Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg Houghton Mifflin, 2010 40 pages Did you ever wonder who first had the crazy idea to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel? That honor belongs to a 62 (yes, 62)-year-old woman named Annie Edson Taylor, who dreamed up the stunt as a get-rick-quick scheme in 1901. … Continue reading Queen of the Falls
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr; ill. Ronald Himler G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1977 80 pages About four months ago, when I posted for Banned Books Week, I mentioned that inspiring books often push our boundaries or make us question long-held assumptions. In many cases, they challenge our ideas about what the world … Continue reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Here Come the Girl Scouts!
Here Come the Girl Scouts!: The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure by Shana Corey; ill. Hadley Hooper Scholastic, 2012 40 pages I know it sounds curmudgeonly, but kids don't get outside enough these days. We parents are too scared of catastrophe; kids are too enmeshed in devices (also … Continue reading Here Come the Girl Scouts!
Read Like a Girl 