Editors' updates
In our last blog post we shared thoughts on how it can be difficult to be grateful and how gratitude can emerge from difficulties. Today, on Thanksgiving Day, we offer a tangible example.
Each year Special Care, Inc., a school in Oklahoma City that “serves children, with and without special needs, through year-round, high-quality early childhood education, specialized care and on-site therapeutic services,” adapts a picture book into a play to be performed by its students.
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A spread from Shira Erlichman’s Be/Hold: A Friendship Book.
It’s hard to be grateful. That’s the cold, hard truth always lurking in the back of the mind but that during Thanksgiving week comes crashing out of hiding, slamming into the you you barely hold together.
Read MoreAt Penny Candy, we strive to make books that are beautiful to look at and hold, fun for kids to read, and useful to parents and educators in addressing difficult or big topics. So we were thrilled when WordPlay Cincy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization building literacy through the arts in Cincinnati, sent us a lesson plan they had made for Shira Erlichman’s Be/Hold: A Friendship Book. We liked their work so much that we hired WordPlay Cincy to make lesson plans for six more of our picture books.
Read MoreInspired by the picture book Trini’s Big Leap, The Big Leap is a home for stories about people who discover new strengths—physical, emotional, intellectual, artistic, social—at home and in their communities. In short, this is a collection of stories from people who take big leaps and have something to say about the ride.
Read MoreWatching the magnificent teenage environmentalist Greta Thunberg’s impassioned address at the UN on Monday was hard on many levels. She’s right about what’s happening to the planet, and she’s right th at not enough is being done to stop climate change. She’s also right that the mad dash for profits and growth is taking a massive toll on earth. It’s not hard to agree with her.
Read MoreOur latest book, Trini’s Big Leap by Alexander de Wit and Beth Kephart, with illustrations by William Sulit, concerns a talented little girl who says, “I can do that,” about everything she tries at the gym. But what happens when a new activity isn’t all that easy for her? Earlier this summer we asked the co-authors and illustrator a few questions about trying new things, about overcoming obstacles and fears, about giving and receiving advice, and about books they loved as a kid that have stuck with them into adulthood.
PCB: Why is it important for kids to try new things? Why is it important for adults to try new things?
WS: Well, it’s all about learning. I think kids try new things intuitively—it’s the adults I worry about.
Read MoreOur latest book, Trini’s Big Leap by Alexander de Wit and Beth Kephart, with illustrations by William Sulit, concerns a talented little girl who says, “I can do that,” about everything she tries at the gym. But what happens when a new activity isn’t all that easy for her? Earlier this summer we asked the co-authors and illustrator a few questions about trying new things, about overcoming obstacles and fears, about giving and receiving advice, and about books they loved as a kid that have stuck with them into adulthood.
PCB: Why is it important for kids to try new things? Why is it important for adults to try new things?
BK: We are blessed with this one life that unspools and unspools at what feels like ever-increasing speed. Every day presents a question: Will I remain within the bounds of the world I know best, or will I nudge against the boundaries and discover (and therefore become) just a little bit more?
Read MoreOur latest book, Trini’s Big Leap by Alexander de Wit and Beth Kephart, with illustrations by William Sulit, concerns a talented little girl who says, “I can do that,” about everything she tries at the gym. But what happens when a new activity isn’t all that easy for her? Earlier this summer we asked the co-authors and illustrator a few questions about trying new things, about overcoming obstacles and fears, about giving and receiving advice, and about books they loved as a kid that have stuck with them into adulthood.
PCB: Why is it important for kids to try new things? Why is it important for adults to try new things?
AdW: Science extensively shows that children have a remarkable ability to learn and that their learning experiences shape their foundations for their adult life.
Read MoreIt’s always thrilling to see one of our books get reviewed. I guess it’s like watching your best friend hit a home run or get a standing ovation or something. It’s especially thrilling when a book gets reviewed years after its release date.
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