Blog

Middle Grade Novels that Address Climate Change

Climate change is on the minds of everyone, including our children. Ellen Herbst, a UCSF psychiatrist and mother of two, suggests that the climate crisis is impacting the mental health of children and adolescents. She explains that children are, appropriately, being educated about climate change in many schools and learning about it in the news. […]

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Finding the Heart of Your Story

I had the opportunity to spend a lovely day attending an inspiring workshop called “Creating the Hearts and Bones of Your Next Nonfiction Picture Book.” Sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI, the presenters were Colorado powerhouse writers Beth Anderson, Laura Perdew, and Julie Danneberg. These three women, who are prolific nonfiction picture book […]

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Book Review of “Energy from the Earth” by Susan Wroble

As greenhouse gases warm the planet and the climate crisis looms, students are understandably concerned about the future. Students wonder what can be done to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and what the future of energy will look like. Susan Wroble’s new book Energy from the Earth (part of an educational series titled “Energy for the Future”) offers […]

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Book Review: We Are Water Protectors

“We fight for those/ Who cannot fight for themselves. The winged ones/ The crawling ones, The four-legged/ The two-legged/The plants, trees, rivers, lakes, The Earth. We are all related.” We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade, is a powerful reading experience for children that highlights how water affects and connects all […]

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Great Lives in Colorado History Biography Series: Great on So Many Levels!

The “Great Lives in Colorado History Biography Series” offers Colorado’s 3rd and 4th grade students the opportunity to peek into the lives of some of Colorado’s most interesting personalities from the past. In a partnership among the Denver Public Schools Social Studies Department, the Colorado Humanities Organization, and publisher Filter Press, the 33 biographies were […]

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Book Review: The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

“This is for the unforgettable…and the ones who survived…and the ones who didn’t.”…“This is for the undefeated. This is for you. And you. And you. This is for us.”(from The Undefeated)   The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander with illustrations by Kadir Nelson, is a powerful reading experience that highlights for children the history of African-Americans and the […]

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