As the editor of Ask, I get to learn about some amazing and unusual people and writing “The Amazing Adventures of Manjiro” for our July Shipwreck issue of Ask was no exception. This is the true story of a young castaway rescued by an American whaler who became the first Japanese person to visit the […]
Around this time each summer, the joys of no school start to fade into the cries of “I’m bored.” I’m not sure there is another phrase emerging from my child’s mouth that annoys me more than the ubiquitous “I’m bored.” I always try to tell her to think before using it because it is inevitably […]
It’s the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima this week which brought up an interesting conversation between my husband and myself. The question was, is the atomic bomb and its aftermath an appropriate topic for a 9-year-old? If not, why not? And if so, then how can we make sure she is getting age-appropriate, factual content […]
A story is only as good as its first sentence. That’s probably why some authors spend as much time crafting the perfect first sentence as they spend writing the rest of the book. If you can’t reel your audience in with the opening line, what’s going to motivate them to stick around for any line […]
Do you have a horse crazy kid in your life? Loving horses is a special kind of affliction that seems to target both girls and boys of a certain age. I know this from experience. Back in the day, I was one of those preteens who fell in love with horses. I took riding lessons […]
It starts with wild enthusiasm – on the part of you and hopefully your child. How fun it will be to learn to play violin or tuba or piano, goes the thinking. This will be a magical, musical journey! You procure an instrument, you line up a lesson. And then it’s time to practice every […]
There aren’t many stories in the news that have the ability to bring tears to a child’s eyes like those that feature animals who have been hurt or killed either by accident or on purpose through human error or judgment. Children are natural animal lovers and they have an innate sense of fairness that is […]
There’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about Greece and its financial troubles. Scary words like recession and unemployment and default are used endlessly by newscasters and commentators, and to a child listening in, I’m sure it is both confusing and ominous. Especially with the U.S.’s financial crisis so recent (and still […]
My eight-year old daughter is an expert butterfly egg hunter. Our backyard is filled with plants that are hosts—food plants—for the caterpillars that ultimately turn into butterflies and every summer, various butterfly species travel to our tiny urban backyard and lay their eggs on these plants, connecting their babies to the tasty treats that the […]
What’s cuter than a toddler with a ball? The answer: Not much. Watching little kids interact with this particular toy is one of my favorite things to do. I love the looks on their little faces when they mistakenly kick the ball again just before they reach it, and the joy in their eyes as […]