Housecleaning encore

A 2010 summer reading list, Aok teacher's calendar site, About.com's link to public libraries (fun reading ROAR, NYC's newsletter and calendar), Pediatrician's importance of reading to toddlers article, Columbia's Go Ask Alice info site, Carol Hurst which I think I must have as a sidebar, somewhere? iEmily.com health of all kinds questions and info for girls...,Medline great bereavement site with links for families and children, Family Education book lists broken down by age, Great extensive list and links of kid's magazines, extensive hispanic/Latino list of books and what else, more lists.

Some housecleaning

Going through my "faves" to clear up stuff, half of which I think I have had since library school and am loathe to just delete - so let me toss it all, over time, here Lyre's links to good links, the kids on the web many links, extensive links to authors site here, the zero to three page for child development, Over at Infoplease, list of best-selling hc children's books of all time up to year 2000, The Five Owls site, Enchanted Learning's pond site printouts (why do I have this? Well, we are near two large ponds we call lakes so..., Authors among us - librarians who are authors page, About.com's picture book directory, and I have run out of steam for now...

Harry Potter musings

I like this book a great deal...under Landmark books, what she writes about J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books is spot-on for me: "I am deeply grateful to J.K. Rowling ...I feel immensely lucky that they (children) all got to participate in the birth of a landmark...as I looked around that night (a midnight book store party for HP books)...I saw many parents with their eyes shining with tears, just as mine were. We were all feeling the awesome power of a book bringing us together. The brilliance of HP, in addition to many other things, was that it was the story of a young boy who had already experienced a huge amount of loss in his life, but by going to a magical place, Hogwarts, he was able to recapture magic, and therefore childhood. The upside-down common sense of that, that you have to grow up in order to recover childhood, was sheer genius. In addition...this author recognizes the innate wisdom of children, their sense of justice, and themes that are not easy to grapple with...the books were a balm for a post 9/11 world."

It goes on and I certainly am not being timely with my HP posting, but I, too was so grateful my older children were able to have Harry Potter in their childhood...that kind of getting lost in another world wonderful - as well as introducing so many children to the power of reading...

Amelia Island Mermaid

I can find mermaids anywhere!

Round up

Why do children like the macabre and scary? I can almost picture the sweet Damien-like face of the tot "wolf going to eat the baby, mommy...". Elizabeth Kennedy has this nifty click-on calendar over on About.com....
No big-fisted angry parents in YA lit (the most terrifying adults seem to be inside children's books like the guy living in the shack in Appelt's The Underneath...)
Raising a Reader Tips never unwelcome to my filebox (which essentially is this blog since I am a horror at updating it for actual timely readers).
And I just get a kick out of this barebones assorted fingerplays blog...someone who is even more - oh hell, it's my filebox and deal with it - than I am....
head on over to Sun pours down for a cool photo.

In memory of Moky

I have loved this book by one of my favorite author/illustrators, Alice Provensen (the Maple Hill Farm books - A Year at Maple Hill Farm and the animal friends of MHF remain family favorites).
Murphy the dog in this book, is funny and lovely and feisty and always in trouble - much like our beloved dog, Moky, who recently and unexpectedly died. There is only one Murphy. There was only one Moky.

The helican

which is the punchline to a silly poem my Dad liked. Still half in Florida, half here. Will be updating soon and posting more Florida photos here and over on Sun pours down like honey blog.