How the Stars Fell into the Sky
Jerrie Oughton, illustrated by Lisa Desimini
ISBN: 0395587980
Billed as a "Navajo Legend" on the cover, the back flap reveals the text to be drawn from a National Geographic article.
I really like the illustrations here, and how the text is presented in a small confined area surrounded by white space, opposite lush, page-spanning illustrations in free brush patterns and undulations.
I don't like the story. The Woman is obsessed with the "laws" and wants to put them out somewhere that everyone will see them and follow them. She can't figure out where to post them where they won't be erased eventually by time and wear, and The Man suggests in the sky, by using her pile of jewelry/stars/flowers? that she has at her feet.
She starts, and the Coyote eventually joins in, but he's impatient, and finally just flings the blanketful of stars up into the sky helter-skelter, pissing off the woman, and forever making it so that people will never know or be able to follow the laws.
So - that's weird. I think that if the idea had been to record stories or history or memories, it wouldn't have struck me as so prescriptive and weirdly angry and moralistic. But the focus on THE LAWS just really turned me off.
Which is sad, because the artwork is beautiful, and the basic idea (coyote screws something up) is a common folk-motif that deserves to be used.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
The Fire Lord's Lover, Kathryne Kennedy
The Fire Lord's Lover
Kathryne Kennedy
ISBN: 9781402236525
Alternate History Fantasy Romance
Read February 25, 2014
I actually read the last book in this series (The Lord of Illusion) sometime last year maybe? It was an interesting take on alternate elven history, and I was just coming off of a Mercedes Lackey Elves on the Road kick, and wanted more weird stuck-up elves.
So this is actually the first book in a series (there's one in the middle, Lady of the Storm, that I may or may not read). To be honest, The Fire Lord's Lover feels like a middle-of-a-series book, with lots of info and titles and relationships casually dropped in. I was actually really surprised, and a bit taken aback, when I learned that it's actually the first book, because when I read the last one, it had a very strong sense of 'lets tie up dozens of loose ends from lots of different books and relationships that we've established over the course of this long series,' and I was really shocked to learn there were only three of them total.
So, the last one obviously wasn't awful, because I recognized this one as being related to it, and picked it up for a quick jaunt into weird-ass English elfland.
I have a lot of minor plot-related nits that I could pick (and have done in the privacy of my own mind) regarding the worldbuilding and the social relationships at play in this series, but my only major quibble with the book itself is the dialogue.
No one talks like that. Everyone in this book is expository and declaratory, like really bad gradeschoolers attempting to write a Shakespearean soliloquy, and it gets simply ridiculous in places. It makes it somewhat difficult to take the characters and their perilous situations quite seriously when they are declaiming at each other in a very 'doth mother know thou wearest her drapes' sort of way. That said, when the characters aren't having big emotional moments, they usually manage to talk just fine. It's only when they need to be emotionally wrought that it gets a little silly.
I can't really comment much on the 'adult content' except to say that it was there, it seemed more flowery than gritty, and it wasn't overly cringeworthy or eyerolly.
Characterization was decent, although again - I thought we were in a middle book instead of the first of a set, so take that into account.
The plot is obvious, but fun, and each character got a chance to grow and change, and to contribute towards the plot as well as towards the developing relationship. Secondary characters were either total ciphers, or oddly, more finely drawn than the leads.
I really like the plot concept, and despite niggles, think it was worked out well. I am a bit saddened that the overall plot was sorted out in three books, as knowing the finish makes it a little difficult to be worried about later sets of characters that might get written into the middle of the series in the future.
Still, lighthearted, fun, lots of girl power,some enjoyable revolt against evil crazy elven tyranny.
Good fun for an evening!
Kathryne Kennedy
ISBN: 9781402236525
Alternate History Fantasy Romance
Read February 25, 2014
I actually read the last book in this series (The Lord of Illusion) sometime last year maybe? It was an interesting take on alternate elven history, and I was just coming off of a Mercedes Lackey Elves on the Road kick, and wanted more weird stuck-up elves.
So this is actually the first book in a series (there's one in the middle, Lady of the Storm, that I may or may not read). To be honest, The Fire Lord's Lover feels like a middle-of-a-series book, with lots of info and titles and relationships casually dropped in. I was actually really surprised, and a bit taken aback, when I learned that it's actually the first book, because when I read the last one, it had a very strong sense of 'lets tie up dozens of loose ends from lots of different books and relationships that we've established over the course of this long series,' and I was really shocked to learn there were only three of them total.
So, the last one obviously wasn't awful, because I recognized this one as being related to it, and picked it up for a quick jaunt into weird-ass English elfland.
I have a lot of minor plot-related nits that I could pick (and have done in the privacy of my own mind) regarding the worldbuilding and the social relationships at play in this series, but my only major quibble with the book itself is the dialogue.
No one talks like that. Everyone in this book is expository and declaratory, like really bad gradeschoolers attempting to write a Shakespearean soliloquy, and it gets simply ridiculous in places. It makes it somewhat difficult to take the characters and their perilous situations quite seriously when they are declaiming at each other in a very 'doth mother know thou wearest her drapes' sort of way. That said, when the characters aren't having big emotional moments, they usually manage to talk just fine. It's only when they need to be emotionally wrought that it gets a little silly.
I can't really comment much on the 'adult content' except to say that it was there, it seemed more flowery than gritty, and it wasn't overly cringeworthy or eyerolly.
Characterization was decent, although again - I thought we were in a middle book instead of the first of a set, so take that into account.
The plot is obvious, but fun, and each character got a chance to grow and change, and to contribute towards the plot as well as towards the developing relationship. Secondary characters were either total ciphers, or oddly, more finely drawn than the leads.
I really like the plot concept, and despite niggles, think it was worked out well. I am a bit saddened that the overall plot was sorted out in three books, as knowing the finish makes it a little difficult to be worried about later sets of characters that might get written into the middle of the series in the future.
Still, lighthearted, fun, lots of girl power,some enjoyable revolt against evil crazy elven tyranny.
Good fun for an evening!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Picture Book: Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Storybook Treasury by Bernard Waber
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile (50th Edition Storybook Treasury)
Bernard Waber
ISBN: 9780547516189
Contains the following four books:
The House on East 88th Street
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile
Lyle and the Birthday Party
Lyle Walks the Dogs
Finally - a classic children's book that I remember from childhood!
Anyway. I've loved Lyle forever. He's so sweet and funny shaped and bright green! These are the first four (I think) of the series, starting with the House on East 88th Street (featuring Hector P. Valenti, star of stage and screen!) and moving Lyle's sad tenure in the zoo (because of that mean old meany Loretta cat) his shenanigans at the birthday party that led to his hospitalization, and finally, his unfortunate dog-walking adventure (which is less of a story and more of a stretched counting rhyme, but it's Lyle, so really I'm not complaining too much here).
I didn't even know that there was a collected version until late last week, and I bought it on the spot. It's just as cute as I remember, although one tiny niggle that I didn't notice as a child was the emphasis on Lyle's being so "helpful" and doing lots of chores for the family, and how he always feels better after focusing on other people's needs (which is actually psychologically true, but somewhat problematic as a character trait if taken too far).
I dunno - I loved these as a kid, and I won't have any troubles reading them to my own, or having them read them to themselves, but I do think as an adult that Lyle is a bit more codependent than is really healthy. Although, if you're going to have a crocodile in a brownstone in a city, it's probably best to have a codependent one. Even if he is addicted to Turkish caviar.
Bernard Waber
ISBN: 9780547516189
Contains the following four books:
The House on East 88th Street
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile
Lyle and the Birthday Party
Lyle Walks the Dogs
Finally - a classic children's book that I remember from childhood!
Anyway. I've loved Lyle forever. He's so sweet and funny shaped and bright green! These are the first four (I think) of the series, starting with the House on East 88th Street (featuring Hector P. Valenti, star of stage and screen!) and moving Lyle's sad tenure in the zoo (because of that mean old meany Loretta cat) his shenanigans at the birthday party that led to his hospitalization, and finally, his unfortunate dog-walking adventure (which is less of a story and more of a stretched counting rhyme, but it's Lyle, so really I'm not complaining too much here).
I didn't even know that there was a collected version until late last week, and I bought it on the spot. It's just as cute as I remember, although one tiny niggle that I didn't notice as a child was the emphasis on Lyle's being so "helpful" and doing lots of chores for the family, and how he always feels better after focusing on other people's needs (which is actually psychologically true, but somewhat problematic as a character trait if taken too far).
I dunno - I loved these as a kid, and I won't have any troubles reading them to my own, or having them read them to themselves, but I do think as an adult that Lyle is a bit more codependent than is really healthy. Although, if you're going to have a crocodile in a brownstone in a city, it's probably best to have a codependent one. Even if he is addicted to Turkish caviar.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, Tony Cliff (or, how I finally read an adult book this month, dear god in heaven)
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant
Tony Cliff
ISBN: 9781596438132
Graphic Novel (167 p)
Read Feb 24, 2014
I love it! Can't wait for the sequel (which will be a while, sadly) Delilah Dirk and the Blades of England (tentative title) - I might have followed Mr Cliff on tumblr so I can keep up with the news of his adventures in sequelae.
