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A Record 40,000 Attend New York’s Brooklyn Book Festival
More than 280 authors attended the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival in New York on September 23 to celebrate books, free speech, and all things literary. The day started with a breakfast for...
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Common Core and Common Sense: Editorial | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
Series Made Simple Fall 2012Cover and illustration by Daniel Pelavin When I get interested in a topic, I become obsessed. I don’t really have hobbies; I have infatuations. I don’t have favorite movies...
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Building a Castle in Brooklyn: Director Dellamaggiore Talks About Her...
Katie and Nelson Dellamaggiore’s award-winning documentary Brooklyn Castle tells the story of five young chess players at I.S. 318, the impoverished Brooklyn school that has won more national chess...
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Dig In!: Editorial | Series Made Simple Spring 2013
One thing is certainly clear about this spring’s new nonfiction series: publishers are focused on helping educators understand and deliver on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). If some sets teeter...
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Living with Legends: Up Close with Kid Lit Historian Leonard Marcus
Photo by Elena Seibert. Leonard Marcus might just be the busiest man in the world of kid lit. In June, the children’s literature historian and scholar launched a critically acclaimed exhibition at the...
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Laughter and Tears at the 47th Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards
Jesse Klausmeier Librarians, publishing professionals, writers, and children’s literature scholars gathered on Friday, October 4, at Simmons College in Boston to celebrate the three winners and eight...
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Newmakers, Leaders, & Stars! Oh My!: Biography | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
Biographies are effective for disseminating information, making Common Core connections, and holding the attention of young readers–but only if the format is accessible, the perspective fresh, and the...
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Don’t Forget the Arts: Editorial | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
College students are flocking to finance, engineering, computer science, and other “practical” majors, leaving humanities classrooms with empty seats. Kindergartners are being equipped with iPads to...
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Uncommon Vocations: Careers | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a common question educators pose to children. Oftentimes, youngsters declare their career choices with little thought, drawing only on the familiar. These...
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Navigating Our Neighborhoods: Social Science | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
These series cover a variety of topics, from politics to holidays to Internet safety to tattoos. A common thread in all of the books is the theme of community. In difference ways, each set asks...
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Finding Strength & Feeling Good: Health | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
Young people face social challenges unprecedented in their complexity. They need all the help they can get, but the sea of information out there, especially on the Web, is fraught with dubious advice....
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Fur, Scales, Feathers, & Tails: Animals | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
This fall’s batch of animal books leans toward younger readers, and several sets include features to support Common Core learning. The subject matter guarantees interest, so the challenge lies in...
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Otherworldly Imagination: Mythology & the Supernatural | Series Made Simple...
As any children’s librarian will confirm, kids love spooky stuff. While responding to the Common Core standards by including glossaries, indexes, further-reading suggestions, and website lists, these...
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Hooves, Fins, Fangs & Snouts: Animals | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
Books about animals remain extremely popular for younger students. The titles reviewed here are perfect for casual readers and many are great for research. All are heavily and wonderfully illustrated,...
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Frontier of Discovery: Science | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
Scientist and super pundit Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s observation that “…where ignorance lurks, so too do the frontiers of discovery and imagination” offers a strong rationale for exposing children early...
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Observation & Exploration: Life Science | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
Seasons, colors, ecosystems, rocks, and other subjects covered by these series are well represented in most library collections. The new volumes reflect publishers’ concerns to meet Common Core...
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Banking on Arithmetic: Mathematics | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
Teachers can bank on these math series to encourage successful classroom learning. ABDO’s “Shapes Everywhere” and Picture Window’s “Wacky Comparisons,” are more informational, but the rest can be...
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Full STEM Ahead: STEM | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
STEM, the acronym for “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics” education hasn’t yet graduated from specialist jargon to general public recognition. Still, it offers a pithy way of referring...
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Dancing About Geometry: Bringing the Arts into STEM | Series Made Simple Fall...
Would you perform a ballet that was inspired by a geometry lecture? What about a puppet show about engineering? Sounds outright odd, right? But maybe dancing about math would feel less strange if you...
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Culture Accomplishments: World History | Series Made Simple Fall 2013
Most of recorded world history is the story of the achievements and actions of or interactions among cultures. In some cases, societies created or contributed ideas or technology that led to more...
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