Books for Kids

The Dog Who Cried Wolf by Keiko Kasza

2005-12-04T23:28:00.000-05:00

The Dog Who Cried Wolf is a cute story with lots of funny illustrations by Keiko Kasza. Moka is a dog sick of being dressed and having pretend tea parties. One day his owner Michelle reads to him a book about wolves. Moka dreams about the freedom that would come from being wolf. He runs away to become a wolf and quickly realizes that he doesn't have the necessary skills to survive in the wild.

Ages: 3-7
Keywords: Dogs, Pets, Wolves, Freedom, Imagination, Reading

If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen

2005-11-12T00:16:00.000-05:00

Chris Van Dusen, the author and illustrator of Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee, is back with another fun rhyming story. Young Jack tells his father about the perfect car he would design in the book, If I Built A Car. Jack thinks of every feature imaginable - safety, environmental, fun, and practicality. The story is told in a series of fun rhymes. Van Dusen's retro illustrations look fantastic...check out details like the reflections in chrome fenders. Sure to please lots of imaginative young car fans.

Keywords: Cars, Inventions, Rhyming, Retro, Imagination, Fathers and Sons
Ages: 3 to 9

Fly Guy #01: Hi, Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold

2005-09-15T01:05:00.000-04:00

Tedd Arnold is back with another great book! Hi! Fly Guy is the story of a boy searching for the perfect pet. The boy captures a fly, and everyone tells him that a fly is not a pet, it is a pest. But the boy and fly end up making a good pair for many reasons.

Tedd Arnold has written this as a chapter book, but it is written as a very easy chapter book for those kids just beginning to read. It is written very simply, but it is still lots of fun. The story and graphics are funny and gross (as we expect from Tedd Arnold), and it should be very appealing to lots of young boys. Arnold has always drawn buggy eyes, and it is great to actually see them on some bugs. The book cover also has a very entertaining holographic design which will entertain curious young children as well.

Rumor is Tedd Arnold has more books planned in the Fly Guy series, and I can't wait to see them.

Keywords: Flies, Pets, Boys, Pet Shows, Holograms, Funny, Gross, Bugs

Ages: 4 to 8

Black Meets White by Justine Fontes, illustrated by Geoff Waring

2005-09-15T00:54:00.000-04:00

Black Meets White is simple, but engaging pop-up book that tells the story of when black met white. It is the story of two opposites that make lots of interesting combinations (polka dots, checkerboards, stripes, and grey) when they come together.

The book is aimed at younger ages, but I think readers of all ages will be able to take something from the story.

Keywords: Black, White, Color, Art, Combinations
Ages: 5 and under (but really good for all ages)

Wiggle by Cronin, illustrated by Scott Menchin

2005-07-05T01:15:00.000-04:00

Wiggle is a fun toddler book by Doreen Cronin best know for Click, Clack, Moo and Diary of a Worm. There is no real story here, just a fun rhyme about wiggling. Ways to wiggle, where to wiggle, and who to wiggle with. It will be a great read aloud that will get every wiggling and giggling out of their seat. Scott Menchin's art work is very colorful and adds to the fun of this silly little book.

Keywords: Wiggle, Movement, Rhymes
Ages: 5 and under

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan Mcdonald, illustrated by Peter Reynolds

2005-07-05T01:03:00.000-04:00

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid is a fun book for kids just starting out on chapter books. Stink is the nickname for James Moody (brother to Judy Moody--who has her own series of books). Stink is upset because he is too short and he isn't growing (and having to put up with teasing from his big sister, Judy). The chapters each work well as individual stories. And the chapters are separated by fun comics in which Stink is able to imagine himself with superpowers.

Keywords: Siblings, Shortness, Differences, President's Day, Newts, Comics

Ages: 6 to 9

The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

2005-05-23T00:23:00.000-04:00

The Gruffalo's Child is the sequel to one of my favorite children's books The Gruffalo, though as I began this review I realized I had never really written a review of the first book, plus I had left the book of my best of 2004 list where it clearly belonged near the top. When I saw that Julia Donaldson had written a sequel, I was both excited and nervous. The Gruffalo is such a perfect book; a fantastic blending of story, language, and artwork.

So the quick question, is The Gruffalo's Child as good as The Gruffalo? No, but its really really close. The rhyming flow of language is fantastic and Scheffler's artwork is probably even a little better since the previous book. My only complaint, and it is a nitpicky complaint---the story seems a little contrived. In the original book, the mouse was trying to get out of a jam by telling a story about a horrible monster; but in the sequel the Gruffalo's child actually goes out in search of trouble. It still works as a story, just not as smoothly as before. Will I still use this book for read alouds? Most definitely, because it is still better than 90% of the other picture books out there.

Keywords: Monsters, