Newsletters

Fall 2021 Newsletter - Supplemental Reading More Important Than Ever!

Supplemental Reading More Important Than Ever!     With  so many distractions, returning to school has been more challenging  than ever this year. However, one aspect of back to school is still  critical every fall: finding ways to reinvigorate kids with a love of  learning while also determining each child’s specific reading strengths  and needs.

One consistent trend we’ve noticed is that Story Cove usage typically spikes in Kindergarten through 2nd grade classrooms during the first 12 weeks of the school year. This  trend is true for both the online version and the 8x8 paperback picture  books with differentiated lesson plans.

Spring 2021 Newsletter - Kindness Tales Launches April 7th

Kindness Tales Launches April 7th

What could be more timely than a book about kindness in today's divided and often hostile world? 

Kindness Tales is the long-awaited third book in a trilogy that includes Peace Tales and Earth Care from award winning author and highly-respected folklorist, Margaret  Read MacDonald.  Margaret has curated a collection of her favorite  stories that celebrate the timeless power of kindness to make our world a  gentler, safer, and more loving place.

Kindness Tales contains more than forty folktales that  illustrate the transformative power of kindness through leading, sharing  and caring for one another.

November 2020 Newsletter - Sharing Stories Is More Important Than Ever – Especially During the Pandemic

Sharing Stories Is More Important Than Ever          With  so many schools still using remote learning or a blended learning  model, kids (and their families) often feel more isolated and alone. One  way to help kids feel more connected with their teachers and classmates  is to help them share their personal stories about their experiences  during the pandemic and the ways their lives have changed (in some cases  dramatically). 

Sharing stories, whether remotely over Zoom or in a physical classroom  setting, can have a profound impact on kids, not only on their sense of  personal well-being but also on their academic proficiency. In fact,  there is a growing body of research that supports the efficacy of using  the age-old tradition of storytelling and its potential impact on  learning readiness.

August 2020 Newsletter - Back to School

Featured Author:  Bill Harley,   Book of the Month:  America's Outlaws and the Treasurers They Left Behind by W.C. Jameson,  New Releases:   Sweet Tamales for Purim by Barbara Bietz and Bear's All-Night Party by Bill Harley

July 2020 Newsletter - Why Are Multi-Cultural Stories So Important Today?

Why Are Multi-Cultural Stories So Important Today?          At a time of so much social upheaval, many people are naturally  questioning the relevance of many cultural traditions. So let’s use this opportunity to discover how timeless stories from other cultures have enriched and influenced our society.   

Fall 2019 Newsletter - Why Are Scary Stories So Important?

From  time to time, parents and even some educators have asked me about  reading scary stories with young children. In some cases, they were  concerned about how kids might react to a truly horrifying character or a  particularly creepy situation. Sometimes, they were worried that a  child might feel overwhelmed by the intensity of a scene. In other  situations, they were afraid that kids might believe in the power of  witchcraft or magic.

Spring 2019 Newsletter - Stone Soup

Stone Soup, the popular award-winning LittleFolk picture book, reached an elite benchmark in children's publishing by selling over 100,000 copies! "Although a few perennial best-selling picture books like Good Night Moon, The Hungry Caterpillar, or Green Eggs and Ham have sold over millions of copies, very few picture books sell over 30,000 units, so crossing the 100,000 unit mark is a huge accomplishment for Stone Soup."

March 2019 Newsletter

Celebrating the Contributions and Achievements of Women Through Literature

Sometimes we take the celebration of Women’s contributions and achievements for granted so it’s important to note that March wasn’t always recognized as Women’s History Month. In fact, March wasn’t designated as Women’s History Month until 1987, when the perseverance and hard work of a number of women’s advocacy groups finally succeeded in pushing Congress to pass legislation officially naming March as Women’s History Month.