i heart south bowie library

i just recently discovered the south bowie library because of a homeschool chess club meeting.

it’s such a lovely library.
i love all the energy saving elements of the building including all the vitamin D boosting natural light.
i love the fireplace.
i love that you can checkout an iPad to use in the building.
i love the huge kids section.
i love the cafe area where you can eat a meal or snack.
i love this sensory area for the little ones.

i could literally spend all day there.
i think i might put this down on my summer bucket list
for when it gets too hot and humid to do anything
but veg out on good books, movies and the internet.

hej, martin!

mercyGirl attended a workshop with Martin Widmark, author of the Whodunit Detective Agency Series, to learn how to plan a detective story and find out a little about his native country, Sweden. this workshop was part of the kids euro festival.

because we got there on time (snicker) mercyGirl got to spend some one-on-one time with Martin before the rest of the children arrived. mercyGirl shared her most recent story with him, and Martin showed her his book in which he writes down plans and ideas for his children’s books.

tack så mycket (thanks very much) for sharing your techniques with the children, Martin.

tales to tell at new carrollton library

if you love a good story
come to Tales to Tell at New Carrollton Library
on Thursdays, 4 – 4:30pm,
until the end of October.
children ages 6 – 9 (and their siblings)
can listen, discuss and compare books
that take classic stories like Goldilocks and the Three Bears
and give them a fresh, quirky twist like
Goldilocks and Just One Bear (by Leigh Hodgkinson)
or Goatilocks and the Three Bears (by Erica Perl)
or Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas (by Natasha Yim).

we visit our local library on a weekly basis
so we just end up incorporating this big kid story time into our visit.
afterwards, Ms. Marcie always has the books she has read
along with other suggestions available for children
to check out and read at home.

In what ways do you encourage the love of reading in your home?

library of congress 2014 national book festival

we’ve got swag, yes we do;
we’ve got swag, how about you?

we were able to last about an hour and a half
in the crowd of literature lovers
at the 2014 National Book Festival.

the girls visited every table
in the Pavilion of States
getting stamps,  stickers and signatures from every state, DC, and the US territories.

one day we are actually going to have the stamina
to attend an author’s talk
and stand in line to get a book signed.

#NatBookFest

book: March by John Lewis & Andrew Aydin

this non-fiction graphic novel tells the story of Congressman John Lewis,
one of the key figures of the civil rights movement.
this is the first of a trilogy.
can’t wait to read the next ones.

March by John Lewis & Andrew Aydin
teen – adult

book: The Promised Land by Arthur Flowers

a unique graphic novel biography of Martin Luther King Jr
told in lyrical style of african american storytellers
with Patua art providing the visual story.

The Promised Land by Arthur Flowers
teens – adult

book: Race to Incarcerate by Sabrina Jones

in the non-fiction graphic novel Race to Incarcerate, author Sabrina Jones describes
the appalling system of policies
that led the US to have the highest rate of incarceration
in the world.

for high school to adult readers

good read: Akissi by Marguerite Abouet

i’m a graphic novel junkie.
it doesn’t matter the subject or age level;
i’ll devour it.
i especially love it when i see people of color in graphic novels.
Akissi by Marguerite Abouet will be a fun read for children of any color,
but it’s especially nice for young girls of color to read about
this cheeky, adventurous pig-tailed West African girl.

for those looking for a compelling but relatively simple read in French,
this book is also available en Français.

the author has another graphic novel, Aya,
the first of a series of comedic dramas for adults
which also has a female protagonist set in West Africa.

library day: a necessary weekly adventure

ramadan and eid books for children

here’s a mix of mostly picture books
with a few non-fiction books, activity books,
and even a young adult (13+) novel thrown in.
i have read most of them with my children,
but not all.
look for them in your local library,
at your favorite islamic bookstore
or online book retailer.

Amira’s Totally Chocolate World, by J. Samia Mair

Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. by Medeia Sharif

Celebrate Ramadan & Eid al-Fitr, by Deborah Heiligman

Celebrating Ramadan, by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith

Eid and Ramadan Songs, by Fawzia Gillani Williams

Magid Fasts for Ramadan, by Mary Matthews

Moon Watchers: Shirin’s Ramadan Miracle, by Reza Jalali

My First Ramadan, by Karen Katz

My Ramadan Fun Book (from Goodword Books)

The Night of the Moon : a Muslim Holiday Story, by Hena Khan

A Party in Ramadan, by Asma Mobin-Uddin

Ramadan, by Susan L. Douglass

Ramadan, by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi

Ramadan and Id-ul-Fitr, by Rosalind Kerven

Ramadan and the Quran: Quran Stories for Little Hearts (from Goodword Books)

Ramadan Moon by Naima Bint Robert

Rashad’s Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr by Lisa Bullard

Under the Ramadan Moon, by Silvia Whitman

Welcome Ramadan (from Goodword Books)

The White Nights of Ramadan, by Maha Addasi

are there some that you like that are not on this list? where do you find your favorite islamic books for children?