Blog Archives - Kids Travel Books

Sep 19 2017

Bookstore Love: Andersons Books, Larchmont, NY

We have another installment of our Bookstore Love series. Robin Barone of the Where’s Robin book series brings us another favorite. Read on to see why Andersons Books is a great place for book-lovers.

Located in the “heart” of the Larchmont shopping area, Andersons is the local “go to” bookstore for local residents and schools. When you step inside the store, you join a community of book lovers and avid readers! My favorite part of this store is the owner’s approach to serving her customers and providing them with options. The owner curates a community of book lovers who are voracious to read “what’s next” and to take risks on new, unknown authors. The owner finds value in providing titles from small and non-traditional publisher besides best-selling favorites. I compare the experience to visiting an art gallery displaying unknown artists beside best-selling favorites.

Important information:

Website for Andersons Books.
Address: 96 Chatsworth Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538
Follow them on Facebook.

Aug 29 2017

Living In…: Series Review

There’s a shift that happens when kids learn to read. They go from learning to read, to reading to learn. (This is actually a whole big thing at the Center for Public Education.)

This series, the Living In… series, sits in that shift.

It’s a series for kids who are learning to read that can still be used when reading to learn. And since it’s a culture book, I’m a fan.

Living in… if you’re learning to read.

My son is learning to read.

Giving him access to books that interest him helps. While any child in my home is just going to have to deal with being interested in learning about other cultures (sorry, it’s just the way it is here), this series makes it easy.

The colorful pictures make it particularly attractive. When my son sees the map of Italy on the cover with all the little images of Italian things, he’s interested. So the first goal of picking up a book – achieved.

Once open, the book is geared towards early readers. It’s what the Ready to Read series is all about.

Like other Ready to Read books, the Living In… series has clearly marked and defined reading levels. Parents can figure out which ones will suit their children. The Living In… series is considered Level Two, which they explain as:

Superstar Readers! Stories have simple chapters, longer sentences, and high-interest vocabulary words.

Does he like them? Yes. It’s still on the more challenging-side for him, but the format helps.

First off, the glossary or those learning to read, the glossary of book-specific new words and their definitions as they’re used in the book help. The rest of the book continues encouraging kids with colorful photos, but the content helps them when they make that shift to reading to learn.

Living in… if you’re reading to learn

There’s a lot to take in with the Living In… series. Let’s take a look at the content:

First, we meet the local guide. A child from the country we’re visiting who will share with us various parts of their day. They break it down like this:

the local language, with pronunciation included as needed
the people and the population
major cities and places of interest
geography
local animals
the local guide’s family and what they do
a typical day for the local guide
highlights of the country’s history
favorite meals and dishes
national festivals and celebrations
fun facts

The books end perfectly. They talk about world travel, their interest in traveling the world, and ask the reader if they’d like to visit the country they just learned about someday.

So, even though the books are about a specific country, the various topics within that country make it easy for a parent to connect with their reader to help them learn something new. Kids are reading to learn.

Living in… Series Review

I’m a fan of this series. They make the story approachable, while jamming it full of information. They provide many opportunities for jumping off points for further discussion and reading.

And that’s exactly how I would use these books. As a starting point to teach kids about another country.

Try these tips:

If they’re interested in… try this…

the local language >>> read and listen to the “Teach Me Everyday” series for that language
the people or the daily life >>> try the “If You Were Me and Lived in” series
major cities and geography >>> pick up a map or google some of the country’s popular sites
local animals >>> the “Race the Wild” series is a fun read
highlights of the country’s history and fun facts >>> “Lonely Planet’s Not For Parents” series will give readers even more fun facts
favorite meals and dishes >>> make some dishes at home or check out local restaurants
national festivals and celebrations >>> check local listings for related events, or search Pinterest for DIY option

Oh, and I forgot the best part of this book series… they’re really affordable! I often see them for under $5 (and even under $3 sometimes). Want to see more? Buy them on Amazon.

And pin this post for later:

Review of this Children's Book Series "Living In..." By Ready to Read. Great for early readers! — Review of this Children’s Book Series “Living In…” By Ready to Read. Great for early readers!

Aug 22 2017

Bookstore Love: Book Passage in San Francisco, CA

Editor’s Note: I’ve been to Book Passage in San Francisco, and I think it’s one of the best book stores in the world. Thank you, Robin, for another great bookstore recommendation.

