I Love Kadir Nelson

Kadir Nelson

Kadir Nelson is, hands down, my favorite children book illustrator. In fact, the illustrations alone persuade me to open a text and read the print inside! I love the way he captures the details of people, truly bringing out their distinct beauty. My nephew has Please Baby Please and Please Puppy Please! Two wonderful picture books by Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee for babies and toddlers. Please Baby Please was Auntie ME’s niece’s first book that she could ‘read’ on her own. The kids in those books are so captivating.

I bought, He's Got the Whole World In His Hands for my god son on his first communion! When I was younger it was one of my favorite songs to sing! That little boy in the book I swear is the spitting image of my god son. We all had so much fun singing and reading and admiring the pictures in that book together!

AB and I over the years enjoyed: Thunder Rose, Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life, Dancing in the Wings and Brothers of the Knight! All wonderful picture books with great authors like Jerdine Nolen and Debbie Allen. Yes, Debbie Allen from the original movie and tv show, Fame.

He also illustrates for biographies such as, Mama Miti (another biography about Wangari Maathai), Testing the Ice (The story of Jackie Robinson), and Coretta Scott (Ntozake Shange's poem of civil rights leader).

His work is vast and filled with variety. His images help to tell the story and enjoy the content that we are learning. If you don’t own or haven’t read and fallen in love with one of his picture books- go immediately to your local bookstore, library or search online! His art is absolutely to die for and inspires us to enjoy the details of life!

Getting Ready for the Nephew's 3rd Birthday

Don't worry, it isn't until March. Like every other auntie, I am collecting along the way, little gifts here and there, that I want to bring to him on his 3rd birthday. I usually see him once a month (they live in Canada); but I don't think I will be able to see him in February. So, the gifts I am presently collecting will be for his birthday! Here is what I have so far:

When I was out in Seattle, I went to a bookstore for children, The Secret Garden, in Ballard. Very cute bookstore! My friend Mama J wanted to know what it was that I was looking for in the bookstore. It was a good question. I often just browse and try to get inspired. Sometimes I have a specific book in mind. This time I did not. I wanted to see if in this bookstore I could find new books, ones that I hadn't seen in NY. Sure enough they had a couple that just called out my nephew's name!

1. I Call My Grandpa Papa My nephew does actually call his grandfather Papa. It is so cute. In this book though it describes how different languages and culture's name their grandfathers and the things they do together. I love books that celebrate diveristy of families and languages and cultures- especially because our family has a diversity of 'families', languages, and cultures. My nephew's grandparents are a big part of his life. Even though they live hundreds of miles away, they remain close through lots of visits and Skype chats, "Papa, do you want to skype?" Now I am going to search for I Call My Grandma Nana (because he does).

2. I found these beautiful Architecture Concept Books! They have Colors, Animals and Counting! How beautiful. I love books that teach more than one thing- Architecture and Counting!

3. I also found a large, board book with beautiful pictures about the Pike Street Market in Seattle! Great gift and souvenir!

What fun! They are already in his new "Surfers Backpack" that Big Girl C and Baby E are giving him for his birthday. I'm sure that it will fill up soon (I also have an adorable Owl T-shirt and Slug I got from KLTworks). Don't worry sis, I won't go overboard!

Reading The Caribbean

AB is a Haitian, Puerto Rican, American, Middle Schooler. Together we have searched and collected books that would reflect some of her cultural heritage. We have been collecting and reading books, since she was a baby. Here are a few we have found since the 4th grade, that are from the Caribbean. They are books for tweens and teens.

Julia Alvarez

The Secret Footprint- A beautiful picture book

Before We Were Free- A chapter book

Lynn Joseph

Coconut Kind of day- A wonderful book of poems

The Color of My Words- A chapter book

Edwidge Danticat

Behind the Mountains

Nicholasa Mohr

The song of el coquí and other tales of Puerto Rico- Picture Book

Magic Shell- Chapter Book

Bronx Remembered: A Novella and Stories- Chapter Book

Picture Books That Kids Are Loving at School and Home

Mama J, Little Moon, and I were in Seattle at The Secret Garden Bookstore. We were in the section that had lots of picture books and board books for kids to pick up and browse on their own. There was even a little table for kids to sit around as they were reading. A little boy, about 4 years old, was there with his mom. He ran up to her, book in hand, and shouted, "We have this book at home! We have this book! I love this book." His mom looked at him holding a paperback copy of "Caps For Sale".

