could go in so many directions! There are probably hundreds of books about colors for kids out there. Today, I wanted to focus on color mixing, you know, combining primary colors to create secondary colors. And I wanted to share just a few color books that…