In a city known for the advancement of technology, San Francisco maintains a strong independent book culture which I find endearing. Nestled in between neighborhoods are pockets of stores where you can wander in, have a look about, and purchase a book that fits your mood. My favorite store of all is Book Passage Bookstore nestled in the middle of the Ferry Terminal of San Francisco. Need a quick read for your commute or day trip across the bay? The store is centrally located in the terminal and a part of regional chain that has cultivated a reputation as the “Bay area’s liveliest bookstore”! Their scale allows them to access a variety of titles to service your interests!

Visit Book Passage San Francisco

Book Passage is a must-see for any book fan visiting San Francisco. It’s location in the Ferry Terminal makes it an easy addition to your trip. Be sure to check their website for events. They have kid’s events available organized by age group, which is pretty cool.

You can also read my experience using the San Francisco City Pass on a post I wrote on my old blog.

Book Passage San Francisco, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111

There are also other book passage locations here:

Book Passage Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA

-and-

Book Passage Sausalito
100 Bay Street, Sausalito, CA

You can also follow Book Passage on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Aug 15 2017

Best Children’s Books for a Trip to Paris

Planning a trip to Paris and want to make the planning process fun for kids, get them ready to explore once you’re there, and help guarantee a memorable experience?

Books help.

The problem is there are SO many awesome books about Paris that it’s almost impossible to narrow it down. So, I spent way to much time doing that for you. What’s my methodology?

Mostly gut. A heavy reliance on positive reviews. And a few different categories to keep it fun.

A Language Book for Paris

TEACH ME EVERYDAY FRENCH

This series is an easy way to introduce children to new languages. The included CD, basically, reads the books and sings the songs that go along with the storyline. The story follows the narrator’s day from morning to night with many familiar tunes sung in both English and French. While there are a ton of bilingual French books available, this one really appeals to my kids, so maybe it will appeal to yours.

Please note: We have the German version of this book. Since my kids went to preschool in Germany, I’m very familiar with the songs my kids learned in school. I wouldn’t say this is the most authentic experience because I do think the goal is to introduce the language with rhythms kids are used to. But, still, my kids really enjoy listening and singing along.

A Board Book for Paris

ALL ABOARD PARIS

There are several board books about Paris. This one is brought to us by the people who do the BabyLit series.

It’s simple: Illustration. French word. English word. But, it’s meant to be simple. I picked this book for the parent of a baby who wants to make the tiniest connection between book and place.

A Loved Book for Paris

A WALK IN PARIS

People love this book. As grandfather and grandson walk around the city, the reader gets to experience Paris right along with them.

This made the cut because it is the one book that I see parents rave about in family travel groups I belong to. Their one request? That this style of book was made in every city. Sounds like a win to me.

A Journal Book for Paris

LEAP AND HOP PARIS

This book feeds into all of the ways I think books help kids learn about other cultures. (Real quick, scroll to the first sentence I wrote for this post, or click to one of my first posts about travel books – this is something I can’t stress enough.)

Anyway great travel books do at least one of three things: gives them info, helps them explore, and makes a great souvenir. The Leap and Hop Paris Travel Journal surpasses all three. It gives them the foundation of information needed to make a successful trip, provides prompts and space to give readers opportunities to think deeper and journal those thoughts while there, and it is a souvenir from the trip with their personal memories making it, most likely, the most valuable souvenir.

Check. Check. And Check.

A Guidebook for Paris

THE LITTLE BOOKROOM GUIDE TO PARIS WITH CHILDREN

While many big travel guide publishers offer specific guides to the city for kids, I like this one.

This guide to Paris was written by a mom with three kids. She shares information on the sights to see, with the added bonus of including Paris-only type of experiences that will make this trip stand out amongst the rest.

I only have one caveat with this and any guidebook that isn’t updated annually. If you’re planning an itinerary using this book, cross reference operating hours via the web to make sure you don’t waste your time looking for something that no longer exists. Yep. That’s from personal experience (though not with this book).

Award-winning books for Paris

A Caldecott book for Paris

MADELINE

This Caldecott-award winning book tells the story of the orphan, Madeline, who lives in Paris. The illustrations bring the reader to some of the sights that they are sure to see on their trip and will give them an easy way to connect those places with a beloved tale. Most of all, this book made the list because it is a classic that has stood the test of time. Even though the illustrations are from the 1950s, kids will still be able to relate to the places they’ll visit.

