Best Friends Pretend! by Linda Leopold Strauss; illustrated by Lynn Munsinger; Scholastic/Cartwheel Books, 2014. 14 pages; $6.99 (board book); reading level: ages 3-6. The two “princesses” dressed up in sparkly pinks and purples on the cover are a sure-fire draw for very young girls. But don’t be fooled into thinking they can’t pretend outside the… [Read More]
Best Friends Pretend! by Linda Leopold Strauss Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
April 22, 2014 By
Common Core State Standards and My Writing
April 15, 2014 By
When Publishers Weekly asked public librarians to name the “big issues” they are currently talking about, Common Core was at the top of the list. These librarians see Common Core as an opportunity to spotlight the great nonfiction young library-users have been overlooking for years. You might want to take a look at their comments… [Read More]
Monitor by James Tertius deKay Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
April 7, 2014 By
Monitor; The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad and the Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History by James Tertius deKay. Ballantine Books, 1997. 247 pages; $11.95 (paperback). Reading level: high school/adult. Building on the premise that it was not the more famous land battles that determined the outcome of the Civil War… [Read More]
Ladies and Not-So Gentle Women by Alfred Allan Lewis Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
April 2, 2014 By
Ladies and Not-So-Gentle Women;Elisabeth Marbury,Anne Morgan, Elsie de Wolfe, Anne Vanderbilt, and Their Times by Alfred Allan Lewis. Penguin, 2000. 540 pages; $18.00 (paperback). Reading level: adult. Four big-spending Gilded Age women would seem to have nothing to contribute to the rough and tumble politics of women’s rights near the turn of the 20th century. … [Read More]
Duck, Duck, Moose! Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
March 10, 2014 By
Duck, Duck, Moose! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen; illustrated by Noah Z. Jones; Disney/Hyperion, 2014. 32 pages; $16.99 (hardcover); reading level: ages 2-5. The text on each page of this story about three friends – two ducks and a moose – couldn’t be more spare: You guessed it – “Duck, Duck, Moose.” The illustrations tell the tale… [Read More]
Canada Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge
February 18, 2014 By
Canada by Richard Ford. Ecco/HarperCollins, 2012. 420 pages; $15.99 (paperback). Reading level: adult. When sixty-six-year-old Dell Parsons looks back on the six weeks that changed his life back when he was fifteen, he begins his story this way: “First I’ll tell about the robbery our parents committed. Then about the murders, which happened later.” It… [Read More]
Did You Know Connie Speaks and Presents For School and Community Programs?
February 11, 2014 By
Connie is an experienced speaker and presenter who enjoys sharing her passion for writing and her experiences as a writer with audiences of all ages. She has been invited to speak to K-12 and college students, educators, writers’ groups, community, civic and professional organizations, library audiences and seniors – wherever book lovers gather! Connie presented… [Read More]
Connie’s Winter Reading List. What Are You Reading?
February 11, 2014 By
Our snowy winter here in Indiana is slowing me down and providing an opportunity to make a dent in the pile of titles stacked on my nightstand. Canada by Richard Ford. Besides the author’s credentials (he won a Pulitzer for his novel Independence Day), the first sentence has me hooked: “First, I’ll tell about the… [Read More]
The Children’s Literature Network is Now Offering “Mentors for Rent!”
February 11, 2014 By
The Children’s Literature Network has a unique offering called “Mentors for Rent,” a consulting/coaching/critiquing service for writers of children’s or Young Adult books. Mentors for Rent is … A consulting/coaching/critiquing service for those who write for children or young adults. Two award-winning children’s book writers who have long-term experience as writing teachers and coaches. Happy… [Read More]
Creative Writing Now is Offering a 5-part Audio Course on Writing and Publishing Children’s Books
February 11, 2014 By
Interested in starting a career as a childrens book author? Then check out this 5 part audio course. Connie lead the course on writing non-fiction, and the other courses are taught by accomplished writers Linda Leopold Strauss, Sally Derby, Emma Carlson-Berne and Mary Kay Carson. >> Learn More / Purchase the Course Course Contents Write and… [Read More]