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."
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: For the Birds
These were selected by my coworker.
Crow Made a Friend
Margaret Peot
ISBN: 9780823432974
Rainbow-colored Crow makes a friend from sticks, then snow, but they don't last - true friendship comes from a mate and eventual nestlings.
That is NOT a Good Idea
Mo Willems
ISBN: 9780062203090
Willems' parody take on nursery rhyme stories has a Greek Chorus of baby chicks intoning all the bad plans along the way, with a "twist" ending.
A Book of Babies
Il Sung Na
ISBN: 9780385752909
All sorts of animal babies included, but ducklings are front and center.
Crow Made a Friend
Margaret Peot
ISBN: 9780823432974
Rainbow-colored Crow makes a friend from sticks, then snow, but they don't last - true friendship comes from a mate and eventual nestlings.
That is NOT a Good Idea
Mo Willems
ISBN: 9780062203090
Willems' parody take on nursery rhyme stories has a Greek Chorus of baby chicks intoning all the bad plans along the way, with a "twist" ending.
A Book of Babies
Il Sung Na
ISBN: 9780385752909
All sorts of animal babies included, but ducklings are front and center.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Friendly Fantasy Creatures
Julia's House for Lost Creatures
Ben Hatke
ISBN: 9781596438668
By the author of Zita the Spacegirl. Julia's house is built onto a giant tortoise, and it's moved in to a lovely spot by the sea - but things are too lonely! So Julia puts out a sign advertising space for Lost creatures, and boy do they show up in droves. The company is great, but the extra housework and messes not so much. How will Julia solve her problem and keep her new friends at her house?
Ribbit!
Rodrigo Folgueira, illustrated by Poly Bernatene
ISBN: 9780307981462
The frog family are distressed by a large pink visitor that only says "Ribbit!" and they work themselves (and a lot of rubbernecking forest creatures) up into a frenzy worrying about this strange pig and what terrible things it could possibly want with them. Finally the Wise Old Beetle offers some common sense, but it's too late for the frogs - or, maybe not? Are frogs afraid of heights? "Tweet tweet!"
If I Had a Gryphon
Vikki Vansickle, illustrated by Cale Atkinson
ISBN: 9781770498099
A dark brown girl laments in rhyming couplets about how ANY fantastical pet would be a better option than her current disappointing hamster. Until she gets a bit further into the scenarios, and realizes that perhaps a fantastical pet may have some significant downsides. Cute and quick, despite covering a lot of ground. Reads VERY fast.
Ben Hatke
ISBN: 9781596438668
By the author of Zita the Spacegirl. Julia's house is built onto a giant tortoise, and it's moved in to a lovely spot by the sea - but things are too lonely! So Julia puts out a sign advertising space for Lost creatures, and boy do they show up in droves. The company is great, but the extra housework and messes not so much. How will Julia solve her problem and keep her new friends at her house?
Ribbit!
Rodrigo Folgueira, illustrated by Poly Bernatene
ISBN: 9780307981462
The frog family are distressed by a large pink visitor that only says "Ribbit!" and they work themselves (and a lot of rubbernecking forest creatures) up into a frenzy worrying about this strange pig and what terrible things it could possibly want with them. Finally the Wise Old Beetle offers some common sense, but it's too late for the frogs - or, maybe not? Are frogs afraid of heights? "Tweet tweet!"
If I Had a Gryphon
Vikki Vansickle, illustrated by Cale Atkinson
ISBN: 9781770498099
A dark brown girl laments in rhyming couplets about how ANY fantastical pet would be a better option than her current disappointing hamster. Until she gets a bit further into the scenarios, and realizes that perhaps a fantastical pet may have some significant downsides. Cute and quick, despite covering a lot of ground. Reads VERY fast.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: In Between
Stories of things or people who that aren't quite one category or the other. Books chosen by my co-worker, and this selection specifically chosen by our "pinch hitter" back-up.
