One Father's 100 'Must-Read' Picture Books ... and Mine, Too
A "canon" of picture books that any English-speaking child should know - and a few of the ones I think the list's author missed.
View ArticleA Crucial Child-Rearing Lesson From an Understanding Cow
Ferdinand the Bull's mother knew to let Ferdinand be Ferdinand. It's not always as easy to to let our children be who they are.
View ArticleHome-Schooling, Comic Con Style (Part 1)
Roaming Comic Con in search of educational titles, and finding a surprising bounty of history, science and lit.
View ArticleHome-Schooling, Comic Con Style (Part 2)
Roaming Comic Con in search of educational titles, and finding a surprising bounty of social studies, language, music, health and even higher ed.
View ArticleLittle Bear, Sal and One Unforgettable Forgettable Day
Comfort and security from two timeless mothers and two lost-then-found babies in "Blueberries for Sal."
View ArticleWeekly Reader: Vampires, Park Slope, Men and Marshmallows
Books and articles that grabbed me: "Motherland," "The End of Men," "Aftermath" and an update to the famous marshmallow experiment that puts more weight on nurture than nature.
View Article'Do You Want to Be Careful, or Do You Want to Be Friends?'
Lessons in friendship, lessons in sympathetic-but-firm parenting - which is your favorite Frances book, and what did Frances teach you?
View ArticleWhat Classic Picture Book Fills You With Dread?
I love classic picture books-except the ones that upset me so much that I can't read them.
View ArticleWhat's Your Desert Island Picture Book?
If you could select one picture book to hand to every child at birth, or one book to take to a desert island, what would you pick?
View ArticleHaunted by 'The Lonely Doll'
As a child, I was fascinated by the beautiful, eerie world of Dare Wright. I loved her books and the uneasy feeling they gave me.
View Article'Far From the Tree' and the Literature of Autism
Among other things, "Far from the Tree" is a tribute to parents who live the daily grind, who celebrate incremental victories, and who avoid reading books about their child's diagnosis until they're...
View ArticleParenthood and the New York Times Notable Books List
I read a lot less since I became a parent, but does that excuse my sorry New York Times Notable Books score?
View ArticleWhat's Your Favorite Holiday Christmas Book?
Can you even choose a favorite holiday book?
View ArticleScarlet Fever Probably Didn’t Blind Mary Ingalls
Mary Ingalls's blindness at age 14 was likely caused by viral meningoencephalitis. Why did the book name scarlet fever as the culprit, and why does it matter?
View ArticlePamela Druckerman’s Favorite ‘French Parenting’ Advice
Why talk more about "French parenting"? Because in the outcome-oriented world of the American parent, there's something to be learned from an approach that considers the quality of the years you spend...
View ArticleAre Body and Sex Education Books for Parents, or Kids?
Books written for teenagers and preteens about puberty sell — but are they actually read?
View ArticleWhen Parents Kill Parents in the Name of Literature
We weren’t very far into "Little House on the Prairie" when it hit me: Ma was kind of a bummer.
View ArticleQ. and A. With Thea Goodman, Author of ‘The Sunshine When She’s Gone’
The author Thea Goodman inhabits the strange, slightly demented world of the too self-conscious new parent.
View ArticleMinimalist Parenting, ‘Manimalist’ Style
For this stay-at home dad, advice on minimalist parenting is preaching to the choir.
View ArticleLeaving the Picture Books on the Shelves
Sorting the children's books for a move, and rediscovering old favorites.
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More Pages to Explore .....