Welcome to Our World

Readership around the globe, welcome!

Where are you from? What are you and the children in lives reading! Thanks for reading the blog and sticking around! Feel free to email us at theliteraryfamily@gmail.com for book suggestions or activities that you and the special little ones in your life share around books! We would love to hear form you! Spread the word about the blog!

photo by Daniel Galan

Argentina

Belgium

Brazil

Bulgaria

Canada

China

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cyprus

Denmark

Egypt

England

Estonia

Germany

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Iran

Israel

Kyrgyzstan

Lithuania

Malaysia

Mexico

Nepal

New Zealand

Poland

Portugal

Qa'tar

Russia

Singapore

Saudia Arabia

South Korea

South Africa

Spain

Switzerland

Sweden

Taiwan

Thailand

The Netherlands

Turkey

UAE: Dubai

UAE: Abu Dhabi

United States

Viet Nam

Encourage Kids to Write at Home: Get the Right Stationary

This weekend, Little Moon, Mama J and I were hanging out in the International District in Seattle together. As we picked up a tea to walk around the neighborhood, we decided to go to my favorite kind of store- a bookstore. We went to Kinokuniya a gigantic Japanese Bookstore filled with books and videos In Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and English.

They have a big Japanese Children’s Literature section, filled also with puzzles! They have a nice section of books in English too, filled with books by Grace Lin, Oliver Chin, Yumi Heo and more.

They have a beautiful stationary section at the front of the store- what a heaven! We shopped for notebooks and pens for an hour! So I picked up a couple of things for my nephew’s birthday! Why not get a couple of little notebooks for his 3 year old birthday. He can work on drawing and ‘writing’ in side of them- just like his Titi. I got us matching ones. As I support his library and reading development- I shouldn’t ignore his writing development either. Writing is another beginning step towards literacy!

Luckily his ‘surfers backpack’ has side pockets- just the right size for a couple of notebooks! Just 3 weeks away!

Happy reading and writing to you!

Read the World with Babies

When Brand New Baby S was born, I couldn't resist getting him, To Be a Kid! I love books for babies that have babies and kids from all of the globe. Celebrating the diversity and beauty in our world- yet celebrating the common links we have as children and people in the world.

Another favorite gift I like to get for people is Mem Fox's book, Whoever You Are. That is another wonderful celebration of childhood and understanding one another.

At my nephew's daycare, each birthday one of his fellow classmates have, my sister and I get a book for the daycare to celebrate their day! I bought, One World, One Day for them. A beautiful book of photographs form National Geographic, documenting a day in the life of kids all over the world.

When I was growing up, I remember reading, People by Peter Spier.

Celebrate the world! Celebrate life! Enjoy the reads.

In Honor of Women's History Month

Celebrate Women Who Tell the Truth- Celebrate people who tell the truth! Here is a great collection of little biographies and quotes from famous people in history and today who made and are making a difference in the world.

Start an inquiry at home around some of the people. Find out all about their life's work!

Eating and Reading

One of my favorite things to do with my nephew is to go out to our favorite restaurants! We love to go for Korean, Dim Sum, and Indian/Pakistani food!

For Dim Sum, we usually meet up with JP and her family. Dim Sum is one her favorite activities too! The two of them will eat shrimp dumplings for the entire time, non stop. I think my nephew once had like 12!

What a great topic to support with reading!

Yum Yum Dim Sum from: World Snacks Books is a great book to read! It has wonderful pictures as well as a catchy rhyme! We love the part, Why oh why my little shu mai, why do I love you so?

I saw Grace Lin speak this year about her books and writing process. Dim Sum For Everyone is another favorite we like to read!

The World Snacks Books is an entire series of food and culture for little kids! They each have their own set of rhymes and they each inspire you to want to eat delicious food! Chaat and Sweets is another favorite of ours to read.

Bee Bim Bop, by Linda Sue Park, tops off our culinary tour of food through books!

Why not eat and read together! If you don't want to get your books sticky, read about the food you love most! Who knows, you all might find something new to try.

Give a Poem and Say, "I Love You"

I love reading poetry! I love sharing poems with kids- all year long. I love giving the gift a poem. Yes just one, wrapped with a beautiful ribbon. One year I gave AB a poem that I had written for her birthday. She hanged it on her bulletin board above her desk. Just imagine snuggling up with your little person and reading, Honey I Love, By Eloise Greenfield. What a delicious moment to share! For my brother's wedding a read a poem, by Maya Angelou. I gave him and his wife that poem, in a frame. Mentor Mommy S and her family send cards once a year in December or January. They always include an inspirational quote instead of a holiday greeting. It feels so poetic- celebrating important words! Baby C's Nanas send a card with a poem. I remember one year they sent a Mary Oliver poem to everyone. What a gift!

I also love to read an anthology. Some many wonderful books with beautiful themes for kids. Maybe you want a theme about the Earth. I just got for my little fellow, The Tree That Built Time. It comes with CD so he can both read the book and listen to the poetry. It is truly a beautiful collection. You may want to just read an anthology by one author like Georgia Heard's amazing book, Creatures of Earth, Sea and Sky. What a love and reverence for nature these poems hold. Her poems will fill you with love! You may want an anthology that includes poems, songs, raps, and celebrates the spoken word- Hip Hop Speaks To Children is a beautiful one to share with those you love (it also includes a CD inside)

Make this a poetic year! Give a gift to your love ones and make it a poem. Celebrate the written word. Celebrate the spoken word. Celebrate poetry all year long!

Other great poets and poems for kids of different ages:
Angela Johnson: The Other Side
Janet Wong: A Suitcase of Seaweed, Night Garden
Naomi Shihab Nye: Honeybee, Salting the Ocean, 19 Varieties of A Gazelle, And an edited volume from poets from around the globe: This Same Sky
Nikki Giovanni: Spin a Soft Black Song, The Sun is So Quiet
Georgia Heard: This Place I know: Poems of Comfort, Songs of Myself
Eloise Greenfield:Nathaniel Talking, In the Land of Words, Friendly Four

Bring Back a Book as a Souvenir

When I was a little girl, my grandfather's brother, Uncle Teddy, traveled the globe! Every time he came from a new country, Korea or Thailand, he always brought me back a doll from that place. Not only did I end up with this beautiful collection of dolls, but I also ended up with a beautiful memory of my Uncle. Why not do the same with books!

In the spring I went to visit my sister and nephew in Dubai and Beirut. I was trying to think of something I could bring back to my friends that captured the essence of my travels. Suddenly I found myself in a bookshop- and I realized, books about the country would be a perfect souvenir to bring back for my friends. You're Too Little is a sweet little book about a boy who wants to help his family build a dhow- a boat. After his family tells him he is too little, he decides to build his own boat. I bought it for my nephew (2 years old) as a souvenir to remember his trip on the Dhow he took in Oman. I brought it back for Baby C to share with him the place I had visited. He immediately adopted it as favorite read!

I work a lot in California. This summer I flew back to Montreal to see my nephew after I spent a week in San Diego. I can't come and visit him without a book. One of his favorite books at home is 1,2,3 New York. He loves saying, "Titi lives in New York!" He is also obsessed with counting the hot dogs and water towers. As I browsed a local bookshop in San Diego I found- 1,2,3 California. It made a perfect souvenir! Surf boards became his favorite thing to count!

When I came back from the Philippines, I wanted to bring back some books that I would give to my nephew. I wanted to show him about the new and latest place I had just visited. I brought back some fairy tales and My First Words in Tagalog!

What a nice way to remember a trip you have taken or to share with someone about a place that you traveled too. Build your collections documenting the trips and travels you take with books. It is a gift that keeps giving!