By Julie Samrick Like many other little boys, when my now 9 and 10 year old sons were little they were obsessed with trucks. They could point out and identify every variety- cement mixers, big rigs, tow trucks, and their favorite— car transporters. The newly released picture book Truck Stop by Anne Rockwell is perfect… Read more
Just in time for Valentine’s Day a new, FUNNY picture book for kids 3-10 is out. The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever by Brenda A. Ferber is about a kid named Leon- and he has a crush on a girl. A “let-her-cut-in-line-at-the-water-fountain” kind of crush. Leon’s got the perfect valentine, but this valentine has no intention of… Read more
The one picture book as a child I had the most sentimental attachment to (and still own to this day) is a create-a-book my Grandma Hazel sent me. In it, I got to be another star of the Flintstones, while my sister also got to play a pivotal role in her own book, which… Read more
The photo of a 5-year-old blonde haired child begging in the streets of Mexico has prompted cries of racism. Many feel attention was drawn to the girl because of her light skin and green eyes, yet there are thousands of dark skinned children whose begging is ignored. The photographer must’ve felt it uncanny to see… Read more
By Julie Samrick I always wanted a retainer. I was envious of those kids who clicked and fiddled their retainers around in their mouths so flippantly, so cool, in middle school. A similar scenario popped up when my son got glasses in kindergarten- other moms quickly began telling me that their children wanted “Super… Read more
By Amy Schwary Put down the electronics because there is a picture book that is sure to capture the attention of any child. It is so interactive that it is hard to believe that the experience it offers comes from old fashioned printed pages! In his creative book, Press Here, author Herve Tullet invites his readers… Read more
Are cap and gown senior portraits passé? A Colorado girl is protesting her high school yearbook student editors’ decision not to run her racy senior picture. It was 18-year-old senior Sydney Spies’s peers’ decision, ultimately, not to run the picture, although they are giving her the option to run the picture as an ad at… Read more
No Two Alike by Keith Baker “No two snowflakes are alike, almost, almost …..but not quite” Take a journey with two adventurous birds through a snow fallen forest. Explore the wintery landscape to discover that “no two are alike”…from branches and leaves to forests and trees. This book has very simple yet poetic verse which… Read more
A fresh twist on a classic fairytale, author Sue Ganz-Schmitt’s The Princess and the Peanut: A Royally Allergic Tale tells of one peanut butter loving prince’s search for a real princess- finding that an allergic reaction to one minuscule peanut will set her apart from commoners. Children with food allergies will see their difference as special… Read more
By Julie Samrick As graduations and other milestones abound this time of year, it reminds me of the bittersweet moments in all parents' lives when our kids grow and move on to a new phase a little too
Making homemade pizza crust is something I've tried to master for quite some time. I've even been known to say it's on my bucket list. How could combining some flour, yeast, and oil be so difficult? Why is it so
By Julie Samrick This weekend my kids wanted to go to the park. They wanted to swim. My husband said, "We need one day to clean up. Every room in the house looks like a hurricane hit it!" He went in the backyard
By Julie Samrick Dear Tracy, I am sorry I can’t make your bachelorette party later this month. I would like nothing better than to kick up my heels with you and dance, to celebrate the next wonderful chapter of
By Julie Samrick Can you tell what this is? It’s a clay gorilla, created in its entirety by my seven-year-old daughter. The school assignment was to create a rain forest animal at home and
By Julie Samrick It’s evident why 16-year-olds throughout America’s classrooms continue to read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby nearly a century after it was written. The slim novel is packed
By Julie Samrick Like many other little boys, when my now 9 and 10 year old sons were little they were obsessed with trucks. They could point out and identify every variety- cement mixers, big rigs, tow trucks, and
By Lowry Manders I recently heard author Bruce Feiler interviewed on NPR about his book The Secrets of Happy Families and as I listened I thought to myself, “I have got to get a book published!” He is echoing so much of the things I preach (and try to live) about how to create happy ... Read more
By Julie Samrick “Christmas will never be as magical until you have children of your own,” my mother told me sadly after I declared there was no such thing as Santa Claus. When another little girl spilled the news to me at school, first putting any doubt in my head, I quickly lumped the ... Read more
By Erin Kurt Throughout the years of being a teacher, mother and parenting coach, I realized that there are some very powerful phrases, that if used consistently, can be extremely effective when parents are trying to get their child to listen or to get them to do something instantly. Here are ... Read more