So - we begin with this really epically unsuited for his job Janisarry Lieutenant. Seriously, so mismatched. Poor Erdemoglu really would be most happy just staying in a tea-shop and being meek and watching the world go by. He's like a textbook "beta" male. He gets the piss beat out of him in the weekly scrambles for their paychecks (Was that really a thing? That sucks!) He's a bit pathetic, and totally adorable. And of course, he's going to get wrapped up in some hard-core adventuring, with a very recent prisoner of his court, who manages to get him nearly executed as a traitor during her escape.
So now poor Erdemoglu is stuck with this crazy woman (seriously - she's a killer! she has a flying ship! she steals treasure from evil pirates!) traipsing across the wilderness with all the discomfort and hardship that entails... until he has a chance to regain a peaceful cozy life, and discovers that Delilah's zest for life is infectious, and just maybe, he's not going to be happy until he's on the run again.
Spunky heroines and clever problem-solving gents for the win! Very similar in tone to Rapunzel's Revenge by the Hales, or to Girl Genius (if you're comparing the more crazy scenes from here with the less crazy scenes from there).
Tony Cliff
ISBN: 9781596438132
Graphic Novel (167 p)
Read Feb 24, 2014
I love it! Can't wait for the sequel (which will be a while, sadly) Delilah Dirk and the Blades of England (tentative title) - I might have followed Mr Cliff on tumblr so I can keep up with the news of his adventures in sequelae.
So - we begin with this really epically unsuited for his job Janisarry Lieutenant. Seriously, so mismatched. Poor Erdemoglu really would be most happy just staying in a tea-shop and being meek and watching the world go by. He's like a textbook "beta" male. He gets the piss beat out of him in the weekly scrambles for their paychecks (Was that really a thing? That sucks!) He's a bit pathetic, and totally adorable. And of course, he's going to get wrapped up in some hard-core adventuring, with a very recent prisoner of his court, who manages to get him nearly executed as a traitor during her escape.
So now poor Erdemoglu is stuck with this crazy woman (seriously - she's a killer! she has a flying ship! she steals treasure from evil pirates!) traipsing across the wilderness with all the discomfort and hardship that entails... until he has a chance to regain a peaceful cozy life, and discovers that Delilah's zest for life is infectious, and just maybe, he's not going to be happy until he's on the run again.
Spunky heroines and clever problem-solving gents for the win! Very similar in tone to Rapunzel's Revenge by the Hales, or to Girl Genius (if you're comparing the more crazy scenes from here with the less crazy scenes from there).
Tuesday Storytime: "Love My Library" Month, Week 4
Last week of our "Love My Library" promotion, and I feel like it's just flown by!
Saved the best (in my opinion) for last, of course.
The Library
Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small
ISBN: 0374343888
Read Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014
Words cannot express how much I LOVE this book. When I read it the first time, it was like a religious experience for me - like this was the magical rhymed and illustrated re-telling of my life and pre-telling of my future. It's just perfect. Absolutely perfect. Go read it.
Bats at the Library
Brian Lies
ISBN: 9780618999231
Read Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014
These bats do get around - they've been to the beach, the ballgame, and now they're at the library. This is lovely, short, and sweet, with the kiddie bats being irrepressible, and the elder bats happily returning to old favorites. Bats using the copy machine and projector are always good sidetracks.
Library Lion
Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
ISBN: 9780763622626
Read Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014
This book is so sweet and perfect. Every library needs a tame lion. The pictures are delightful and just smudgy and washed out enough to look fuzzy and velvety, and the expressions on people's faces and bodies are delightful from beginning to end. Subtle sense of humor a definite plus.
And that's all she wrote for the Love My Library Storytimes - we'll be back with another batch (probably with many of these same delightful books) for National Library Card Sign Up Month in September, and then again next February.
Until then, next on the agenda is Mighty Ladies! Larger-than-life women from legend, tall-tales, history, and maybe even your own household.
See you next week!
Saved the best (in my opinion) for last, of course.
The Library
Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small
ISBN: 0374343888
Read Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014
Words cannot express how much I LOVE this book. When I read it the first time, it was like a religious experience for me - like this was the magical rhymed and illustrated re-telling of my life and pre-telling of my future. It's just perfect. Absolutely perfect. Go read it.
Bats at the Library
Brian Lies
ISBN: 9780618999231
Read Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014
These bats do get around - they've been to the beach, the ballgame, and now they're at the library. This is lovely, short, and sweet, with the kiddie bats being irrepressible, and the elder bats happily returning to old favorites. Bats using the copy machine and projector are always good sidetracks.
Library Lion
Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
ISBN: 9780763622626
Read Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014
This book is so sweet and perfect. Every library needs a tame lion. The pictures are delightful and just smudgy and washed out enough to look fuzzy and velvety, and the expressions on people's faces and bodies are delightful from beginning to end. Subtle sense of humor a definite plus.
And that's all she wrote for the Love My Library Storytimes - we'll be back with another batch (probably with many of these same delightful books) for National Library Card Sign Up Month in September, and then again next February.
Until then, next on the agenda is Mighty Ladies! Larger-than-life women from legend, tall-tales, history, and maybe even your own household.
See you next week!
Andrew Henry's Meadow, Doris Burn
Andrew Henry's Meadow
Doris Burn
ISBN: 9780399256080
Read Feb 24, 2014
Another "classic" that I somehow never heard of. I know I read a lot as a child, but I'm beginning to think that I just read the same few approved Christian books over and over and over again. That and Childcraft and Disney storybooks.
This book is also a bit of an interesting case - apparently the original has much more intricate illustrations (which is frankly hard to believe given the ones seen in this edition) that were altered/zoomed in for the re-print. Regardless, they are still nifty, and have lots of nice pen-and-ink scratchy illustrated details for readers to pore over.
Andrew Henry is an inventor, and he's also a middle child - his older sisters don't really want to associate with him, and his little brothers are too little to really be interested in his inventions. So he runs away and creates a house for himself in a nearby meadow. What's really interesting is that like flies to a honeypot, a collection of neighbor kids begin arriving in the same meadow - girls and boys alike - united in their need to have a place of their own to engage with their hobbies and interests. Andrew Henry accomodates them all with a series of incredibly awesome personalized houses, and they live happily in their meadow for 4 days until their frantic families search them out and return them back home.
For Andrew Henry, his family gives him part of the basement for his workshop, and become much more invested in paying attention to him and his inventions.
(I would love to see a full-length children's novel or film written out that combines this and the picture book Roxaboxen, and Weslandia. It would be epic. Parents would freak, and kids everywhere would be so happy.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook
Doris Burn
ISBN: 9780399256080
Read Feb 24, 2014
Another "classic" that I somehow never heard of. I know I read a lot as a child, but I'm beginning to think that I just read the same few approved Christian books over and over and over again. That and Childcraft and Disney storybooks.
This book is also a bit of an interesting case - apparently the original has much more intricate illustrations (which is frankly hard to believe given the ones seen in this edition) that were altered/zoomed in for the re-print. Regardless, they are still nifty, and have lots of nice pen-and-ink scratchy illustrated details for readers to pore over.
Andrew Henry is an inventor, and he's also a middle child - his older sisters don't really want to associate with him, and his little brothers are too little to really be interested in his inventions. So he runs away and creates a house for himself in a nearby meadow. What's really interesting is that like flies to a honeypot, a collection of neighbor kids begin arriving in the same meadow - girls and boys alike - united in their need to have a place of their own to engage with their hobbies and interests. Andrew Henry accomodates them all with a series of incredibly awesome personalized houses, and they live happily in their meadow for 4 days until their frantic families search them out and return them back home.
For Andrew Henry, his family gives him part of the basement for his workshop, and become much more invested in paying attention to him and his inventions.
(I would love to see a full-length children's novel or film written out that combines this and the picture book Roxaboxen, and Weslandia. It would be epic. Parents would freak, and kids everywhere would be so happy.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook
Monday, February 24, 2014
Two Times the Fun, Beverly Cleary
Two Times the Fun
Beverly Cleary
ISBN: 0060579226
Read Feb 24, 2014
Clearing out all of my little Juvie stuff so I can get back into the swing of YA and genre reads again.
This is a cute set of books. I plan to add it to my personal bookshelf for reading to little ones of my own (if I ever get there).
Beverly Cleary had previously written these stories as individual easy-reader stand-alone works, under the following titles:
The Real Hole from 1960
Two Dog Biscuits from 1961
The Growing-Up Feet from 1987
Janet's Thingamajigs from 1987
Janet and Jimmy are twins, and they are four years old. In these four independent stories, the twins each have a chance to show off their growing independence (and their abilities to drive Mom up the wall with their growing independence, but that's secondary). The great thing about these stories is that they are totally real every-day events - no magic, no weirdness, no drama, no earthshaking conflicts or crisis - just two little kids growing up together and living together.
The Real Hole: Jimmy digs a hole - he likes "real" things - real shovels, real holes - and he's devastated when his hole is too big to safely keep in the yard. Dad solves things with a tree.
