Of all the characters in the whole wide world of children’s books, one of my very favorites is a red-haired orphan from Prince Edward Island. I’m sure you know the one—she answers to the name of Anne of Green Gables. The Anne books have a special place in my heart, as I know they do…
I have a close cousin whose book recommendations have never steered me wrong, so when a few months ago she was singing the praises of a recent middle-grade novel, The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, I knew I had to add it to my to-read list. I finally got to it…
I’ve been aware of the work of author and illustrator Chris Raschka for some years, so when I saw that he had just published a picture book based on the New Testament letters of Paul, I knew I had to check it out. I’ve had it in my home for a few weeks, occasionally picking…
A nonfiction picture book is just the perfect thing for a lazy afternoon, isn’t it? Even those industrious Ingalls girls, Laura and Mary, spent some time probably sprawled on the floor, looking at the animals in Pa’s “big green book,” The Wonders of the Animal World. I recall many hours from my own childhood of…
I tend to write about a lot of picture books here at Story Warren, but there’s another format that has been growing in my esteem over the past year: the board book! Both with the babies and toddlers in my library story times, and with my one-year-old nephew, I would be lost without the sturdy,…
Some people collect stamps. Some people collect coins. Some people collect art. And Jerome? Jerome collected words. Are you a word person? Do you ever pause in your reading just to savor a particular turn of phrase, or marvel at the way words are spelled and sounded out? Have you ever gotten goosebumps during a…
I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandfather lately. He was an adventurous guy, and in his later years that adventurousness extended to his wardrobe, particularly his funny hat collection. Each holiday had its own festive accessory, perhaps one that played music or moved around. A turkey hat for Thanksgiving, for example, and a Santa…
Everything about The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine is odd. It’s odd that the two authors, Mark Twain and Philip Stead, never met and in fact are separated by some seventy years. It’s odd that the oddly-named title character doesn’t appear until the last third of the book. The structure is odd—the chapters bounce back and…
“Living in the moment.” What does that phrase mean to you? Is it something that we give as an excuse for risky, unwise behavior? Or an intentional unwillingness to consider a hard road ahead? I think a “living in the moment” attitude sometimes gets a bad reputation, but perhaps that’s because we have forgotten the…
The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles has a job of the utmost importance. It is his task to open any bottle found at sea and make sure that the message is delivered. This description from the flap of today’s featured picture book, The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles, written by Michelle Cuevas and illustrated by Erin Stead,…
It’s not very often that you hear of a trilogy of picture books; I frequently see popular series for early readers or for older kids, but picture books seldom seem to get the opportunity to tell a story longer than thirty-two pages. Thankfully, Aaron Becker’s beautiful wordless Journey trilogy has busted that trend. I first…
Friends of Story Warren, you are likely familiar with our usual Friday post/newsletter, “The Warren & The World.” This bright spot of wonderfully curated news and interesting links from around the web (plus a recap of the week’s SW posts) comes from the witty and very bright mind of Carolyn Clare Givens. Carrie’s book for…
