Read, Discuss, Bake: Books about bread!

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  One of my favorite memories from my childhood was my dad’s baking. He’d often bake a simple white bread, which we would use for sandwiches or snacking. He’d sometimes turn some of it into cinnamon rolls, which came in second only to my mom’s chocolate chip cookies. On special occasions he’d whip up a batch of Orange Cinnamon Swirl, a loaf of mildly orange flavored bread with a swirl of cinnamon and sugar in the center, glazed with an orangey icing. In my mind, there was no better treat. And it wasn’t just the eating of the bread that was enjoyable, but the anticipation. And the smells. Is there any better smell than bread baking in the oven? My dad taught me how to bake bread, and I still have the copy of  Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads  that he gave me nearly 30 years ago. I bake from it often. Bread is a staple all around the world. And bread, like books, can do wonders to foster human connection. So our hope with this list today is that it will inspire...
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Inspiring Writers with GRUMPYCORN

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by Tina Cho


In the book Grumpycorn by Sarah McIntyre, Unicorn sets out to write a new story. He sits in his special writing house, gets his special fluffy pen, his special moonberry tea, fancy notebook, and waits for an idea. But ideas don’t knock on doors. Friends do. And Unicorn gets upset. You’ll have to read this book to see how it ends. 

Being a writer, I connected with this book. And I shared it with my kindergarten students who are also learning to write. We writers set ourselves up for success with shiny pens and notebooks, but the problem is—finding ideas and executing a good story.

Picture books open up discussion with children. If you want your child to write, you can use a picture book like Grumpycorn to introduce the writing process. Your child could even write a story with the help of family or friends like Unicorn does. Your child could get a special notebook and pen and jot down ideas for great stories.

My kindergartners love writing their own stories on their own topics. And it’s picture books that inspire them. 

Happy reading and writing!

Comments

Trine Grillo said…
HaHa! Great post, Tina.
February 17, 2022 at 9:30 PM
Mindy Baker said…
Love this book suggestion! Putting it on my to-be-read list!
March 6, 2022 at 12:06 PM
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