October 2015

The Full Moon at the Napping House

30  years after the publication of THE NAPPING HOUSE, Audrey Wood and Don Wood have published another classic, THE FULL MOON at the NAPPING HOUSE. Don’t miss this beautifully crafted book. For more, read THIS INTERVIEW with Audrey and Don Wood about the backstory of both books and discover the fun activities provided in The Napping House Party Kit!    

The Jar of Happiness

“Once there was a little girl called Meg, who invented her own kind of happiness.” So reads the first line of THE JAR OF HAPPINESS (Child’s Play, 2015) by Ailsa Burrows. And what a perfect way to begin! Meg keeps all sorts of things in her jar and uses them to cheer up friends and family. When Meg… Read more »

A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic by Lisa Papaemetriou

In Lisa Papademetriou’s fascinating A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic (HarperCollins, 2015) two girls on polar opposite points of the earth are brought together by a magical book entitled The Exquisite Corpse. Kia is from Houston. Leila is an American living in Pakistan. Each have a copy of the magic book that writes its own… Read more »

An Interview with Robin Yardi – Part 2

Today ReaderKidZ welcomes back Robin Yardi for Part 2 of an interview about her first book, THEY JUST KNOW. Find Part 1 HERE. Dianne: Because the book is organized into a compare/contrast format, kids can delight in the natural order of things – “When a newly-hatched butterfly takes her first flight, she doesn’t need anyone to… Read more »

An Interview with Robin Yardi – Part 1

It’s a pleasure to welcome author Robin Yardi, to ReaderKidZ.  Today, Robin talks about the inspiration for  THEY JUST KNOW: Animal Instincts. Dianne: Animal instincts can be fascinating, and I love the way your book, THEY JUST KNOW, makes this concept accessible to young readers. I see great opportunities for extended discussions about what animals know… Read more »

Perfect Pairs: Books to Compare and Contrast

Most kids are enchanted by animals. They love learning about their behaviors, discovering where they live and grow, and finding the similarities and differences between them. Two books, published by Arbordale Publishing this past year, make a welcome addition to any primary grade classroom How do young animals know what to do and how to… Read more »

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record

Are you joining people all over the world to “Read for the Record” on October 22, 2015? This year is Jumpstart’s 10th anniversary and they’ve chosen none other than ReaderKidZ’ friend and fellow Vermont College of Fine Arts grad, Kelly Bennett’s book, NOT NORMAN: A Goldfish Story. (Candlewick, 2008) Here’s what Jumpstart has to say about this special global… Read more »