Storytime!

Who is the Storylady?

“Amber Wood draws children into stories by making the stories their own by inviting them into the illustrations and text with body language and questions and a warmth like the sun. You can feel kindness and empathy in the way that she tells stories – for the characters, and for the little people with wide eyes and ears around her…”

– E. Ardelean
More Reviews for the Storylady

I want to read to the kids in my life – where are the good books?

Do you want to read to tiny people and wonder which books to start with? The children’s section of your local public library is a great place to pick up new and classic titles until you fall in love with particular authors and illustrators. If you’re short on time, pick up the titles on display. Does the text contain animal/vehicle/noisy sounds or characters that could be fun to read aloud with your kid? Is the language age-appropriate and engaging? What art interests you? Does that illustrator have other books available? Once you’ve done your homework and been duly smitten, head over to your favourite indie bookstore and give those books a new home!

Normalizing representation in the bookbags we bring home is really important in helping our kids approach differences with curiosity and counter hate with compassion. A Shared Table asked me to develop a guide for (racialized as white) caregivers for choosing picture books that centre BIPOC characters. The guide and an accompanying booklist are available here. I’m biased, but I think a lot of it applies to choosing good picture books in general.

A catalog of my personal children’s collection is available on LibraryThing. If you’re local to Hamilton, please let me know if you want to borrow something! You may also find the #booksilove category of the blog useful.

Happy reading!