Here is Part Two of our discussion of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for our summer read-along. Please note that because I’ve posted this late, I’ve extended the deadline to our summer contest giveaway to Sept 10 at midnight PST.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before/P.S. I Still Love You
Jenny Han, the author of To All the Boys and its sequels, wrote an op-ed piece in the NYT about what it means for teens to have an Asian teen role model like Lana Condor AKA the actor who plays Lara Jean Song Covey. Why is her full name important? Because Lara Jean is a mixed Asian-American. Just like my kids.
Why Dan Santat is My Imaginary Friend
The bullet point list on author-illustrator Dan Santat and why he’s my IMAGINARY FRIEND.
A new series featuring “The Skinny” on our favorite writers and illustrators.
Happy World Breastfeeding Week 2018!
I read everything I could about breastfeeding when I became a mom. You know why? Because breastfeeding wasn't easy. It didn't come naturally. And it hurt! Why didn't anyone tell me it would hurt at first? Mini Me kept falling asleep and she lost more than the maximum ten percent. And later she went on nursing strike at three months of age.
First Pages: The Fellowship of the Ring
“When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.”
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein
Happy Birthday, Harry: Part One of our Harry Potter Read-Along
I'm FINALLY reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! Finally! I admit that I had started and stopped it many times, not because of poor writing, but because it starts slowly for someone who has already seen the films. But the whole reason I picked this book for our summer read-along is because I wanted to get through the first book so I can get to all the rest.
And I'm glad I did. The world building is fantastic right from the get-go.
Monster Boogie
Monster Boogie as its re-incarnation of a picture book is such a pleasure to sing. Yes, sing. I couldn't help but sing the book the first time I read it to Little Lion because I know this song too well. And I'm a bit tone deaf.
Roof Octopus
What I love about Roof Octopus is the quirkiness of the storyline and the whimsical, magical, and colorful illustrations that match the story perfectly. Basically a little girl wakes up to find an octopus on her rooftop. And while the adults aren't so quick to accept someone new and foreign to their neighborhood, Nora is wholeheartedly all in.
A Shakespeare Story: Hamlet
While I had one dream come true by being able to finally see a performance at the Globe theater in London, I have to admit that the situation wasn't ideal. I was still jetlagged, it was crazy humid, and Little Lion was fidgety.
Paris and the Happily Ever After
As I wrote the other day, my girls are loving Paris and so am I. We love the individual little boutiques and we're certainly loving all the independent book shops. We love the cobblestone roads, the delicious summer cherries, the little surprises in architecture that we find in every corner.
If I could read French, I would have bought books from every little cute bookstore we found in the Latin Quarter.
Why Shannon Hale is My Hero
The quick bullet list run-down of why Shannon Hale is my HERO.
A new series featuring our favorite authors.
Hello Universe Readalong Part 2
Join us as we discuss the characters and second half of Erin Entrada Kelly’s Hello, Universe.
Thinking on Your Feet as a Parent
Being a parent is very much a think on your feet type of job. Plus ever changing. I often say that as a mom, I definitely have to think outside the box for solutions. Every. Single. Day.
We've struggled (as all parents do) with teaching our kids to do their chores and to have some value for money.
First Pages: James and the Giant Peach
“Until he was four years old, James Henry Trotter had had a happy life. He lived peacefully with his mother and father in a beautiful house by the sea. There were always plenty of other children for him to play with, and there was the sandy beach for him to fun about on, and the ocean to paddle in. It was the perfect life for a small boy.”
~ James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
An EPIC Epic Read-along for the Dog Days of Summer
Come join us on our EPIC summer read-along! It’s a classic and I have never read it.
That’s right! As you may have guessed from the picture, we are reading and discussing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Read it with us for the first or fiftieth time.
There are prize involved as well!
I Have Lost My Way
I read I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman completely backwards. Or completely out of order, at least. Have you ever done that? Skipped ahead to get to the crux of the matter? Or because there's a scene you want to spoil for yourself?
I skipped around and then read the last third and then went back to the parts I skipped.
Making Summer Reading Fun!
Our plans to avoid the 'summer slide' are to do a little math each week and to do a little reading and writing each week. To be honest, it's only the math that Mr. Bookworm and I have to enforce. The reading and writing are automatic.
Come see my tips on making summer reading fun for your little one!
Hello Universe Read-along Part 1
We've heard the phrase WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS over and over again. And it's true. No matter how many times you hear it, or if you're sick of hearing the same things in conferences. When I was growing up, I NEVER saw myself in the books I read. Ever.
I was so excited that Erin Entrada Kelly won the Newbery that I did this read-along a little differently: I distributed ten copies of Hello, Universe to my fellow bibliophiles and colleagues who love to read.
First Pages: The Little Prince
“Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.
In the book it said: “Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewin it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion.”
~First Lines of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Mermay 2018
Just like last year, I’ve followed the #Mermay phenomenon on Instagram, which was originally started by Tom Bancroft, a Disney animator veteran. This year’s favorites include many crossover mash-ups and though there were too many I admired to post in one spot, I’ve wrangled up a few of the ones that inspired me the most.