In the now 200 years since it was first published, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" has become a beloved staple of many a holiday celebration. You and your family can experience this classic poem in picture books, in oh so many ways! 

For poetry month, check out my new favorite poet. 

Writing at the intersection of politics, race, gender, and class, bell hooks (1952-2021) leaves us with a prolific body of work that also includes marvelous children's books.

Poetry with powerful princesses

The difficult periods of life will hurt, but beauty can still found within them. Katherine May recounts a painful season and the inevitability of sadness in her nonfiction book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times.   

April is National Poetry Month! Here are some collections you can check out to celebrate.

Even with all this free time, it can still be tough to find the motivation to write or get our kids to write. Here are a few of my favorite writing prompts to get the pen to the paper.

Happy New Year! Here are 5 YA books to look forward to in 2020.

Celebrate Native Heritage Month with these 2019 releases.

Although she is perhaps best known as the writer of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood has also written several books for children. Take an opportunity to introduce your child to one of the giants of modern literature by reading some books written especially for them.

If you read May's blog post about the Dury family, here is part II of the series that takes a sharp look at Katharina Dury's 19th-century diary. 

The author of multiple books, Carole Boston Weatherford "mines the past for family stories, fading traditions and forgotten struggles" to write poetry, nonfiction, and picture books that give pride of place to the African American experience.

From famous sonnets to silly limericks, it's time to celebrate - it's National Poetry Month!

The announcement of the Caldecott, Newbery, and other recipients of the American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards is a cause for celebration! Did your favorites win? Or what books will now be on your reading list? Check out our round-up (with links to our collection) below

A fresh new year means it is time to set a fresh new reading goal. Whether you are hoping to finally break 100 books read in a year, or you are hoping to finish at least one book this year, here are a few ways you and I can reach our goals.

Mary Oliver passed away today. She was the first poet that made me appreciate poetry.

Rashad "thaPoet" Rayford shares his reading list for those who wish to further explore activism and civil rights in literature.

Poetry can be just as beneficial as fiction/nonfiction books when it comes to learning how to read. Check out this series to start exploring poetry with your child!

The birthday train rolls on and the music theme continues. 

Billy Collins is back with another thought-provoking collection of words.

The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom called on the United States to hold to its promise of freedom and justice for all, not just for the few. Though we have come far, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of freedom and equality, proclaimed that day, remains to be fully realized. The books below are a good place for preschoolers and other young children to begin learning about the March on Washington, MLK, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement.

Most of us remember laboring through The Odyssey as high school freshmen; we learned at the time that there was another book by Homer—The Iliad—which was about the Trojan War prior to the taking of the City of Troy. If it wasn’t assigned, we didn’t read it, but what an opportunity missed, and how great it is that we can decide to read it as adults!