The Assassination of JFK: Revisiting an American Tragedy | Media Mania
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the earth-shattering day that President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding in a motorcade during a campaign trip to Dallas, Texas. Premiering in...
View ArticleBeyond Basic Concepts: Seeking Colors, Shapes, and Patterns in Our World
The leafy green of a luna moth caterpillar, the spiraling funnel of a tornado, the geometric design of a rattlesnake’s scales, the bright-hued blocks on a winter scarf—colors, shapes, and patterns are...
View ArticleAll Aboard! | Great Books about Trains
It’s been a banner year for books about railroad trains, a topic that remains perennially popular with young readers. Featuring newer titles worthy of a hardy “woo woo” and a smattering of old...
View ArticleRead A Picture…Book | Bold New Titles for Bolstering Visual Literacy and...
Standouts for their elegant and inventive book designs, these newly published picture books make clever use of visual presentation to convey information and story essentials, establish ambiance and...
View ArticleYA Novels Go to the Movies | Media Mania
From a soul-searing work of historical fiction to an array of dystopian tales that envision the not-so-distant future, four much-lauded teen-friendly novels have been adapted for the big screen, all...
View ArticleGreat Beginnings | Books for Emergent Readers
Like all youngsters, kids learning to read benefit from exposure to high-quality titles that blend well-written narratives with eye-catching illustrations. Formatted to support the needs of emergent...
View ArticleBewitching Tales | Great Books for Halloween
Perfect for sharing aloud, these captivating stories offer up ghosts, ghouls, and giggles galore. Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat. By Doreen Cronin. Illus. by Betsy Lewin. S & S/Atheneum. 2013....
View Article‘Once Upon a Time’ Delights: Magical Fairy Tale Reads | Media Mania
ABC’s Once Upon a Time continues to enchant viewers with its imaginative mashup of modern-day elements and beguiling fairy tale fundamentals. The action is set in Storybrooke, Maine, a small town...
View ArticleBig, Bigger, Biggest | Dinosaur Delights
Stunning illustrations, clearly presented information, and an imaginative approach characterize the recent crop of titles about dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts. These enticing nonfiction books open a...
View ArticleKindness Counts: Great Books for Nurturing Compassion
These superb offerings about caring and kindness make fitting choices for sharing with youngsters as we enter the holiday season. Perceptive but never preachy, these picture books also present children...
View Article47 Ronin and a Sampling of Samurai Tales for Teens | Media Mania
A grounded-in-history legend, epic battle scenes, and elements of fantasy are intertwined in an action-packed 3-D adventure set in early 18th-century Japan. Keanu Reeves and a star-studded Japanese...
View ArticlePicture Book Biographies | Portals to the Past
Well-researched and enlightening, these engaging picture book biographies pair outstanding artwork with stellar storytelling to describe the lives and times of an assortment of noteworthy individuals....
View ArticleWalking in a Winter Wonderland | Great Books for Snowy Days
Celebrate the season and warm children’s hearts with titles that feature exciting cold-weather adventures, science-based explorations, and bold, boredom-vanquishing activities. Brownie Groundhog and...
View Article‘I, Frankenstein’: A New Creature Feature and a Selection of Monstrously Good...
Opening in theaters on January 24, 2014, I, Frankenstein (PG-13) provides a fresh take on a classic character set in an alternate modern-day world. Two centuries after his legendary beginnings, Victor...
View ArticlePresidents’ Day | Books for Celebration and Study
Presidents’ Day (February 17, 2014) is just around the corner. Combining well-researched content with reader-pleasing formats, the handsomely illustrated titles presented here put the spotlight on...
View ArticleA Heartfelt Holiday | Great Books for Valentine’s Day
Sweeten up your holiday collections, storytimes, and classroom celebrations with a selection of recent books brimming with hearts and humor, kisses and cuddles, and loads of affection. Catching Kisses....
View ArticleVampires Get Schooled: Spine-Tingling Supernatural Reads for ‘Vampire...
Percolating with fast-paced paranormal action and fang-sharp one-liners, Vampire Academy (not yet rated), an adaptation of the first volume of Richelle Mead’s popular young adult series (Razorbill,...
View Article“Remember the Ladies”| Women Who Changed America
Abigail Adams penned this phrase in a 1776 letter written to her husband John, who was serving as Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, prompting the organizers of a...
View ArticleHow Do You Feel Today?: Great Books about Emotions
Told with sensitivity, perception, and heartwarming humor, these recent picture books treat a range of experiences and feelings that are all part of a youngster’s everyday world. Share them with...
View Article’300: Rise of an Empire’ Reinterprets Ancient History with 21st-Century Flair...
Warner Bros. Pictures provides a second installment in a film series that vivifies the long-ago Persian invasion of Greece (480 BC) with a robust amalgam of larger-than-life storytelling, fantastical...
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