Dr. Jill Reads

I don't want to sugar coat it--2018 sucked for our family. Every time I look back at this year, one event will stick out more than anything else, and that is the death of my beloved dad on August 9. Four years earlier, he was diagnosed with a malignant, stage 4 brain tumor. He endured two brain surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy, and he lived considerably longer than most patients with the same diagnosis. But even through this heartbreaking time, I have been witness to such grace and empathy from others. In her book, Grateful, Diana Butler Bass likens the events that shape our lives as either "tailwinds" or "headwinds." Typically, tailwinds propel objects forward, while headwinds make forward progress much more difficult. When looking the events in our lives, we can see them as difficult headwinds or advantageous tailwinds. Butler Bass asks us to consider even the headwinds as blessings. The perceived headwinds of my dad's decline were also some of

I have always been an avid reader, and this year, I am happy to report that I surpassed my reading goal. I am even more proud of the fact that I branched out of my typical reading "comfort zone" and tried some new genres and formats this year. I hit a huge reading slump after the passing of my dad, and listening to books on Audible saved my reading life. My favorite reads (whether I read them with my eyes or my ears) are listed below, alphabetically by the author's last name. Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove is definitely one of my top two favorite books this year. Ove is a grumpy old man (some may even call him a "curmudgeon"), intent on ending his life. The problem is that his neighbors and a homeless cat seem to keep getting in his way. I listened to the Audible version of the book, and the narration was superb. I loved this book because it was funny, sad, nostalgic, and hopeful. I have recommended this book to many people. They say that som

I read over 125 books in 2018, and most of those books were picture books. Since most of my professional work is with teachers and students in PreK through second grade, I read a great many picture books. Listed alphabetically by the author's last name, here are my absolute favorite picture books of the year. ( Not all of these books were published in 2018, but I read them this year. ) In A Bike Like Sergio's by Maribeth Boelts (illustrated by Noah Z. Jones), Ruben will do just about anything to own a bicycle just like the one owned by his friend, Sergio. This is a great and relatable story about the importance of honesty and doing the right thing.  The second book on my list created by author and illustrator team Boelts and Jones, Those Shoes, is another story with which many children (and adults!) can relate. Jeremy wants nothing more than "those shoes" that seemingly all of the other kids have. Over the course of the story, Jeremy begins to realize that