One New Story and One 'Sustaining Book' Review Every Month
One New Story and One 'Sustaining Book' Review Every Month
Check out the stories we've got planned for the next 12 months
Hi, it’s Jeff. Welcome to the new 320 Sycamore Studios. :)
The look is new, but our core belief — that reading with kids can change the world for the better — is stronger than ever.
Here are a few pages to get you oriented:
Our About page describes what we do, why it matters, and who we are. It’s also where you’ll see our subscription options.
The Bookshelf gives you access to the eleven books in our back catalog.
Dana’s Rec Room is your starting point for more than 200 book recommendations for readers of all ages.
And this page lets you know what read-aloud stories you can expect from us over the next 12 months. Read on to see.
Twelve months of read-aloud stories
What’s ahead?
Long novels and short picture books.
Stories that rhyme and stories that don’t.
Stories to read slow TO somebody and stories to read fast WITH somebody.
Stories about good days and bad days and in-between days.
Stories about girls with moxie and boys with persistence and zombies that want one thing after another.
Oh, there’s even a story about a hero who’s a zero who feels like no one.
Are you excited? We are!
Here are the details …
June
Read-aloud story: Winnie’s Whoosh Went Walkabout.
A girl loses the most important thing in the world and decides to go find it, no matter what it takes.
Sustaining Book: The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame.
July
Read-aloud story: Jack Jenk Shouts Love.
What can one kid do to make the world better — especially when that kid thinks his biggest talent is playing football and his "idea" for making the world better seems like the dumbest thing ever? (Note: We’ll be sharing the fully illustrated final draft of Jack Jenk for the first time.)
Sustaining Books: The Old Truck and Our Little Kitchen.
August
White paper: Why Read to Kids a Little Every Day Until They’re 18?
Why? Here are a few reasons:
Because it’s the best standardized-test prep there is.
Because it helps kids learn to think and learn to feel.
Because it helps kids become their best selves.
Because it just might heal our troubled species.
Because it’s fun.
Sustaining Book: Alice in Wonderland.
September
Read-aloud story: Davey Dobbs Should Not.
Davey Dobbs Should Not is about a boy who, for the first time in his life, starts doing things he’s not supposed to, like starting stegosaur stampedes and exploring space. Now if he can only escape the soccer coaches, violin teachers, and math tutors who are chasing him.
Sustaining Book: “Front Desk,” by Kelly Yang.
October
Read-aloud story: The Gas Light Man Comes to Night.
A long-ago desert land where the people live by night. A man who arrives with a gas-powered lamp and the promise of bright things. A girl who gets swept up in his vision, until she sees peril that waits for her people. Can she act in time to save them?
November
Read-aloud story: Gnu Poo.
When one kid brings his gnu to school for show and tell, others do, too, and there ensues a gnu to-do, a gnu confusion, a hullaba-gnu, a gnu-faraw, and a gnu-haha.
Sustaining Book: To be announced.
December
Read-aloud story: The Zero’s Journey.
Description: Zero didn’t feel the other numbers — except for his best friend Five — accepted him for who he was. But this year at the Annual Number Talent Show, he’s going to change all that. He’ll be liked. He’ll feel like a whole number.
Sustaining Book: To be announced.
January
Read-aloud story: Today Was a Bad Day.
Description: How bad was today? Really bad. Like, if a day was food, today was broccoli. Or if a day was birthday presents, today was underwear.
Sustaining Book: To be announced.
February
Read-aloud story: The Friendship Game.
It starts simply, with the word “friendship.” One person reads it aloud. Simple enough. The next person reads the next word, “shipyard.” Back to the first person: “yardstick.” And things get faster, crazier, sillier. Read the Friendship Game aloud together. Then see if you can read it faster.
Sustaining Book: To be announced.
March
Read-aloud story: Zoom Zoom Zoom.
“Zoom zoom zoom goes the world world world and clang clang clang go the cities. Whoosh whoosh whoosh go the cars cars cars and zip zip zip go the people.” This is a story about speeding up, and about slowing down.
Sustaining Book: To be announced.
April
Read-aloud story: Zuggers!
We’ve combed through books on obscure words to come up with 100 that sound mischievous, but actually aren’t. Words like “duffart” (a silly person), “godwottery” (elaborate gardening), “quocker-wodger” (a wooden toy figure on a string), “swullocking” (hot, sticky weather), and a lot more.
Sustaining Book: To be announced.
May
Read-aloud story: Peas for Dinner.
Description: Sometimes it’s really important to do the thing that interests you (like eat P-foods for dinner every night), even when you don’t know why you’re doing it. Even when someone close to you tries to stop you. Sometimes the answers don’t become clear until later, when you’ve changed the world. Peas for Dinner is a story about fathers and sons and cities and rivers and about how you only see rightly with your heart.
Sustaining Book: To be announced.
We’ll announce our 2023-2024 season at the end of May next year.