Two Dog Biscuits: Jimmy and Janet are visiting next door and get dog-biscuits from the neighbor dog. Mom takes them on a walk to find a dog to give the biscuits to, but none of them meet the twins stringent standards. A neighbor cat is gifted with their bounty, and surprises Mom by actually eating the things.
The Growing-Up Feet: Mom thinks that the twins need new shoes (personally think Mom thinks she needs out of the house) but the shoe salesman disagrees. The twins had been very much looking forward to the now non-forthcoming new shoes. Upset averted by the purchase of stretchy red galoshes that fit over current shoes, and will stretch to fit new shoes also. Bonus puddle party in the driveway while Dad washes the car.
Janet's Thingamajigs: Janet starts collecting little "treasures" and Jimmy handles this poorly. Janet begins storing her treasures in sealed paper bags in her rail-sided bed. Janet is now sleeping in a nest of rustly paper bags "like a mouse" so Mom goes ahead and buys them new "grown-up" beds (with no railings) so that the paper bags can't stay. Twins are thrilled to be grown-up, and the treasures aren't missed.
This book recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook
Beverly Cleary
ISBN: 0060579226
Read Feb 24, 2014
Clearing out all of my little Juvie stuff so I can get back into the swing of YA and genre reads again.
This is a cute set of books. I plan to add it to my personal bookshelf for reading to little ones of my own (if I ever get there).
Beverly Cleary had previously written these stories as individual easy-reader stand-alone works, under the following titles:
The Real Hole from 1960
Two Dog Biscuits from 1961
The Growing-Up Feet from 1987
Janet's Thingamajigs from 1987
Janet and Jimmy are twins, and they are four years old. In these four independent stories, the twins each have a chance to show off their growing independence (and their abilities to drive Mom up the wall with their growing independence, but that's secondary). The great thing about these stories is that they are totally real every-day events - no magic, no weirdness, no drama, no earthshaking conflicts or crisis - just two little kids growing up together and living together.
The Real Hole: Jimmy digs a hole - he likes "real" things - real shovels, real holes - and he's devastated when his hole is too big to safely keep in the yard. Dad solves things with a tree.
Two Dog Biscuits: Jimmy and Janet are visiting next door and get dog-biscuits from the neighbor dog. Mom takes them on a walk to find a dog to give the biscuits to, but none of them meet the twins stringent standards. A neighbor cat is gifted with their bounty, and surprises Mom by actually eating the things.
The Growing-Up Feet: Mom thinks that the twins need new shoes (personally think Mom thinks she needs out of the house) but the shoe salesman disagrees. The twins had been very much looking forward to the now non-forthcoming new shoes. Upset averted by the purchase of stretchy red galoshes that fit over current shoes, and will stretch to fit new shoes also. Bonus puddle party in the driveway while Dad washes the car.
Janet's Thingamajigs: Janet starts collecting little "treasures" and Jimmy handles this poorly. Janet begins storing her treasures in sealed paper bags in her rail-sided bed. Janet is now sleeping in a nest of rustly paper bags "like a mouse" so Mom goes ahead and buys them new "grown-up" beds (with no railings) so that the paper bags can't stay. Twins are thrilled to be grown-up, and the treasures aren't missed.
This book recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook
Picture Book: The King and the Seed, Eric Maddern & Paul Hess
The King and the Seed
Eric Maddern, illustrated by Paul Hess
ISBN: 9781845079260
Read Feb 24, 2014
I'll start off by saying that I wasn't REALLY fond of the illustrations, which is usually a kiss of death for me. If I don't feel inspired or connected or touched by the art, it takes a lot of oomph in the story department to get past that. So, first off: Sorry, Mr Hess!
Since I AM recommending this, that means that indeed, the storyline and the telling are pretty fantastic. Once again, personal history means that I am fond of the idea of stories that teach or appeal to a moral foundation, but there's a lot of very religious offerings that I simply cannot in good conscience recommend, and frankly, that leave a bad taste in my mouth when reading them.
So here we have a nice fairy-tale story of a young farmer who is roped into competing for the eventual kingship with a bunch of knights and nobles. The contest? Grow a seed. Of course the knights fail and the farm boy prevails, but in an interesting sort of way, and one that I think makes the whole story work really well for me.
First, we have the obvious moral - the boy who works for a living up against all of these men who either make war (the knights) or laze around all day (the nobles). That's a good obvious contrast to draw, and a lot of books would stop there and say, obviously the boy grows the seed best because he's a farmer!
But he doesn't! He tries and tries and finally realizes he has to come back and admit that he failed. Which is interesting, because at this point, that's actually a lot like life - you think you're good at something, or you want to succeed at something, and you just can't do it. Lots of books deal with this by magically making the failure into a success (fairy godmothers, anyone?), or by having the character realize what they were stressing out and travailing with wasn't actually important (hate that trope) or they develop a sour grapes attitude. None of these are particularly helpful in learning to deal with the real world.
So now, this young farmer with his pot of dead dirt is standing in line with all these nobles and knights with their various beautiful and outrageous plantlife, and he's thinking "what the heck?" until he gets to the king who lets him in on a little secret - all of the seeds he gave out were boiled! All those plants the knights and nobles are proudly parading around are bright showy proclamations of their guilt - for whatever various personal reasons (left unspoken, but most likely because their higher class status made accepting failure a much harder decision to face than it was for the farmer boy) they decided it was better to fake a success than admit failure.
And here's where I really like it, because in real life, there are a lot of people that fake success. And while the King chose the farmer boy to be his successor, all those nobles and knights are STILL nobles and knights, with their titles and their money and their power. And that too is an important lesson to learn.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook
Eric Maddern, illustrated by Paul Hess
ISBN: 9781845079260
Read Feb 24, 2014
I'll start off by saying that I wasn't REALLY fond of the illustrations, which is usually a kiss of death for me. If I don't feel inspired or connected or touched by the art, it takes a lot of oomph in the story department to get past that. So, first off: Sorry, Mr Hess!
Since I AM recommending this, that means that indeed, the storyline and the telling are pretty fantastic. Once again, personal history means that I am fond of the idea of stories that teach or appeal to a moral foundation, but there's a lot of very religious offerings that I simply cannot in good conscience recommend, and frankly, that leave a bad taste in my mouth when reading them.
So here we have a nice fairy-tale story of a young farmer who is roped into competing for the eventual kingship with a bunch of knights and nobles. The contest? Grow a seed. Of course the knights fail and the farm boy prevails, but in an interesting sort of way, and one that I think makes the whole story work really well for me.
First, we have the obvious moral - the boy who works for a living up against all of these men who either make war (the knights) or laze around all day (the nobles). That's a good obvious contrast to draw, and a lot of books would stop there and say, obviously the boy grows the seed best because he's a farmer!
But he doesn't! He tries and tries and finally realizes he has to come back and admit that he failed. Which is interesting, because at this point, that's actually a lot like life - you think you're good at something, or you want to succeed at something, and you just can't do it. Lots of books deal with this by magically making the failure into a success (fairy godmothers, anyone?), or by having the character realize what they were stressing out and travailing with wasn't actually important (hate that trope) or they develop a sour grapes attitude. None of these are particularly helpful in learning to deal with the real world.
So now, this young farmer with his pot of dead dirt is standing in line with all these nobles and knights with their various beautiful and outrageous plantlife, and he's thinking "what the heck?" until he gets to the king who lets him in on a little secret - all of the seeds he gave out were boiled! All those plants the knights and nobles are proudly parading around are bright showy proclamations of their guilt - for whatever various personal reasons (left unspoken, but most likely because their higher class status made accepting failure a much harder decision to face than it was for the farmer boy) they decided it was better to fake a success than admit failure.
And here's where I really like it, because in real life, there are a lot of people that fake success. And while the King chose the farmer boy to be his successor, all those nobles and knights are STILL nobles and knights, with their titles and their money and their power. And that too is an important lesson to learn.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook
Storytime Potentials: Wow! Said the Owl, Tim Hopgood & I'm Not Sleepy!, Jane Chapman
Found a couple of owl books - I love owls, and I think it's nifty that they're rapidly becoming a meme. That said, lots of owl books are either very lyrical (Owl Moon) or a bit too cutesy (Owl Babies) for my tastes. That said, both of those have made more than one appearance at storytime, so I don't hate them - simply always looking for something more interesting to present.
So, without further ado:
Wow! Said the Owl (A Book About Colors)
Tim Hopgood
ISBN: 9780374385187
Read Feb 24, 2014
First off, can I say how REALLY AWESOME AND THRILLING IT IS THAT THIS IS A GIRL OWL? There are no pink bows, no indication on the cover that this is a "gendered" book, but the protagonist, our little fuzzy non-obviously-male-or-female owl buddy is a GIRL!!! Huzzah and shout it to the rooftops. (Not going to get into WHY it is so distressing that this should make me so happy.)
Anyway, this curious little girl owl (LOVE THIS) decides to nap one night so she can stay up the next day to see what daytime is like - so she goes through the day experiencing all the bright beautiful colors in short text blocks on vibrant saturated pages, and then compares them to the beautiful stars of the night.
I'm Not Sleepy!
