Emily Carter

I watched my nephew go from a bright, curious kindergartner to a child who hid under his desk when books came out. He didn’t stop being smart. He stopped believing he was a reader. That moment is what every parent of a struggling reader eventually faces, and it is what this guide is built to … Read more

Audiobooks help struggling readers by letting them access stories and information above their current reading level, which builds vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of literature while they continue to work on decoding skills. I have spent the last decade working with elementary students who read below grade level, and I have seen firsthand how the … Read more

If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between a fairy tale and a folktale, you’re not alone. I’ve spent years reading folklore collections for our team, and even seasoned readers mix these terms up. Some folks use the words interchangeably. Others insist they mean completely different things. The truth sits somewhere in the middle, and … Read more

For over three decades, American classrooms became a battleground. Teachers, parents, politicians, and researchers argued over one fundamental question: how should children learn to read? The debate — known as the Reading Wars — pitted phonics against whole language, two philosophies that seemed to share a goal but could not agree on a method. I’ve … Read more

I remember sitting in my first-grade classroom with a stack of leveled readers, trying to figure out how to fit small-group instruction into a packed literacy block. Many teachers I work with ask the same question I did back then: what is the actual difference between guided reading vs independent reading, and when do I … Read more

When my daughter turned five, I wanted something that built her love of stories without adding another screen to our day. That is when I brought home a Yoto Player, and within a month, our bedtime routine had completely changed. After testing dozens of cards with my own kids and gathering feedback from other parents … Read more

When my nephew turned three, I watched him place a tiny Moana figurine on top of a soft, squishy cube and listened to his face light up as her adventure began. That moment sold me on the entire Tonies system. If you’re hunting for the best Tonies figurines for preschoolers, you’ve landed in the right … Read more

When my daughter turned eight, I spent three weeks testing every kids e-reader I could get my hands on. I wanted a distraction-free reading device that wouldn’t break the first time she dropped it in the bathtub. After comparing the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids, the standard Kindle Kids, and the newer Kindle Colorsoft Kids, I … Read more

Looking for the best Storypod Crafties for toddlers in ? I get it. Parents today want screen-free entertainment that actually holds a toddler’s attention, and the Storypod audio learning system has become one of the most talked-about options for that exact reason. After spending weeks testing Crafties with my niece, comparing them to Toniebox and … Read more

When my daughter started asking for grandma’s voice on her Yoto Player every night, I knew I needed to figure out blank Yoto cards fast. After testing several options over the past three months, I found the best blank Yoto cards for recording your own stories are the official Yoto Make Your Own 5-Pack, plus … Read more