About

About Me

I’m the great-aunt of nine young children, which is fun. I love good children’s books. I’ve spent the last 40 years immersed in books for children and teens. I worked as a librarian directly with children for the first 17 of those years. Then I gave workshops about new books to librarians and teachers, and wrote discussion guides for publishers. I also chaired the Newbery Award Committee (an amazing professional experience) and served on the Caldecott Award Committee as well as the very demanding Notable Children’s Books. My goal from the beginning has been to spread the word about wonderful books to children and adults–so here I go again.

About the Website

I’m creating this website for family, friends, and anyone looking for good children’s books, especially those who have recently become grandparents and great-aunts and -uncles. Right now the website focuses on ages birth through age eight, which means mainly picture books, both fiction and informational. The quirky selection presents books I love and want you to know about. I lean towards “time-tested” books since they have a track record and they’re the books I know best, but I’m recommending newer books, too.

Please take the age categories as suggestions, not set in stone. Many excellent books for ages 3-6 or 4-6 will also appeal to older children and adults. Anyone can delight in Faith Ringgold’s illustrations or William Steig’s writing or the humor of Peggy Rathmann. Unless otherwise noted, the age ranges indicate interest levels, not reading levels. These are books to be read aloud to children. Many contain words children will recognize when hearing them–refrigerator, fabulous, Triceratops–but which require advanced skills to decipher on the page. And please don’t think that once a child can listen well to chapter books or read independently, they should put aside picture-story books, some of which are actually created for upper elementary children and even middle schoolers.

The goal of this website and all my work is to give children joy through books. I hope children will develop a love of language and books and reading, which has brought me so much happiness in my life. I hope time spent with these books gives children joy in what, for many of them, is a difficult world.

You can reach me at [email protected].