The Princess and The Pony: Pretty Much a Perfect Picture Book
The other night a friend reached out to talk about picture books. Next year she will leave her middle school classroom for an elementary library. I…
The Table Sets Itself Comes to Breakfast…Stays for Lunch…and Dinner…
So, I’m the naughty aunt who gives out fart books for Christmas. I couldn’t help it. Farts are funny. I bought The Table Sets Itself by…
Monster Needs a (Mimi-Made) Costume
Mimi’s at it again. Toiling away in her basement—cutting fabric, sewing seams and carefully attaching appliques. Before she was Mimi, back when she was “just” my…
Like Mother Like Daughter: Feeding the Sheep
Without hesitation, when strangers meet my family for the first time, or when we reconnect with relatives we haven’t seen in awhile, everyone says, “Wow! Katy…
Celebrating 1 Year of PBH!
Picture Book House, the blog, will turn 1 on February 12th! In the beginning, my blog posts were shaped by books and how we read/engaged with…
We Got a Dog + How to Hide a Lion
One look at my new niece and I knew that we were getting a dog. We’d done the research, owned the training books, made the lists—pro…
Frozen? Warm up with Annie and the Wild Animals
Disney’s latest blockbuster couldn’t have been released at a more apropos time. We saw the movie over our holiday visit to the in-laws in Brainerd, MN…
Dreams of A New Niece Keep Post-Holiday Blues at Bay
Beginning in October, we joined my two nieces in keeping track of all that we had to look forward to in the upcoming months. “Next comes…
Ox-Cart Man, And Much More to be Thankful For
I’m stuffed. We are wrapping up a weekend of incredible food and family fun and kicking off Christmas with a super-sized tree and thousands of twinkle…
Celebrate Picture Book Month with The Breakfast Book
Picture Book House, the blog, will turn one in February. In the beginning, I blogged about whatever book (and my kids’ interactions with it) had inspired…
A Perfect Picture Book on a Not So Perfect Morning: Baby Bear Counts One by Ashley Wolff
Occasionally there is a bit of bickering over breakfast, when my son’s in the mood for cereal to be shared with The Very Hungry Caterpillar but…
Come on, Fish! A Picture Book by Bubba, for his Grandkids
A trip to my parents’ house is not complete without my kids begging my Dad to read Dooly and the Snortsnoot. “Again?” he guffaws, popping open…
Throwback Thursday: Halloween Books from the 80s
When we are visiting at my parent’s house, my kids play with Micro Machines, Polly Pocket and Rainbow Bright while I sneak over to the bookshelf…
Truckin’
On Wednesday morning we went to story hour at the library. Our children’s librarian is everything I love about Meg Ryan as the Storybook Lady in…
Literacy 101: Making Connections with Dog Goes to Nursery School
My job as a reading teacher and literacy coach was to help students become active readers, which means I was helping them do things to better…
The (Breakfast) Table is Turned in Monster, Be Good! Monsters, Part II
Speaking of monsters… We’ve invited them to breakfast! Monster, Be Good!, by Natalie Marshall (Blue Apple Books, 2013) is short, interactive, and fun; the perfect addition…
The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot: Monsters Part I
Last spring, when the buzz about The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot by Scott Magoon (Simon & Schuster, 2013) was buzziest, I bought it. But then, because the…
Early Fall Favorite: Sophie’s Squash
Our Cottonwood leaves are turning brown and crinkly. There are splashes of yellow on the Ash. This morning the air was cool enough we needed sweaters…
if you want to see a whale, ride your bike to the park
If you want to see a whale, it is better not to pack a lunch, a picnic blanket, some books and the kids in the bike…
Where’s Waldo? Start with Hide-and-Seek Duck
Will he play soccer? The trumpet? Baseball? Will he run track? Be President of his class? Ski? Star in the musical or be a stagehand? One…
Picture Book House 