People Smart - Kristen Remenar (Page 2)

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People Smart

A collection of 45 posts

Ten Rules of Being a Superhero

Ten Rules of Being a Superhero

I’ll bet you a sack of Halloween candy that most of us have dreamed of being a superhero: saving the day, maybe flying, definitely wearing a cool cape and a mask. Snazzy accessories aside, if you want to be a superhero, you need this book: Ten Rules of Being

Michigan Author

Author video interview with Matt Faulkner, Ruth Barshaw and me!

Ed Spicer, fantastic first grade teacher and blogger at spicyreads.org, was kind enough to include me in a author interview video! Ed attended a reading conference with Matt Faulkner, Ruth McNally Barshaw and me this summer on Mackinac Island. Here we talk about using books in the classroom to

Go Ahead and Judge

Go Ahead and Judge

As I’m weeding the youth collection in my public library, I am finding some gems. I know the old adage is “you can’t judge a book by its cover”, but really? If you had never heard of Little Women before and you saw this audiobook cover, what do

Peace

It has been twelve years since the terror attacks on 9/11. Most of the students in elementary classrooms today weren’t even born yet in 2001, so how do we commemorate that day with kids? The kindest way I can think of to honor the lives that were lost

Brothers at Bat

Brothers at Bat

Because it is baseball season (go, Tigers!) and because I just found out that I get to go back to New Jersey in September to teach a seminar for preschool and kindergarten teachers, this week I’m featuring a book about baseball written by one of my favorite Jersey girls.

Eleanor, Quiet No More

Eleanor, Quiet No More

This morning, I sat basking in the presence of an amazingly talented author. Doreen Rappaport was speaking at our local university, and because my husband, Matt Faulkner, will illustrate her biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Matt and I were able to sit in on her lecture. I’ve been a

How I "Found" Out How to Keep my 'Tween Reading

How I "Found" Out How to Keep my 'Tween Reading

My daughter has been a voracious reader since birth, but my son – not so much. Joe reads well, but rarely would he pick up a book for pleasure. It wasn’t until I paid more attention to how he learns that I found how to hook my 12-year-old son on

Let's Talk About Race

Let's Talk About Race

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou. Next Monday we celebrate the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What better way to honor his dream of a nation where our children

Monkey: a trickster tale from India

Monkey: a trickster tale from India

It’s January, and is it just me, or are your kids more wiggly than a troop of monkeys, too? Here’s a book to get your kids monkeying around in a good way, and you’ll be teaching the Common Core State Standard of Key Ideas and Details. Monkey:

The Day-Glo Brothers on a free app - what a bright idea!

The Day-Glo Brothers on a free app - what a bright idea!

I’m a librarian partly because I couldn’t afford my book habit if I had to buy every book I read. So when I’m looking for e-books, I usually look for free ones (some call me cheap, I prefer “fantastically frugal”). But I don’t want crummy books

"Brothers at Bat" is Notable!

"Brothers at Bat" is Notable!

After a solid month of all the members of my household taking turns being sick (seriously, we dubbed our home “Contagion Manor”), I was so glad to return to work and see some of my favorite books on the New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2012 list. I

Abiyoyo and Abiyoyo Returns

Abiyoyo and Abiyoyo Returns

It’s almost Halloween, and you want a book to share with your students that will give them shivers, but not nightmares. Pull out these picture books about a scary giant and the clever little boy who defeats him, and you’ll be hitting the Common Core State Standard of

What to Read After a Tragedy Occurs

What to Read After a Tragedy Occurs

Sometimes the unthinkable happens. In Aurora, Colorado, someone came into a movie theater and began shooting innocent people. Twelve people were killed, fifty-eight more were wounded. All of us are horrified by the random violence. What do we tell our children when these tragedies occur? We shield them as much

"The Purple Balloon" for all who miss Kenley

"The Purple Balloon" for all who miss Kenley

Our community is mourning the loss of Kenley, a bright-eyed, curious toddler who died this weekend in a tragic accident. How do we, as grown-ups who are heartbroken and confused, make sense of any of this for our children or give them comfort as we grieve for this little girl?

My Heart Will Not Sit Down

My Heart Will Not Sit Down

I read hundreds of picture books a year as a children’s librarian, and My Heart Will Not Sit Down by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Ann Tanksley is one of the truly unforgettable books of 2012 for me. Kedi lives in Cameroon and her teacher is from America. He

This Leap Year - Stick!

This Leap Year - Stick!

With a title like Stick, you might not think this book by Steve Breen will work for a Leap Year celebration, but it will! Stick is an independent young frog; he likes to do things on his own, thank you very much. He doesn’t want help from his mom