Blog

Raising readers, one story at a time

Ideas, book lists and history-made-fun for parents of curious kids.

July 19, 2026

My Son Dances Before Every Race. An Opera Singer Taught Me to Let Him.

Filters and algorithms teach our kids to blend in. Solomiya Krushelnytska, the Ukrainian singer who saved Puccini's Madama Butterfly, did the opposite — and her story is one every child should hear.

July 19, 2026

Schools Are Quietly Dropping Handwriting. This Emperor Would Be Furious.

Cursive is vanishing from classrooms and kids type before they write. Charlemagne ruled half of Europe and couldn't sign his name, so he learned at night with wax tablets under his pillow.

July 19, 2026

Rockets Are in the News Again. Your Kid Should Meet the Man Who Started It.

Reusable rockets, private crews, new telescope images. Four centuries earlier Galileo built his own telescope from a description and found four moons that changed everything.

July 19, 2026

One Book for the Holiday Bag: What Actually Survives a Family Trip

Packing for a family holiday with kids ages 8 to 12? Why a book of short true stories beats a novel on a trip, and what to look for before you pack it.

July 19, 2026

World Cup Fever Is Starting. Pelé Learned on a Sock Full of Newspaper.

Before three World Cups, Pelé was a boy who couldn't afford a ball or shoes. He made one from a stray sock and practised barefoot in the street.

July 19, 2026

He Borrowed Someone Else's Swim Trunks Rather Than Call Me

A story about my son, and what it made me understand about courage — plus the biographies of brave leaders that show boys what bravery actually looks like.

July 19, 2026

I Don't Have a Daughter. I Still Think About Which Women My Son Reads About.

Biographies of women who refused the mould, from Joan of Arc to Marie Curie, and why they matter for boys as much as girls. Books for kids ages 8 to 12.

July 19, 2026

The 10-Minute Summer Reading Challenge (From a Mom With No Spare Hours)

A summer reading habit built for families who don't have time. Ten minutes a day, no charts, no book reports — and why short and daily beats long and occasional.

July 19, 2026

When the Health News Frightens Them, Tell Them About Jonas Salk

Outbreak headlines are hard on children. The scientist who beat polio then refused to patent the vaccine gives them something better to hold on to than fear.

July 19, 2026

"My Child Doesn't Like Reading." Try True Stories Before You Give Up.

Why biographies work for reluctant readers ages 8 to 12 when novels don't, and the four things to check before you buy one.