This past month has been crazy busy for me, so my compatriot has been doing all the storytimes for the past month, and has picked out some really fun and interesting themes and stories.
Max and Marla Are Having a Picnic
Alexandra Boiger
ISBN: 9780399175053
Max and Marla are off on their traditional spring picnic, but everything (with the best of intentions) goes horribly awry (Max is the person, by the way - it took me a few pages to decide for sure) and in a very Gift of the Magi sort of way, the love and care the friends have for each other repair the bad memories from the day, and create a new twist on tradition to end with reconnection and care.
My Best Friend is a Goldfish
Mark Lee, illustrated by Chris Jevons
ISBN: 9781512426014
A best friend breakup is never fun, but when a kid has pets, then he automatically has best friends, right? Friends who like ALL the same things, DO everything together, and PLAY in just the same way, right? Maybe not. And maybe after realizing the limits of his pets, our little boy realizes that actual friends have some of the same limitations.
This one got snagged by a patron before I could read it - A good problem to have! I'll add it in once I get a chance to preview it myself.
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Elephants
I maaaaaaay have had these books waiting on storytime for a very long time, and I'm so happy that I finally got to use them. They're all super cute.
When Your Elephant Comes to Play
Ale Barba
ISBN: 9780399163128
On Wednesdays, an elephant comes to visit, and you'd think it would be loads of fun, but there are lots of logistical challenges to playing with an elephant. Swimming is problematic, bed-bouncing wakes the neighborhood, and tree-houses are right out. But still, there are some very nice things elephants are good for, like warm cozy hugs.
Little Elliot, Big City
Mike Curato
ISBN: 9780805098259
Elliot is an adorable miniature spotted elephant, and he lives alone in a big retro city full of regular people. Life is challenging when you're small, but Elliot is generally up for the challenge, but he gets a little blue when he can't manage to get a cupcake; he's too small to see over the counter. But when Elliot meets (and helps out) someone even smaller, he gains two important things: a boost of confidence, and a new friend. Life is always better with both of those things.
Strictly No Elephants
Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
ISBN: 9781481416474
A sweet boy and his "tiny elephant" are good friends, and they're excited to go to the Pet Club Day, but they're discouraged by the "strictly no elephants" sign on the door. The requisite sad-mood-rain spread happens, and then the boy finds a girl and her pet skunk, also turned away by the restrictive Pet Club. The two of them hit it off, and they start their new club with a growing parade of children and their unusual pets (I'm especially fond of the bat, and of a small narwhal in a goldfish bowl) and hang their own sign, proudly proclaiming "All Are Welcome."
When Your Elephant Comes to Play
Ale Barba
ISBN: 9780399163128
On Wednesdays, an elephant comes to visit, and you'd think it would be loads of fun, but there are lots of logistical challenges to playing with an elephant. Swimming is problematic, bed-bouncing wakes the neighborhood, and tree-houses are right out. But still, there are some very nice things elephants are good for, like warm cozy hugs.
Little Elliot, Big City
Mike Curato
ISBN: 9780805098259
Elliot is an adorable miniature spotted elephant, and he lives alone in a big retro city full of regular people. Life is challenging when you're small, but Elliot is generally up for the challenge, but he gets a little blue when he can't manage to get a cupcake; he's too small to see over the counter. But when Elliot meets (and helps out) someone even smaller, he gains two important things: a boost of confidence, and a new friend. Life is always better with both of those things.
Strictly No Elephants
Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
ISBN: 9781481416474
A sweet boy and his "tiny elephant" are good friends, and they're excited to go to the Pet Club Day, but they're discouraged by the "strictly no elephants" sign on the door. The requisite sad-mood-rain spread happens, and then the boy finds a girl and her pet skunk, also turned away by the restrictive Pet Club. The two of them hit it off, and they start their new club with a growing parade of children and their unusual pets (I'm especially fond of the bat, and of a small narwhal in a goldfish bowl) and hang their own sign, proudly proclaiming "All Are Welcome."
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Pets
A really stellar lineup from my coworker today: a trio of adorable animal books.
Zorro Gets an Outfit
Carter Goodrich
ISBN: 9781442435353
Zorro is an adorable pug dog, and he has been put into a superhero outfit, and the other dogs all laugh at him. He's inconsolable until another dog at the dog park shows up in a pirate outfit and just so happens to be a really cool dog - who likes Zorro's outfit! A good story about friendship and identity and feeling shame and pride.
Have You Seen My New Blue Socks
Eve Bunting, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
ISBN: 9780547752679
Eve Bunting is channeling her Dr Seuss here, with a cute rhyming (perhaps just a slight bit tooo cutely rhyming) quick story about a forgetful and perhaps somewhat disorganized duck who has lost their new blue socks somewhere. A progressively-further-unlaced shoe provides a tiny visual clue about the location of the socks as the story goes on.
Papillon Goes to the Vet (The Very Fluffy Kitty)
A. N. Kang
ISBN: 9781484728819
This is the cutest book about a very fluffy kitty with a very unrealistic story of what happens at a vet's office, but it's ok, because it's adorable. Papillon is soooo fluffy that he floats! Which is quite fun, until he accidentally ingests a cat toy and has to spend the night at the vet. Very low-key explanations of how Papillon feels less than well, which keeps the very lighthearted feeling flowing through even at the vet.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Tuesday Storytime: Dogs
Can't have one without the other, right?
A trio of entirely new-to-storytime books, and I enjoyed them all, and so did the kids. I think the parents might have thought that 1 and 3 were a little on the heavy side, but oh well - life isn't always sunshine and roses, and I like to have a good mash up of reality whenever I can.
Mogie: the heart of the house
Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal
ISBN: 9781442480544
Fictionalized Bio: Mogie is a therapy dog at the Houston Ronald McDonald House, and works with children there.
