TAG: reading
Judging a book by its cover: Weird, wonderful fantasy books that delivered
Posted in Explore and Discover on March 24, 2021 at 6:00 am
BY ALISON JOHNSON How do you pick out your books? Favorite authors and genres are one way. How about serendipitous discovery instigated by a flash of color or intriguing artwork? What attracts you to a book before you even read the title or know the author? When I am browsing through books, online or in […]
Wiggle worms and bouncing kangaroos: How do you read to active toddlers?
Posted in Parents and Teachers on March 3, 2021 at 6:00 am
BY RACHEL EDMONDSON After cold winter weather has kept us inside along with months of extra pandemic confinement, many of us are feeling pretty antsy. For young kids who have a high need to be active, sitting still is probably harder than ever, even for those young kids who normally are happy to crawl into […]
Tags: active, books, caregivers, parents, picture books, preschoolers, reading, teachers, toddlers
Nurturing creativity & imagination with picture books
Posted in Parents and Teachers on January 28, 2021 at 6:00 am
BY MELISSA RHOADES Children are naturally creative and tend to display expansive imaginations. It’s even a stereotype that our imaginations blossom when we’re young and get socialized out of us as we grow into adulthood. Pablo Picasso is famously quoted as saying: “Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you […]
Tags: books, childcare, creativity, early learning, grandparents, imagination, kids, parents, picture books, reading, teachers
Kids share their favorite books: Winter break edition
Posted in kids on December 22, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Rachel Edmondson When I was in school, one of my favorite things about winter break was that I didn’t have to read books assigned for class because that meant I had time to read books I picked myself! Studies have shown that kids are more motivated to read when they are allowed to pick […]
Tags: books, children's books, kids, kids books, parents, reading, recommendations, stories, suggestions
Exploring memoir writing with children
Posted in Parents and Teachers on December 10, 2020 at 6:00 am
BY CAITLIN WHEELER MEMOIR, A MOMENT IN A LIFE Unlike biography, which is the story of a life, memoir is a story within a life—a moment or a thread of moments that shed light on a larger truth. Everyone has stories like these: little moments in our lives that illustrate something bigger about how we […]
Tags: grandparents, kids, memoir, memoir writing, parents, reading, teens, writing
Reading picture books together to help grieving children
Posted in Parents and Teachers on November 24, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Tammy Henry At some point in our lives, all of us will face the death of a loved one and the grief that such a loss entails. Facing death is never an easy thing, and for children, who have significantly less experience with the complexity of life and emotions, it can be a bewildering […]
Tags: caregivers, children, grief, grieving, healing, kids, loss, loved ones, pain, parents, picture books, reading
Storytime Shorts videos: Let’s read stories, sing songs, play & learn
Posted in News on October 28, 2020 at 6:00 am
Storytime Shorts Our librarians miss having storytime with our youngest library customers and their families. And we’ve heard from some of you that you’ve missed storytime too! So our librarians have recorded some wonderful picture book stories, songs, fingerplays, activities, and flannel stories using the felt board for our new video series St […]
Tags: activities, babies, caregivers, early learning, kids, learning, parents, playing, preschooler, reading, rhymes, singing, stories, storytime, toddlers
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Program Fosters Early Literacy Skills
Posted in News, Parents and Teachers on September 24, 2020 at 6:00 am
By Mary Ellen Braks We have an online reading challenge for parents and caregivers of young children. You can track the books you’re reading as your child grows! The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program is designed to foster early literacy skills during the time period in a child’s development where the brain develops most rapidly. […]
15 trivia questions for Banned Books Week
Posted in Explore and Discover on September 23, 2020 at 6:00 am
BY ABRA COLE Banned Books Week is next week, September 27–October 3. So, usually at this time of year, I would be working on a banned books display for the Teens section at the Spokane Valley Library. It is one of my most favorite displays to put together, not just because it is such an […]
Tags: adults, ALA, banned books, books, reading, teens, trivia
Not too young to talk about race and social justice: Library programs and other resources for starting the discussion
Posted in News, Parents and Teachers, Teens on September 10, 2020 at 6:00 am
BY MOLLY MOORE In the video and slide presentation How Kids Learn About Race put together by EmbraceRace, they show that children learn about race from a variety of sources. This means that, whether we are prepared to discuss race or not, children of all ages are receiving messages from everywhere around them. Children, even […]
Tags: aloud, book discussion, booklist, caregivers, grandparents, kids, out loud, parents, race, race inequity, reading, reading together, social justice, teachers, teens