Jane Chapman
ISBN: 9781561487653
Read Feb 24, 2014
Jane Chapman is the illustrator of the lovely Karma Wilson Bear books, which I adore with all my heart. This one is not quite to that level, but it's nicely executed, and sure to strike a chord with weary parents and determined toddlers alike. As evidenced by the title, Mo is NOT SLEEPY, and Grandma (again with the non-traditional families - I'm so glad that this is finally gaining traction here in picture-book-land) is up to her ear-tufts in trying to get him down, until she finally decides that since SOMEONE has to go to bed at bedtime, why not make it her, and make little Mo do all the work putting her there? Smart Grandma, cute story, storytime win!
So, without further ado:
Wow! Said the Owl (A Book About Colors)
Tim Hopgood
ISBN: 9780374385187
Read Feb 24, 2014
First off, can I say how REALLY AWESOME AND THRILLING IT IS THAT THIS IS A GIRL OWL? There are no pink bows, no indication on the cover that this is a "gendered" book, but the protagonist, our little fuzzy non-obviously-male-or-female owl buddy is a GIRL!!! Huzzah and shout it to the rooftops. (Not going to get into WHY it is so distressing that this should make me so happy.)
Anyway, this curious little girl owl (LOVE THIS) decides to nap one night so she can stay up the next day to see what daytime is like - so she goes through the day experiencing all the bright beautiful colors in short text blocks on vibrant saturated pages, and then compares them to the beautiful stars of the night.
I'm Not Sleepy!
Jane Chapman
ISBN: 9781561487653
Read Feb 24, 2014
Jane Chapman is the illustrator of the lovely Karma Wilson Bear books, which I adore with all my heart. This one is not quite to that level, but it's nicely executed, and sure to strike a chord with weary parents and determined toddlers alike. As evidenced by the title, Mo is NOT SLEEPY, and Grandma (again with the non-traditional families - I'm so glad that this is finally gaining traction here in picture-book-land) is up to her ear-tufts in trying to get him down, until she finally decides that since SOMEONE has to go to bed at bedtime, why not make it her, and make little Mo do all the work putting her there? Smart Grandma, cute story, storytime win!
Storytime Potentials: Miss Mouse Takes Off, Jan Ormerod - airplane travel
Miss Mouse Takes Off
Jan Ormerod
ISBN: 0688178715
Read Feb 24, 2014
I spotted this little gem by chance while processing library transits, and I'm so glad I spotted it. Travel books aimed at the very very young are often way too cutesy or repetitive for my taste, or they gloss over the actual realities of travel (it's long, it's boring, you're stuck in a chair or berth) in favor of more fantastical adventures.
This little guy is perfect. Written from the perspective of Miss Mouse, a stuffed lovey, a trip to visit grandma becomes a straightforward adventure in it's own right, with no mystical trappings or elisions. I do feel a bit sorry for the other passengers on the flight who have to deal with Miss Mouse's antics (she ends up in some poor gentleman's soup!).
Now I just have to find two more nifty travel or airplane titles to pair it up with. I'm tempted to go with a travel theme rather than an airplane theme, since the travel aspects are hit so hard and so well. I'll just have to see what I turn up, and you can be sure you'll see this title popping up under the Storytime tag in the next few months!
Jan Ormerod
ISBN: 0688178715
Read Feb 24, 2014
I spotted this little gem by chance while processing library transits, and I'm so glad I spotted it. Travel books aimed at the very very young are often way too cutesy or repetitive for my taste, or they gloss over the actual realities of travel (it's long, it's boring, you're stuck in a chair or berth) in favor of more fantastical adventures.
This little guy is perfect. Written from the perspective of Miss Mouse, a stuffed lovey, a trip to visit grandma becomes a straightforward adventure in it's own right, with no mystical trappings or elisions. I do feel a bit sorry for the other passengers on the flight who have to deal with Miss Mouse's antics (she ends up in some poor gentleman's soup!).
Now I just have to find two more nifty travel or airplane titles to pair it up with. I'm tempted to go with a travel theme rather than an airplane theme, since the travel aspects are hit so hard and so well. I'll just have to see what I turn up, and you can be sure you'll see this title popping up under the Storytime tag in the next few months!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Tuesday Storytime: "Love My Library" Month, Week 3
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
We missed last week due to snow, and I had a training seminar to attend myself today, so one of the Clerks did the actual storytime. I miss my kids!!
It went well without me, according to the Clerk. The books worked out well, and she enjoyed presenting them.
The Library Dragon
Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Michael P. White
ISBN: 156145091X
I like this one primarily because it's about a school library, rather than a public library. With all the cuts in funding and time, I feel like I need to make the point that there are supposed to be libraries inside their school, so hopefully in a few years when they're in school, the kids will remember and seek it out.
Miss Lotta Scales is a real dragon. She runs the library like a gated keep, guarding her hoard from the grimy fingers of the student body. Until the fateful day that she hears little Molly reading aloud, snd sees the kids quietly listening. Miss Scales transforms!
Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library
Vicki Myron, illustrated by Bret Witter
ISBN: 9780316068741
This picture-book abridgement of the popular nonfiction story of Dewey the library cat is a sweet and quick read for library lovers.
Wild About Books
Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown
ISBN: 037582538X
Another Molly features in this book, teaching a zoofull of creatures how to treat their library books in irrepressible rhymes and clever wordplay. The bright colors and loose illustrations match up nicely with the zany premise and the fast-paced story.
We missed last week due to snow, and I had a training seminar to attend myself today, so one of the Clerks did the actual storytime. I miss my kids!!
It went well without me, according to the Clerk. The books worked out well, and she enjoyed presenting them.
The Library Dragon
Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Michael P. White
ISBN: 156145091X
I like this one primarily because it's about a school library, rather than a public library. With all the cuts in funding and time, I feel like I need to make the point that there are supposed to be libraries inside their school, so hopefully in a few years when they're in school, the kids will remember and seek it out.
Miss Lotta Scales is a real dragon. She runs the library like a gated keep, guarding her hoard from the grimy fingers of the student body. Until the fateful day that she hears little Molly reading aloud, snd sees the kids quietly listening. Miss Scales transforms!
Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library
Vicki Myron, illustrated by Bret Witter
ISBN: 9780316068741
This picture-book abridgement of the popular nonfiction story of Dewey the library cat is a sweet and quick read for library lovers.
Wild About Books
Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown
ISBN: 037582538X
Another Molly features in this book, teaching a zoofull of creatures how to treat their library books in irrepressible rhymes and clever wordplay. The bright colors and loose illustrations match up nicely with the zany premise and the fast-paced story.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Tuesday Storytime: "Love My Library" Month, Week 2 (cancelled due to snow)
We didn't get to have our Tuesday Storytime this week due to Snowmageddon, but I wanted to post up the books anyway, as a resource:
These are MUCH LONGER than what I normally read to this age-group, and so there was going to be a lot more singing and breaks, and I was going to break each story in half or thirds to give a bit of time for kids to get their wiggles out. I'm actually a bit relieved that this week was the one that got snowed in - even with my plans to break them up, I wasn't sure how the longer books would work out, to be honest. Still, they're great books for older storytime audiences.
Tomas and the Library Lady
Pat Mora, illustrated by Raul Colon
ISBN: 0679804013
Tomas and his family are migrant workers, and a library lady gives the gift of understanding and knowledge.
Goin' Someplace Special
Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
ISBN: 0689818858
'Tricia Ann doesn't let segregation or hatred stop her from heading to the one place she knows she's special and equal to everyone else - the library.
Ron's Big Mission
Rose Blue and Corine J Naden, illustrated by Don Tate
ISBN: 9780525478492
Ron McNair, South Carolina's own first African American astronaut, makes a brave stand to desegregate his library in his quest for knowledge. Bonus because it's all true!
These are MUCH LONGER than what I normally read to this age-group, and so there was going to be a lot more singing and breaks, and I was going to break each story in half or thirds to give a bit of time for kids to get their wiggles out. I'm actually a bit relieved that this week was the one that got snowed in - even with my plans to break them up, I wasn't sure how the longer books would work out, to be honest. Still, they're great books for older storytime audiences.
Tomas and the Library Lady
Pat Mora, illustrated by Raul Colon
ISBN: 0679804013
Tomas and his family are migrant workers, and a library lady gives the gift of understanding and knowledge.
Goin' Someplace Special
Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
ISBN: 0689818858
'Tricia Ann doesn't let segregation or hatred stop her from heading to the one place she knows she's special and equal to everyone else - the library.
Ron's Big Mission
Rose Blue and Corine J Naden, illustrated by Don Tate
ISBN: 9780525478492
Ron McNair, South Carolina's own first African American astronaut, makes a brave stand to desegregate his library in his quest for knowledge. Bonus because it's all true!
Monday, February 10, 2014
The SOS File, Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, Laurie Myers, Arthur Howard
The SOS File
Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, Laurie Myers, illustrated by Arthur Howard
ISBN: 9780805068887
Read February 10, 2014
Juvenile Chapter Book.
Mr. Magro's class has a chance for extra credit. All a student has to do is put a story into the SOS File. Some are funny, some are touching, some aren't quite on-topic, but all are briskly and engagingly written. Perfect for bedtime stories, as each individual story forms a single self-contained chapter.
