Today is the release day of Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh, a middle grade historical novel about nine-year-old Maria Singh who longs to play softball. To celebrate, we interviewed author Uma Krishnaswami to find out more about her writing process and her inspiration behind Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh.
Tag Archives: children’s books
Martí’s Song for Freedom Activity Guide
In celebration of National Poetry Month, Emma Otheguy, the author of the forthcoming title Martí’s Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos por la libertad created an amazing activity guide for readers. Modeled after a poem by José Martí, readers can create their own poem after reading his inspirational story as well as excerpts from his seminal Versos sencillos.
10 Children’s Books that Celebrate Earth Day
Saturday, April 22nd is Earth Day, an internationally recognized day that celebrates the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. To honor Earth Day and celebrate National Poetry Month, we gathered ten poetry books that are inspired by the joy and wonder of being outdoors and that bring the sight and sounds of nature to life.
Celebrate International Jazz Day with Viola Davis
For your next read aloud, how about adding in some lively rhythms of New Orleans jazz and an award-winning storyteller?
Interview: Writing Haiku With Curtis Manley, Author of The Crane Girl
The Crane Girl, released last month, is an adaptation of a popular Japanese folktale about the power of friendship and kindness to transform lives. Told in both haiku and prose, The Crane Girl follows young Yasuhiro who rescues an injured crane in the woods one night. The next day, a mysterious girl appears at his door. She offers to weave silk for Yasuhiro and his father to help them with money, but eventually the father’s greed has a life-changing effect on them all.
To celebrate National Poetry Month, we asked author Curtis Manley to take us through his writing process when it comes to haiku, poetry, and The Crane Girl. Continue reading
10 Children’s Books That Celebrate World Water Day
Wednesday, March 22nd is World Water Day, an internationally recognized day started by the United Nations in 1992 to celebrate water and those who labor in water. To honor one of Earth’s most precious resources, we’ve gathered ten titles that will help readers discover the power of water and how it supports all kinds of life on Earth.
Judging Books by Their Covers
Today we are pleased to share this guest post from L
ibrarian and Diversity Coordinator Laura Reiko Simeon on the power of book covers.
Webinar: Using Multicultural Children’s Poetry to Inspire Poetry Appreciation
Does your National Poetry Month reflect our nation? Learn how to find and use multicultural and diverse poetry in your classroom!
Join Lee & Low Books for a free webinar with Share My Lesson’s 5th annual Ideas & Innovations Virtual Conference, March 14-16, 2017.
Get ready for inspiring an appreciation for verse and encouraging your students to write poetry themselves!
Black History Month Spotlight: William “Doc” Key
As February comes to an end, we round out Black History Month with a spotlight on William “Doc” Key, a self-taught veterinarian who taught his horse Jim Key how to read, write, and calculate math problems. Teaching a horse these skills might sound preposterous, but Doc was able to nurture Jim’s ability through kindness, patience, and empathy. Together they traveled throughout the United States and impressed audiences with Jim’s amazing performances. In the process, they broke racial barriers and raised awareness for the humane treatment of animals.
Here’s what Donna Janell Bowman, author of Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness, had to say about William “Doc” Key’s legacy and the amazing duo’s story:
Teaching Tolerance and Anti-Bullying
Want to foster empathy and tolerance?
Through Booklist, we recently explored how to use culturally responsive titles in a library’s tolerance and anti-bullying units and book collections.