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…
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…
PBH Short Story: Memories of Mossy, Our Turtle for a Week
(Our Mossy. More photos of Mossy’s week with us, and her release, at the end of this post) When introduced to one of my daughter’s dolls,…
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…
Meet Illustrator Rebecca Hirsch
Thank you, Rebecca Hirsch, for giving such detailed, inspiring and funny answers to my long list of questions about you and your work. In the interview…
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? GOOD MORNING!
The location has changed (my kids are no longer hanging in hook chairs from the center island to eat; instead we are all at the kitchen…
The Art of Tibor Gergely in The Little Red Caboose
Milestone alert: my son sits for full-length picture books. He sits for book after book after book at bedtime in our reading chair, books that he…
Building Our House/Building Our Home
In July, we will have lived in our house for two years. I believe in the power of place, and there is no place other…
Picture Book House 