Hoot and Peep
Lita Judge
ISBN: 9780525428374
Hoot is excited to show his little sister Peep around town at night, and to teach her all the owly things she needs to learn, but Peep can't seem to get the hang of hooting properly. Hoot tries and tries to get her to do it "right" but eventually learns that relationships and creativity are more important than rules. Very beautiful artwork, but the quality of the art and the tone of the storyline seem a bit mis-matched to me.
A Cub in the Tub
Marv Alinis, illustrated by Kathleen Petelinsek
ISBN: 9781503823570
An "early reader" book, this features Bub the cub who is dirty and needs a bath and then his dinner. Very short and simple, with cute but simple, limited-palette artwork.
Neither
Airlie Anderson
ISBN: 9780316547697
In the Land of This and That, there are blue Thises (bunnies) and yellow Thats (birds) and one really confused green Something Else. No one wants to play with it, no one wants to claim it, and neither side really wants to associate with it. It's shamed as a Neither, and kicked out to find Somewhere Else to fit in. Instead it finds the Land of All, and is welcomed by a set of rainbow-hued imaginary and combinatory animals (I especially like the purple butterfly-kitten and a background bearbat) to have fun and play. After introductions and reminders that All here are different and ok, a pair of This and That (with decorated bodies) arrives, also looking for Somewhere Else, because they don't fit in at home either. The Neither chides them for a moment about sending it away, but then welcomes them both to the Land of All. The following spread shows a great plethora of wild, imaginary, combinatory, and "normal" animals and creatures all playing happily together.
Hoot and Peep
Lita Judge
ISBN: 9780525428374
Hoot is excited to show his little sister Peep around town at night, and to teach her all the owly things she needs to learn, but Peep can't seem to get the hang of hooting properly. Hoot tries and tries to get her to do it "right" but eventually learns that relationships and creativity are more important than rules. Very beautiful artwork, but the quality of the art and the tone of the storyline seem a bit mis-matched to me.
A Cub in the Tub
Marv Alinis, illustrated by Kathleen Petelinsek
ISBN: 9781503823570
An "early reader" book, this features Bub the cub who is dirty and needs a bath and then his dinner. Very short and simple, with cute but simple, limited-palette artwork.
Neither
Airlie Anderson
ISBN: 9780316547697
In the Land of This and That, there are blue Thises (bunnies) and yellow Thats (birds) and one really confused green Something Else. No one wants to play with it, no one wants to claim it, and neither side really wants to associate with it. It's shamed as a Neither, and kicked out to find Somewhere Else to fit in. Instead it finds the Land of All, and is welcomed by a set of rainbow-hued imaginary and combinatory animals (I especially like the purple butterfly-kitten and a background bearbat) to have fun and play. After introductions and reminders that All here are different and ok, a pair of This and That (with decorated bodies) arrives, also looking for Somewhere Else, because they don't fit in at home either. The Neither chides them for a moment about sending it away, but then welcomes them both to the Land of All. The following spread shows a great plethora of wild, imaginary, combinatory, and "normal" animals and creatures all playing happily together.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Dogs and Cats
These were chosen by my coworker this week.
Douglas, You Need Glasses!
Ged Adamson
ISBN: 9780553522433
I always enjoy a funny book about kid-centric fears or challenges, and discovering that you need glasses is a pretty big challenge for a lot of kids. I somehow made it til my driving test before discovering that I was pretty nearly legally blind (that was a fun eye-sight test), whereas a less-blissfully-ignorant friend of mine was leaving her glasses behind at sleepovers, and "accidentally" dropping them behind car tires or into gopher holes at age 5. So there's going to be a lot of interest and sympathy here for poor Douglas, who gets into awful scrapes because he can't see, and then realizes that the world is a lot more fun with glasses. The translation of an eye chart into dog-friendly images is an especially fun sequence.
I Don't Want a Cool Cat!
Emma Dodd
ISBN: 9780316036740
A girl goes down the list of types of cats that she definitely does not want, until she reaches the end to state that really all she wants is just a cat - any cat - of her own. Sweet and cute (there's a dog version also).
