National Book Month

Each year in October, National Book Month is observed.  This is a great time to celebrate the joy of reading and emphasize how wonderful opening a book can be.  Here are a few things that you can do to celebrate.

Read a Book – This is the obvious way to celebrate.  Many of us are busy running everywhere to pick up a book.  Make the time to stop and savor a good book.  Maybe even take a weekend and hide so that you can have the peace and quiet to do just that.  If you just cannot make complete reading time because of your schedule, keep a book with you in your purse or car so that you can read a few pages or even a chapter or two while at Junior’s soccer practice or waiting for Jane to come from her piano lesson.  Make a point this month to bring reading back into your life.

Visit the Library – When was the last time you went to the library?  When was the last time you went to the library with your child?  Make National Book Month the time to revisit an old friend and discover what they have to offer.  You can find old classics and the latest bestseller.  They have audio books and movies.

Join a Book Club –  What better way to enjoy National Book Month than to join others who love books.  You can join an online book club, of which there are many, or you can find a local one.  Check your local paper and the library to see which ones are around you.  If you cannot find one, why not start one?  Talk with the library or bookstore to see what they can do to help.

Have a Book Reading – Talk with the local coffee shop and see if you can have a book reading.  What an enjoyable time to have read aloud some poetry or even a classic.  

Book Drive – Too many children cannot afford to own books or do not fully appreciate what can be found in them.  Gather some books that your kids left behind or just don’t read anymore.  Get your friends to join in.  Children will love to get a free book.  There might not be a better way to celebrate National Book Month than this.

Read a Classic – When was the last time you read a classic like JaneEyre or Great Expectations ? TheBlack Stallion?  ToKill a Mockingbird?  If there is a classic you used to love or if there is one you just never read, this is the month to do it.  Let National Book Month be the time to revisit the classics and enjoy TheOld Man And The Sea.  

October is the time to remember how a book feels in your hands and how stories can come alive.  Let National Book Month be the time for you to pick up a book and disappear to another land.

Summer Reading Program Ideas

Summer Reading Programs can be so much fun. Here are some great ideas that you, your school, or your library can use.

Standard – Assign books or have children chime in with the list of books that they read that week. Sometimes a minimum number is assigned to win a prize.

Interactive –  Have a forum for the children to discuss the books. There can be even games regarding the different books.

Classical – Featuring classical works and using the classical (logical) approach.

Advanced – This one can include essays, reports, etc.

By grade level – This can include high school and college preparation.

Subject based – Math, history, science, etc.

Exploratory – Assignments to explore aspects of books (places/theories) to get them to look beyond the book.

Scavenger Hunt – Read books, find items from book in own community and photograph.

For artists –Those are interested in art can combine the subjects by creating a portfolio of drawings from the book.

Multi-age – Geared to those that want multiple ages reading the same book

Family – Discussion ideas for the whole family

Chapter a Day – The family (or parent and child) read a chapter a day and discuss it.

Library Scavenger Hunt – Clues to finding the books and what other resources their libraries have on the subject of the book(s).

Journaling – Daily/weekly journaling topics given for each book being read

Project based – Books with various projects associated with them. For example: Little House on the Prairie could have them build a model log home.

Challenge  - Set goal of books to read.

Community – Public readings or at nursing homes.

This is a small list that is deliberately kept without extreme details. Make them your own and be creative. You'll have so much fun.

Upper Elementary Historical Literature

Are you looking for historical literature to supplement your child's education? Are they in upper elementary levels? It doesn't matter whether you are homeschooling or if your child is in a public or private school. These books can really benefit a child and expand their education.

Here is a list of books just for that age group. The cover the Civil War, the Ancient Civilizations, and more. Check them out.


