Posts by Beth
Words of Remembrance as November 11th Approaches
Many countries observe November 11th as a day of remembrance, honoring those who have served and sacrificed in wartime. In Canada, we call this day Remembrance Day. In the United States, it is Veterans Day. It is important that those people’s stories not be forgotten. There are other stories, as well — stories of families…
Read MoreCreativity: Costumes, Challenges, Coloring and Contests!
Although Halloween is over, I’m still marveling at the incredible creativity of so many of the costumes I saw on Saturday (both in real life and on Facebook). For me, one of the best I saw at the mall (where kids can go from store to store for treats) was a container of popcorn. A…
Read MoreWHAT to Read Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People — Part Two in the Series
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…
Read MoreNames and Titles: a writer’s thoughts on choosing them well
Names. Titles. Sometimes it seems that coming up with the right ones takes nearly as much time as crafting the book itself. I know I spend a long time trying to get my characters’ names, and my book titles, just right. It may seem to the non-writer that a name is a name. But imagine…
Read MoreJulie Gribble and KidLit TV Get Ready for Halloween!
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…
Read MoreThe Gift of Thanks
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…
Read MoreThe WHY of Reading Aloud to Older Adults and Isolated People
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…
Read MoreGeorge by Alex Gino — #WeNeedDiverseBooks
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…
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