Before I was a stay-at-home parent I was a school librarian. I taught in a large high school and then in a rural K-8 school. I absolutely loved being a librarian. One of my favorite parts of my work was getting a book into the hands of a kid and seeing that excitement as they started to fall in love with the story. It might seem simple, but it is actually sometimes really hard to match the just right book with the just right kid.
I now work as an adjunct professor, doctoral student, and teaching assistant at our local university. I teach children's literature and other literacy classes to preservice elementary education students. Who knew my obsession with books could turn into a career?
One cool thing about all of my work with books, students, and libraries is how many times I get asked for super specific recommendations for all sorts of readers. I can't tell you how many times I've had a kid ask me something like, "I love dragons and wizards but I only really like to read graphic novels. What should I read?" Or, I've had parents email me asking, "I'm looking for a chapter book for a 3rd grade boy who is obsessed with basketball." "I want to read a romance novel that is climate fiction, enemies to lovers, and has aliens..." You get it. So many requests, and it was so fun to dig into all the great books I know about and find the perfect one.
So here we go, a project on the blog and the 'gram (Instagram): I will share some of the great questions I have gotten about books and the gems I have found. Let's get started.
"I'm looking for a book for...
a 5 year-old girl who is starting to read chapter books at bedtime with her dad. She likes books that aren't scary."
Eh, voila! I present to you, The Adventures of Sophie Mouse by Poppy Green.
Sophie Mouse is the perfect, short chapter book series for any children who love a sweet story with low stakes adventures and illustrations on every page. My daughter and I started reading Sophie Mouse and went through every book in the series pretty quickly. They are oh so calming at bedtime and only have ten short chapters in each book. Happy reading!
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