A House Divided-A Novel of the Civil War (Young Founders) by Elizabeth Massie
A Boy Becomes a Man at Wounded Knee by Ted Wood
A Egyptian Craftsman (Everyday Life Series) by Giovanni Caselli
A Ride Into Morning: The Story Of Tempe Wick (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) by Ann Rinaldi
A Russian Jewish Family (Journey Between Two Worlds) by Jane Mersky Leder
Adventures in the West: Stories for Young Readers (Bison Original) by Susanne George Bloomfield
Airplane Boys on the Border Line by E.J. Craine
Airplane Girls: The Lurtiss Field Mystery by Harrison Bardwell
Ambush in the Wilderness (Adventures in America) by Kris Hemphill
Anna Sunday by Sally M. Keehn
Buried Treasures of New England by W. C. Jameson
Buried Treasures of Texas by W. C. Jameson
Buried Treasures of the American Southwest by W. C. Jameson
Buried Treasures of the Appalachians by W. C. Jameson
Buried Treasures of the Atlantic Coast by W. C. Jameson
Buried Treasures of the Ozarks by W. C. Jameson
Buried Treasures of the Rocky Mountain West by W. C. Jameson
Buried Treasures of the South by W. C. Jameson
Camping With the President by Ginger Wadsworth
David Joins the California Gold Rush (Life on the Prairie) by Linda Sibley
 David's Adventures At The Chicago World's Fair (Cover-To-Cover Novels) by Linda Sibley
Dr. Kane of the Arctic Seas (Exploring the Frozen North) by Pierre Berton
Evangeline and The Acadians by Robert Tallant
 Hell's Gate by Susan Lancaster
In the Shadow of the San Francisco Peaks : Growing Up on the Frontier by Lou Bader
Introduction to Williamsburg by Paul Lackner
The Last of the Mohicans (Stepping Stone Book Classics (Prebound)) by Les Martin
Pharaoh's Boatby David L. Weitzman
Play to the Angel by Maurine F. Dahlberg
River Apart by Robert Sutherland
Steel Across the Shield (Canada Moves West) by Pierre Berton
Sunken Treasure (Reading Rainbow Books) by Gail Gibbons
The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by G. A. Henty
The Deerslayer (Scribner's Illustrated Classics)by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Devil's Arithmetic (Puffin Modern Classics) by Jane Yolen
The Final Journey by Gudrun Pausewang
The Giant Rat of Sumatra: or Pirates Galore by Sid Fleischman
The King of Prussia and a Peanut Butter Sandwich by Alice Mulcahey Fleming
The Mutiny on board HMS Bounty (Illustrated Classics) by John Barrow
The Slopes of War by Norah A. Perez
The Young Carthaginian by G. A. Henty
Two Little Savages (Dover Children's Classics) by Ernest T. Seton
Two Mighty Rivers: Son of Pocahontas (Legend of Pocahontas) by Mari Hanes
Uncle George Washington and Harriot's Guitar by Miriam Anne Bourne
Whispers of War: The War of 1812 Diary of Susanna Merritt by Kit Pearson

The Caldecott Medel

You might have noticed on a children’s book medals that are placed on the cover of the book. Typically, those medals are not read in detail but the fact that they are there signifies that the book you are holding is deserving of your attention. One of those medals is the Randolph Caldecott Medal.

The American Library Association had for years been awarding the Newberry Medal for the most outstanding children’s book that was written in the previous year. It began to be mentioned that many books had illustrations that were just as deserving of recognition as the text. The ALA agreed. In 1937, the Randolph Caldecott Medal was designed and awarded to the book with the most outstanding illustrations.

Named after one of the most respected children’s illustrators in the 1800s, this medal has been awarded each year to amazing books. Many books are nominated for this award, but only one is chosen. Yet, many other books are worthy of acknowledgment. Those books become that year’s Honor Books.

When you see the Randolph Caldecott Medal on the cover of a book, you know before opening the pages that it is an outstandingly illustrated piece. This medal draws your attention and many times can help you in deciding which books to read with your child. Here is a list of the previous winners of the Randolph Caldecott Medal with the illustrator’s name:

