Tag: picture books

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What Do The Different Book Awards Mean?

Have you ever looked at a book title, noticed an award on the front cover, and wondered what exactly it meant? A shiny gold medal on the front is really cool, but if you don’t know the meaning, what merit does it have? 

I’ve fallen victim to this myself! I see library books on the shelves and think, “Oooh this one has an award on the front, it’s probably a great one to read!” and typically, it is! But what does the award even mean? What are the different awards? How do they compare to one another? 

Here’s a list of each of the awards, and each week I’ll be doing a deeper dive into each one. I could fit them all into one post, but I feel like each of them deserve plenty of space and their own designated post so that we don’t have to skip out on details! They’re all unique and remarkable in their own way and don’t deserve to be given any less than the best. 

The awards I will be covering are: 

Pulitzer Prize Award
Caldecott Award
Newberry Medal Award
Booker Prize
Goodreads Choice Awards
National Book Award
Women’s Prize for Fiction
PEN/ Faulkner Prize
Edgar Award

Is there an award missing on this list that you’d like to see highlighted? Let me know and I’ll add it to my list! 

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How Our Summer Reading Bingo Went

Earlier in the summer I posted a free Summer Reading Bingo printable that I made quickly for my daughter and myself to enjoy over the summer months and shared it with all of you. I also printed out a few copies and put them in our local library for our community to enjoy! Many kids used the bingo chart and the library even generously supplied them with stickers and suckers when they got a bingo! 

At our house, the bingo chart was a fun, low-pressure way to promote summer reading. I never offered an incentive, just the idea of getting bingo was incentive enough! 

We spent our summer days reading in trees, pulling out books at meal times, and finding new books to hit all of our new genres to try. My child would go for weeks without even acknowledging the bingo page and then she would go several days trying to accomplish as many as possible. 

It was all child-led and at her speed. It was a beautiful relationship that fostered her own love for reading! 

We’ve had so many friends interested in another reading bingo that we’ll be posting a new fall/back-to-school reading bingo in the coming months! I’ve also started some quick brainstorming for a Christmas reading bingo as well. 

Thanks for coming along on this ride with us, here’s to more independent, self-motivated reading kids!

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Back To School Picture Books

Back to school is approaching (or has approached?) for many! We are about a month away from starting school and I know several schools have either started or will be starting soon as well. We’ve been pulling out back-to-school picture books in our house to get us prepped for the big day. These books are not only great for reading at home before school starts, or to read to your class on the first day of school.

How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan

We love the “How To” series, the humor of this book gives the first day of school a fun, exciting vibe.

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

This book comes from one of my favorite authors. I love the inclusivity and perspective of this book.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Also a favorite author in our house. This book has a soft spot in my heart because it was the book my first-grade teacher read to the class on the first day of school (back in 1999!)

School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex

This perspective shift the book is written in makes it captivating and fun.

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Picture Books for Independence Day

Happy Independence Day! We’re celebrating the holiday in our favorite way… With picture books, of course! Here are a few we’ve read this year to learn more about Independence Day and what it means to America. 

Red, White, and BOOM! By Lee Wardlaw

What Is America? By Michelle Medlock Adams

F is For Flag by Wendy Cheyette Lewison

My Fourth of July by Jerry Spinelli 

Stars, Stripes, and Smiles by Tex Stanly 

Cover Photo by: Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blur-bright-celebrate-celebration-236243/

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Picture Books We Are Currently Reading on Repeat

Here are a handful of books we are currently loving: 

Roy’s Pancake Problem by Hailey Hall 

A fun book about a little boy that loved creating new pancakes every day, but had to problem-solve when his mom said enough! 

You Are a Beautiful Beginning by Nina Laden 

This is one of those books that make you tear up when you read it because you know the words are so very true and you can only hope your students are internalizing them. 

underGROUND by Denise Fleming 

It’s not springtime without digging in the dirt and finding bugs! This book is great for those dirt-digging, bug-loving kids! 

Which picture books do you have on repeat in your classroom right now?

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Inclusive Mother’s Day Picture Books #BookLove

Celebrating Mother’s Day in schools is not as it was in the 80s and 90s or even in the early 2000s when we read picture books about how excellent mothers are and made a cute craft to send home specifically to moms.

Families come in so many different shapes and sizes today, which is exciting and amazing! It may mean during these holidays with your littles, more conversations can and will come up about everyone’s specific family dynamic. And I’ve always believed that reading picture books can be a great way to learn and start up conversations! So here are some books you may want to include in your reading time.

To celebrate moms in different cultures: Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

For students that have two dads instead of a mom: Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer

For a large variety of different family dynamics: A Family is a Family is a Family by Sarah O’Leary and Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer

A book to celebrate ALL moms! All Moms by Sarah Kate Ellis and Kristen Ellis- Henderson

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Our Town Has a Little Free Library Now!

Our little town of 3,000 people recently had a BIG upgrade. No, not a new stoplight! It’s even better than a stoplight. We are now the proud owners of a little, free library in the park! I told you it was better than a stoplight. 

A high school senior in our area found a need and filled it. Our school demographics here are over 60% low-income and on free and reduced lunch, which can mean limited monetary resources for things like… books. 

My family spent an afternoon in the park where I was able to sit and observe each of the kids and families in the park interact with the little, free library. Most were acting out of curiosity, but all of them took a book out at some point and read at least a few pages- even the teenagers! 

It made my heart happy that we have such an amazing resource here in our town, somewhere we can all come together and bond over literature. 

I also loved that during our outdoor adventure at the park, we were able to pull out a book and read for a bit without having to bring one of our own. 

My family did our part by donating a few books to the little free library after it had been up and running for a few months and needed a good refresh of books.

Benefits of little, free libraries: 

  • Promotes literature in all ages, especially in younger kids
  • Promotes a sense of community and unity
  • Is a great place to donate books
  • Is a great resource to find new books you may not have discovered before 

Does your town have a little free library? Do you take advantage of it?