Dr. Seuss Series: Happy Birthday to You!

This installment in the Dr. Seuss lineup was first published in 1959, and tells us all about the land of Katroo, where they really know how to wish someone a happy birthday. There’s a designated Birthday Honk-Honker, whose job it is to climb up to Mt. Zorn and blow the Birthday Horn. This heralds the triumphant entry of The Birthday Bird, a happy-looking fowl with a big smile on his face. He was trained by The Katroo Happy Birthday Association, and it’s his job to oversee your special day. The bird flies into your bedroom window and encourages you to … Continue reading

Dr. Seuss Birthday Party

March 2nd happens to be the birthday of one of the most famous children’s book authors of all time – Dr. Seuss. While the schools may not be closed, this is as much a day to be celebrated as any other, so why not throw a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party for your family and friends? There are many ways to celebrate Dr. Seuss-style and live it up on 3/2. For starters, you can hurry over to Amazon.com and purchase some of Dr. Seuss’ books that you may not own yet – titles such as Horton Hears A Who and The … Continue reading

Reconnecting with Reading

Dale’s most recent blog post here in Education, The Most Vital thing You Can Do for your Child’s Education, really got me thinking. It was only just two weeks ago that I actually asked myself this question in my head, “I wonder when we should start reading to Cillian?” I’d like to take this moment to thank, Dale, for her input on this subject and encourage you to go and read the whole thing here. One of the things my wife and I did to turn my son in the womb when he was breech was to talk to him. … Continue reading

Family Fun Week in Review 2/25-3/2

The calendar has been flipped, the snow is melting and drastic changes are slowly underway outside. The temperature is rising, trees are coming to life, ice cream shops are opening their doors and flowers are getting ready to show us their true colors – Spring is almost here! The past week in the Family Fun section has been as colorful as ever. We have learned how to have fun hiking with kids, how to trap a Leprechaun and how to throw an awesome birthday party in honor of Dr. Seuss. We were provided with a great idea for documenting our … Continue reading

On Turning Three

My little lady turns three today, at 12:14 PM (Eastern Standard Time) to be specific. It has been a remarkable three years. We have seen so much together (Florida, Maine, North Carolina, New York, Rhode Island and France) and shared a countless array of hilarious moments. So what amazing activities do we have planned for her big day? Well, nothing really. Sitting around the house, coloring, baking a chocolate cake (with white icing) and general silliness. And for her party tomorrow? Immediate family, two close friends, pizza, soft pretzels and selections of hot hors d’oeuvres and fruit. Wow, we are … Continue reading

Winners of the Caldecott Medal: 1948-1952

For more information about the origins of the Caldecott Medal, please see the first article in this series. Since I do not know a lot about art except what I see, I am giving a brief synopsis of each book along with a comment about the artwork here and there. I am also including lists of the Honor winners for each year. I hope you enjoy my series. Comments are welcomed!! 1948 “White Snow, Bright Snow” illustrated by Roger Duvoisin; text: Alvin Tresselt “White Snow, Bright Snow” begins with a poem all about snow, which the author says was inspired … Continue reading