Even though the theme is SOS, nothing here is too sad or too scary for young readers or listeners.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook.
Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, Laurie Myers, illustrated by Arthur Howard
ISBN: 9780805068887
Read February 10, 2014
Juvenile Chapter Book.
Mr. Magro's class has a chance for extra credit. All a student has to do is put a story into the SOS File. Some are funny, some are touching, some aren't quite on-topic, but all are briskly and engagingly written. Perfect for bedtime stories, as each individual story forms a single self-contained chapter.
Even though the theme is SOS, nothing here is too sad or too scary for young readers or listeners.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook.
Picture Book: The Carpenter's Gift, David Rubel & Jim LaMarche
The Carpenter's Gift
David Rubel, illustrated by Jim LaMarche
ISBN: 9780375869228
Read February 10, 2014
This is a fictionalized account of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and I truly wanted to like it, but it just felt like it was trying too hard the whole way through. This is like the picture book equivalent of a Hallmark Holiday Special, complete with wispy, wistful pencil illustrations.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, it wasn't horrible, just - none of the moments impacted me like they were obviously meant to do. I'm not even entirely sure why. If I had to guess, I'd say that it reads like a Christmas commercial, like the touchy-feely Saint Jude commercials, or those godawful adopt-a-pet sobfests. It just felt artificial and forced, and the point (look, the Rockefeller Tree isn't entirely a crass spectacle! Look, we give wood to Habitat for Humanity!! See? Christmas spirit, man!) was entirely too belabored.
I did love that the Sparky at the end was a girl. Nicely done.
I also, for the most part, liked the wispy, wistful illustrations. I just wish the writer(s ?) would have trusted the artwork to carry the emotion instead of beating the reader over the head with meaning.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook.
David Rubel, illustrated by Jim LaMarche
ISBN: 9780375869228
Read February 10, 2014
This is a fictionalized account of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and I truly wanted to like it, but it just felt like it was trying too hard the whole way through. This is like the picture book equivalent of a Hallmark Holiday Special, complete with wispy, wistful pencil illustrations.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, it wasn't horrible, just - none of the moments impacted me like they were obviously meant to do. I'm not even entirely sure why. If I had to guess, I'd say that it reads like a Christmas commercial, like the touchy-feely Saint Jude commercials, or those godawful adopt-a-pet sobfests. It just felt artificial and forced, and the point (look, the Rockefeller Tree isn't entirely a crass spectacle! Look, we give wood to Habitat for Humanity!! See? Christmas spirit, man!) was entirely too belabored.
I did love that the Sparky at the end was a girl. Nicely done.
I also, for the most part, liked the wispy, wistful illustrations. I just wish the writer(s ?) would have trusted the artwork to carry the emotion instead of beating the reader over the head with meaning.
This book was recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook.
Storytime Potentials: Mama Played Baseball, David A. Adler
Mama Played Baseball
David A. Adler, illustrated by Chris O'Leary
ISBN: 0152021965
Read February 10, 2014
I just finished off a 'larger than life men' storytime, and I'm going to pair it with a 'larger than life women' installment as soon as February is done. I considered this one for that purpose, but decided on Anthony Browne's My Mom instead.
Mama Played Baseball isn't a bad read, but it is a bit on the long side for my age group, and it also has more to do with wartime changes and family-members in the armed services than really celebrating the mother in the title. I do like it, but I'm going to keep it in mind for when I focus on patriotism or service to one's country or wartime sacrifices/changes.
David A. Adler, illustrated by Chris O'Leary
ISBN: 0152021965
Read February 10, 2014
I just finished off a 'larger than life men' storytime, and I'm going to pair it with a 'larger than life women' installment as soon as February is done. I considered this one for that purpose, but decided on Anthony Browne's My Mom instead.
Mama Played Baseball isn't a bad read, but it is a bit on the long side for my age group, and it also has more to do with wartime changes and family-members in the armed services than really celebrating the mother in the title. I do like it, but I'm going to keep it in mind for when I focus on patriotism or service to one's country or wartime sacrifices/changes.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Went to the bookstore last night: Lulu & the Brontosaurus, Nancy Clancy Sees The Future
Don't laugh. I work in the library, and when I get off, I tend to go to the bookstore - and read children's books there also.
Lulu and the Brontosaurus
Judith Viorst (author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)
ISBN: 9781416999621
Read February 8, 2014
Loved it. Lulu is a massive brat, the Brontosaurus is massively entitled and irritatingly patient, and the 'author' pokes her head in at random parenthetical intervals to explain, comment, or disparage the narrative.
Lulu is just now turning three, and she's decided that she wants a brontosaurus. She can decide this, you see, because her parents have spent her childhood to date giving in and giving Lulu anything she wants, just because she pitches truly massive fits. Unfortunately for Lulu, her parents think brontosauruses are extinct, and are proof against her pleas, so she heads out to the forest to find one herself.
Sadly for Lulu, this does not go according to plan. Wild animals try to eat her, and when she does find her brontosaurus, it decides that Lulu should be the pet in this relationship. A bit of hard-earned maturity later, Lulu returns home for a set of delightful endings (the author couldn't get it quite right the first few times, you see).
Nancy Clancy Sees the Future
Jane O'Connor, illustrsted by Robin Priess Glasser
ISBN: 9780062082978
Read February 8, 2014
These books are the chapter-book associates to the Fancy Nancy picture book series (which I adore) only now Nancy is a bit older, and involved in solving mysteries (Cam Jansen style). In this installment (the third of the chapter books), Nancy makes a series of astounding predictions, and becomes convinced that she has a sixth sense, and can predict the future. The story relies heavily on child-logic, which is amusing to read. It also stays heavily focused on previously-established characters - best friend Bree, magician classmate, adored babysitter. Nancy's illusions are shattered by learning about the words 'coincidence' and 'intuition,' a lesson that many adults could stand to revisit. Bonus points for a plot-driving mention of Locks of Love.
Lulu and the Brontosaurus
Judith Viorst (author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)
ISBN: 9781416999621
Read February 8, 2014
Loved it. Lulu is a massive brat, the Brontosaurus is massively entitled and irritatingly patient, and the 'author' pokes her head in at random parenthetical intervals to explain, comment, or disparage the narrative.
Lulu is just now turning three, and she's decided that she wants a brontosaurus. She can decide this, you see, because her parents have spent her childhood to date giving in and giving Lulu anything she wants, just because she pitches truly massive fits. Unfortunately for Lulu, her parents think brontosauruses are extinct, and are proof against her pleas, so she heads out to the forest to find one herself.
Sadly for Lulu, this does not go according to plan. Wild animals try to eat her, and when she does find her brontosaurus, it decides that Lulu should be the pet in this relationship. A bit of hard-earned maturity later, Lulu returns home for a set of delightful endings (the author couldn't get it quite right the first few times, you see).
Nancy Clancy Sees the Future
Jane O'Connor, illustrsted by Robin Priess Glasser
ISBN: 9780062082978
Read February 8, 2014
These books are the chapter-book associates to the Fancy Nancy picture book series (which I adore) only now Nancy is a bit older, and involved in solving mysteries (Cam Jansen style). In this installment (the third of the chapter books), Nancy makes a series of astounding predictions, and becomes convinced that she has a sixth sense, and can predict the future. The story relies heavily on child-logic, which is amusing to read. It also stays heavily focused on previously-established characters - best friend Bree, magician classmate, adored babysitter. Nancy's illusions are shattered by learning about the words 'coincidence' and 'intuition,' a lesson that many adults could stand to revisit. Bonus points for a plot-driving mention of Locks of Love.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Picture Book: The Third Gift, Linda Sue Park, Bagram Ibatoulline
The Third Gift
Linda Sue Park, illustrated (splendidly) by Bagram Ibatoulline
ISBN: 9780547201955
Read February 7, 2014
Picture Book: A boy works with his father to harvest the 'tears' of the shrubby, dull myrrh trees that grow in their mountains. The boy watches as his father inspects leaves and branches and bark before selecting which trees to milk, all the while thinking of the skill needed to harvest large, desirable tears full of the expensive sap. When the selected tree produces a tear the size of a hen's egg, the boy is honored to be allowed to harvest it from the tree. Once back in town, he is further honored when the tear is purchased by three richly-dressed strangers, as a present for a baby.
I'm no longer religious, but I do think that it is vital to have a background in Biblical mythology to understand a lot of the underpinnings of western culture. Because of this, I'm always delighted to see stories and fragments of Biblically-related concepts that focus on the story itself, rather than on the proselytizing aspects. Even in the afterword, the book is careful to ascribe only historical and biblical referents to the story, instead of moral or religous undertones.
Truly beautiful.
Linda Sue Park, illustrated (splendidly) by Bagram Ibatoulline
ISBN: 9780547201955
Read February 7, 2014
Picture Book: A boy works with his father to harvest the 'tears' of the shrubby, dull myrrh trees that grow in their mountains. The boy watches as his father inspects leaves and branches and bark before selecting which trees to milk, all the while thinking of the skill needed to harvest large, desirable tears full of the expensive sap. When the selected tree produces a tear the size of a hen's egg, the boy is honored to be allowed to harvest it from the tree. Once back in town, he is further honored when the tear is purchased by three richly-dressed strangers, as a present for a baby.
