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  • Julie Gribble and KidLit TV Get Ready for Halloween!

    By Beth | October 12, 2015

      Today’s post is from Julie Gribble and Rocco Staino of KidLit TV. Take it away, Julie!   Hello, By Word of Beth readers! I’ve been super busy at KidLit TV getting ready for our first birthday party, so I’m celebrating a bit early by sharing a post from our super cool site with Beth! We’re rushing…

  • The Gift of Thanks

    By Beth | October 5, 2015

    On Sunday evening, I attended an awards banquet honoring senior volunteers in the province. It was inspiring to hear the things these seniors have done for their communities and for their world over the years. Events like this are a great opportunity to say thank you to people like this who serve others for the…

  • The WHY of Reading Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People

    By Beth | September 28, 2015

    In the almost ten years (!) since I wrote this series of blog posts under the umbrella heading of “reading aloud to the elderly,” there have been many changes in the world. Terminology has changed, so that I’ve found it important to change the word “elderly” to older people, despite the fact that it has…

  • George by Alex Gino — #WeNeedDiverseBooks

    By Beth | September 21, 2015

    Title: George Author: Alex Gino Publisher: New York: Scholastic, 2015 Genre: Middle Grade fiction Audience Age: 9 to 12 years Themes/topics: Transgender middle schoolers, being true to who you are, bullying Opening Sentences: George pulled a silver house key out of the smallest pocket of a large red backpack. Mom had sewn the key in…

  • Of Dot Day and Peter H. Reynolds

    By Beth | September 14, 2015

    Last week, I talked a bit about International Dot Day, and posted a retrospective of some of the Dots I’ve drawn over the last few years. Today I want to look a little more closely at Peter H. Reynolds, who created the fantastic picture book, The Dot — the book that inspired T.J. Shay to…

  • International Dot Day is Nearly Here! September 15th-ish, 2015!

    By Beth | September 7, 2015

    “Make your mark and see where it takes you.” With those encouraging, creativity-freeing words, Peter H. Reynolds gives us all a gentle challenge to unleash our own creativity and see where it takes us. If you have read Peter’s wonderful picture book The Dot, you will know that a little gentle encouragement from her teacher…

  • Summertime Reading and a Blog Hiatus

    By Beth | June 10, 2015

    It’s time for By Word of Beth to take a break for the summer. When I think about summer vacations when I was a kid, besides having lots of time to ride my bike and play outside, one of the things I liked best was having unlimited time to read. I read a lot throughout…

  • Dramarama by E. Lockhart — book recommendation (part one)

    By Beth | June 7, 2015

    [Edited to add: I will be revisiting this book in the fall. I want to tell you some of Demi’s story as well as Sadye’s. So watch for part 2 of this post in September!] Title: Dramarama Author: E. Lockhart Publisher: New York: Hyperion Paperbacks, 2007. Genre: YA Fiction Audience Age: 13 to 17 years…

  • Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt — Book Recommendation

    By Beth | June 4, 2015

    Title: Okay for Now Author: Gary D. Schmidt Publisher: New York: Sandpiper, 2011, 2013. Genre: Late Middle Grade, early YA Audience Age: 11 to 14 years old Themes/topics: growing up with an abusive parent, trying to fit in at a new school, teenage illiteracy, the power of art Opening Sentences: Joe Pepitone once gave me…

  • The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt — Book Recommendation

    By Beth | May 31, 2015

    Title: The Wednesday Wars Author: Gary D. Schmidt Publisher: New York: Sandpiper, 2007, 2009. Genre: Late Middle Grade, Early YA Audience Age: 11 to 14 years old Themes/topics: Growing up, coping with fear, bullying, hope, Shakespeare (yes, that says Shakespeare!) Opening Sentences: Of all the kids in the seventh grade at Camillo Junior High, there…

  • Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky — Book Recommendation

    By Beth | May 28, 2015

    Title: Gracefully Grayson Author: Ami Polonsky Publisher: New York: Hyperion, 2014. Genre: Fiction Audience Age: 9-12 Themes/Topics: Transgender child, theatre, bullying, hope Opening Sentences: If you draw a triangle with a circle resting on the top point, nobody will be able to tell that it’s a girl in a dress. To add hair, draw kind…

  • Dash by Kirby Larson — Book Recommendation

    By Beth | May 24, 2015

    I’m sure you are familiar with the saying “So many books, so little time.” I’m feeling a bit like that as I approach my blog’s summer hiatus. There are several books I want to tell you about before I take my summer break, so nearly all the posts from now until then will be book…