Posted on January 23, 2009 at 9:45 am
Elizabeth Verdick’s marvelous Toddler Tools series for preschoolers has two new titles. There are many great board books about letters, numbers, and colors, but her books help teach 2-3 year olds about social interaction, responsibility, and independence.
Also recommended: the Best Behavior Series, including Teeth Are Not for Biting
Posted on December 11, 2008 at 8:00 am
Be sure to check out Speekaboos — storybook recordings featuring Kevin Bacon, Kelly Ripa, Marcia Gay Harden, Minnie Driver, Clay Aiken, Bob Saget, Fran Drescher, Tom Arnold, Chazz Palminteri, Harry Shearer, Nick Cannon and many others reading stories for children. They are designed to help children learn to read and to teach them that reading and learning are fun through educational activities and games. Children can even record their own narrations to accompany stories featuring favorites like Arthur and Curious George.
Posted on November 28, 2008 at 8:00 am
Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help. WETA, Washington DC’s PBS Station, has worked with the U.S. Department of Education to help parents, caregivers, and teachers help children learn to read and love to read.
They’ve created a holiday gift guide with lots of great suggestions of books for kids from toddler to age 9. If you want some ideas for holiday presents that will never require batteries these choices are a wonderful place to begin. Having some reading choices that are funny and exciting and inspiring, books you can read together or let them master on their own, is a good way to make them want to be lifetime learners. And don’t forget that nothing will convey the importance (and pleasure) of reading as much as seeing you enjoying a book or magazine, so be sure to set a good example.
Posted on November 12, 2008 at 6:00 am
I had a lot of fun writing a review of the best biographies of the year for Strategy + Business.
Posted on November 9, 2008 at 10:58 am
Chaplin: A Life is a splendid new biography of one of the most brilliant performers of the 20th century by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Stephen M. Weissman.
It has received glowing reviews from both of the most prestigious publishing journals:
“A fresh entry in the evergreen field of works devoted to Charlie Chaplin. If ever an artist’s life lent itself to psychoanalysis, it’s Chaplin’s. . . . Weissman lends dimension to the classics . . . and demonstrates Chaplin’s ability to transform family heartbreak into film comedies. . . . With lean, energetic prose, Weissman brings this colorful theatrical period to life. . . . He offers vivid sketches . . .and carefully follows the confluence of several artists that lead to the creation of the Chaplin’s iconic Little Tramp. Throughout the book,the author caps exhaustive sourcing with an overlay of insightful observations about Chaplin’s creative process. Find space on the crowded Chaplin shelf for this perceptive, literate take on the great screen clown.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“Weissman uncovers the source for the “shabby gentility” of the Little Tramp, as well as the development of that extraordinary character. En route, he paints an engaging…portrait of how a cinema artist is created and how he practices his craft.”
-Publishers Weekly
But its most important review comes from Chaplin’s daughter Geraldine, who contributed an introduction that reads in part:
It is unlike anything that has ever been written about my father. Weissman weaves a psychologically astute narrative of Chaplin’s life and art, brilliantly exploring the relationships between experience and creativity….Weissman probes into the psychological explanation of the closest human bonds. It is uncanny how intuitively correct a trained outside investigator’s conclusions can turn out to be. This book, always provocative and at times heart-wrenching, is an enlightening read, an important addition to an understanding of my father’s genius and art, and a unique meditation on the mystery of creativity.
The book beautifully illuminates the sources and influences that inspired Chaplin’s unique combination of grace, humor, and poignancy. And Weissman has created a website about Chaplin that, like the book, is an extraordinary and insightful resource for fans and scholars. Its video clips, photo essays, and links enrich our understanding of an appreciation for this treasured icon.