I'm no longer religious, but I do think that it is vital to have a background in Biblical mythology to understand a lot of the underpinnings of western culture. Because of this, I'm always delighted to see stories and fragments of Biblically-related concepts that focus on the story itself, rather than on the proselytizing aspects. Even in the afterword, the book is careful to ascribe only historical and biblical referents to the story, instead of moral or religous undertones.
Truly beautiful.
Picture Book: Wild Child, Lynn Plourde & Greg Couch
Wild Child
Lynn Plourde, illustrated by Greg Couch
ISBN: 0689815522
Read February 6, 2014
Picture Book: Mother Earth, all in rusty greens and rich coppery browns, begins the drawn-out ritual of putting little Wild Child to bed. First a song of fall noises, then a snack of fall harvest fruits, then a nightgown of fall leaves, and finally a lullabye of wintery whispery winds - just in time for a wintery sibling to pop up and declare that she 'can't sleep' as she swirls and dances on the page.
Couch does a lovely job with the artwork, and the poetic rhythmic language is beautiful, but it seems a bit too active to be a fitting bedtime story. Perfect for storytime, and I'm adding it to my collection of fall stories.
Lynn Plourde, illustrated by Greg Couch
ISBN: 0689815522
Read February 6, 2014
Picture Book: Mother Earth, all in rusty greens and rich coppery browns, begins the drawn-out ritual of putting little Wild Child to bed. First a song of fall noises, then a snack of fall harvest fruits, then a nightgown of fall leaves, and finally a lullabye of wintery whispery winds - just in time for a wintery sibling to pop up and declare that she 'can't sleep' as she swirls and dances on the page.
Couch does a lovely job with the artwork, and the poetic rhythmic language is beautiful, but it seems a bit too active to be a fitting bedtime story. Perfect for storytime, and I'm adding it to my collection of fall stories.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Summer Reading Research, Round 1
Our summer reading program is really geared towards grade-school students, but my population of Family Storytime parents all have babies or toddlers. I feel a bit sad that they get left out of programming to such an extent, so this year I am attempting to match up the SRP weekly themes with additional books suitable for the younger set, so they can get a feeling that they are attending 'summer reading programs' even though it's just our normal storytime.
Our overarching theme this year is STEM, and our individual weeks are broken down into the following categories:
Robots
Space
Animals
Dinosaurs
Engineering
Food Science
I have a pretty good idea of what to use for a lot of these categories - for example, I already have all of my Robot titles (Robot Zot, Clink, and Doug Unplugged) and my Engineering titles (Willy & the Cardboard Boxes, How a House is Built, Demolition) picked out, but there were a few places where I wanted to branch out into new books, and even more (Food Science) where I don't have much if any direct experience with age-appropriate materials.
So, I've been looking about, and here's my first round of research.
Space:
This Rocket
Paul Collicutt
ISBN: 0374374848
Read February 7, 2014
Space Boy
Leo Landry
ISBN: 9780618605682
Read February 7, 2014
I'm looking for a good match for Mini Grey's Toys In Space and Reidy's Light Up The Night, which I've already decided on. I need a third story that is bright, has lots of action and color in the pages, and really short text blocks, because both of those are on the wordy side for my age-group.
For this purpose, This Rocket is going to be what I use for SRP, but I was glad to find Space Boy also. Space Boy follows a young boy (perhaps on the spectrum) disturbed by the noise and commotion of his family as he tries to fall asleep, so he dons a spacesuit and travels to the quiet, peaceful, beautiful moon. However, once there, the places he visits makes him think about the various noisy family-members and how they would also enjoy the moon, and so he returns home to them, and to bed. It's a sweet story, with odd little naive illustrations, and a slow gentle storyline. Excellent for a bedtime storytime - not so much what I'm looking for here. This Rocket on the other hand is PERFECT. Bright colors, contrasting rockets, really minimal text 'This rocket is tall. This rocket is short.' Excellent. I'm already looking forward to reading it!
Dinosaurs:
I Dreamt I Was A Dinosaur
Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Clare Beaton
ISBN: 1841482382
Read February 7, 2014
For this category, I only need one more title, to match up with Dinosaurumpus and Dinosaur Roar! I saw that this book had interesting felted-work illustrations (I really like mixing up different styles and types of artwork, so kids and parents realize that all sorts of illustrated works are equally valid and interesting) and since Stella Blackstone was the author, I was really hopeful. To be honest, I Dreamt I Was A Dinosaur wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, but since it's paired with a truly stompy book, and a good short read, I'm ok with it being a slightly more sedate trip through dinosaur-land. (And I really love the felt and beadwork!) The only thing I have to worry about with this week now is mixing up my dino-name pronunciations!
Food Science:
Where Does Food Come From?
Shelley Rotner & Gary Goss, photography by Shelley Rotner
ISBN: 0761329358
Read February 7, 2014
This is an excellent nonfiction early-childhood book. I'm planning to use it with Growing Vegetable Soup and one other (as yet unselected) book. This one will be a great short middle read, with lots of colorful photos and obvious conclusions to draw that will make the kids feel smart for knowing the answers. It covers a lot of foods for such a short book - even includes salt, sugar, and maple syrup! The format is simple and clear - THIS is a food source, and THIS is the food that it eventually becomes - showing photos along the outer edges of the pages illustrating the plant or source, and someone (usually a child) happily eating the resulting food. Very nice nonfiction title. I'm planning to use it for regular storytime rotations as well as for Summer Reading.
Our overarching theme this year is STEM, and our individual weeks are broken down into the following categories:
Robots
Space
Animals
Dinosaurs
Engineering
Food Science
I have a pretty good idea of what to use for a lot of these categories - for example, I already have all of my Robot titles (Robot Zot, Clink, and Doug Unplugged) and my Engineering titles (Willy & the Cardboard Boxes, How a House is Built, Demolition) picked out, but there were a few places where I wanted to branch out into new books, and even more (Food Science) where I don't have much if any direct experience with age-appropriate materials.
So, I've been looking about, and here's my first round of research.
Space:
This Rocket
Paul Collicutt
ISBN: 0374374848
Read February 7, 2014
Space Boy
Leo Landry
ISBN: 9780618605682
Read February 7, 2014
I'm looking for a good match for Mini Grey's Toys In Space and Reidy's Light Up The Night, which I've already decided on. I need a third story that is bright, has lots of action and color in the pages, and really short text blocks, because both of those are on the wordy side for my age-group.
For this purpose, This Rocket is going to be what I use for SRP, but I was glad to find Space Boy also. Space Boy follows a young boy (perhaps on the spectrum) disturbed by the noise and commotion of his family as he tries to fall asleep, so he dons a spacesuit and travels to the quiet, peaceful, beautiful moon. However, once there, the places he visits makes him think about the various noisy family-members and how they would also enjoy the moon, and so he returns home to them, and to bed. It's a sweet story, with odd little naive illustrations, and a slow gentle storyline. Excellent for a bedtime storytime - not so much what I'm looking for here. This Rocket on the other hand is PERFECT. Bright colors, contrasting rockets, really minimal text 'This rocket is tall. This rocket is short.' Excellent. I'm already looking forward to reading it!
Dinosaurs:
I Dreamt I Was A Dinosaur
Stella Blackstone, illustrated by Clare Beaton
ISBN: 1841482382
Read February 7, 2014
For this category, I only need one more title, to match up with Dinosaurumpus and Dinosaur Roar! I saw that this book had interesting felted-work illustrations (I really like mixing up different styles and types of artwork, so kids and parents realize that all sorts of illustrated works are equally valid and interesting) and since Stella Blackstone was the author, I was really hopeful. To be honest, I Dreamt I Was A Dinosaur wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, but since it's paired with a truly stompy book, and a good short read, I'm ok with it being a slightly more sedate trip through dinosaur-land. (And I really love the felt and beadwork!) The only thing I have to worry about with this week now is mixing up my dino-name pronunciations!
Food Science:
Where Does Food Come From?
Shelley Rotner & Gary Goss, photography by Shelley Rotner
ISBN: 0761329358
Read February 7, 2014
This is an excellent nonfiction early-childhood book. I'm planning to use it with Growing Vegetable Soup and one other (as yet unselected) book. This one will be a great short middle read, with lots of colorful photos and obvious conclusions to draw that will make the kids feel smart for knowing the answers. It covers a lot of foods for such a short book - even includes salt, sugar, and maple syrup! The format is simple and clear - THIS is a food source, and THIS is the food that it eventually becomes - showing photos along the outer edges of the pages illustrating the plant or source, and someone (usually a child) happily eating the resulting food. Very nice nonfiction title. I'm planning to use it for regular storytime rotations as well as for Summer Reading.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
The Read-Aloud Handbook (7th Edition), Jim Trelease
The Read-Aloud Handbook (7th Edition, publication date 2013)
Jim Trelease
ISBN: 9780143121602
Read February 4, 2014
Nonfiction; education, parenting.
Background info: This nifty volume is in two parts: the first is an educational/parenting treatise giving the then-current state of research into why reading is paramount, and especially why reading TO kids is so important. The second half is a listing of various titles that the author believes are suitable for being read aloud to kids, divided into categories like wordless books (yeah, I know) poetry, nonfiction, and various age-groups.
