There are many versions of this tale originally by Hans Christian Andersen (ours, for example, is illustrated with penguins dolled up - or not - in their finery). The bottom line of this story regarldess of illustration is always the same: self-deception. It takes a young boy to finally find the bravery to point out that indeed the emperor was not wearing any clothes at all. Why do we do that, why do we hide behind the safer message, the message of the masses? Are we shee

We try — as parents, as teachers, and those of influence — to teach those to whom we try to impart knowledge or ideas to celebrate our differences, to demonstrate to our kids how different is good, and how no one color or religion or culture is 'best'. It is one of our biggest challenges to try to teach such enormous concepts, especially to those whose reality is only what they can see or physically touch. What do you mean there are others who live in different lands? I ca

"Study Nature. Love Nature. Stay close to Nature. It will never fail you." ~ Frank Lloyd Wright. This book is probably not much of a surprise: I love my green spaces, I love being outdoors. And honestly, who wouldn't love to be surrounded by truffula trees? This book is a fun way to help kids start to see their impact - both good and bad - on the world around them. Bigger picture, though, and how this is a useful book for all sorts of lessons is the message that one does

This is probably one of my favorite books, and one I have used in many lessons. In this book, The Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven, we meet two creatures who become improbable friends through their time together and a shared love of art. The bird loves the lion's artistic painting ability and the lion loves the bird's beautiful songs. They don't speak the same language, they don't live in the same space, they don't share the same story, but they share a love o

During the month of January this year, I am going to share with you some of my favorite books and why I love them. I don't have a fully formed list yet, but most likely, these books are going to be children's books. Why? Because I love a well-formed tale with a lesson, and nothing beats a beautifully illustrated book. When I was teaching, I regularly used children's books to illustrate a point or highlight a particular concept I wanted to really stick. So, story time. The