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Phonics vs. whole-word reading.

And yes, educators and researchers do, in fact, call it the "Reading Wars," and this battle goes back to before the United States of America was a nation. So dramatic!

Here is some academic backstory to set the scene-

Many people think that phonics is the modern answer to the shackles of the era of whole-word teaching. You might be surprised to discover that phonics-based instruction dominated early American education, with the New England Primer of 1690 serving...

If you live in NY and are a fan of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Frank Baum, then this is your moment!

Chittenango, NY will host the 49th annual Oz-Stravaganza June 5-7, 2026

This multi-day festival, which includes a bazaar and parade, also attracts some big names in the Wizard of Oz world. The great-granddaughter of Baum himself will be there as well as, Marissa Bode (Nessarose) from the movie, WICKED and John Fricke, the two-time Emmy Award winner, who is widely regarded as the world’s...

There are so many amazing book festivals across the country. Looking for a comprehensive resource for them all was challenging. I was only able to find the information from the website Bookreporter.com so we are going to give him all the credit here for this amazing compilation.

Here is the direct link to his website and straight to the book festivals page. I hope you find one near year!

https://www.bookreporter.com/book-festivals

May 2026

Altadena, CA: LitFest in the Dena

Dates: May 1-2

Website:...

In 2014, we were temporarily transplanted to upstate NY by the Army.

One of my kids' favorite things we did while we lived there was to visit the Almanzo Wilder homestead and museum.

Almanzo was married to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and this homestead is the setting for her book, Farmer Boy. I have a daughter who loved the Little House on the Prairie series, but this trip really spoke to my two little boys, who immediately wanted to go home and read Farmer Boy.

Going to visit museums and homesteads...

You know the saying you are what you eat...

Well, the same applies to how you spend your time. You are what you do consistently.

In the last blog I talked about my excitement over the Analogue Bag trend, but when you're trying to make a dramatic change in your life, you need tangible ideas for how to make the transition.

You must have something to fill the void that stopping scrolling just created, or something to hand your child instead of a screen, and it needs to be convenient and...

Do You Need a Busy Bag?

Before smart devices became a part of everyday life, my fellow moms and I would pack our young children’s Busy Bags.

These bags were like an older version of a diaper bag and kept our little ones occupied while we stood in the line at the Post Office or to keep their little eyes off the candy aisle at the grocery store. Before tablets, parents had to help their children emotionally regulate themselves in boring situations like a dinner out at a restaurant or on long car...

Last year I wrote a blog called, The Case for Handwriting. I'd like to present to you now: The Case for Cursive!

There's a meme that floats around Gen X social media that never fails to get a laugh: if Gen Z and Gen Alpha were to join forces and rise up against us, all we'd have to do is write our battle plans in cursive. It's funny (at least to most Gen X's) because it's not far from the truth. Two generations now have grown up unable to read or write in a script that was once as fundamental...

Did you get the teacher's note about sending your child to school dressed as their favorite book character or to send a donation for the Dr. Suess birthday party...if so, then you are fast approaching National Reading Month!

National Reading Month is celebrated across the United States by schools, libraries, and literacy organizations, and is officially sponsored by Reading is Fundamental (RIF). It happens all month long, starting on Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2nd.

Their vision: A nation of...

Recently, there has been a good bit of research that has brought to light the difference in how our brain processes what we could call analogue habits vs tech habits, including handwriting vs typing and e-readers vs physical books. A recent blog I wrote centered around the "Just One Book" study, which showed how dramatically having one real book in the house affected literacy and future educational success. One of the most surprising findings in this study was that there was no bump in...

World Read Aloud Day!

Today, February 4th, is World Read Aloud Day!

Did you know such a thing existed? Well, it does, and you know those of us who promote children's literacy are so glad for it.

It is an annual event promoted by LitWorld, a global nonprofit based in the U.S., which is focused on literacy and education access. Their goal is to remind people that reading aloud still matters, and that stories are meant to be shared.