I like that the story is upbeat and focuses on the kids and the dogs, rather than the illnesses or the parents or the place. Mogie and the kids he helps are described in upbeat action verbs, and illnesses are presented as something temporary (so, perhaps not so good for inspiring kids with terminal diagnoses) and Mogie is the force that helps the kids recover by helping them be emotionally whole again (described in kid terms as "mojo" and "cha-cha-cha" along with a lot of description. Very nice rendition of a service/therapy dog to counter all the pet stories out there.
Dogs
Emily Gravett
ISBN: 9781416987031
A parade of contrasting dogs; big & little, hairy & bald, sloppy and chic.
Short, sweet, precious, beautifully illustrated, and the stinger at the end is simply perfect.
Don't Lick the Dog: making friends with dogs
Wendy Wahman
ISBN: 9780805087338
Pop-art bright colors, lots of jagged thick black edges and splotches, and generally jarring, electrifying artwork punctuates a set of instructions on safe dog-human interactions.
I think a good few of the parents were giving me side-eye when I read this book, but I'm not sorry. Someone has to teach kids good manners with strange dogs, and do it in a way that interests them, and doesn't frighten them or confuse them. This book is perfect. The art is arresting and forceful, and the pictures are very clear on what to do and how to act in multiple situations where people and dogs are interacting. Very very good book, and I'll probably use it again in a safety or good manners storytime.
A trio of entirely new-to-storytime books, and I enjoyed them all, and so did the kids. I think the parents might have thought that 1 and 3 were a little on the heavy side, but oh well - life isn't always sunshine and roses, and I like to have a good mash up of reality whenever I can.
Mogie: the heart of the house
Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal
ISBN: 9781442480544
Fictionalized Bio: Mogie is a therapy dog at the Houston Ronald McDonald House, and works with children there.
I like that the story is upbeat and focuses on the kids and the dogs, rather than the illnesses or the parents or the place. Mogie and the kids he helps are described in upbeat action verbs, and illnesses are presented as something temporary (so, perhaps not so good for inspiring kids with terminal diagnoses) and Mogie is the force that helps the kids recover by helping them be emotionally whole again (described in kid terms as "mojo" and "cha-cha-cha" along with a lot of description. Very nice rendition of a service/therapy dog to counter all the pet stories out there.
Dogs
Emily Gravett
ISBN: 9781416987031
A parade of contrasting dogs; big & little, hairy & bald, sloppy and chic.
Short, sweet, precious, beautifully illustrated, and the stinger at the end is simply perfect.
Don't Lick the Dog: making friends with dogs
Wendy Wahman
ISBN: 9780805087338
Pop-art bright colors, lots of jagged thick black edges and splotches, and generally jarring, electrifying artwork punctuates a set of instructions on safe dog-human interactions.
I think a good few of the parents were giving me side-eye when I read this book, but I'm not sorry. Someone has to teach kids good manners with strange dogs, and do it in a way that interests them, and doesn't frighten them or confuse them. This book is perfect. The art is arresting and forceful, and the pictures are very clear on what to do and how to act in multiple situations where people and dogs are interacting. Very very good book, and I'll probably use it again in a safety or good manners storytime.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Cat Sense, John Bradshaw
Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet, John Bradshaw
ISBN: 9780465031016
Read November 23, 2013
Nonfiction: Cat behavior.
The author has a particular point to make, and he's not shy about making it over and over and over again - cats have done really well so far to keep up with changing expectations, but we're moving too fast for them to keep up without us beginning to purposefully breed for behavior and attitude, like we do with dogs.
Whether his point will make an impact on the larger cat-breeding societies, who knows, but I for one think that he's right.
Besides his overall axe, he does present some really good studies (footnoted and bibliographied) showing cat ancestry, the history of wild cats, the archaeological evidence for cat-human interactions (scanty though it is) and then on into modern cat genetics.
There was also a decent section discussing training cats (yes it can be done) and talking about the variations in personality that have been noted in different breeds, and for different coat-colors. He uses that of course as a springboard back to his grinding, but again, it's a solid point, and if the spay/neuter/indoor cat movement catches on worldwide, the cat population will be solidly in the hands of cat breeders, who right now seem much more interested in splashy coats and "wild" ancestry (the wild-domestic blends that are causing so many owners havoc now because they aren't tame cats) than in producing cats that can live indoors, in small habitats (apartment-sized) shared with other pets, especially other cats.
Right now, that's something the cat isn't really great at - it's up to us to help them make it as a modern pet.
ISBN: 9780465031016
Read November 23, 2013
Nonfiction: Cat behavior.
The author has a particular point to make, and he's not shy about making it over and over and over again - cats have done really well so far to keep up with changing expectations, but we're moving too fast for them to keep up without us beginning to purposefully breed for behavior and attitude, like we do with dogs.
Whether his point will make an impact on the larger cat-breeding societies, who knows, but I for one think that he's right.
Besides his overall axe, he does present some really good studies (footnoted and bibliographied) showing cat ancestry, the history of wild cats, the archaeological evidence for cat-human interactions (scanty though it is) and then on into modern cat genetics.
There was also a decent section discussing training cats (yes it can be done) and talking about the variations in personality that have been noted in different breeds, and for different coat-colors. He uses that of course as a springboard back to his grinding, but again, it's a solid point, and if the spay/neuter/indoor cat movement catches on worldwide, the cat population will be solidly in the hands of cat breeders, who right now seem much more interested in splashy coats and "wild" ancestry (the wild-domestic blends that are causing so many owners havoc now because they aren't tame cats) than in producing cats that can live indoors, in small habitats (apartment-sized) shared with other pets, especially other cats.
Right now, that's something the cat isn't really great at - it's up to us to help them make it as a modern pet.
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