Episode 20: (Special Episode!) Ask Me Anything - Your Questions, Answered!
Exquisitely Ever After
In this special final episode of Season 2, I answer YOUR questions about children’s literature and reading to children. We cover topics such as the importance of reading in the Early Years; what books will hook an 9-year-old reader; how to prepare a child for the arrival of a new baby; and how to teach your child to read using early reader books. Happy Reading and I’m looking forward to talking to you in Season 3! Click for the TRANSCRIPT, the FULL LIST OF BOOKS mentioned in this episode, and all FREE PRINTABLES. Click to join our mailing...
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Episode 19: The Twelve BOOKS of Christmas
Exquisitely Ever After
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a gorgeous stack of books beneath the tree! We’re counting down to Christmas with 12 of my family’s favorite Christmas books. In this episode, we discuss the best Christmas books for children, from board books for infants and toddlers to picture books preschoolers and kindergarteners. I also recommend a couple of interactive Christmas picture books to read with your child, as well as some classic Christmas picture books—and some twists on classic Christmas picture books—for the whole family to...
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Episode 18: Owl At Home and Good Night Owl (Bedtime Book Series: Part 3)
Exquisitely Ever After
In this third installment of our Bedtime Book Series, we are discussing two excellent, engaging, brain-building bedtime books in tandem: Arnold Lobel’s Owl At Home and Greg Pizzoli’s Good Night Owl because one has directly influenced the other. We talk about how Greg Pizzoli found inspiration in many of the amusing scenarios, cozy illustrations, and even some of the turns of phrase that are found in Arnold Lobel’s collection of stories about his Owl. Drawing attention to the connection between books is not only interesting and fun to do as a reader, but it’s also a good way...
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Episode 17: Best Books About Shapes
Exquisitely Ever After
Today’s episode is all about shapes! Learning about shapes is foundational to your child’s cognitive development; by teaching your children about shapes from an early age, you are helping: to augment their communication skills, to develop their pre-reading and writing skills, to enhance their creative skills, to develop their logical thinking skills through sorting, and to give them an understanding of the basics of geometry. In this episode, we discuss concept books that will help you teach your younger children to identify and label shapes as well as books for your older...
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Episode 16: You Belong Here (Bedtime Book Series: Part 2)
Exquisitely Ever After
One of the tests of a book for me is: Do I see myself giving this book to someone I love and admire? And if so, will their child also love it and benefit from it? You Belong Here, a picture book in verse written by M. H. Clark and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault easily passes that test and so it’s one of my go-to books to give to expecting parents and grandparents or any person who is just so excited to give a child that sense of belonging. This is the bedtime book that I read to both of my children when they were infants, so it holds a special place in our family....
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Episode 15: Goodnight Moon (Bedtime Book Series: Part 1)
Exquisitely Ever After
There is no other book more closely associated with bedtime in children’s literature than Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd, which is why it is our first choice for our Bedtime Book Series. In today’s episode, we talk about why Goodnight Moon isn’t just an academic favorite, but how this weird little book is actually quietly revolutionary and appeals to the interests and needs of even the smallest children. What’s more, we discuss how Goodnight Moon benefits your child’s cognitive and emotional...
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Episode 14: The Gruffalo
Exquisitely Ever After
Today’s episode is actually the response to the most frequently asked question I’ve received since I started this podcast: “What is your favorite children’s book?” In this episode, I explain just why Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo is brilliant, engaging, brain-building and deserves a place at the top of your list, too. And don’t forget to click to see our Gruffalo Family Halloween Costume! Click for the TRANSCRIPT, the FULL LIST OF BOOKS mentioned in this episode, and all FREE PRINTABLES. ...
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Episode 13: Reading The Rainbow - Best Color Books (Part 2)
Exquisitely Ever After
In Part 2 of our color series we discuss books that will help you teach your Preschoolers, Pre-Kindergarteners, and Kindergarteners about the color spectrum and basic color theory, including the concept of primary colors, secondary colors, and mixing colors. Additionally, I recommend picture books that use the concept of color to help your child embrace his or her individuality and promote tolerance and acceptance. Included in this episode are also ideas for hands-on supplemental color activities for you to do with your child that will help you solidify these concepts in your...
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Episode 12: Best Color Books for Toddlers
Exquisitely Ever After
Today’s podcast episode is Part 1 of a two-part series on books about colors. This week we are focusing on books that will help you teach your young children to identify and label colors. Naming colors can be tricky for kids under 5 years of age because children usually learn the names of nouns before they learn descriptive words about those nouns, like words that describe color or size or quantity. This week, we discuss the best practices for teaching your child colors, progressing from being able to recognize the color word, to identifying/pointing out the corresponding...
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Episode 11: 5 Spooktacular Halloween Books to Read With Your Child
Exquisitely Ever After
October is officially here and that means that Halloween is just around the corner! In this first episode of Season 2, I’m recommending 5 of my favorite Halloween books to read to kids in the days leading up to October 31st. While, admittedly, there are some terrible, cutesy, vapid Halloween books out there—I mean, let’s be honest, how many pumpkin books does the world need?—there are also some really excellent books that are festive and perfect for Halloween in addition to being great for your child’s brain and social-emotional development. Happy October and Happy...
info_outlineA common dilemma for parents of toddlers is that, though they would love to read-aloud to their young children, it’s difficult to get a super active, bursting-with-energy toddler to sit still long enough to get through even one book, let alone several. Having done a lot of research on reading aloud to small children and testing different methods out on my own toddlers, I’ve come up with 6 Simple Strategies to get my little guys to sit still and read with me. In this episode, I’m going to pass these tricks along to you in the hopes that they help make reading aloud with your active toddler a fun and positive experience for both of you.
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Exquisitely Ever After is a podcast about reading children’s literature to cultivate kind, intelligent, and successful kids. Host Christina Phillips-Mattson is a writer, educator, and mother of two little boys who received her Ph.D. in children’s and young adult literature from Harvard University.