Valarie Budayr's Blog, page 5

Gifts for Readers That They Can Open Again and Again

Among some of my fondest memories as a child includes the times my mother read to me. The gentle cadence of my mother’s voice paired with the thrill of crispy white book pages that shared a thrilling story became a nightly ritual. Then I became a parent myself and the love and the magic of reading together every night was something we all looked forward to. As the gift-giving holiday

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An Oldie, but a Goodie Book Review |Let’s Revisit The Penderwicks

If you’ve been following along these last few months, we’ve been having a ton of fun revisiting older books reviews. Why? Because even though these titles may have published a few years ago, they are still amazing books that will enchant and delight your young readers. Welcome back to the An Oldie, but a Goodie Book Review Project! Here’s what you may have missed: Oldies, but Goodies | Great Kidlit

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Music Teachers! Its Time to Think like an Entrepreneur!

When one hears the job title “Piano Teacher,” the initial reaction is often to envision an elderly teacher in horn-rims offering musical instruction to a handful of unwilling young learners as a side business or hobby. In reality, thousands of private piano teachers nationwide use their extensive music education to create a successful full-time career from home or studios.  Noreen Wenejn, a 25-year veteran of the piano instruction profession and

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How to Create Balanced Screen Time in your Home

Over the years, I’ve watched the screen debate evolve as families choose between having a “screen-free” or a “screen-filled” home. In our family, we’ve carefully chosen what is watched on TV, what Internet sites can be accessed, and enforced a strict “no cellphone until you can drive” policy. Of course, every online safety precaution has been taken as well as placing a time-tracker on the family computer. All of this

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Oldies, but Goodies | More Kidlit Titles to Add to the Read Pile

Happy September! Whether your classroom looks like your dining room table or the local public school, keeping kids fueled with interesting books is always a challenge. Here are some great kidlit books that we’ve reviewed in the past. The titles may be older, but they are still excellent options. Planet Kindergarten: 100 days in Orbit by Sue Ganz-Schmitt What’s one of the most essential parts of a space crew? Teamwork!

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More Pollinator Fun: The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

Patricia Polacco is a very favorite author/illustrator  so I’d like to share our love of her book, “The Bee Tree” for National Honey Bee Day! National Honey Bee Day is an awareness day when beekeepers, beekeeping clubs and associations, and honey bee enthusiasts from across the United States celebrate honey bees and recognize their contribution to humans’ everyday lives as a means of protecting this critical species   This charming book

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Oldies, but Goodies Book Review | Awesome Books for Crafty Kids

Is your child “crafty?” Not like sneaky “crafty,” but someone who truly enjoys glue, paper, wood, yarn, and loves activities like homemade paper, creating a sticky nature collage, and creating nature collage bracelets? If that’s a YES, here is another booklist in our Oldies, but Goodies theme! As we mentioned in previous posts, sometimes, as readers and reviewers, we get so caught up in the “newest and best” releases that

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Middle-Reader Kidlit for Fans of Ancient History and Other Worlds

Does your young reader love other worlds? Mythology? As I mentioned in previous posts, sometimes, as readers and reviewers, we get so caught up in the “newest and best” releases that we forget about the goldmine of exceptional kids’ books that already exist! The following are MORE books the Audrey Press Team has read over the last 4+ years that they feel are worthy of a fresh look. This summer

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Oldies, but Goodies | Great Summer Reading for Littles

As I mentioned in previous posts, sometimes, as readers and reviewers, we get so caught up in the “newest and best” releases that we forget about the goldmine of exceptional kids’ books that already exist! The following are MORE books the Audrey Press Team has read over the last 4+ years that they feel are worthy of a fresh look. This summer reading booklist is dedicated to Littles; readers who

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Oldies, but Goodies | Great Summer Reading for Advanced Readers

As I mentioned in previous posts, sometimes, as readers and reviewers, we get so caught up in the “newest and best” releases that we forget about the goldmine of exceptional kids’ books that already exist! The following are MORE books the Audrey Press Team has read over the last 4+ years that they feel are worthy of a fresh look. This summer reading booklist is dedicated to more advanced readers

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