Strawberry Shortcake, the cartoon baker that started as a greeting card character and became one of the most popular kid’s franchises of the 1980s, is making a comeback. Read More ⇒
An Orland Park, Ill., woman who raises butterflies in her home hit the monarch migration jackpot: A tiny tag affixed to one of her 2020 butterflies was recovered in the mountainous region of central Mexico where Midwestern migratory monarchs spend the winter. Read More ⇒
Peyton Elizabeth Lee doesn’t know how to perform surgery, but she knows a little something about growing up in an adult world. Read More ⇒
Someone was asking about the perfect formula for a middle-grade children’s book. Having been a child once myself, I brought some credentials to the discussion. Read More ⇒
CHICAGO — Eight-year-old Gabriel Gometz was anxious before getting a shot on a recent weekday at Lurie Children’s Hospital, peppering his parents and health care workers with questions about how big the needle would be and how much the injection might hurt. Read More ⇒
“Matrix” by Lauren Groff; Riverhead (272 pages, $28) Read More ⇒
SAN MARCOS, Texas — When Charlie Agar pried open the lid of an abandoned piece of farm machinery in San Marcos recently, he found a sweet treasure inside. Glistening honeycombs lined most of the rectangular hollow inside the equipment. Read More ⇒
NEW YORK — Twenty years later, there’s one image from Sept. 11, 2001, seared in the mind of Jacky Grossman, then principal of Greenwich Village Middle School in Manhattan. Read More ⇒
MINNEAPOLIS — Camp True Colors, at a woodsy, lakeside retreat just north of Hinckley, Minn., is summer camp with all the trappings. Read More ⇒
“The Dreamcatcher Codes” (Green Writers Press) by first-time author Barbara Newman is an eco-fantasy about four girls who come together for a great purpose: to save planet Earth from the destructive forces of climate change. Read More ⇒
BALTIMORE — Severe Maryland earthquakes are fairly rare, which ensures that they make headlines whenever one rumbles across the region. Read More ⇒
LOS ANGELES — Remi Wolf got through the pandemic in 2020 the same way so many others did: by walling herself in her apartment and commiserating with her dog. Read More ⇒
OSWEGO - The Children’s Museum of Oswego (CMOO) will continue to invest in its historic building with grants from the city of Oswego and Richard S. Shineman Foundation. The scope of the project will include work to improve lighting and signage, the flow of people into and out of the building… Read More ⇒
Astro the astronaut is lost and alone, adrift in space with no way to get home. Luckily for him, though, by opening the pages of “The Lost Astronaut” by Diana Escobar, you can gain some measure of control over Astro’s world and help him find his spaceship. Read More ⇒
BALTIMORE — When the pandemic forced all the dance-loving children in Harford County, Maryland, to hang up their tutus and put away their jazz shoes, Danielle Forgione and Melissa DeSantis knew they had to do something. Read More ⇒
BALTIMORE — Born and raised in Baltimore County, Md., 19-year-old artist and climate activist Nadia Nazar is making waves. Read More ⇒
A love of numbers and an email to NorthShore’s Research Institute may have changed the trajectory of Joe Hulsizer’s future career, while also potentially changing the lives of those with sickle cell. Read More ⇒
COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Cassandra Pritikin’s daughters, Kimber and Taylor, were small enough to fit onto her lap, the three of them would read Read More ⇒
OSWEGO — The Oswego Bookmobile’s “Drive the New Bookmobile Home” Facebook fundraiser, will launch on Aug. 9. Read More ⇒
Do you believe in magic? Etan Hirsch does. So does the writer who created him. Read More ⇒
In 2009, when David Kimball is 8 years old, his world crumbles. After a happy afternoon playing baseball and basketball, David comes home to learn that his father has had to close his restaurant. Officially poor overnight, the family soon becomes homeless. Read More ⇒
Picking someone up from the airport is always a drag, but sometimes it’s downright dangerous. Read More ⇒
Grammy Award-winning and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Graham Nash is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the timeless song “Our House” with a just-released illustrated children’s book. Read More ⇒
College campuses are opening up. For the first time in a long time, families are actually planning real in-person campus visits. Read More ⇒
The TV streaming world, it seems, becomes more crowded by the day. But amid all this head-spinning traffic, where can parents be assured that their kids are tuning into age-appropriate content? Read More ⇒
