Last week of the SRP, but we're going to roll the storytimes for 8 weeks and end on the last day of July.
Here are our second-to-last space summer reading books for Pendleton's Family Storytime group!
Moondogs
Daniel Kirk
His parents are desperate to get him a pal, but Willy is convinced that no pet will be as good as a moondog. But when an alien threatens everyone, a good old earth mutt saves the day, and changes Willy's mind.
Boy + Bot
Ame Dyckman, illustrated Dan Yaccarino
A cute short fable of good friends trying their best to meet needs even in the face of unexpected challenges (and operating systems). The weird tiny scientist at the end is icing on the cupcake.
Garcia and Collette go Exploring
Hannah Barnaby, illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Garcia and Collette can't decide WHERE to explore, so they build their own devices (rocket and submarine) and head off on their respective adventures, but they realize the true fun of exploring is having someone to share the fun. Back they come, the inventions are invented upon, and a mutually-enjoyable destination is discovered in the end.
Showing posts with label Daniel Kirk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Kirk. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Tuesday Storytime: Mice
I love mice. They're cute and furry and there's eleventy bazillion picture books about them.
Today's lineup:
Seven Blind Mice
Ed Young
ISBN: 9780399222610
Caldecott Honor Book, colorblock mice and textured elephant against a black background.
Ed Young is a genius, and I love this book. It's fairly short, easy to read and for kids to understand, and the contrasts between the actual elephant body part and the interpretation that the mouse makes is really startling. The trunk-to-snake transformation was especially a hit. I also really enjoy the size contrast between the panels with the mice (in various configurations) and then the panels with the mice appearing as tiny little color blobs against the enormity of the textural tan elephant body parts. The ONLY thing that bothers me (and I freely admit to overthinking things) is that I'm a little bummed that it was a white mouse who figured out the puzzle of the elephant. I know that in color theory for light, white is the combination of all colors, but it still bugs me. (/overthinking)
Mouse Mess
Linnea Riley
ISBN: 0590100483
Halfway between naive and pop-art, a chunky brown mouse trashes a kitchen as he eats.
This one is a first read for me, and I really liked it. The fun here is that the mouse works his way steadily through various foods, leaving a huge mess behind him, and then at the end, finally notices the state of the kitchen, and immediately blames it on the absent humans before self-centeredly heading back to bed and leaving the mess behind. Funny, short, and simple.
Mice
Original rhyme by Rose Fyleman, illustrated by Lois Ehlert
ISBN: 9781442456846
Mixed-media collage of funky big-eyed, big-toothed mice and various household objects and foods.
Lois Ehlert is a master of creating amazingly textured collage creations, and this one is no different. Set to the old rhyme "I think mice are rather nice..." it does drag a wee bit with stretching the rhyming lines out onto multiple spreads, but the illustrations are so quirky and the rhyme so short that I almost don't mind the stretch. The end has a lovely surprise as the narrator is revealed to be someone who perhaps thinks mice are "nice" in a very different way that initially imagined.
This set as a whole is really nice, because all three of them feature black or dark backgrounds, but each of them is still as totally different as can be. I really love showcasing the variety of artistic styles and types of presentations that can work within picture book format, and I was very happy with how it turned out to be so varied this time.
Bonus book (under consideration but too long for my age-group)
Library Mouse
Daniel Kirk
ISBN: 9780810993464
Beginning of a series, text-heavy. Notable artificial 3-D animated feel to surfaces and textures.
Sam is a library mouse, and he loves his home near the children's department. Every night Sam read from the books in the library, and he soon decided that he wanted to write a book himself. So he wrote it, illustrated it, bound it, and shelved it (alert readers will note that he shelves his books in the right places), where it was subsequently found by the library patrons. He does this again and again, writing lots of different books, and eventually the library wants to know who their mystery author is. Sam doesn't want to give up his secret identity or get evicted, so he creates a clever ruse that encourages other patrons of the library to become writers as well. Interesting story, serviceable illustrations, and a great introduction to demystifying the writing process for very young kids. Seems like it would be excellent for classroom use.
Today's lineup:
Seven Blind Mice
Ed Young
ISBN: 9780399222610
Caldecott Honor Book, colorblock mice and textured elephant against a black background.
Ed Young is a genius, and I love this book. It's fairly short, easy to read and for kids to understand, and the contrasts between the actual elephant body part and the interpretation that the mouse makes is really startling. The trunk-to-snake transformation was especially a hit. I also really enjoy the size contrast between the panels with the mice (in various configurations) and then the panels with the mice appearing as tiny little color blobs against the enormity of the textural tan elephant body parts. The ONLY thing that bothers me (and I freely admit to overthinking things) is that I'm a little bummed that it was a white mouse who figured out the puzzle of the elephant. I know that in color theory for light, white is the combination of all colors, but it still bugs me. (/overthinking)
Mouse Mess
Linnea Riley
ISBN: 0590100483
Halfway between naive and pop-art, a chunky brown mouse trashes a kitchen as he eats.
This one is a first read for me, and I really liked it. The fun here is that the mouse works his way steadily through various foods, leaving a huge mess behind him, and then at the end, finally notices the state of the kitchen, and immediately blames it on the absent humans before self-centeredly heading back to bed and leaving the mess behind. Funny, short, and simple.
Mice
Original rhyme by Rose Fyleman, illustrated by Lois Ehlert
ISBN: 9781442456846
Mixed-media collage of funky big-eyed, big-toothed mice and various household objects and foods.
Lois Ehlert is a master of creating amazingly textured collage creations, and this one is no different. Set to the old rhyme "I think mice are rather nice..." it does drag a wee bit with stretching the rhyming lines out onto multiple spreads, but the illustrations are so quirky and the rhyme so short that I almost don't mind the stretch. The end has a lovely surprise as the narrator is revealed to be someone who perhaps thinks mice are "nice" in a very different way that initially imagined.
