Blogs About Reading

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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.

Never Too Young

September 23, 2015

September is National Library Card Sign-Up month – rightly so. Schools are open, but the library card sign-up campaign should be a reminder for parents and caregivers of babies and toddlers that it’s never to early for children to visit libraries.

Let’s Play Ball! Meet Author Fred Bowen

August 31, 2015

I always associate summer with baseball. Many sunny afternoons were spent watching my son play various positions while in elementary and middle school. He learned a lot about life from playing baseball — and soccer, basketball, rugby and football – skills he has used as a young adult.

Smile!

August 13, 2015

There are many things to celebrate in August. Lots of parents celebrate schools soon opening. Commuters appreciate less crowded roads. There’s still time for a summer getaway. And of course, the second week of August has been dubbed National Smile Week!

Showing to tell

July 30, 2015

A graphic novel takes me much longer to read carefully than a text-only book does. Why? I think the pictures slow me down. I need to examine them carefully in order to make meaning from them, what they’re saying, how they interact with the words (if any). The artist is telling a story. And how that story is told is intriguing.

Picture books: poetry in motion

July 6, 2015

I’ve been thinking a lot about picture books and why some work and are memorable while others just land with a thud when read. I continue to ask myself what is it about those picture books that resonate with readers and particularly those that can be shared many times between adults and children, delighting both.

Everyone has a story: an interview with author Karen Deans

June 11, 2015

Karen Deans is an author and an artist who tells stories in several ways. She uses rich language in her books as she reveals lives of interesting women. She is a painter, creating images that capture a mood or a place for the stage. And some of her paintings are just for pleasure to look at every day.