This one was given by my cohort, and was their first Summer Reading Program - they were quite nervous, but realized once they were in there that it really isn't much different.
For Storytime, we have younger kids and an easier craft (and sometimes easier books).
Tito Puente: Mambo King (bilingual, Spanish/English)
Monica Brown, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
ISBN: 9780061227837
Drum Dream Girl
Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael Lopez
ISBN: 9780544102293
Ella Queen of Jazz
Helen Hancocks
ISBN: 9781847809186
And then for the older kids we try to add in some more conceptual or free-flowing books:
Bird and Diz
(this is an accordion-fold book, folds out to about 5 feet, then the reader has to reverse and read back through the other side)
Gary Golio, illustrated by Ed Young
ISBN: 9780763666606
Showing posts with label Ed Young. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ed Young. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2018
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Tuesday Storytime: Bugs!
All bugs, all the time. We're getting into fall (hello equinox!) and that means that the temperatures around here get - lets go with "variable." This means that the bugs are desperate for some consistency in their lives, which means that they all head indoors, where people invariably shriek and scream and call pest control companies to save them from the multi-legged invasion. And so, my storytime for this week is born. Also I'm working up to Halloween, so I have to do all the creepity storytimes while I can.
I Wish I Were a Butterfly
James Howe, illustrated by Ed Young
ISBN: 015200470X
Atmospheric watercolors aren't the best for keeping attention, but the story is so sweet.
A young cricket is convinced he's ugly, until he speaks to his old friend the spider, who convinces him that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that everyone's better off if you choose to believe the beholder who is actually your friend. A sweet message of beauty, friendship, and self-confidence. It is hella long tho, and the moody, dark, atmospheric paintings don't help hold the attention very well.
I Love Bugs!
Emma Dodd
ISBN: 9780823422807
Bold outlines and cartoonish proportions focus on all different types of bugs, including spiders.
Our narrator wants us to know how much they love all types of bugs in this super-short rhyming narrative that is heavy on the descriptive adjectives. By the end, we sort of get the idea, but our closer is a celebration of the thrill that comes of being just slightly scared of something. I like it because it presents fear of something (in this case, spiders) as humorous and thrilling, instead of something to be ashamed of or work through.
Some Bugs
Angela DiTerlizzi, illustrations by Brendan Wenzel
ISBN: 9781442458802
Funky big-eyed bugs feature heavily in what looks to be heavily textured collage scenes.
On first glance, this book OUGHT to be a lot shorter read than Dodd's I Love Bugs! but when I pre-read it, it didn't turn out that way. Granted, the text IS shorter, but the problem that I faced was that the pages are so busy and vibrant, and the text is placed in the smallest-possible empty space, and those spaces are placed in such very different areas of the page spreads, that I had troubles finding the text reliably with each page-turn. So this one was more of a stilted, stop-and-go, pause-ful read. Not that it mattered, because the images are so vibrant and lively that the kids just wanted to look at all the bugs anyway, but it did bug me a little (haha, get it?) that I couldn't read it fluently page to page.
I Wish I Were a Butterfly
James Howe, illustrated by Ed Young
ISBN: 015200470X
Atmospheric watercolors aren't the best for keeping attention, but the story is so sweet.
A young cricket is convinced he's ugly, until he speaks to his old friend the spider, who convinces him that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that everyone's better off if you choose to believe the beholder who is actually your friend. A sweet message of beauty, friendship, and self-confidence. It is hella long tho, and the moody, dark, atmospheric paintings don't help hold the attention very well.
I Love Bugs!
Emma Dodd
ISBN: 9780823422807
Bold outlines and cartoonish proportions focus on all different types of bugs, including spiders.
Our narrator wants us to know how much they love all types of bugs in this super-short rhyming narrative that is heavy on the descriptive adjectives. By the end, we sort of get the idea, but our closer is a celebration of the thrill that comes of being just slightly scared of something. I like it because it presents fear of something (in this case, spiders) as humorous and thrilling, instead of something to be ashamed of or work through.
Some Bugs
Angela DiTerlizzi, illustrations by Brendan Wenzel
ISBN: 9781442458802
Funky big-eyed bugs feature heavily in what looks to be heavily textured collage scenes.
On first glance, this book OUGHT to be a lot shorter read than Dodd's I Love Bugs! but when I pre-read it, it didn't turn out that way. Granted, the text IS shorter, but the problem that I faced was that the pages are so busy and vibrant, and the text is placed in the smallest-possible empty space, and those spaces are placed in such very different areas of the page spreads, that I had troubles finding the text reliably with each page-turn. So this one was more of a stilted, stop-and-go, pause-ful read. Not that it mattered, because the images are so vibrant and lively that the kids just wanted to look at all the bugs anyway, but it did bug me a little (haha, get it?) that I couldn't read it fluently page to page.
Friday, September 18, 2015
New Arrival: Picture Book: The Emperor and the Kite, Jane Yolen & Ed Young
A very pretty new arrival today, in the form of a lovely collaboration between the very talented Jane Yolen and the equally talented Ed Young.
The Emperor and the Kite
Jane Yolen, illustrated by Ed Young
ISBN: 9780399214998
Young's colorful and precise "papercut" artwork counterpoints Yolen's savvy and streamlined phrasing.
This is in the form of a Chinese fable, but I don't know if it actually is. I do know that this particular story is older, and this is a newly-released edition with updated (and absolutely stunning) artwork.
Our Emperor has strong and able sons, and they are like the suns in the sky. He also has beautiful and proper daughters, and they are like the moons in the night. He has (but has pretty much forgotten) one final small girl child, who is young and small and quiet. When hardship falls upon the Emperor, his lauded sons and beloved daughters weep and mourn for his dire fate (from a safe distance, of course), but the youngest actually gets up and does something for him.
Sweet and pat, of course, but that's a fable for you.
The Emperor and the Kite
Jane Yolen, illustrated by Ed Young
ISBN: 9780399214998
Young's colorful and precise "papercut" artwork counterpoints Yolen's savvy and streamlined phrasing.
This is in the form of a Chinese fable, but I don't know if it actually is. I do know that this particular story is older, and this is a newly-released edition with updated (and absolutely stunning) artwork.
Our Emperor has strong and able sons, and they are like the suns in the sky. He also has beautiful and proper daughters, and they are like the moons in the night. He has (but has pretty much forgotten) one final small girl child, who is young and small and quiet. When hardship falls upon the Emperor, his lauded sons and beloved daughters weep and mourn for his dire fate (from a safe distance, of course), but the youngest actually gets up and does something for him.
Sweet and pat, of course, but that's a fable for you.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)