Each subsequent edition has recognized that there's no reason to purchase or read a new edition if nothing much has changed, so the author and publisher have done a decent job in the first half at updating the research, changing out the vignettes, and including the current state of affairs each time around. For the second half, the titles recommended are cycled through, with special attention paid to titles currently out of print or difficult to find (those being either removed from the listing entirely, or noted as such if they are thought too good to miss).
So, with all that in mind, let me say here that last spring I discovered this resource existed, and I went on a binge-read right before the Summer Reading Program, placing requests on each edition (yes, all 6 of them), and checking out the different recommended reads, and thoroughly enjoying the first half of each book (which were, although slightly different each round, almost literally a repeated paean to librarians and readers). The only one I couldn't get was this last edition, which our system couldn't borrow until it was a bit older. Well, it got a bit older, and it arrived today! Yay!
I haven't gone through the book recs yet, but I did take a while to read through the first half (and it has grown now into almost half) of this very-well-researched presentation of the current research into reading, the sorry state of our educational system (I want to move to Finland) and how parents and educators can individually contradict these bad influences by READING MORE!!!
My kind of book!
On a slightly more serious note, if you're interested in learning about what the deal is with received language, how kids learn vocabulary, and how to put your kid on the top of the scrap heap called life, read this edition of this book. The other editions are of course out of date, so I'd only recommend them if you are interested in seeing how the history and the research developed (which I was, and I thought was fascinating, but then I'm a nerd).
I'm sure that this record will be seeing the evidence of the other half of the book as soon as I get a chance to dig into the lists and learn of interesting titles I've missed.
Jim Trelease
ISBN: 9780143121602
Read February 4, 2014
Nonfiction; education, parenting.
Background info: This nifty volume is in two parts: the first is an educational/parenting treatise giving the then-current state of research into why reading is paramount, and especially why reading TO kids is so important. The second half is a listing of various titles that the author believes are suitable for being read aloud to kids, divided into categories like wordless books (yeah, I know) poetry, nonfiction, and various age-groups.
Each subsequent edition has recognized that there's no reason to purchase or read a new edition if nothing much has changed, so the author and publisher have done a decent job in the first half at updating the research, changing out the vignettes, and including the current state of affairs each time around. For the second half, the titles recommended are cycled through, with special attention paid to titles currently out of print or difficult to find (those being either removed from the listing entirely, or noted as such if they are thought too good to miss).
So, with all that in mind, let me say here that last spring I discovered this resource existed, and I went on a binge-read right before the Summer Reading Program, placing requests on each edition (yes, all 6 of them), and checking out the different recommended reads, and thoroughly enjoying the first half of each book (which were, although slightly different each round, almost literally a repeated paean to librarians and readers). The only one I couldn't get was this last edition, which our system couldn't borrow until it was a bit older. Well, it got a bit older, and it arrived today! Yay!
I haven't gone through the book recs yet, but I did take a while to read through the first half (and it has grown now into almost half) of this very-well-researched presentation of the current research into reading, the sorry state of our educational system (I want to move to Finland) and how parents and educators can individually contradict these bad influences by READING MORE!!!
My kind of book!
On a slightly more serious note, if you're interested in learning about what the deal is with received language, how kids learn vocabulary, and how to put your kid on the top of the scrap heap called life, read this edition of this book. The other editions are of course out of date, so I'd only recommend them if you are interested in seeing how the history and the research developed (which I was, and I thought was fascinating, but then I'm a nerd).
I'm sure that this record will be seeing the evidence of the other half of the book as soon as I get a chance to dig into the lists and learn of interesting titles I've missed.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Why 'classics' aren't always classy. Robert Lawson's They Were Strong and Good
They Were Strong and Good
Robert Lawson
ISBN: 0670699497
1941 Caldecott Award Winner
Read February 4, 3013
Fair warning, I don't always agree with the Caldecotts, and sometimes I violently disagree. I think a great value of children's materials is that they are accessible to, and interesting to, children. Not interesting to adults, not necessarily artistically or stylistically fascinating or innovative. Soapbox, I know. Sorry.
Anyway, with that background, I don't actively look up all the past Caldecotts and Newberys to check out. If they are attractive to me, I'll see them on the shelf and pull them out (Hugo Cabret, Creepy Carrots, I'm looking at you). If they aren't attractive to me, then I have a neverending pile of books, a legal pad full of lists of books, and a limited lifespan.
So here is this early winner, showing up on my desk to be checked for condition. I figure, oh hell, professional development, right? So I start reading it. It's a little weird, a set of short-bit dry family stories, and then we get to the first twinge: lazy, thieving, disreputable Indians in Minnesota. Also, judging by the engraving, black 'Mammys' were in Minnesotta. Ok, that's a little twitchy, but it was the forties. Moving on. Grandparents again, nothing much here... Oh. Oh dear. 'When my father was very young he had a Negro slave.' Oh? That's... lovely. The kicker? His father also had two dogs, which have full Roman names. The slave? Just Dick. Not even Richard. No last name, of course. Ai yi yi.
Now we're off to fight in the war, and lose the war, and the comment at the end is 'and (dog's full name) and (dog's full name) and Dick were all gone too.' Nice to see the order of importance there.
So I'm pretty solidly cringing at this now, and I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I'm being a little too touchy. So up pop Google to see what I can see.
Reader, it was worse. This is the 'revised' version. The first edition, that won the Caldecott? 'Tame' Indians in Minnesota. And the bit with the slave? 'When my father was very young he had two dogs and a colored boy' oh and it gets even better: 'The colored boy was just my father's age. He was a slave, but they didn't call him that. They just called him Dick.'
I have no words, gentle reader. No words.
Robert Lawson
ISBN: 0670699497
1941 Caldecott Award Winner
Read February 4, 3013
Fair warning, I don't always agree with the Caldecotts, and sometimes I violently disagree. I think a great value of children's materials is that they are accessible to, and interesting to, children. Not interesting to adults, not necessarily artistically or stylistically fascinating or innovative. Soapbox, I know. Sorry.
Anyway, with that background, I don't actively look up all the past Caldecotts and Newberys to check out. If they are attractive to me, I'll see them on the shelf and pull them out (Hugo Cabret, Creepy Carrots, I'm looking at you). If they aren't attractive to me, then I have a neverending pile of books, a legal pad full of lists of books, and a limited lifespan.
So here is this early winner, showing up on my desk to be checked for condition. I figure, oh hell, professional development, right? So I start reading it. It's a little weird, a set of short-bit dry family stories, and then we get to the first twinge: lazy, thieving, disreputable Indians in Minnesota. Also, judging by the engraving, black 'Mammys' were in Minnesotta. Ok, that's a little twitchy, but it was the forties. Moving on. Grandparents again, nothing much here... Oh. Oh dear. 'When my father was very young he had a Negro slave.' Oh? That's... lovely. The kicker? His father also had two dogs, which have full Roman names. The slave? Just Dick. Not even Richard. No last name, of course. Ai yi yi.
Now we're off to fight in the war, and lose the war, and the comment at the end is 'and (dog's full name) and (dog's full name) and Dick were all gone too.' Nice to see the order of importance there.
So I'm pretty solidly cringing at this now, and I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I'm being a little too touchy. So up pop Google to see what I can see.
Reader, it was worse. This is the 'revised' version. The first edition, that won the Caldecott? 'Tame' Indians in Minnesota. And the bit with the slave? 'When my father was very young he had two dogs and a colored boy' oh and it gets even better: 'The colored boy was just my father's age. He was a slave, but they didn't call him that. They just called him Dick.'
I have no words, gentle reader. No words.
Tuesday Storytime: "Love My Library" Month, Week 1
February is National "Love My Library" Month, so we're doing a whole month of Library and Book themed storytimes out here.
This first week, we're jumping in with three silly stories about book lovers.
The Girl Who Hated Books
Manjusha Pawagi, illustrated by Leanne Franson
ISBN: 1582700060
Meena has a rough life. Her parents are book-crazy, and she's nearly drowning in a sea of the hated things. Books on the table, books on the floors, books in piles in the doorways, books in chairs, even in the fridge! Even in her own room - hundreds of the wretched things. One day there's an awful crash, and the books go flying! Out seep all of the myriad characters that Meena doesn't know (but most listeners will recognize) all stuck hanging out in Meena's house until she can read each of them safely back home into their own stories.
Read It, Don't Eat It!
Ian Schoenherr
ISBN: 9780061724558
This delightful short rhyming romp has various over-excited animal children exhorting the reader to treat books correctly, with gleeful illustrations of what NOT to do contrasted with high-color pages with the enlarged white text prominently displayed. Excellent advice, excellent attitude, excellent presentation. All the stars.
Book! Book! Book!
Deborah Bruss, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
ISBN: 0439135257
The barnyard gets into the fun here, as animals head into the library to request some reading materials, but sadly, the librarian is not multi-lingual, and each animal is sent home emptyhanded. Until that is, the little red hen saves the day with an emphatic "book book book!" (bok, bok, bok) request, which satisfies everyone involved except the bullfrog, who claims that he already "read it, read it, read it" (ribbit). Shut up - I like puns.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Picture Book Bonanza 3/3: Kevin Henkes' Penny and Her Marble, Mo Willems' A Big Guy Took My Ball!