This set as a whole is really nice, because all three of them feature black or dark backgrounds, but each of them is still as totally different as can be. I really love showcasing the variety of artistic styles and types of presentations that can work within picture book format, and I was very happy with how it turned out to be so varied this time.
Bonus book (under consideration but too long for my age-group)
Library Mouse
Daniel Kirk
ISBN: 9780810993464
Beginning of a series, text-heavy. Notable artificial 3-D animated feel to surfaces and textures.
Sam is a library mouse, and he loves his home near the children's department. Every night Sam read from the books in the library, and he soon decided that he wanted to write a book himself. So he wrote it, illustrated it, bound it, and shelved it (alert readers will note that he shelves his books in the right places), where it was subsequently found by the library patrons. He does this again and again, writing lots of different books, and eventually the library wants to know who their mystery author is. Sam doesn't want to give up his secret identity or get evicted, so he creates a clever ruse that encourages other patrons of the library to become writers as well. Interesting story, serviceable illustrations, and a great introduction to demystifying the writing process for very young kids. Seems like it would be excellent for classroom use.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Summer Reading Program 2014. Week 5: Engineering (Storytime)
So with the AC out, we had a bit of a change of plans.
Instead of our original line-up, we did a grouping of shorter stories, to save everyone from heat exhaustion.
Engineering Program, The Short Version:
Block City
Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Daniel Kirk
ISBN: 0689869649
Brightly-colored blocks and imaginative backgrounds bring a classic poem into modern experience.
I discovered this book a few weeks back, and fell in love. It was perfect for this program, and I'm so glad I got the chance to use it (despite being sad about the other books that I had to leave out). The poem is the classic version, no cuts or changes, and the pictures are joyful and creative, but still very grounded in reality - a young boy is playing inside with his blocks while it rains, and creates a city both in blocks, and in his imagination. When the blocks go tumbling down to clean up, the block city may be physically gone, but the memory city will last. Excellent intro for littles to classic authors and really good poetry. A new favorite storytime book.
Dig Dig Digging
Margaret Mayo, illustrated by Alex Ayliffe
ISBN: 9780805068405
Cartoonish construction equipment and diverse workers go through their routines in this set of rhyming overviews.
Each spread covers a different type of equipment, and while I may be a little confused at the inclusion of Fire Engines, Long Distance Trucks, and Rescue Helicopters, again, I seriously doubt that my young audience cares a whit that none of those particular vehicles are in fact construction equipment. Each vehicle has a short repetitive poem, none of which have anything to do with each other (in rhyme or in illustration) which makes skipping segments a real possibility if necessary or desired. Due to the short rhymes, even with all of the vehicles covered, the read is very short, ending with a construction zone and "sleeping" equipment after a hard day of work.
Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail
James Horvath
ISBN: 9780062189646
A colorful crew of cartoon hounds often appear super-imposed against the backdrops, but the story and illustrations appeal.
These are some busy, hardworking dogs. I like most that they have hard-hats and plans and more equipment in and out on a schedule. Even the text focuses on the precision of construction work: "Unpack the boxes. / Follow directions. / Make sure it's built right / so it passes inspection." I like that the craft and science of this work is covered, in addition to the usual "yay earthmovers and playing in the dirt and building/destroying things!" that we usually have. The progression is great, watching the project move from earthmoving to final touches like trees and wildlife, and ends with all of the dogs enjoying the park they've just constructed.
Instead of our original line-up, we did a grouping of shorter stories, to save everyone from heat exhaustion.
Engineering Program, The Short Version:
Block City
Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Daniel Kirk
ISBN: 0689869649
Brightly-colored blocks and imaginative backgrounds bring a classic poem into modern experience.
I discovered this book a few weeks back, and fell in love. It was perfect for this program, and I'm so glad I got the chance to use it (despite being sad about the other books that I had to leave out). The poem is the classic version, no cuts or changes, and the pictures are joyful and creative, but still very grounded in reality - a young boy is playing inside with his blocks while it rains, and creates a city both in blocks, and in his imagination. When the blocks go tumbling down to clean up, the block city may be physically gone, but the memory city will last. Excellent intro for littles to classic authors and really good poetry. A new favorite storytime book.
Dig Dig Digging
Margaret Mayo, illustrated by Alex Ayliffe
ISBN: 9780805068405
Cartoonish construction equipment and diverse workers go through their routines in this set of rhyming overviews.
Each spread covers a different type of equipment, and while I may be a little confused at the inclusion of Fire Engines, Long Distance Trucks, and Rescue Helicopters, again, I seriously doubt that my young audience cares a whit that none of those particular vehicles are in fact construction equipment. Each vehicle has a short repetitive poem, none of which have anything to do with each other (in rhyme or in illustration) which makes skipping segments a real possibility if necessary or desired. Due to the short rhymes, even with all of the vehicles covered, the read is very short, ending with a construction zone and "sleeping" equipment after a hard day of work.
Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail
James Horvath
ISBN: 9780062189646
A colorful crew of cartoon hounds often appear super-imposed against the backdrops, but the story and illustrations appeal.
These are some busy, hardworking dogs. I like most that they have hard-hats and plans and more equipment in and out on a schedule. Even the text focuses on the precision of construction work: "Unpack the boxes. / Follow directions. / Make sure it's built right / so it passes inspection." I like that the craft and science of this work is covered, in addition to the usual "yay earthmovers and playing in the dirt and building/destroying things!" that we usually have. The progression is great, watching the project move from earthmoving to final touches like trees and wildlife, and ends with all of the dogs enjoying the park they've just constructed.
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