This is my archive

Trick? Or Treat?

Each year, lots of families carve jack-o’-lanterns to celebrate Halloween. But did you know that the first jack-o’-lanterns were carved from turnips, not pumpkins? In Ireland and Scotland people hollowed out turnips and gave them creepy faces to celebrate the feast of All Hallows’ Eve. Many years later, when immigrants from the UK arrived in North America, they discovered that the native pumpkin made a much better jack-o’-lantern, because it was larger and softer than a turnip.  Trick-or-treating would look quite different today, without those familiar orange faces glowing in the dark! Here are some wonderful, Halloween-themed books that will help get you ready to trick or treat: Read More

National Cat Day

Cats sleep a lot. In fact, some cats sleep as much as 20 hours per day! But that doesn’t mean that cats spend all that time sound asleep. Most of the time, cats are just dozing and ready to jump up at a moment’s notice. Which is why we say that a person enjoying a quick, light sleep is taking a “cat nap.” :) To Celebrate National Cat Day, learn more about cats and spend time with some of your favorite cat characters, by exploring these great cat books, below. Read More

Stella Villalba’s Bookshelf

Some families have deep rooted traditions around food and breaking bread together. Some other families have their own ways of spending time outdoors, and some families try to figure out who they are in between places. These are just some of the topics that are explored in this list of picture books that honor the little details that make families’ experiences unique. Read More