1938 - Animals of the Bible- Dorothy P. Lathrop
1939 - Mei Li- Thomas Handforth
1940 - Abraham Lincoln (Dell Picture Yearling Special)- Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
1941 - They Were Strong and Good- Robert Lawson
1942 - Make Way for Ducklings (Live Oak Read-along)- Robert McCloskey
1943 - The Little House Board Book- Virginia Lee Burton
1944 - Many Moons (A Harcourt Brace contemporary classic) (Paperback)- Louis Slobodkin
1945 - Prayer for a Child- Elizabeth Orton Jones
1946 - The Rooster Crows : A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles- Maud and Miska Petersham
1947 - The Little Island (Dell Picture Yearling)- Leonard Weisgard
1948 - White Snow, Bright Snow- Roger Duvoisin
1949 - The Big Snow- Berta and Elmer Hader
1950 - Song of the Swallows- Leo Politi
1951 - The Egg Tree- Katherine Milhous
1952 - Finders Keepers (Voyager)- Nicholas Mordvinoff
1953 - The Biggest Bear- Lynd Ward
1954 - Madeline's Rescue (Viking Kestrel picture books)- Ludwig Bemelmans
1955 - Cinderella- Marcia Brown
1956 - Frog Went A-Courtin'- Feodor Rojankovsky
1957 - A Tree Is Nice- Marc Simont
1958 - Time of Wonder (Picture Puffins)- Robert McCloskey
1959 - Chanticleer and the Fox- Barbara Cooney
1960 - Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico (Picture Puffins)- Marie Hall Ets
1961 - Baboushka and the Three Kings- Nicolas Sidjakov
1962 - Once a Mouse...- Marcia Brown
1963 - The Snowy Day: 50th Anniversary Edition- Ezra Jack Keats
1964 - Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak
1965 - May I Bring a Friend?- Beni Montresor
1966 - Always Room for One More (Owlet Book)- Nonny Hogrogian
1967 - Sam, Bangs & Moonshine (Owlet Book)- Evaline Ness
1968 - Drummer Hoff- Ed Emberley
1969 - The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship: A Russian Tale- Uri Shulevitz
1970 - Sylvester and the Magic Pebble- William Steig
1971 - A Story, a Story- Gail E. Haley
1972 - One Fine Day- Nonny Hogrogian
1973 - The Funny Little Woman (Picture Puffins)- Blair Lent
1974 - Duffy and the Devil (Sunburst Book)- Margot Zemach
1975 - Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale (Picture Puffins)- Gerald McDermott
1976 - Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale- Leo & Diane Dillon
1977 - Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions (Picture Puffin Books)- Leo & Diane Dillon
1978 - Noah's Ark (Picture Yearling Book)- Peter Spier
1979 - The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover))- Paul Goble
1980 - Miss Rumphius- Barbara Cooney
1981 - Fables- Arnold Lobel
1982 - Jumanji 30th Anniversary Edition- Chris Van Allsburg
1983 - Shadow (From the French of Blaise Cendrars)- Marcia Brown
1984 - The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot July 25, 1909- Alice & Martin Provensen
1985 - Saint George and the Dragon- Trina Schart Hyman
1986 - The Polar Express- Chris Van Allsburg
1987 - Hey, Al- Richard Egielski
1988 - Owl Moon- John Schoenherr
1989 - Song and Dance Man- Stephen Gammell
1990 - Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China- Ed Young
1991 - Black and White- David Macaulay
1992 - Tuesday- David Wiesner
1993 - Mirette on the High Wire- Emily Arnold McCully
1994 - Grandfather's Journey- Allen Say
1995 - Smoky Night- David Diaz
1996 - Officer Buckle & Gloria (Caldecott Medal Book)- Peggy Rathmann
1997 - Golem- David Wisniewski
1998 - Rapunzel (Picture Puffin Books)- Paul O. Zelinsky
1999 - Snowflake Bentley- Mary Azarian
2000 - Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Caldecott Medal Book)- Simms Taback
2001 - So You Want to be President? Revised and Updated Edition- David Small
2002 - The Three Pigs- David Wiesner
2003 - My Friend Rabbit- Eric Rohmann
2004 - The Man Who Walked Between the Towers- Mordicai Gerstein
2005 - Kitten's First Full Moon- Kevin Henkes
2006 - The Hello, Goodbye Window- Chris Raschka
2007 - Flotsam- David Wiesner
2008 - The Invention of Hugo Cabret- Brian Selznick
2009 - The House in the Night- Beth Krommes
2010 - The Lion & the Mouse- Jerry Pinkney
2011 - A Sick Day for Amos McGee- Erin E. Stead