Author: Caryn

Book Review & Giveaway: The Princess and the Pony By Kate Beaton

A few weeks ago a review request came across my mailbox and I was too curious to pass it up. It had “Princess” in the title, but thankfully I had heard rumors of this book and I am always searching for “princess books” that break the mold. Kate Beaton’s new book doesn’t even come close to fitting any supposed mold. The word “princess” is merely a title for our little heroine and plays very little role in the plot of the story. Beaton has created a story about Vikings, birthday presents, ponies, and perceptions that will make you laugh, warm your heart, and remind you of no other princess book you’ve seen before. Take a look at The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton, 2015.

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Caryn10 Comments

How To Be An Excellent Father

Sunday was Father’s Day in the U.S. and I have been determined to do a companion to my Mother’s Day post last month, this time looking at Father Bear from our beloved Little Bear book series. Now, I am not a father, so it feels a little weird to be writing a “how-to” post on something I am not and won’t ever be. But Father Bear is such a strong literary character that it seems only fitting to devote a post to him in celebration of the holiday. In the children’s literature world, parents are often quite terrible or non-existent; so I adore the solid, faithful figure Father Bear presents. Let’s take a look at a few of Father Bear’s strengths and celebrate the joy of fatherhood through him. Here are my observations on how to be a great dad as seen in Father Bear Comes Home by Else Holmelund Minarik, pictures by Maurice Sendak, 1959.

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Caryn2 Comments

Let’s Read Superhero Books, Part 1: The Princess In Black By Hale & Pham

Today I am excited to share some books that fall in the superhero genre of books, perfect for those Marvel-loving readers. The class I am working with in the South Bronx is full of superhero fans, but most of them only follow the famous characters like Spider-Man and Batman and Wonder Woman. So for one of our recent reading hours, I pulled together a pile of books that all had superhero themes. We read another chapter book, but this one is much shorter and full of illustrations as well, making it possible for us to read the whole thing within our hour as well as a couple short picture books. I’m going to split up my review again so that I can share details about the chapter book in Part 1 and in Part 2 I will share all the picture books we read as well as a few suggestions for other books that we ran out of time for.

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Caryn2 Comments

How To Be An Excellent Mother

Yesterday was Mother’s Day here in the United States. It is an interesting holiday, that most consider to be a marketing ploy, although a previous book I’ve discussed taught me differently. I sheepishly admit that I don’t care too much about Mother’s Day. It is a fine holiday, but always feels a little overdone to me. I do love my mother and mother-in-law, and I never turn down a lovely gift or two or flowers or chocolates or any combination thereof. And I am honored that I am a mother with two children of my own. But perhaps it is because I am in what is considered the throes of toddlerhood that I feel being a mother just isn’t always marvelous. It is hard stuff. Pantloads of patience are required. Motherhood asks for lots of creativity, multitasking, functioning on very little sleep, and did I mention patience?

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Caryn8 Comments