Home Is Where the Heart Is (Emma Dodd's Love You Books)
“Home Is Where the Heart Is features a mother cat and her young kitten, who live in a house that clearly has human owners. The story uses simple and repetitive words to describe what “home” means to all of us, emphasizing the security that notion provides even when we are far away from our physical house and/or one another.”
This Book Is Banned: A Hilarious Picture Book about Censorship and Free Speech
“Let’s face it. Without their caretakers' insistent input, most children do not know that books are being made unavailable to them at their schools. It’s debatable whether adult caretakers who oppose book bans even want them to. But the adult-child combination who reads This Book Is Banned together will have fun discussing the issue of “banning” in the hypothetical, thanks to the busy and engaging illustrations and text that await them.”
Always Sisters: A Story of Loss and Love
“Always Sisters is a pertinent tool for both adults and children as they learn to communicate and productively process their feelings together after the loss of a loved one.”
See the Ghost: Three Stories About Things You Cannot See
“Though it is meant to be read by early elementary students, middle-grade students will enjoy reading this book to their younger siblings and classmates, thanks to the clever trickery within its pages. For the same reason, See the Ghost makes a good, non-baby-ish picture book to share with reading-challenged students in middle-school and beyond.”
Sound Problems Make Ride the Cyclone a Bumpy Ride
“The highlight of the production is Kayla Petrille's expert portrayal of the doll-like Jane Doe, particularly her piercing, siren-like voice whenever she opens her mouth and especially when she sings. This is no surprise, as Petrille teaches voice lessons full time and has the most performing experience among the actors. “
Into The Forest: For Children With Feelings of Anxiety (Therapeutic Fairy Tales): A Book Review
“a book worth reading with your young child, particularly if they or you are experiencing anxiety. The story is calming and at times beautifully written.”
Lights! Costumes! Magic! Beetlejuice Brings the DPAC Audience to Its Feet!
“The costume and physical appearance of Lydia (Isabella Esler) is delightfully reminiscent of Christina Ricci's wardrobe as Wednesday in the 1991 film adaptation of The Addams Family or the costumes that Winona Rider wore when she played Lydia in Tim Burton's 1988 movie Beetlejuice. Whether speaking or singing, Esler's voice is prominent and clear, with the made-for-stage lilt and vibrato of a pop star.”
Q&A with Amberjack Author Melissa Rooney, Creator of Eddie the Electron
My Ph.D. advisor urged me to come back to work for him, eventually making me an offer he thought I couldn’t refuse. When I finally admitted that I hated lab work and, by no means, wanted to return to academics, he asked me, insistently, how I was going to put my degree to use. I told him I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book, he gave me a deadline, and Eddie the Electron was born.
Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Earns a Standing Ovation at the Durham Performing Arts Center
When the musical debuted in 2018, it became the highest-grossing production at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA, which is no surprise, given that Alanis Morissette's album by the same name is considered one of the most important albums of the '90s and of the alternative rock genre in general, selling 33 million copies, topping the charts in 13 countries, and winning five GRAMMYS, including Album of the Year….
Durham Students Sparkled in An Evening to Shine on Feb. 21st at DPAC
An Evening to Shine is an annual event, presented at the Durham Performing Arts Center by Durham Public Schools (DPS), in partnership with the Durham Public Schools Foundation, which showcases the talents of dedicated youth from every public school in the county. [Of note, the DPS Scholarship Foundation merged with the DPS Foundation in 2020.] Only a handful of students are selected from each school, and they must commit to five weekly two-hour rehearsals, plus two full days of preparation at DPAC before show time…
Simple, Proven Self-Care Strategies for Kids
As with other essential disciplines, teaching your child the importance of self care begins with you. You must model healthy habits in your own life and show your child real-life examples of prioritizing them. This is not only good for your child, it’s good for you. With the help of Melissa B. Rooney, we share some simple tips…
FrazierTales Collection Volume 1 by Mark and Chris Frazier is Vivid and Easy-to-read
Today I review Frazier Tales Collection Volume 1, written by Mark and illustrated by Chris Frazier. It’s a hardcover volume of three illustrated children’s stories, so it’s a good value for money. And there are a lot of illustrations, all of them quite detailed and of the quality garnered by Ren and Stimpy or Rocko’s Modern Life, both Nickelodeon series…
Playing Possum a No Win
Three weeks ago, my son spotted a tiny opossum outside our house. The next day, he found the opossum in our garage. An Internet search suggested it was about 13 weeks old – too young for weaning. We put the little guy in a newspaper-lined box with fruit, cat-food and water. Over the next few days, our neighbors and we had rounded up 5 littermates…
Graveyard Surprise
By Melissa Rooney. For SCBWI Carolinas “Ignite the Spark” Zoom group (18 Oct 2002). Assigned Prompts: Write a children’s story, 250 words or less, using the following prompts: 1) take a location from childhood and strip everything normal about it (if usually crowded, make it barren, etc.); 2) the starting lines, “It’s okay, they’re not as scary as they look;”and 3) the image of a sign reading, “Beware, the Trees Talk.”
Paperhand Puppet Intervention's 2022 Summer Show, The Meanwhile Clock and Other Impossible Dances, Is Like a Pilgrimage to a Corroboree
Going to a Paperhand Puppet Intervention performance is like pilgrimaging to a Australian aboriginal corroboree, where magical ceremonies teach ancestral truths, pulling everyone present into the community. And it's all the more impactful when it occurs in a ruins-like amphitheater in a forest in the heat of a late-summer sunset…
Theme Song(s) Today: Jason Isbell and Amanda Shire’s Tiny Desk Concert
If you haven’t heard Jason Isbell’s music, you should. This article contains the link to his Tiny Desk (NPR) performance, which is particularly special because his wife no longer tours with him now that they are raising a family. #ThemeSong
Four-Wheeled Litmus Test
… Pedestrians in Northern Virginia and DC stopped to tell us they liked the van. In New Jersey, drivers in one suburb would smile and wave, while those in an immediately adjacent suburb would grimace with condescension. Massachusetts residents were generally unimpressed; my brother-in-law thought the van looked stupid, and his teenage son preferred it wasn’t parked in front of their house…
Van Gogh Exhibit Gives Me Fever
Not long ago, I was rolling my eyes at another selfie taken in front of the giant reproduction of Starry Night covering the entrance of every venue for the Van Gogh Immersive Experience. Two days ago, I found myself at a show in Raleigh. When I got home, I researched the things I'd learned and found that we're not as sure of Van Gogh's history as we think.
Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center: MUCH More than an Aquarium
As promised via post-it note on the Florida Oceanographic Society's "Pledge" board, I am sharing my article about their Coastal Center in Stuart, Florida, where my family (12-50 years) spent an entire day and still didn't venture along the ~50-acres of Nature Trails in this barrier island ecosystem. If you’re visiting the east coast of Florida, you must put this stop on your list. And those who work for nonprofit organizations could learn a lot from the level of very visible volunteerism created by the leaders of the Florida Oceanographic Society. Building community for a common cause is the epitome of public outreach.
At least 5 Mass Shootings over the Weekend !!??
If it’s mental health and not guns (as the incessant debate goes), then why isn’t our country providing universal coverage of mental health services for all – including therapy (not just drugs)? Texas governor Greg Abbott said that “the Uvalde school shooter had a “mental health challenge” and the state needed to “do a better job with mental health” — yet in April he slashed $211 million from the department that oversees mental health programs.” …