A long time ago, reading aloud to one another(even amongst literate...

My Youtube algorithm gives me a lot of child literacy videos due to my research interests, and recently a video called, Why Your Brain Learns Better From Paper, came into my feed. (I’ve linked the video down below in case you want to watch it.) It immediately caught my attention with its Luddite headline.

The video was based on a large international study that examined children across dozens of countries, income levels, and family backgrounds. The researchers found that children who grew up...

One of my favorite things about working in children’s literature is realizing how many people around the world share a love of reading. Reading is a lifeline and a source of joy and connection all over the globe for adults and children alike. Living overseas for a while gave me a glimpse (honestly, a fascination) into how other cultures approach storytelling. I follow several YouTubers from other countries for book reviews and literacy topics and it is a source of great enjoyment.

In 2026,...

Now that The Unicorn Shore series is complete and all three books have been published, I would like to share my heart behind why I chose to write this series first.

I wanted to write a series that felt magical, yet timeless. I wanted to send my heroine, Marigold, on an emotional and fantastical journey where she would find through courage to face her loneliness. Marigold wants a friend but doesn't know where to start. Her adventures in this magical realm help show her how to trust others,...

The Unicorn Shore: The Ring of Mischief

Book Three in The Unicorn Shore Series

ONE ENCHANTED RING. ENDLESS MISCHIEF.

Return to the magical Unicorn Shore in the third adventure of the series, as nine-year-old Marigold fulfills her promise by bringing her little sister, Sophie, to celebrate Eclipse’s coronation. At the castle, everyone gathers to cheer the new king when a powerful tremor cracks open a hidden crystal cavern in the hills nearby. Marigold and the...

“Mom, I’m bored!” The dreaded three words of motherhood.

We live in a world that hates boredom. Actually, that was the world I grew up in. Now we live in a world that is intolerant of boredom. As adults, we’ve been conditioned this way too. Think about the last time you stood in line, sat in traffic, or waited at a doctor’s office. How long did it take before you pulled out your phone? Probably seconds, not minutes. Our kids see that too, and they learn from it.

Boredom feels wrong…like...

Will went into the woods alone—but something followed him back.

Thirteen-year-old Will Anders never knew his parents were running from something. After the accident that killed them, he's sent to the sleepy town of Black Hollow to live with his Aunt Mags. It's...

Throughout history, authors have frequently used pen names. The practice has deep roots in publishing history and is especially common in children's literature.

Louisa May Alcott, author of "Little Women," wrote gothic thrillers under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard. More recently, J.K. Rowling has written under the pen name Robert Galbraith for her adult crime novels, wanting to separate this style of work from her beloved Harry Potter series.

Daniel Handler writes adult literary fiction under...

(This blog is a follow-up to the last blog about AI)

Watching AI trends over the last year, as well as following the emerging science looking at the impact it has on our lives and brains, has turned my initial fascination into one of concern. While I am not a full-blown hater of the potential of AI for things like medical advances, I have become deeply concerned about the psychological and developmental impact of AI on children and believe we should approach it with some skepticism and eyes...

AI.

I think most of us have had some fun with AI tools at some point over the last few years. In 2024, I was quite fascinated with, and naive about, AI and I enjoyed learning about it. It is, understandably, a very divisive topic, especially among writers and illustrators. There are so many reasons to limit AI use and I can't cover them all in one blog, so I will do this as a 2-part post to keep it manageable.

Most modern creatives, especially writers, have a deep fear of being accused of...

Draven the Kirin: A Magical Creature from Ancient Legends

In Eclipse’s Secret, we learn Draven is a kirin. But what exactly is a kirin? Let’s step into the world of myths and legends to find out.

What is a Kirin?

A kirin (pronounced “kee-rin”) is a magical creature from East Asian mythology. In Chinese stories it is called qílín, and in Japan it is called kirin. People have been telling stories about the kirin for thousands of years.

The kirin is often described as looking like several animals...