By Kitty Felde Admit it. Our attention spans have shrunk in this era of social media. It’s even worse with kids. So how do you get a child to put down the phone and pick up a book? One solution, offered by our neighbors to the north, is perfect for […]
Young Readers: Book Clubs for Introverts
By Kitty Felde You might call them Book Clubs for Introverts. Imagine a room full of readers, sharing the experience of reading, but not talking. That’s the idea behind Silent Book Clubs. The rules are simple. There is no assigned reading, everyone brings whatever they want to read. Any format […]
Young Readers: Put Those Gift Cards to Good Use
By Kitty Felde It’s likely that among your children’s holiday gifts this year, there were more than a few gift cards. Left to their own devices, kids will head straight to the electronics store. But if there’s flexibility in what kids can spend their gift card money on, take them […]
Young Readers: No Book Shaming
By Kitty Felde I just got back from the American Library Association annual conference in Chicago. It was the perfect place to ask the experts about how to get a kid to pick up a book. Librarian Arlene LaVerde from Queens, New York says kids have been inundated with school […]
Young Readers: Kindles, Kindles Everywhere
By Kitty Felde If I open the kitchen pantry door and there’s a bag of chocolate chips in there, I eat them. I can’t help it. On the other hand, if the bag of chips is stashed in the back of the shelf, I don’t bother to look for them. […]
Young Readers: More Binge, Less Complaints
By Kitty Felde “It’s not that kids don’t like to read. It’s that they don’t like feeling like they’re forced to read.” That’s Eric Berman’s mantra. Berman is Teen Services Coordinator for the Alameda County Library in California. He says the key is getting reluctant readers hooked on something. Anything works, he […]
Catch Season 2 of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries Podcast
By Southwester Staff Longtime Southwest resident Kitty Felde recently announced the debut of Season 2 of her popular podcast for kids: The Fina Mendoza Mysteries. The podcast is based on the book, State of the Union, in which a mysterious bird poops on the head of the president during the […]