Welcome to my obsession with children’s books–especially the ones that deal with everyday challenges in a fun and compelling way. I’ll share old classics, new gems, and everything in between to help support you and your kids (or just your kids if they like to read solo). Sign up and you’ll get my top-pick resources, delivered to your inbox each month on the full and new moon.
Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole (Puffin Books, 2000)
Do you ever feel like your kid is being a smarty-pants? Is this a good thing? For Princess Smartypants—who must avoid all the suitors who want to marry her—it is! “Princess Smartypants did not want to get married. She enjoyed being a Ms.” She… Read More
The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes (Harper Collins Children’s Books, 2013)
Billy Miller had a spectacular accident just before school started. He hit his head and got a big lump on it. He’s worried that now he won’t be smart enough for grade 2. His dad tells him not to worry—he knows everything and he knows… Read More
Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire (Candlewick Press, 2022)
Cress is a young rabbit whose father doesn’t come home one night. Her mother must move her and her brother Kip to a new home and Cress is not happy about it. Not only is the landlord grumpy, the superintendent nosey and the squirrel family rambunctious, but she doesn’t like… Read More
Jessica by Kevin Henkes (Scholastic Inc., 1989)
“Ruthie Simms didn’t have a dog. She didn’t have a cat, or a brother, or a sister. But Jessica was the next best thing.” Jessica is five-year old Ruthie’s imaginary friend. Jessica does everything with Ruthie. They eat together, play together, read… Read More
Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar (Candlewick Press, 2016)
Twelve-year-old Carol is not happy about spending the summer before middle school, in New Mexico, on a sheep ranch with her family. She’s come to help her family move the grandfather she’s never met, into a home for dementia. She not only learns about the sweltering… Read More
If I Were a Lion by Sarah Weeks (Aladdin Paperbacks, 2004)
Have you ever been told you were too wild? If so, this book is for you. If I Were a Lion starts with a young girl telling us: “I’m sitting in the time-out chair because my mother put me there.” She is clearly not in the… Read More
The Magic & Mystery of Trees by Jen Green (DK Penguin Random House, 2019)
Trees are a wonder of nature. Trees stand still and silent year after year. But there’s a lot going on under the surface. When I look up at the trees, walking around my neighbourhood, I’m in awe of the full canopy above my… Read More
Pride: The story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders (Random House, 2018)
Harvey Milk had a dream. He wanted people to be treated equally. He wanted people to be able to love who they loved. He dreamed that gay people would be treated like everyone else. His dream changed history. In… Read More
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni (Scholastic Inc., 1969)
All of us need to be cuddled and loved. And surrounded by friends. When Alexander the mouse meets Willy the wind-up mouse, he is so happy to find a friend. In hearing how much Willy is loved by everyone, Alexander realizes that people… Read More
The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins (Beach Lane Books, 2013)
A young woman in 1883 had a vision—a green, leafy vision. She had a passion for trees and she made a difference. “Kate felt the trees were her friends. She loved the way they reached toward the sky and how their branches stretched wide… Read More