Archive for 2015
Traditional Toys are better for language development than gadgets.
December 31, 2015
A new Study http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2478386 builds on a growing body of research suggesting that electronic toys and e-books can make parents less likely to have the most meaningful kinds of verbal exchanges with their children. The findings raise questions about whether electronic playthings make it less likely that babies will engage in the verbal give-and-take with […]
Reading aloud and talking to children makes for a stronger brain.
December 18, 2015
Early childhood experiences have long lasting consequences for children’s long-term social, emotional and cognitive development. Early childhood experiences cast a lifelong shadow. Education does not begin at school. It certainly does not begin at kindergarten. It actually begins at birth. Brains develop biologically. Major brain stimulation occurs in the first months and first years of […]
Thanksgiving every day of the year.
November 22, 2015
I can’t help thinking of William Steig at Thanksgiving. In addition to the fact that he was born in the month of November, I thank him year round for igniting my passion for children’s literature. His books showed me how extraordinary a book for children could be—with language that soars, pictures that captivate, and stories […]
Stories help us hang on to our humanity.
November 16, 2015
The recent attack by terrorists on the people of Paris was an act of brutality. The attack was an act of inhumanity; The following story is one man’s response to the atrocity— his music was his effort to help restore humanity, those qualities that make us human, mortality, compassion, and kindness. In an extraordinary gesture, […]
Celebrate the freedom to read
November 9, 2015
Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. The story behind why a book is challenged or banned is fascinating and merits attention. What is often overlooked or just not spoken of, is the all too often practice […]
