Monique was here visiting from France for the past two weeks and we worked on creating Spanish and French versions of our books and apps. (They should be available soon.) Here’s a link to our current books and apps.

Here’s a fun little skunk joke with a recording… MP3 of Two Little Skunks Two Little Skunks There were two little skunks Named "In" and "Out." One day In was out And Out was in. The mother skunk asked ...

A Johnny-cake is a small flat cake (akin to a little pancake) made out of cornmeal, water and salt. They were widely eaten in the U.S. in the 19th century.  Johnny-cakes are called hoecakes in the South. The folk tale "Johnny-cake" is almost the same story as "The Gingerbread Man" except that a Johnny-cake is the...

How the Finch Got Her Colors is a Flemish legend. Below you can listen to it in English and read along with the tale… MP3 of How The Finch Got Her Colors How The Finch Got Her Colors A Flemish Legend There was once a time when all the birds were gray and...

Towards the end of WWI two cousins, young girls, took photos with fairies they said they had met.  Later they admitted they faked the photos.   Yet many people at the time believed they were real, including the author of the Sherlock Holmes stores, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! The fairies came to be called the "Cottingley Fairies". ...

Gingerbread Houses are made at Christmastime in Germany, the US and other countries around the world. Gingerbread Houses are intricately linked to the Grimm fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel.  In the story, two children, Hansel and Gretel get lost in the woods.  They come upon a house made of gingerbread covered in frosting and candy. ...

Here’s a fun illustration called "A Tour in the Toy Country" by British illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846 – 1886).  Caldecott illustrated many books for children.

Check out a list of 100 Best Chapter Books for Kids at Children’s Book Guide.  I see many of my family’s favorites there, such as: The Phantom Tollbooth The Graveyard Book From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler The Hobbit Happy Reading! Mama Lisa

Dav Pilkey is the author of the Captain Underpants series… which gave both my son and daughter (and my husband) hours of pleasure.  In the video below, you can see him drawing Captain Underpants while explaining how reading gives you superpowers!

Here’s a short animation about a boy who delivers coffee to all the animals in the World of Fairy Tales.  It’s narrated by the girl who delivers the sugar that goes with the coffee.  (In Hungarian with English subtitles.)  Really...

You can now listen to 50 Grimm’s Fairy Tales in the original German on Librivox.  Grimm’s Fairy Tales are a collection of German folk tales. These recordings include the original versions of such stories as The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel and Rapunzel. These tales were originally published under the title, “Kinder- und Hausmärchen” (Children’s and Household...

Where the Bee Sucks is from Shakespeare’s play The Tempest.  In the play, it’s sung by the fairy spirit Ariel.  You can read this lovely song below and listen along to two different renditions of it – one recited, the other sung. Where The Bee Sucks (Shakespeare) Where the bee sucks, there suck I: In a cowslip’s bell...

Here’s a song called "Brother Come and Dance with Me" from a Librivox rendition of Hansel and Gretel.  You can replace "brother" with "children" (or a child’s name).  This little song and dance can help children learn coordination and how to distinguish left from right. MP3 of Brother Come and Dance with Me ...

Here’s a pretty little song called Good Morning, Merry Sunshine from a Librivox rendition of Little Red Riding Hood… MP3 Recording of Good Morning, Merry Sunshine Good Morning, Merry Sunshine Good morning, merry sunshine, How did you come so soon? You chase the little stars away And shine away the moon. I saw you go to sleep last night...

My daughter’s 5th grade class had a Multicultural Feast this week.  The feast was about both writing and exploring one’s cultural heritage.  The students had to ask a relative for a recipe that’s been handed down within the family and then to interview that person about the history of the recipe.  All of the recipes...

We’ve just released a new eBook for the Kindle – Italian Kids Songs and Rhymes. We’ve gathered over eighty Italian songs and rhymes, presented in their original language and with translations into English. Many have commentary sent to us by our correspondents around the world. It’s an ideal resource for teachers of the Italian language, parents...

I’m currently reading a series of books that takes place in Botswana called  The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. When reading the first book, you quickly come upon the term "Mma" (pronounced "ma") used before a woman’s name and "Rra" (pronounced "ra" with a rolling "r") used before a man’s name.  I...

The Gift of the Magi is a short story written by O. Henry in the early 1900’s.  The story is at heart of what the holiday season and gift giving should be about… a selfless act to make another person happy… it’s not about the money you spend that’s important… it’s the sentiment behind the...

Our first Kindle book, Mama Lisa’s Christmas Around the World, is now available on Amazon for just $2.99! Learn how this joyful season is celebrated across the globe. Featuring traditions, songs and personal stories! People everywhere love Christmas – but we don’t all celebrate it the same way. Mama Lisa’s Christmas Around The World is a...