A Newberry book for Paris

THE FAMILY UNDER THE BRIDGE

This Newberry-award honoree holds a special place in my heart. On my last trip to Paris I waited, with my family, to board a boat to view the city. While we waited, my kids (1 and 3 at the time) played a game where they counted in German, said go, and took off from one tree to another. During this game, a family sat on a bench and ate their picnic lunch. They watched my kids play. I don’t think this family was French. They weren’t American. Or German. But, they connected with my kids. Their preteen kids soon joined in. They counted. They ran. They laughed. It was one of my favorite travel moments ever.

And that is why this book is on my list. Not because its my story, but because it reminds me of my story. And it takes place under a bridge in Paris.

More books on Paris

This really is just a tiny fraction of books about Paris. There are so many, many more awesome books that should be part of your collection whether you are traveling there or just love this beautiful city. As of the writing of this post there are 57 books on the KTB Global Bookshelf set in France, with a good chunk of those set in Paris.

In looking for Paris-specific books I’ve discovered more that I’m putting in my queue to add. So, please come back and check. Let me know if I’m missing any obvious books, and let me know what your list would look like.

Jul 25 2017

Visiting the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Recognizing an Eric Carle book is easy. Many of them have the same characteristics: a white background, a bright image or two using just a few colors on each page, a nice dark black font with a few words. All distractions are taken away so that the focus can be on what the focus should be on, the illustrations and the words.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (link) is like walking into one of his books. Expansive white walls with four large canvases. Each painted in one major color, but instantly recognizable as a Carle. Small details, such as chairs and tables, are black. This keeps the focus on what it should be on: the art.

Please note: I received complimentary tickets to the museum, but all thoughts below are my own.

This is not your children’s children museum

There’s one thing to note about this museum from the get-go. It is not a typical children’s museum. Actually, nowhere that I noticed specifies it as a children’s museum. It’s an implication because Eric Carle is known in children’s sections of libraries, bookstores, and also in preschools and elementary schools around the world. (Yes, I say around the world having not traveled around the world to check. However, when I was pregnant in Germany many of my German friends “introduced” me to his books. There was an ownership with the Hungry Little Caterpillar even in Germany because his books are so loved.)

Now many other children’s museums, whether science or art-related, have a feel that’s more similar to an indoor play space than, let’s say, the Louvre. This museum does not have that same sense. It’s not one where you go and feel that you can touch everything, but there are invitations all over the place to allow the art to inspire. And that’s what it does because that’s what it’s meant to do. From Eric Carle’s website:

We were interested in developing enthusiasts for the art of picture books and in encouraging habit of museum going in our younger visitors. Children’s picture book art is the introduction to art for young people, and we wanted to show the highest examples of that art to demonstrate the beauty, the seriousness and the fun of it.

And it works.

Since our visit, I’ve thought a lot about why it works. It works because it takes kids seriously. It doesn’t try to child-proof everything or make everything so child-friendly that it borders disrespecting the art. If there’s one thing kids feel walking through this museum, it’s that it matters. The art on the walls matter. The inspiration matters. The kids matter.

Entryway at Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. It reads: “It has been our dream to build a museum for children and families, teachers and librarians, scholars, and everyone interested in the art of the picture book – a museum to delight, entertain, surprise and educate.” – Eric and Barbara Carle.

What to do at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Now I’m going to do something I don’t normally do, but I can’t think of another way to do it. I’m going to walk you through our experience there from beginning to end. I attended a special story time on June 29, 2017. It was for the book called June 29, 1999, written by David Weisner. This event was extra special because David Weisner’s art was on display in the museum. This book was extra special because the illustration captured events around the world. This is how the event was advertised on their website:

Artichokes in Anchorage! Parsnips in Providence! In David Wiesner’s book,June 29, 1999, a young girl’s science project begins with seedlings sent up in the atmosphere, and ends with an invasion of giant vegetables! Come to The Carle for a special storytime followed by a collaborative window installation project where young artists imagine what vegetables they see flying through the sky.

So, with that, join me and experience story time Eric Carle Museum-style.

June 29, 1999…in 2017!

