Author: Merrilee Witherell

When our daughter wanted a new puppy, we were treated to a digital slide show with reasons we needed a beagle, complete with very cute photographs. Despite the compelling presentation we knew that the decision of when, whether, and what type of pet to adopt is best undertaken with a bit of research and planning. There are lots of factors to weigh. Living in a downtown apartment? Maybe a Newfoundland puppy isn’t the best choice. Is your child’s best friend allergic to cats? Maybe a dog would be a better choice. Books and websites with information on different types of…

I’m a librarian, so naturally I encourage people to use their public and school libraries. Some books, however, are meant to be purchased rather than borrowed, and what better time than the holiday gift-giving season to take a closer look at those. Books can be containers of imaginary worlds, inviting us in for a closer look. For children, this is where the magic begins. And when viewing works by artist and illustrator Robert Sabuda, the magic is enthralling. Sabuda’s America the Beautiful is a pop-up book with three-dimensional images depicting the scenes described in the iconic song of the same…

It’s almost time for parent-teacher conferences. Next to the tango, there is no dance more fraught with peril. How can parents make the best use of their brief time with their child’s teacher? Several scholars, educators and parents have put their minds to topics that come up during these conversations and have written books that can inform parents who have questions. The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn from Each Other One book that addresses the issue of parent-teacher relationships with depth and sensitivity is The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn from Each Other by…

To me, Halloween is about not candy but suspense: the anticipation of a magical night, a transformative costume, and the thrill of being scared. This suspense can be heightened by reading books whose mood matches the season. I still remember the very first book I ordered from a Scholastic sale, when I was in kindergarten: It was The Witchy Broom, and while it is now out of print, my attachment to it was so enduring that decades later I purchased a used copy for my own daughter so we could share the magic. Since the days when we parents were…

After the initial shock, joy and other emotions expectant parents experience, they find that when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, they know pretty much nothing. The good news is that information may be gleaned from a diverse array of books. The longtime bestseller What to Expect When You’re Expecting is still available in bookstores, libraries and online, but many other guides now offer advice that is practical, well-researched and perhaps less likely to make new parents feel like failures even before they’ve begun. The Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy: Or Everything Your Doctor Won’t Tell You by Vicki Iovine is…

Local libraries pull out all the stops with summer programs and fun activities for readers. Librarians are trained to start conversations that will help even reluctant readers track down the books that will capture their attention. So parents should bring their kids as early as possible to check out what’s on offer. Liverpool Public Library kicked off its summer reading program in June, but kids can still sign up in person or online to participate in the challenge. The library will provide a reading log, and the challenge runs for six weeks. Weekly kids’ crafts days are held Wednesdays and…

Sharing nature with your child can be a way to bond, spend meaningful time together and pass your respect and love for the natural world on to the next generation. Or, let’s face it, it can be a total disaster. (I am thinking of the 4-year-old New Jersey girl who stood rooted in place at one of my daughter’s birthday parties at a nature center, demanding to know where the sidewalks were!) Planning ahead, and reading books with your child, can help you make the most of an outdoor experience. There are numerous books about spending time outdoors. Here are…

As adults, we know that death and dying are an unavoidable part of life. Children, however, may struggle with both the concept of death and the grieving process. A number of children’s books address the topic of loss; their subjects range from the death of a pet to the grief of being close to someone who has memory loss. Sometimes a good book can be the start of healing. Good-Bye, Jeepers: What to Expect When Your Pet Dies by Nancy Loewen is the story of a character whose pet guinea pig dies. The first-person narrative is the primary story,…

Shake up your holiday traditions this year with children’s books that greet the holidays in a style all their own. These books are not versions of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, nor do they serve to add to the merchandising of well-known television or movie characters. Each of these books stands on its own as a unique tale, and possibly the beginning of a new holiday tradition for your family. Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein by Amanda Peet and Andrea Troyer speaks to the longing for Christmas sometimes felt by children who celebrate other holidays at this over-the-top time of…

School-year busyness sometimes gets in the way of students’ interest in leisure reading (or daily reading required by teachers, which is not exactly the same thing). In my experience, reluctant readers fall into two categories: those who struggle with reading and therefore usually avoid it; and those who are competent or even excellent readers, but whose interests and preferences are so specific that they wait for the right book to come along. For either type of reluctant reader, focusing on what they are interested in is always the best starting place. Consider your child’s favorite TV shows, video games, or…