Bookish Kids – Aesop’s Fables Free Resource

I do some volunteer ESL tutoring, and today as my learner and I were exploring some online resources I came across a charming (and slightly animated and sound-enhanced) online version of Aesop's Fables, suitable for children. The typeface is pleasant and the vintage illustrations and animations are charming. It's free; check it out by clicking …

Another Michigan Author: Holling C. Holling

It's hard to maintain one's interest and motivation in hobbies and interests during these bizarre times; for me, a curious mind is the best defense against defeat. Today's discovery has helped . You may recall an episode of the 1990's series "Northern Exposure" in which laid-back local DJ Chris, played by John Corbett, reads a …

Michigan Monday – Christopher Paul Curtis

One of Michigan’s best known and most highly commended authors, Christopher Paul Curtis was born and raised in Flint and worked on an assembly line for thirteen years before moving on to other pursuits including college at U of M – Flint.  Mr. Curtis worked on the line at GM’s Fisher Body Plant #1 for …

Sunday Classic for Bookish Kids: The Little House books

There are so many interesting resources online about Laura Ingalls Wilder that I will not try to incorporate them into the narrative (with one exception); see a list of links at the end of the post. Throughout a good portion of my childhood I read and re-read most of the “Little House” series, Laura Ingalls …

Michigan Monday: Patricia Polacco

To continue the theme of the Sunday Classic review posted yesterday, today’s Michigan author, the prolific and gifted Patricia Polacco, also writes – and illustrates - books for children. I met her in the mid 1990’s when she signed copies of her book Thunder Cake at the big box bookseller for whom I worked at …

Sunday Classic – The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Elizabeth George Speare)

Katherine (Kit) Tyler, fresh from Barbados, is in for a rude awakening as she shows up on the doorstep of her maternal aunt’s household in Connecticut Colony in 1685.  Friendship, hard work, love, courage, illness, courtship, threats of violence complete with angry villagers carrying torches (or at least that was my impression), and once again, …

5 for Friday – Story Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to listen to stories. Below are five options. Jim Harold’s Campfire – Ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot and friends – good stuff.  Listeners, interviewed by the engaging and warm Jim Harold, share their scary stories. This podcast has been running since 2008 but only the most recent episodes are available without joining …

Tell Me A Story.

Let’s tell stories. Children, read to your parents. Parents, read to your children and to each other.  Friends, siblings, take turns reading as the rest of you listen. With book in hand, (or eBook on phone or tablet or laptop), gather under a tree, around a campfire or at the kitchen table - such stories …

Lots of Newly Free Audible Books for Bookish Kids and their families

I generally only post kids' books once a week, but I just learned that Audible has made a selection of children's books and classics available for free! See the link below; titles are divided into Little Listeners, Elementary, Tween, Teen, Literary Classics (including Atlas Shrugged, one of my favorite classic novels), Folk and Fairy Tale …

Bookish Kids 3.24.20

Again I poked around online and found this FREE resource: http://mrsp.com/ . Once you're there, choose from a list of classic titles and watch/listen as Mrs. P, portrayed by Kathy Kinney (Mimi from the Drew Carey Show), reads your choice aloud. Stories can be streamed or downloaded for offline use. The site also features crafts …