Penny and Her Marble
Kevin Henkes
ISBN: 9780062082039
Read February 3, 2014
Small-format picture book
Penny is a mouse (as are most of Henkes' characters) and she fights a great moral battle here, and comes off victorious in the end. While taking a walk, Penny happens upon a marble in the grassy verge of the sidewalk, in front of a neighbor's house. Penny covets the marble, and takes it. Afterwards, she suffers very noticeable pangs of guilt about having done so, culminating in a set of nightmares. In the morning, Penny (without intervention or advice from any adults or other characters at all, which I LOVE) heads back to her neighbor's yard to return the marble to whence it came. At this point, reality and picture book plots diverge, as the neighbor informs Penny that she had placed the marble there for someone to find, and Penny gets to keep the marble with a clear conscience. Adorable, and with a nice gently delivered message, as are all of Henkes' stories.
A Big Guy Took My Ball!
Mo Willems
ISBN: 9781423174912
Read February 3, 2014
An observant or devious reader will notice the catch slipping right on by at the beginning, but Piggy has a problem because a BIG GUY came and took "his" ball. Elephant is ready to leap to the rescue, until he realizes just HOW BIG this guy really is. Their avenging fury is averted when the big guy sweetly thanks Piggy for finding his ball for him, and all is well again. This one is not nearly as epic as Should I Share My Ice Cream (which should be required reading for everyone ever) but it's worth it to see Elephant (normally so unflappable) waxing dramatic about the size differential between him and the big guy in question.
Kevin Henkes
ISBN: 9780062082039
Read February 3, 2014
Small-format picture book
Penny is a mouse (as are most of Henkes' characters) and she fights a great moral battle here, and comes off victorious in the end. While taking a walk, Penny happens upon a marble in the grassy verge of the sidewalk, in front of a neighbor's house. Penny covets the marble, and takes it. Afterwards, she suffers very noticeable pangs of guilt about having done so, culminating in a set of nightmares. In the morning, Penny (without intervention or advice from any adults or other characters at all, which I LOVE) heads back to her neighbor's yard to return the marble to whence it came. At this point, reality and picture book plots diverge, as the neighbor informs Penny that she had placed the marble there for someone to find, and Penny gets to keep the marble with a clear conscience. Adorable, and with a nice gently delivered message, as are all of Henkes' stories.
A Big Guy Took My Ball!
Mo Willems
ISBN: 9781423174912
Read February 3, 2014
An observant or devious reader will notice the catch slipping right on by at the beginning, but Piggy has a problem because a BIG GUY came and took "his" ball. Elephant is ready to leap to the rescue, until he realizes just HOW BIG this guy really is. Their avenging fury is averted when the big guy sweetly thanks Piggy for finding his ball for him, and all is well again. This one is not nearly as epic as Should I Share My Ice Cream (which should be required reading for everyone ever) but it's worth it to see Elephant (normally so unflappable) waxing dramatic about the size differential between him and the big guy in question.
Picture Book Bonanza 2/3: Molly Idle's Flora and the Flamingo, David Wiesner's Mr. Wuffles!
Flora and the Flamingo
Molly Idle
ISBN: 9781452110066
Read February 3, 2014
Wordless Picture Book, Lift-the-Flap Picture Book
This was a cute story, but I think that the combination of wordless AND lift-the-flap pushed it a little too far into 'trying too hard' territory for me. Also, the book is pretty much entirely pink (with a flamingo, I can't rightly blame it for that, but I also hold that I'm more critical of it because it's pink). Flora is a pear-shaped person in a swimming cap, suit, and swim-fins on her feet, and the flamingo is - well - a flamingo. Flora is also attempting to copycat said flamingo, who isn't entirely happy about her attempts. Things get a little rocky when the flamingo performs a maneuver that ends Flora up in the drink, but amends are made, leaving girl and bird to dance and splash together in harmony. Not entirely to my taste, but I especially liked the cherry-blossom borders on the pages, the amount of character representation possible with a pair of black swim fins, and Flora's expressive eyebrows.
Mr. Wuffles!
David Wiesner
ISBN: 9780618756612
Read February 3, 2014
Wordless Picture Book
Have to say from the start that this is NOT my favorite of Wiesner's works (that one for me goes to Flotsam for general amazingness, or to Hurricane for personal impact) but that said, this one is a cute romp. Mr. Wuffles is a grumpy black cat who, like all cats, prefers toys that aren't toys. Unfortunately for some very seasoned travelers, they are the newest "toy." After Mr. Wuffles damages their spaceship, they must join forces with the denizens behind the cupboards, learning each others' languages (actual languages, which can be actually learned by the reader - this part made me think of Weslandia and Dinotopia) and developing blended technologies to help with the rescue/escape/taunt the cat mission. I love the bugs - they're very William Joyce's Leaf Men in shape and plot function, but more expressive. The aliens are adorable, and I love their determination and fright when faced with Mr Wuffles in all his enormity. Technically, this isn't a wordless picture book, as the aliens and bugs do speak, but I'm willing to give it some wiggle room for a nifty idea and a lovely presentation. The last panel, with the additions to the bugs' wall of history, was killer.
Molly Idle
ISBN: 9781452110066
Read February 3, 2014
Wordless Picture Book, Lift-the-Flap Picture Book
This was a cute story, but I think that the combination of wordless AND lift-the-flap pushed it a little too far into 'trying too hard' territory for me. Also, the book is pretty much entirely pink (with a flamingo, I can't rightly blame it for that, but I also hold that I'm more critical of it because it's pink). Flora is a pear-shaped person in a swimming cap, suit, and swim-fins on her feet, and the flamingo is - well - a flamingo. Flora is also attempting to copycat said flamingo, who isn't entirely happy about her attempts. Things get a little rocky when the flamingo performs a maneuver that ends Flora up in the drink, but amends are made, leaving girl and bird to dance and splash together in harmony. Not entirely to my taste, but I especially liked the cherry-blossom borders on the pages, the amount of character representation possible with a pair of black swim fins, and Flora's expressive eyebrows.
Mr. Wuffles!
David Wiesner
ISBN: 9780618756612
Read February 3, 2014
Wordless Picture Book
Have to say from the start that this is NOT my favorite of Wiesner's works (that one for me goes to Flotsam for general amazingness, or to Hurricane for personal impact) but that said, this one is a cute romp. Mr. Wuffles is a grumpy black cat who, like all cats, prefers toys that aren't toys. Unfortunately for some very seasoned travelers, they are the newest "toy." After Mr. Wuffles damages their spaceship, they must join forces with the denizens behind the cupboards, learning each others' languages (actual languages, which can be actually learned by the reader - this part made me think of Weslandia and Dinotopia) and developing blended technologies to help with the rescue/escape/taunt the cat mission. I love the bugs - they're very William Joyce's Leaf Men in shape and plot function, but more expressive. The aliens are adorable, and I love their determination and fright when faced with Mr Wuffles in all his enormity. Technically, this isn't a wordless picture book, as the aliens and bugs do speak, but I'm willing to give it some wiggle room for a nifty idea and a lovely presentation. The last panel, with the additions to the bugs' wall of history, was killer.
Picture Book Bonanza, 1/3: Aaron Becker's Journey, Brian Floca's Locomotive
Journey
Aaron Becker
ISBN: 9780763660536
Read February 3, 2014
Wordless Picture Book
This is a beautiful book. It ranks up there with Weisner's best. It is a much more textured and evocative furthering of the Harold and the Purple Crayon tale (with perhaps a cameo of a slightly grown Harold at the end?) following a young girl who creates a lush imaginative world from her red crayon. Adventures, perils, rescues, and finally, a friend. Just delightful. I love how the different landscapes evolve into each other seamlessly, but are totally and completely different, each from the next. It really furthers the sense of a daydream or a half-awake dreaming memory, where things make sense in the dream, and only when you wake do you realize how disparate and segregated the segments actually were without your imagination and mental focus holding them together into a pattern and a plot. I love that this creates that same magical feeling without being pretentious or cutesy about it.
Locomotive
Brian Floca
ISBN: 9781416994152
Read February 3, 2014
Read February 3, 2014
Nonfiction Picture Book
Super-dense text packs every page, with sparse sepia-toned artwork grounding the visuals and providing context for the storyline and imparted information. Reminds me very strongly of Fleischman's The Matchbox Diary, but less emotionally impactful (not a bad thing, just a difference in the type of story being conveyed). Love the glut of information on the endpages, and the nifty little details like using the "convenience" on the train only while it's in motion, as it wasn't polite to do your business while the train was stopped at a station because the convenience was simply a hole, and you didn't want to make the station nasty. The multiple fonts and colors and sizes got right up to the line of being overdone, but never stepped over for me, but the verseform did me in a bit. If words are written like lines of poetry, I'm old-school enough to want them either in iambic pentameter, or to rhyme. Nevertheless, that is a small niggle indeed for a beautiful and crammed book of an interesting and exciting part of American history.
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