My love of crafting began early. My mother (sort of) taught me to use her sewing machine, and I went from there. My grandma taught me needlepoint. I asked for paint and canvases each birthday. While I doubt anyone would describe me as an artist, I’ve flourished in the age of Pinterest and love to… Read More
Have you been reading your way through the Illinois State Award lists this year? Well, the voters have spoken! Here are the Readers' Choice Winners from 2019. How do they compare to your picks? MONARCH AWARD Creepy Pair of Underwear! – 18547 votes Written by Aaron Reynolds, Illustrated by Peter Brown Claymates – 14322 votes… Read More
Here at the Glen Ellyn Public Library we love animals and try to find ways to bring them to the Youth Department whenever we can. In the past, we’ve had a worm compost, a “Read to Dogs” program, hatched monarch butterflies, and invited sloths, baby wolf pups, ostriches, reptiles, tarantulas, and chinchillas to meet our… Read More
Empathy is built by imagining what other people think or feel, and especially what the world might be like if we dreamed big. I think fantasy books are some of the best types of books to share with children, because they can transport everyday thinking into the realm of "what if?", which improves critical thinking… Read More
You are your child’s first teacher. You are the expert on your child. You know them best. Although children are known to grow at different rates, most follow certain milestones. It’s normal to be concerned if your child doesn’t hit a milestone on time. So how do you know if your instincts are just a… Read More
For the past 17 years, Anderson’s Bookshop has been hosting a Children’s Literature Breakfast where librarians, teachers, parents, and lovers of children’s literature are invited to meet and mingle with regional pre-kindergarten through grade 12 authors and illustrators. A full breakfast is served, and table discussions are intermixed with a variety of keynote speakers. This… Read More
If your kids are really into graphic novels, they aren’t alone. The market for graphic novels is exploding with popularity. It’s even become a billion dollar industry. Graphic novel titles for middle grade readers even hit bestseller lists. Readers are always asking us for Dogman, The Baby-Sitters Club, Hilo, or for Rania Telegemier’s stuff. Even… Read More
Don’t get me wrong! Leveled reading is a wonderful tool that has come into existence. For years, many kids have struggled to learn how to read just because educators did not know where a child was coming from in regards to phonetic and text awareness. Each child is so different in comprehension levels of phonics,… Read More