PHILADELPHIA — Caleb Autry started playing drums when he was in third grade, and by age 13 had moved onto piano and music production. Read More ⇒
An online summer reading program is being promoted by the New York State Senate for young readers and families throughout New York state. State Senator Tom O’Mara recently announced that he is sponsoring the program. Read More ⇒
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gathered around the stage in the Westgate Community Recreation Center’s auditorium, a dozen kids were asked to finish the sentence, “I can choose kindness by ...” Read More ⇒
CHICAGO — Old Town resident Kristel Bell believes in supporting Black girls in science, technology, engineering and math so much that she used her 401(k) to make a collection of STEM dolls a reality. Read More ⇒
Disney+ has given the green light to a musical, limited-series prequel to its live-action movie “Beauty and the Beast.” It’s slated to begin production next year. Read More ⇒
Wake up the members of my nation, because the “iCarly” revival is here. And if you’re so young (or so old) that you’re asking, “What’s an iCarly?” leave it to us to explain what the fuss is about. Read More ⇒
Schools are out, temperatures are rising and COVID-19 restrictions are falling. That means vacation time and, for many, that means a beach destination. Read More ⇒
SAN DIEGO — Nearly 100 kids from El Cajon, California, spent a few hours last week walking around Mast Park in Santee. Tongs in hand, they picked up everything from confetti to candy wrappers to a vaping device near the park’s playground. They put their finds in plastic bags to be discarded. Read More ⇒
LOS ANGELES — The high school editors kept hearing the same murmurings from their classmates. The yearbook would be depressing. It would be thin, if published at all. What was there to look back on, anyway? No prom, no football games, no grad night. Just day after day of Zoom and sweatpants. Read More ⇒
COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Brood X cicadas make their appearance later this month, it will mark the third time David Shetlar has witnessed and documented their emergence, which occurs every 17 years. Read More ⇒
A simple DNA test may uncover a very surprising family history. Read More ⇒
Something’s fishy in Ryan O’Connor’s cute children’s book for ages 3 to 10 called “Bobby the Bear and His Missing Dinner” (Xlibris). Read More ⇒
As the U.S. launches a campaign to vaccinate teens against COVID-19, public-health officials are leaping into action on a new strategy designed to involve family doctors, pediatricians and schools. Read More ⇒
May 4 marked the 60th anniversary of the start of the Freedom Rides. Here are five things to know about the movement that helped change the course of the nation and the fight for equality. Read More ⇒
BALTIMORE — Eight-year-old Christian Mugera went first, extending his arm for a blood draw and then a needle stick for a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. His brother, 11-year-old Gerald, wanted to follow, but staff struggled to get a blood sample. Read More ⇒
It’s not just superheroes who can save the world. Read More ⇒
In Sandra Fernandez Rhoads’ debut novel, “Mortal Sight” (Enclave Publishing), Cera Marlowe finds herself in a supernatural world tortured by bloodthirsty, shape-shifting beasts that only she can see — or smell — or even imagine. But it’s here in this mess of monsters and magic that 17-year-o… Read More ⇒
Ask a person about their favorite childhood book, and chances are they’ll be able to name countless titles off the top of their head. Children’s books leave an indelible mark on our brains from an early age with storylines and lessons that we still carry with us today. So who could blame par… Read More ⇒
“Plants vs. Zombies” was never supposed to be a shooter. Nearly a decade ago, this was a tower defense game, and a wildly fun one at that. The premise was simple (if a bit weird): In a backfield battleground, a bunch of plants had to prevent a group of zombies from reaching a house. And neve… Read More ⇒
Amanda Gorman says her speech impediment is anything but. Read More ⇒
“TheMadScientistAndVeronicaViggleHaveCapturedTheLittleBoyAndTheyAreGoingToTurnHim IntoBubbleGumYou’veGotToHelpMeRescueHim!” Read More ⇒
Nintendo’s pandemic timing has been unintentionally impeccable. Read More ⇒
OSWEGO — Community organizations in Pulaski, Sandy Creek, Richland and Orwell will provide free non-electronic activities for families to enjoy during Screen-Free Week. The event is traditionally scheduled during local schools’ spring break week, Monday, March 29, through Saturday, April 3. Read More ⇒
