Long Time, No See!

I am sorry to have been away for so long!

 Book reviews will resume this week! 

Children's Book Week Part Deux!

In celebration of Children's Book Week, here is a few of my favorite books for storytime! 

Book! Book! Book! By Deborah Bruss

So sweet!  What are the animals to do when their boy goes off to school? They go to the library!

Little Bear's Boat By Eve Bunting

What's a bear to do when he is too big for his little boat? 

Bringing Rain to Kapiti Plain By Vera Aardema

I wish for rain and a wonderful rhyme!  

Room on the Broom By Julia Donaldson

My very favorite Halloween book!  Such a fun rhyme that lends itself easily to  audience participation!

Library Lion By Michelle Knudsen

Everyone is welcome in the library! As long as there is no running!

Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root

A fun, family adventure!  

Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt

Another fun one for eliciting lots of participation!  

Daffodil by Emily Jenkins

Everyone should be able to chose their own party dresses! 

Stella Luella's Runaway Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst

I can't imagine doing a school visit without Stella!  Everyone loves a good mystery. 

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

My favorite book to take to teach storytime techniques to the child development class at the high school. Perfectly sweet! 

  Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

What's funnier than a duck riding bike?  A whole barnyard of animals riding bikes!

Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone 

The best interpreter of folktales for storytime that I've come across and this is my very favorite.  


I could go on and on but then what would I post tomorrow?

Children's Book Week!

Happy Children's Book Week!
It's the perfect time to re-read an old favorite or learn some great new titles and authors- especially if you know, work with, or are related to some children!

In honor of the occasion I will recommend some of my personal favorites this week.

So in no particular order, here are just a few (I have hundreds!) of my favorite middle grade novels.

 

Walk two Moons- by Sharon Creech

 

On My Honor- by Marion Dane Bauer

 

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

 

Everything on a Waffle- by Polly Horvath

 

When you reach me- by Rebecca Stead 

 

House of Tailors- by Patricia Reilly Giff 

Lizzie Bright & the Buckminster Boy- by Gary Schmidt

What are some of yours?

A Pair of Picture Books!

Julie Fogliano and Erin E. Stead have created a delightful tale about waiting patiently for spring.  This story is gentle and thoughtfully paced, and the promise of spring and all her beauty is fully realized.  Erin Stead's illustrations are a perfect compliment to Fogliano's prose.  And Then It's Spring is great new addition to my spring story-time collection and well deserving of the Caldecott Award that was bestowed upon it and its creators this January.

  

Boot & Shoe written and illustrated by two time Caldecott Honoree Marla Frazee is the story of 2 dogs content to live together, but exist separately- Boot is a back porch kind of dog and while Shoe prefers the front porch.  This arrangement seems to be working out fine, until a squirrel comes to the yard and causes quite a calamity.  A sweet, fun and funny book for my dog story-time! I am a big fan of Frazee's work and Boot & Shoe are a great addition!

 

 

Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff

Lisa Graff, author of Umbrella Summer has created a magical world in Pougkeepsie, NY ( a rather ordinary place, I have found) where nearly everyone has a special Talent.  And yes, that's Talent with a capital T.

Each chapter tells the story of a different person's gift and their life's path and the culmination of all these situations is the tangle referenced in the title.  Graff manages to take every quirky circumstance and tie all of these knots into a beautiful, magical bow.

At the forefront of A Tangle of Knots is Cady, the orphaned cake baker with an affinity for knowing the perfect cake for each person she meets.  Cady lives with Miss Mallory at the Home for Lost Girls and she has a knack for finding the perfect family for each of her charges, except of course, Cady, who cheerfully bakes Adoption Day cakes for all of the girls who eventually leave the home.  

Across town The Owner of the Lost Luggage Emporium is bitterly carrying the baggage (pun intended, sorry) of his lost family treasure while his upstairs tenants; The Ashers, troublesome Zane and Will; Marigold, who is searching desperately for her Talent and terrified that she'll only be Simply Fair and Mrs. Asher, the incredible knitter and Mom, are each harboring their own secret. 