Wolf's Coming!
Joe Kulka
ISBN: 9781575059303
Forest animals start giving warnings to each other and sneaking through the woods and into corners and hidey-places in houses as the Wolf starts to approach, but it's all in good fun at the end, as the animals are there for an entirely different type of surprise. I still think my favorite part of this book is the Wolf's dapper business suit with the giant '80s-style power shoulders. My second favorite is the scared look on his face as he peers into his strangely-dark house (our first real clue that something's up). Very suspenseful, and the tension might get to some younger kids - the colors are saturated and dark towards the reveal of the surprise.
Douglas, You Need Glasses!
Ged Adamson
ISBN: 9780553522433
I always enjoy a funny book about kid-centric fears or challenges, and discovering that you need glasses is a pretty big challenge for a lot of kids. I somehow made it til my driving test before discovering that I was pretty nearly legally blind (that was a fun eye-sight test), whereas a less-blissfully-ignorant friend of mine was leaving her glasses behind at sleepovers, and "accidentally" dropping them behind car tires or into gopher holes at age 5. So there's going to be a lot of interest and sympathy here for poor Douglas, who gets into awful scrapes because he can't see, and then realizes that the world is a lot more fun with glasses. The translation of an eye chart into dog-friendly images is an especially fun sequence.
I Don't Want a Cool Cat!
Emma Dodd
ISBN: 9780316036740
A girl goes down the list of types of cats that she definitely does not want, until she reaches the end to state that really all she wants is just a cat - any cat - of her own. Sweet and cute (there's a dog version also).
Wolf's Coming!
Joe Kulka
ISBN: 9781575059303
Forest animals start giving warnings to each other and sneaking through the woods and into corners and hidey-places in houses as the Wolf starts to approach, but it's all in good fun at the end, as the animals are there for an entirely different type of surprise. I still think my favorite part of this book is the Wolf's dapper business suit with the giant '80s-style power shoulders. My second favorite is the scared look on his face as he peers into his strangely-dark house (our first real clue that something's up). Very suspenseful, and the tension might get to some younger kids - the colors are saturated and dark towards the reveal of the surprise.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Cardboard Boxes
I did a "box" storytime (cough) years ago, and I had the WORST time finding good picture books for the topic, which I thought was so weird - cardboard boxes are totally a THING with kids, right? Now I'm happy to say that there are quite a few good "box books" out there to choose from, and I've got three really nice ones.
Big Friends
Linda Sarah, illustrated by Benji Davies
ISBN: 9781627793308
Birt and Etho are Big Friends, and they love taking their giant cardboard boxes up to the top of the nearby hill and playing fantastic games with them. Until Shu, a younger boy, gets up the nerve to ask to play also, and suddenly being a trio is just too much for Birt. He bails and sulks and avoids the other two boys until they come by his house with an amazing cardboard construction to share - maybe a trio isn't so bad after all?
Not a Box
Antoinette Portis
ISBN: 9780061123221
This is like the platonic ideal of a box book. A cute little black outlined bunny and box appear on each spread, with a question about what the bunny is doing with/at/in that box? Answers are on the next spread, as the phrase "not a box" is repeated (with just enough variation and emphasis) alongside the same illustration of the bunny and box repeated, but with added red outlines of the imaginary item that the box is representing. Very very good interactive and fun super short book. Remember to use a good robot voice for one of the "this is not a box" repeats.
What to do With a Box
Jane Yolen, illustrated by Chris Sheban
ISBN: 9781568462899
This is like a more dreamlike and artistic version of Not a Box. Yolen's slant rhymes and strange cadences work more often than not, but can be a bit tongue-trippy at times. The artwork is fake collage done with watercolors and colored pencils and inks, very well done, but perhaps a litttle overproduced? Just the tiniest bit? The kids seem to be siblings, but that's not made hugely clear, and they aren't diverse or minority, which is a shame, because the "story" doesn't require a static cast of characters to present the concept. I would have liked to see more and varied faces and bodies enjoying the boxes, rather than the same duo of "samey" white kids we always see. Very pretty, and artistically quite clever, but I sort of prefer the directness of Not a Box, or the more depthful friendship message in Big Friends.
