Grandmother and I – 16 picture books about grandparents

We often forget of the great sacrifice that grandparents too have to make when their children and grandchildren leave to move overseas or if you are a grandparent living overseas. My mom will never forget that moment, years ago, as they prepared to return overseas. As we reached their front door, Laura, her granddaughter, then …

Jean Little – Part 3 in my series on third Culture kids Children’s authors

Jean Little - Part 3 of the series on Third Culture Kids authors After reading about Jean Little's childhood and early adulthood, in her autobiography, Little by Little, as well as reading a selection of her children's books, I have become very fond of Jean. If you asked me today, what author I would love …

Homesick, My Own Story – Jean Fritz

Jean Fritz -  part 1 in a series on TCK children's authors I am excited to begin a series here on this blog about children's authors who are third culture kids. I have yet to find a list out there (anyone know of one?) but I am starting my own list. Here is what I …

Wonder by R.J. Palacio – a book review

Even though I read this book recently and it left a deep impression on me, I was reluctant to do a review of it here. I mean, there are currently 7,994 reviews of it on Amazon. Wow! that's a lot of reviews... Do I really need to add my review? I decided that if my review …

Happy Birthday, Beverly Cleary!

  On April 12, Beverly Cleary, famous children's author, turns 100! Three of her most popular works are Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby, Age 8, and The Mouse and the Motorcycle.  There are also more than 40 Cleary titles in print.    Her most serious book Dear Mr. Henshaw won the Newbery Award in 1984. It tells the …

The War That Saved My Life – 16 children’s books about World War II

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley I just read this amazing 2016 Newbery Honor book and I highly recommend it. It was a book that kept me reading late into the night. If you are reading it to a child, it will be one of those "one more chapter, pleeeassse" kind …

What is the Newbery Award? Favorite Newbery Award Winners

The 2016 Newbery Medal book was just recently announced....And the winner is: Last Stop On Market Street written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Well known for his realistic YA novels that explore class and racial identity, de la Peña became the first Hispanic author to receive the John Newbery Medal. …

Cat Tales by Pauline Brown and other pictures books about cats

Recently, our friends Rick and Melissa adopted a little grey kitten. We are owners of two dogs (who do NOT like cats) so I had forgotten how soothing it is to have a purring cat in your lap. My childhood home always had a slew of cats, roaming about. We never lacked for a furry …

Family Stories from Around the World

I have to admit when I was a child, I thought any novel that was set in America seemed exotic to me. Stories about large extended families, small communities, one-room schools, scorching hot summers and snowed-in winter days fascinated me, as they were so alike my world in the suburbs of Paris. I devoured books …

Where would we be without family? – chapter books about family life

I love to read children's novels about families and family life. There's something comforting about opening up the pages of a book and crawling into the life of another family and being in the midst of their joys and struggles. Growing up as a TCK, I know my own family and siblings were an anchor …