"No, we don't have that book. Maybe you do in school." She moved on to a new section of the store and continued browsing for 'other' books. My heart dropped a little and I thought about the power of connecting books read at school and at home. Building kids' love of books between the two spaces and locations, help kids to understand how we all can be connected through books.

Here are a few picture books your kids might be reading in school that you would like to have at home or books that you would like to give as a gift to your school. Teachers love gifts of books!

Wednesday Kirwan has a new picture book series about an adorable little Boston Terrier named Minerva. She is quite mischievous and fiercely independent. It is a nice companion text with Julius Baby of the World, Peter's Chair, and Noisy Nora.

My friend Cheryl, a principal in the Bronx, said that her kids and teachers are loving the book, "Let's Get A Pup!" said Kate. This book not only shows the love and responsibility for taking care of a pet but also addresses the issue of rescuing animals. Compassion is at the heart of this book. It is also carefully crafted and is a nice exemplar of how to write a story.

Another beautifully

crafted story, told in the first person, is Mama's Saris. It is a story about a young girl and her desire to not only wear a sari for the first time, but to have her mother recognize how much she has grown.

Two more wonderful picture books wildly popular in school: Fly Guy and Too Many Toys.

Fly Guy is a hilarious series about a boy and his pet fly! In each book the two of them get into trouble. Fly Guy (a superhero-ish character) saves the day. Your kids will be laughing out loud.

Too Many Toys is a wonderful book about a little boy's house over run by toys! David Shannon has yet again captured the true essence of childhood!

Connect the reading life of kids at home with their reading lives at school! Share your favorite books with the teachers in your life. They will be be forever grateful.

Happy reading to you all.

Post here your favorite books that you have given to your teachers or that you have bought because of the reading work they do at school!

Help us expand our libraries! Do share.

Help Kids See Where Books Belong

I have always wanted to do an episode about books for Oprah (I suppose now I have to dream of a new show) where I show and help parents build their child's libraries at home. One of the first things I would do is to seek out the number of places and space where their books could be shelved, housed and displayed for easy reading enjoyment: Books about food and cooking in the kitchen (Kitchen for Kids, Betty Crocker's Kids Cook, Omnivore's Dilemma For Kids), books about peeing and pooping, magazines, (Everybody Poops, Time To Pee, Ranger Rick, Ask, Muse) and other old favorites in the bathroom. Think about your own reading life. Do you have reading materials throughout your household? The beautiful art books near your piano, the stack of books about work near your desk, and the newspaper on your dining room table?

This weekend Mama J took me to meet her friend, Kristin Loffer Theiss- an amazing artist living in Mount Vernon Washington. She took me to her studio to see what things I needed to buy on Etsy and bring home for my nephew. Kristin sews and makes these beautiful pillows,plush dolls, shirts and more in the upstairs of her house in her studio. Throughout her home there are books for her two year old little boy- from the living room all the way up into her studio.

Her home is decorated with books! They are strategically and artfully placed. In her studio she has all of his art books: A Charley Harper ABC, Calder's life story, The Red Balloon to name a few. His books, are right next to her magazines. Studios are places where you work and you read.

The family that reads together, sticks together! Decorate your house with books. Make books accessible for kids and be able to see reading possibilties everywhere. What special rooms in your house do you have books for kids? Post here.

Read this blog to think more about spreading the love of books around your home.

Reading Maps- Is Fun and a Skill

Yesterday, Mama J and Little Moon and I went down the street to pick up two of their neighbors! We were headed to Deception Pass. We picked up M, a 7th grader and R, a fifth grader. Mama J works with M at the Middle School in town. She works with kids whose parent are Migrant Workers- mostly Mixteco families from Oaxaca Mexico. During the school year M is a typical 7th grader- but in the summer she will join the family in the fields of WA to pick fruit to help contribute to income of her family.

As we started the drive into the mountains- Mama J said to the girls in the backseat- "I am going to need help on the drive and want you to follow along in the atlas where we are going. That way you know where we are and where we are headed. You will also be able to tell others where you went and if you want to come back you will have a sense of how to get here."

M said, "But I don't know how to read a map."

Mama J, "That's why we will practice! It will be fun!"

What a great idea. Reading maps with kids, as we drive in our cars, take our trains and buses, let's them into a whole new world and terrain of reading. The whole drive to Deception Pass and home, M and R read the map and found all the highways, state parks, lakes, peaks and towns that we passed through! By the end we were giving each other quizzes to remember where we had been and where it was on the atlas!

