By Karen Williams Showing support for independent bookstores is a noble cause, and a common way to do so is to simply visit the bookstore itself. But you can show support from home, too. Whether your goal is to avoid the crowds or get to know a bookstore outside your region, there are several ways you can support your favorite bookstore virtually. Buy books from online storefronts. Now more than ever, your favorite independent bookstores need your business. Many bookstores have the . . .
DIY Book Craft: No-sew Book Cover
By Kelsey Nickerson These DIY fabric book covers are a pretty and crafty way to protect your library. Safeguard books while traveling, replace lost dust covers, or preserve well-loved titles from eager (and grubby) little hands. We especially like these covers for keeping kids’ favorites in good enough shape for them to read to their own children someday. Plus, they add a fun pop of pattern and color to your bookshelf. This book craft is easy, inexpensive and doesn’t take long. Have . . .
Three Sure-Fire Ways to Get Kids to Read More
Many parents, especially bookish ones, long for their children to fall in love with reading. They read to their kids religiously, awaiting the day when their children take pleasure in selecting and reading books on their own. They hope that curling up in the company of a great book will beat out apps, games, and screen time on their kids’ list of preferred activities. But, alas, kids often show greater interest in other things. I know that my own daughter’s reading interest and . . .
DIY Book Craft: Chunky Tassel Bookmark
By Kelsey Nickerson These might be my new favorite DIY craft bookmarks! The chunky tassels are so fun and make it super easy to find your spot in a book, even for little hands. They’re also eye-catching and hard to misplace … hopefully encouraging young readers to use them instead of folding down the page corner! (We can always dream.) This is an excellent book craft to do with kids. Let them draw or paint their own design to personalize their bookmark, or help them copy out a quote from a . . .
DIY Book Craft: Book Planter
By Kelsey Nickerson House plants are great for greening your living space—they can even purify the air. Succulents are about as easy as they come, and hardy enough to let kids take the lead in caring for them. So why not add a touch of life and lit to your home with this DIY book craft planter? Use them as decorative accents or feature them on a minimalist shelf or end table. Wherever you place them, this creative upcycled book craft will add a charming and unique touch. This project is . . .
Three Reasons To Support Black Bookstores
By Karen Williams We’re witnessing a worldwide movement against police brutality, systemic racism, and oppression against black people in the United States. The protests, inspired by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery (to name a few), quickly went global, causing a renewed interest in books, art, and other creative works by and about black people in America. Many are seeking to educate themselves about black history and racism in the United States, and black . . .
DIY Book Craft: Origami Book-Page Butterfly
By Kelsey Nickerson We’ve all had them: those weakly bound paperback books that fall apart after a few readings. Upcycle the pages from those unsalvageable reads into these cute origami butterflies. You can string them along a garland, sprinkle them over a table or shelf-top, or perch them in a houseplant or festive tree. What a fun way to celebrate nature and reading! This DIY book-page craft is easy once you get the hang of the folding, and a fun project to do with kids. I’ve broken down . . .
Wordless Picture Books: A Surprising Tool to Build Reading Fluency
Wordless picture books are excellent tools for practicing reading fluency. This crucial literacy skill is defined as the ability to read a text smoothly with rhythm, expression, and appropriate emotion—and it’s a key indicator of reading comprehension. I first came across this idea in The Megabook of Fluency by Tim V. Rasinski and Melissa Cheesman Smith, and it struck me as a great example of building crucial reading skills without directly reading. As such, it’s perfect for . . .
Reading Fluency: What Parents Need to Know
By Maya Payne Smart In reading, as in conversation, it’s not just what we say, but how we say it that matters. The rhythm, pitch, and intonation someone brings to spoken words can convey meaning far beyond basic definitions. A shaky utterance might indicate fear or uncertainty. Changes in the pitch or speed of speech might accompany a compliment, signal anger, or communicate disappointment. Facial expressions and gestures, too, bring layers of interpretation and significance to . . .
DIY Book Craft: Book-Page Apple
By Kelsey Nickerson This cute twist on the classic apple-for-the-teacher theme creates a decorative apple from upcycled book pages. Help kids make them as teacher appreciation gifts, or to decorate their home “classroom.” You could even scale down the size and turn them into ornaments that can hang along a garland or off a tree. This DIY book craft is inexpensive and fun! Ideally, you’ll use an exacto knife and hot glue gun, so be aware that you’ll need to do those steps for younger . . .