Visiting the Library

Story Time at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art — The Library at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art… that bottom right photo? All of the Caldecott Medal winners.

Families gathered at the small library in the back of the museum waiting for story time to start. How small is the library? It’s hard to tell. The Museum is huge and walking to the back, between the open spaces, large canvases, and minimal decoration warped my sense of space. So, in this context, it seems small. However, many families were filling it up, and it never felt crowded.

What were the families doing? Some sat on couches or on the floor reading books, some sat at the large table and colored, and some (like me) wandered around and looked at the books on the shelf. This may (or may not) be a small library, but every book in its collection is gorgeous. The library is, after all, part of a museum dedicated to Picture Book Art. There’s a bookshelf dedicated to just Caldecott winners. Books are organized alphabetically by illustrator. The walls have displays. During my visit, the displays were about Beatrix Potter and art inspiration from the Lake District, animals, and more. Note to self: I need to return to this library again.

Beatrix Potter and her passion for place.

Storytime in the Library

I think the right term to describe story time here is engaging. I’m always interested in how the reader tells the story. I’m quite proud of the way my kids’ school teachers have read to them. However, this is different. The story teller allows kids the space to feel the book. They get a chance to soak in those pictures, think about what’s happening, why, and what’s next. The kids were all about it. They raised their hands to discuss their thoughts, and you can tell how much they love that they’re being heard.

And when it was time to change the page, after everyone was heard, he turned the page. And it started again.

Story time doesn’t end when the story does

When he finished the story, the floor was opened to more discussion. The story teller went with it. No responses too silly. No responses too serious.

After this part of story time, we headed over to the art exhibition next door. Here we got to see some of the actual prints from the book. The art curator then took over. She discussed the images with the kids continuing that feeling that the children’s thoughts matter.

Next, we were off to the art studio. It was time for all the little ones to make their own pieces inspired by the work.

Now here’s something every parent will appreciate. That engaging storytelling session from earlier? It continued all throughout this experience. The staff at the museum all took a huge interest in what the kids were doing. All of the staff the children had met while listening to the story and discovering the art on the walls were with us in the studio. We also had other Carle staff members present, too. They commented on the color choices, strokes. They listened as the kids explained what they were doing and commented to others about it as well.

For example, in the picture above, the bottom right is my daughter painting. The guy who read the story came over and asked her about her work and commented on her brush strokes. When my daughter was done with the painting, she brought her smock back to the studio staff. She was asked about her work again, and then the story teller commented about something she had told him earlier about her work. Her work was important enough to be not only to be remembered, but to be discussed in the same way we discussed the picture book earlier in the day.

What to do when there’s not story time

When story time and post-story time finished for the kids, we headed back to see some more of the exhibits. The exhibitions rotate, but it’s obvious that any show the museum hosts will be carefully thought out.

Collecting Inspiration: Contemporary Illustrators and Their Heroes

First up, Collecting Inspiration: Contemporary Illustrators and Their Heroes. Here we saw famous picture book artists work next to a piece of art that inspired them. And while I really loved seeing this, my favorite part was the invitation for the kids to see what art could inspire them.

There was a stack of papers on two desks in the room. Each piece of paper had two squares. One was filled with picture book art, the other square was empty. Kids use the picture books as inspiration for their own work in the blank space. And the best part? The instructions: “Which artwork inspires you? Tear off a sheet and create a drawing inspired by one of the contemporary artists in the exhibition. Take your picture home or leave it on the table for The Carle to keep. (emphasis mine)” Here it is again, The Carle and their subtle hints that the artwork kids create matters.

Eric Carle and Friends: What’s Your Favorite Color?

The room next door was all about color. Artists share their favorite color with a piece of not just their own art, but with something from Eric Carle in that color was well. Color conversations happen throughout the room. Conversation cubes give kids the opportunity to interact with what they see around them. The postcard station invites kids to share their thoughts on color with Eric Carle himself. Just stick the postcard in the provided mailbox for him to see when he gets a chance.

Visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Before your visit, check out their website to maximize your experience.

Address: 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, MA 01002

Hot Tip: There’s no restaurant on site, but there are tables so you can bring food. I highly suggest going to Atkins Farm Country Market if you’re hungry. The grocery section has fresh-made sandwiches, a salad bar, other fresh ready to eat meals, and a coffee corner.

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