Since I was in the "interviewing mode" I thought I would find out what was going on in their reading lives! "What do you guys like to read?"

M told me, "I like the Twilight Series. I also read the The Lightening Thief." We started swapping titles to test to see if the other had read it. R told me, "I don't like to read. It's too hard." Well that was the call! We all decided to try and find what kinds of books R would like! We headed to the bookstore to explore different options- authors, genres and topics!

We came away with two books, Grace Lin's new book, Where the Mountains Meet the Moon and Ann Martin's book, A Dog's Life.

When driving in the car ride home, I asked, "M, when did reading become something that you loved?" M responded, "After I read Twilight. I just loved it. And then I just wanted to read more. Before I didn't like reading like R. I didn't like what I had to read and I didn't know it could be so much fun. I am almost done with all the books. My sister is reading them too, in Spanish. I think after I finish my books, I might want to read R's books too!" Twilight, I thought, should win a medal for inspiring kids to read!

I asked R, "So what are you thinking now about reading?" R responded with a smile on her face, "I can't wait to read the one about China first! I think I am going to really like them." "Don't worry," said M, "I'll tell you how she does!" "I'm not worried," I said.

We dropped them back off to their home. Watched them run up the stairs to find their family! Traveling with books, maps and atlases are a great time to have and an important skill to develop as well. Using them on a short or a long trip to help navigate, orient you to your world, and hold onto memories to tell and explain to others, will help widen their reading world! Sharing reading with your neighbors and talking about your reading life and theirs can help widen your own literary family. Open your arms and see how far they can reach!

Happy travels and reading to you!

Giving the Gift of an Author

When my god son was born- 9 years ago- I was on the hunt for board books which featured characters of color. I wanted to make sure that at home, he would have a library books that were beautiful, fun, interesting and that would reflect people who looked similar to him and his family. So for his 1st birthday I gave him the gift of two authors- two authors who write for babies as well as for teenagers- Angela Johnson and Eloise Greenfield. I bought him three books with "Joshua" who is the central character in the book- Joshua's Night Whispers, Joshua By the Sea, and Baby Birds. I also bought him a series of board books, My Daddy and I and I Make Music.

I thought- not only a book is a great gift- but a few books from the same author can teach a couple of beautiful things. One thing that it teaches is that when you love an author you should look and seek out other books by that author. It also is a nice way to introduce an author who the child will be able to read at various ages!

My friends in Los Angeles just adopted 3 year twins! When I went out to visit and meet them for the first time I knew I had to bring some books! So for the twins- and their 18 month old sister, I brought 6 books by Mo Willems! If you have never read anything by Mo, you need to run out the door now and go to your local bookstore and buy something by him right now (or just click

on your favorite bookstore on online)! He is funny. His books have beautiful little tips and messages for kids. They are super engaging- the art as well as the language- and did I mention that they are LOL funny? I gave them: Leo, Piggy and Gerald,Piggy and Gerald 2, Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus, Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late, and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.

For M's birthday this year I got her one of my favorite authors - who I was hoping would become one of hers- Carmen Agra Deedy. A beautiful storyteller. I gave M: 14 Cows, The Library Dragon, The Yellow Star. Now I can't leave her brother A out of the picture. I got him, the Quebecois writer- Melanie Watt. She writes two popular series: Scaredy Squirrel and Chester. A was laughing out loud reading the Scaredy Squirrel books!

Looking for a "Welcome to Your New Home Gift", a "Birthday Gift", or even a "House Warming Gift"? Give the gift of an author! You'll be building a library that teaches and offers more than just the stories!

Celebrating the Life of Martin Luther King Jr

Today is a day that we remember the life and dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. We remember his legacy and his lessons to try and become better citizens in this world. Some people read his speeches with their kids (or excerpts).

I Had A Dream

Drum Major Instinct

Some families listen all together to his speeches read on an audio version. Discussing his life and his actions as a family help kids not only make sense of the past but also that of the present.

Audio Version of Drum Major Instinct

A beautiful biography picture, Martin's Big Words, is a lovely book to read with your kids at home that helps to tell the story of his life. A Sweet Smell of Roses is another beautiful story of kids taking a stand. You may even decide to read other biographies of people who made and are making a difference in the world. Akira to Zoltan or Amelia to Zora. Two winners.

Reading/listening to his speeches or finding a biography to read- gives your family a connection with this important holiday.

I hope you spend the day peaceful, helping others- together.