Runcible  \ˈrən(t)-sə-bəl-\ : fun (sometimes silly), but well-rounded and always useful.

Okay, so that’s how we choose to define runcible. It’s a word invented by Edward Lear. He uses it throughout his work to describe various objects (runcible spoon, runcible hat, runcible goose, runcible wall), but as he doesn’t offer a specific definition we decided upon one of our own liking.

And who are we?

A children’s librarian, two children’s book authors, a master’s student of children’s literature, a teenager who loves to read, an eight-year-old with nine years of reading experience, a book taster, four parents of ten kids (ages 6 months – 16), and five kids with a total of six parents (ages not telling – never mind). Please see our contributors’ page for full bio details.

How do we choose which books to review?

It’s quite simple. Our reviews are driven by what we and/or our children are reading at the moment. For this reason, our reviews will span everything from board books, picture books, early readers, middle grade, all the way to YA; from fantasy to non-fiction; timeless classics to hot-off-the-press new releases; from obscure books to the ubiquitous book!

A final note about our reviews:

While we offer some summary reviews and some scholarly or critical reviews, our main emphasis is on experience and engagement. What have these books offered to us as readers/listeners? And what have we, as readers/listeners, contributed to these stories?

We hope you’ll, in turn, share your reading experiences with us.

Welcome to Runcible Review!