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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.

A sound surprise

April 28, 2008

Not since Eric Carle's The Very Quiet Cricket (Philomel) chirped at me have I been as surprised when I opened a book. More >

A yellow frog? In more ways than one!

April 18, 2008

When I was a kid, a bunch of us would go to the local creek and collect tadpoles. My mother wasn't really keen on the idea, but she always let me watch the tadpoles grow into baby frogs — in the room I shared with my sister. (Now, my sister was another story all together…) Once the babies were developed, we returned them to the same creek. More >

Take me out to the ball game!

April 11, 2008

What combines a smidgen of science, a bit of biography, a taste of poetry, a speck of art, and even a dash of athletics mixed with a whole lot of outdoor fun and can be inspired by an activity that takes place anywhere? America's favorite pastime: baseball, of course! More >

Big words, tough times

April 4, 2008

This week marks the 40th anniversary of one of the saddest events in American history during a particularly difficult period: the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Like other momentous incidents, those old enough to remember this probably can recall what they were doing when they heard the news. More >

What to do on spring break?

March 21, 2008

Recently I read the NCBLA blog, encouraging parents to take their children to an exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. More >

From book to sunflower

March 15, 2008

I'm not into gimmicks in books, frankly. I don't use them with children. They just don't hold up to rough young hands. But it seems though that every time I make a sweeping statement about something, an exception comes up. And a book I recently shared made me rethink my position on gimmicks in books for young children. Could they really be simply special features? More >