School’s almost out. You may be looking for great summer books for your teen. I had a chance to review Justina Chen Headley’s third book, North of Beautiful. And I highly recommend it to teen girls and their mothers.

Terra Rose Cooper, has a port wine stain covering the left side of her face. She tries to cover her birthmark with heavy makeup and undergoes numerous painful procedures in an attempt to remove it. In Terra’s mind, her birthmark defines her. She works out compulsively in an attempt to maintain a perfect body since she believes her figure is the only thing her boyfriend values about her.

Momma Loves Her Little Son, a new book by the son of June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash, has won a place in my heart and on my bookshelf. John Carter Cash explains that the book is based on his own relationship with his mother who frequently told him that “Momma loves her little son.”

Some books are so good that I’ll stay awake all night to finish reading them. The Help is one of those books. It also happens to be one of the best fiction books I’ve read about race relations and the birth of the civil rights movement.
Set in rural Mississippi during the 1960s, the book mentions Martin Luther King Jr.’s march, the death of Medgar Evers, the Freedom Riders, the integration of the University of Mississippi by James Meredith, the sit-ins at lunch counters, Rosa Parks and other major events only in passing.
Instead, The Help focuses on the daily lives …

If you’re tired of reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas” for the millionth time, check out these newly released Christmas books for children:

The Gift of the Magi- I remember reading the classic O. Henry story in school. This new version for children is beautifully illustrated. For children unfamiliar with old-fashioned things like pocket watches, the illustrations will really add to their understanding of this moving story about love and the act of giving. I also think this particular version would be a wonderful gift for newlyweds on their first Christmas together.
 The …

Fueled by candy, children’s imagination runs wild at Halloween as they transform themselves into superheroes, animals, monsters, pirates, villains, and fairy tale characters. Feed your children’s imagination with some ghoulishly great books that they’ll enjoy long after they’ve eaten their fill of fun-size Snickers and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. You won’t need to trick your children into reading these lively tales of ghosts, witches, vampires, monsters, witches and more.  
Vunce Upon a Time is a charming and beautifully-illustrated Halloween story that might even help banish your child’s fear of the monster who lives under the bed.  Dagmar, the vegetarian vampire, …

There’s a lot of talk in education circles about the literacy gender gap. Boys are lagging behind girls in reading and writing.
I’ve heard author Jon Scieszka of Guys Read.com on NPR talk about how to close this gap. One of his suggestions for closing the literacy gender gap is encouraging male role models for reading. 
I love reading to Baby Mwah, and so does my husband. But our choices of reading materials are quite different. While I’ve been reading Dr. Seuss, Mother Goose, Richard Scary, and other children’s classics, I’ve caught my husband reading …

Even though Baby Mwah is only a few months old, I’ve been pondering the best way to teach him tolerance and respect for other cultures as he grows. I know that one of the best ways is by modeling love and respect for others, but I also did some research about more ways to teach your children to appreciate other cultures.
This article on the Scholastic website has some great tips about how to teach your child to be a citizen of the world. One of the tips was about creating a …

Toddlers and young children love animals and guessing games, so Meerkat’s Safari is a natural winner.
Our friend, the Meerkat, leads us on an adventure to meet some of the other animals of Africa.
Each mini riddle starts with animal tracks and a rhyming clue. Turn the page and the reader learns the identity of the animal and some fun facts. The descriptions of Meerkat’s friends go beyond the usual, to include lesser known trivia. Children enjoy learning and sharing this new knowledge. My daughter loves “rubbing cheeks” …

If you’re looking to give your child something more meaningful than jelly bellies and chocolate bunnies this Easter, I recommend my favorite Easter book- The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes. 
Written in 1939, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes feels modern and has an empowering message for young girls.
All the bunnies aspire to be one of the Five Easter Bunnies when they grow up since the Easter Bunnies are the kindest, swiftest and wisest of bunnies. But when the little country bunny says she wants to be an Easter Bunny too, the wealthy rabbits, athletic …