islandparent Archives for Christina Van Starkenburg
Christina Van Starkenburg
Tales About Winter Traditions
Over the winter holidays many families get together to decorate trees, light candles, and eat yummy foods. While many of us do the same...
Birthdays & Babies
In a few days, my five-year-old will turn six. While we have never been the type of family to rent out a room in...
Grumbly Glasses & Humble Hearts
As the characters in this month’s selection can assure you, it’s easy to fall into patterns because the ways we’ve always done things are...
Pride & Prose
Because of Covid-19, many Pride Parades and the associated celebrations have been cancelled. But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Pride Month at home....
Into the Realm of Books
Need a little bit of a break from reality?Here is a list of books that will all take you to a different world or...
A World Full of Whys?
My three-year-old is firmly planted in the “why?” stage: Why is there a dog? Why are those people going that way? Why can’t I...
Keep ’em Reading…
For a great list of Canadian children’s writers and illustrators—including Vancouver Island writer Monique Gray Smith, Kenneth Oppel and Elly MacKay—sharing their books online,...
Sitting in Our Storms
When I was growing up in Ontario we’d often talk about how April showers would bring May flowers. It was a nice—and usually accurate—rhyme...
Books for Black History Month
This February, like many Februaries before it, we take the time to celebrate Black History Month. It’s a time when we can acknowledge the...
Dishing on Dinosaur Dramas
There is a meme circulating the internet titled “Times You Know the Most about Dinosaurs.” It’s a line graph with large spikes at age...