With quirky, fun characters and recipes* this story evoked Polly Horvath's delightful Everything on a Waffle.  And the serendipitous world in which they reside, full of secrets and Talents, reminded me of Ingrid Law's lovely Savvy.  Thoroughly enjoyable, but you need to pay close attention to see how everything and everyone ties together.  


*Warning! Recipes will make you long for a trip to the bakery.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

 

Wonder R.J. Palacio’s debut novel is topping all of the Best Books of 2012 lists, and with good reason.  Wonder is joyful and sad and beautiful.

Auggie Pullman is about to start 5^th grade at Beecher Prep, a rather progressive school in Upper Manhattan.  Auggie has been home schooled up to this point in his life because he was born with severe facial deformities that have required surgeries, hospitalizations and constant care and attention. 

While Auggie’s looks have always garnered stares and unwanted attention,  he was generally safe in the cocoon provided by his family: Mom, Dad, big sister Via, his beloved dog, Daisy, the dog and a few friends.  All that changes when Auggie agrees to attend Beecher Prep.  While transition is difficult, Augie perseveres.  

This is a family story, a school story, a story of self discovery and self acceptance.  I read it in one sitting.  While I was captivated by Auggie and how he grows, the novel also features some full realized secondary characters like:  Auggie’s sister,  Via, and her estranged friend Miranda, and Summer who befriends Auggie in the dreaded cafeteria.    Although, the story is primarily Auggie’s, I enjoyed the alternating narrators and felt it helped us to learn about Auggie struggles and the effects on their family through others, specifically Via. 

Everyone is struggling.  Auggie works at adapting to school and the inevitable cliques, friends and bullies. Via is trying hard to figure out where she fits in the family as Auggie’s sister and protector and to find her place in her own new school and with and without friends.  Their parents are on new shaky ground, wanting Auggie to spread his wings, attend school and make friends and terrified how the world will react to Auggie’s deformities. Everyone learns  to cope and there is much humor and hope along the way.  

Our Mother Daughter Book Club recently read Wonder and everyone’s sentiments echo my own.  Wonder is thoughtful and well written and so worthwhile.   I think you should run to the library and get a copy today!  And it wouldn’t hurt to have some tissues handy!  

Picture Book Pile!

So, I haven't posted in a little while, but I have been scouting library shelves and reading books!  

Here are a bunch of the JPs I have recently enjoyed and can't wait to share in a story-time soon!

Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas is a great, fun story/song for pajama stories!  

In the great tradition of Sandra Boynton this story features silliness, a song, cartoony fun illustrations and happy ending to get everyone ready for some sweet dreams! 

 Oh! What a Surprise by Suzanne Bloom

 Goose, Bear and Squirrel- the stars ( I am big fans of all three) of Bloom's A Splendid Friend, Indeed, Treasure and What About Bear? are back!  Bloom's sweet simple drawings and storyline create a warmhearted and fun story about the joy of giving as well as receiving.  So sweet! 

Read to Tiger 
by S.J. Fore and illustrations by R.W. Alley

When you are trying to read, a tiger, no matter how fun or friendly, behind your couch, playing with trains or doing karate can be rather distracting.  

This is an excellent, fun new addition to my story time collection and a great companion to other quirky animal books like Diane Goode's Tiger Trouble or Michelle Knudsen's The Library Lion .

Lemonade in Winter
by Emily Jenkins with illustrations by G. Brian Karas

One of my favorite authors have teamed up with one of favorite illustrators (you should see the drawing he did for me when he signed my copy of Home on the Bayou) to create a story about a brother and sister and their February lemonade stand.  They show the nay-sayers, stick together and have a good time and a special treat with the profit. 

Karas' sweet illustrations and Jenkin's plot of sibling team-work also teaches some great, simple lessons about counting money- an excellent teaching tool for us visual learners.  

Proof that lemonade and teamwork are tasty in any season!