Andrea Knight

Teacher · Learner · Author

Tacky the Penguin – An Odd Little Bird

Tacky the Penguin has been on our winter read-aloud list for so many years now. Penguins are one of those obvious seasonal topics this time of year, but there's more to this story. If you know, then you know. However, if this book is new to you, we recommend you check out a copy and save some time to read out loud. It's silly and the kids love it, especially if you give it a little gusto. And … [Read more...]

Bear Snores On

We love Karma Wilson's "Bear" books. With winter right around the corner, we're busy planning lessons around her sweet little story, Bear Snores On. It's perfect for this time of year... cold air, short days, snowy skies... Bear is ready to hibernate! And he does. In fact, he's so good at it, he doesn't even notice his forest friends have made their way to his cozy den to escape all the winter … [Read more...]

Elves Are the Worst

Elves are the worst! Or are they? Gilbert the goblin sure thinks so. And he spends a great deal of time in Alex Willan's picture book telling the readers why they should share his opinion. Even though Gilbert is anti-elf, it's hard not to like him. He thinks elves are the worst and he doesn't appreciate the way they hog the holiday spotlight. And on some level, we relate to him a bit. We've had … [Read more...]

Who Was George Washington Carver?

Who was George Washington Carver and why is he still remembered today? If you're a serious gardener, you may already know quite a few details about his life's work. If you're a first or second grader, though, you probably don't. We love poring over all the books in our library. If we can't find what we're looking for there, then you'll surely find us in our local bookstores. When we were … [Read more...]

What Is Inauguration Day?

Inauguration Day is right around the corner, but many kids don't fully understand what happens on that day. It's typical for us to plan election activities for our students. However, we don't always give the inauguration the same amount of attention. This time around, I'm going to see this process all the way to the finish line. First though, we couldn't find a simple book about Inauguration … [Read more...]