Not breaking news, but motherhood is hard (fatherhood, too; check back next month). Of course it's also all the good stuff — rewarding, gratifying, exhilarating, heartwarming — but easy it is not; and, to borrow from The Princess Bride, "anyone* who says differently is selling something." Mother's Day is this Sunday, May...
The late, beloved Robin Smith's rocking chair. May 2, 2023 is National Teacher Day, with Teacher Appreciation Week falling next week, May 8-12 (it's a weird year!). Please #ThankaTeacher — including teacher librarians, if your district is lucky enough to have them — and remember the extreme difficulties, unique challenges, and seeming near-impossibilities that...
April 30 is El día de los niños / El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), a "celebration of children, families, and reading...that emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds." This year marks the twenty-seventh anniversary of Día — read about its history here and find resources...
Right on the heels of School Vacation Week (a.k.a. Spring Break) here in Massachusetts, we bring you the Horn Book’s annual Summer Reading list! Parents and other caregivers, we suspect you’re saying, “SUMMER reading?!” But bookmark this list or download the PDF — you’ll thank us later. And librarians, teachers,...
I’m back again with further thoughts about the virtues my grandsons’ school district assigns each month, and that grandparents (or reasonable facsimiles thereof) discuss in classroom sessions. I’ve described the fun of reading to a group of first graders who are invariably thrilled to see me. While they're putting away their...
Today is Patriots' Day in Massachusetts, a state and regional holiday that commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the beginnings of the Revolutionary War. It's the day the Boston Marathon is traditionally run, and the start of Spring Break for the public schools. To keep the little ones busy,...
April 10 is National Siblings Day (here is mine; and the picture above is Roger's brother with his bloopah). Here are some booklists and articles that highlight "siblings doing what siblings do best." Find more at Horn Book Family Reading blog; at Siblings tag; and lots and lots more at the Guide/Reviews Database...
When I learned of author-illustrator Amy Schwartz’s recent death, I felt sadness for her family’s loss and regret that the world of children’s books had lost her, as well. Schwartz wrote and/or illustrated more than sixty books, and readers will all have their personal favorites. In my family, there were...
For Transgender Day of Visibility, here are some recently published books — for primary, intermediate, and older readers — from the Guide/Reviews Database that celebrate identities beyond the binary. See also: YA Pride from June 2022 Notes from the Horn Book Out of the Box: Rainbow Reads by Sarah Threlkeld, Jake Koniszewski, and...
413 articles