Hello everyone! Taking a break this week to enjoy my son being home from college. Which means I'm back to making lots of food, LOL. Love it! Love him to pieces! Here are a couple of photos I took of The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles. Part bookstore. Part art gallery. Lots of cozy nooks. … Continue reading Family Downtime & The Last Bookstore
Image from Highlights Foundation Floyd Cooper, an amazing and inspiring author/illustrator, passed away in 2021. He wrote and/or illustrated more than 100 books for children, and was known for being a kind and thoughtful mentor. In his honor, the Children's Book Council has established Floyd Cooper Day, celebrating his life, his work, and his legacy. … Continue reading Celebrate Floyd Cooper Day
Sometimes I wander through the children's section of the library and wait for a cover to catch my eye. Like this one: Look at that stack of books in big sister's arms. See her expectant, even eager, face. Look at that darling toddler with a stuffy in his arms. Perhaps he's looking a little recalcitrant? … Continue reading Edgar’s Second Word – Perfect Picture Book Friday
You want VOICE? Here's VOICE. Cover copy: "All her life, Cricket's mama has told her stories about a secret room painted by a mysterious artist. Now Mama's run off, and Cricket thinks the room might be the answer to getting her back. If it exists. And if she can find it." The expectation set, readers … Continue reading Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe
I'm sure you have an opinion. What is the most ominous wintry scene in children's literature? CricketMuse argues that Edmund's encounter with the White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia takes the prize, —while I argue that Jacob Marley's visitation of Scrooge has put the fear of miserliness into children for over 170 years. What … Continue reading The White Witch vs. Jacob Marley’s Ghost – Debatables
Litquake San Francisco, an annual literary festival comprising 850+ authors and hundreds of events in the span of 10 days, can be exhausting and daunting, but it can also be exhilarating and inspirational. I'm a co-producer of Kidquake, an event that draws 1,000 elementary school kids, their teachers, and chaperones to four assemblies and 10 … Continue reading Kidquake – Dream Big!
Looking for the perfect read aloud? Look no further. Here's a science-y, humorous twist on "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Mary may be a scientific genius, but she has no friends. So she sets out to create a pet, something that will "make her life complete." Her invention, a "sheepinator," turns out to be a … Continue reading Mary Had a Little Lab – Perfect Picture Book Friday
It doesn't matter that they're wearing their jammies. It doesn't matter that they've taken a bath and are then brushing their teeth on the dedication page. No, none of that matters. Penguin and Tiny Shrimp want you to know: And so the great anti-bedtime saga begins. Penguin and Tiny Shrimp tell us a bold-faced fib … Continue reading Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don’t Do Bedtime! – Perfect Picture Book Friday
I organized our school's annual book swap this year, where families bring in bags of books they no longer want, the library committee sorts them, and then students, parents, and staff select books to supplement their summer reading. Any books remaining at the end of the swap get donated to a community thrift store. Kids … Continue reading Story of a Little Mouse Building a House – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Over in the Facebook alternate universe, I was saying how much I love sheep. I grew up on a farm with sheep, and although I don't like sheep bucks because one nearly killed my father, I do love the ewes and their lambs. We raised suffolks: So is it any wonder that I'm drawn to: … Continue reading Little Red Riding Sheep – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Jilanne Hoffmann 