Big Friends
Linda Sarah, illustrated by Benji Davies
ISBN: 9781627793308
Birt and Etho are Big Friends, and they love taking their giant cardboard boxes up to the top of the nearby hill and playing fantastic games with them. Until Shu, a younger boy, gets up the nerve to ask to play also, and suddenly being a trio is just too much for Birt. He bails and sulks and avoids the other two boys until they come by his house with an amazing cardboard construction to share - maybe a trio isn't so bad after all?
Not a Box
Antoinette Portis
ISBN: 9780061123221
This is like the platonic ideal of a box book. A cute little black outlined bunny and box appear on each spread, with a question about what the bunny is doing with/at/in that box? Answers are on the next spread, as the phrase "not a box" is repeated (with just enough variation and emphasis) alongside the same illustration of the bunny and box repeated, but with added red outlines of the imaginary item that the box is representing. Very very good interactive and fun super short book. Remember to use a good robot voice for one of the "this is not a box" repeats.
What to do With a Box
Jane Yolen, illustrated by Chris Sheban
ISBN: 9781568462899
This is like a more dreamlike and artistic version of Not a Box. Yolen's slant rhymes and strange cadences work more often than not, but can be a bit tongue-trippy at times. The artwork is fake collage done with watercolors and colored pencils and inks, very well done, but perhaps a litttle overproduced? Just the tiniest bit? The kids seem to be siblings, but that's not made hugely clear, and they aren't diverse or minority, which is a shame, because the "story" doesn't require a static cast of characters to present the concept. I would have liked to see more and varied faces and bodies enjoying the boxes, rather than the same duo of "samey" white kids we always see. Very pretty, and artistically quite clever, but I sort of prefer the directness of Not a Box, or the more depthful friendship message in Big Friends.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Tuesday Storytime: Puppies!
Some really cute books picked out by my coworker this week!
Puppy, Puppy, Puppy
Julie Sternberg, illustrated by Fred Koehler
ISBN: 9781629794662
Adorable bi-racial infant (and exhausted parents) trail around after a rambunctious puppy that beautifully shows the potentials of a strong bond between kids and pets.
Spot Goes to the Park (lift the flap)
Eric Hill
ISBN: 0399218335
Spot is a perennial favorite, especially so because the stories are so short and simplistic. We always have a lot of babies and very young or new toddlers, and a short interactive story like this sets them up for success.
Mister Bud Wears the Cone
Carter Goodrich
ISBN: 9781442480889
Bud and Zorro are pets together, and when Bud licks a hot spot, he has to wear the dreaded cone all day while the people are away. Zorro is a horrid tease about it, and the cone is awkward and clumsy, and by the end of the day poor Bud thinks he is a very bad dog indeed. The ending is upbeat and sweet, and Zorro gets his in the endpages.
Puppy, Puppy, Puppy
Julie Sternberg, illustrated by Fred Koehler
ISBN: 9781629794662
Adorable bi-racial infant (and exhausted parents) trail around after a rambunctious puppy that beautifully shows the potentials of a strong bond between kids and pets.
Spot Goes to the Park (lift the flap)
Eric Hill
ISBN: 0399218335
Spot is a perennial favorite, especially so because the stories are so short and simplistic. We always have a lot of babies and very young or new toddlers, and a short interactive story like this sets them up for success.
Mister Bud Wears the Cone
Carter Goodrich
ISBN: 9781442480889
Bud and Zorro are pets together, and when Bud licks a hot spot, he has to wear the dreaded cone all day while the people are away. Zorro is a horrid tease about it, and the cone is awkward and clumsy, and by the end of the day poor Bud thinks he is a very bad dog indeed. The ending is upbeat and sweet, and Zorro gets his in the endpages.
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