Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata Cracker starts out life as a championship show dog, but then a broken leg sends her to twelve-year-old Willie and his family as a pet. But when Willie can’t keep her, she becomes a U. S. Army dog, assigned to newly-enlisted teenager, Rick Hanski. And there, [...]
With its moody, atmospheric cover, When the Whistle Blows may not be the first book boys and kids will reach for. Mr. E was skeptical when I first brought it home as our next read-together. But it didn’t take much convincing. As soon as I mentioned football championships, tricking the nasty school principal, and Halloween [...]
One of our editors at Lerner blogged about Don and me and our Follow That Food Chain series today over on the Lerner Publishing blog. Here’s the link. I’ll be posting there in the next couple weeks about the story behind our series. I was especially exicted to see the photo of us signing our books. [...]
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis My rating: 4 of 5 stars Out of the huge stack of books my boys collected at the ALA conference last week, this was the very first one that Mr. E (10) picked up and devoured. I know why. With science gadgets you wish [...]
Mr. E: [crunching breakfast] You know how boys aren’t smart at school? Me: [slightly panicky and defensive] Huh? What do you mean? Boys are just as smart as girls. Mr. E: Well, you know how boys in books are never “the smart ones?” Me: Hmmm. And this little conversation has got me thinking. He’s kind [...]
My mom’s a genius. (Most moms are—it just takes a while for us to realize it). Look what she made my kids for the lake. Mr. E and the Critter Keeper We’re calling it a “critter keeper.” Some background: our cabin is very much a “cabin” and not a “cottage”. In other words, there’s no [...]