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Maria Salvadore

Reading Rockets' children's literature expert, Maria Salvadore, brings you into her world as she explores the best ways to use kids' books both inside — and outside — of the classroom.

Awards season – with a few surprises

February 5, 2015

The Newbery and Caldecott (and other Youth Media Awards) were announced yesterday in Chicago at the midwinter conference of the American Library Association. More >

Our Interview with Writer Elizabeth Rusch

January 23, 2015

At a recent conference, I had the chance to meet Elizabeth Rusch, the author of several of “Scientists in the Field” series (a consistently excellent series) — and discovered that I knew many of her other books. They range from picture books to narrative nonfiction with lots in between. I was intrigued and wanted to ask her more questions than time allowed. More >

Arts impact all year

December 18, 2014

When our son was young, a special holiday treat was an outing to see a live performance. Theater, dance, symphony — we tried it all. And during his time off from school, we’d visit art museums all over town. It certainly had an impact on our son but far too many children don’t have easy access to the arts or arts programs for any number of reasons. More >

Humor run amok

December 5, 2014

To quote Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage,/And all the men and women merely players…” Some players take their role too far. They feel that comments must be witty or entertaining, frequently at the expense of others. More >

Losing the magic

November 24, 2014

Ever been amazed by a magic trick? I know I have. After the pure joy of letting the magic wash over me, I often wanted to know how it was done. Sometimes learning how the magic trick worked made me feel like I’d been cheated. Sometimes my appreciation of the magician’s skill increased, making me feel like I was in on a secret. Reading is a lot like magic. More >

Challenge assumptions

October 16, 2014

Challenge assumptions. We all should. I started thinking about the various assumptions held when author Valerie Tripp gave a memorable and thought provoking lecture, the Anne Scott MacLeod Children’s Literature Lecture, at the Library of Congress last week entitled, “Challenging Assumptions.” More >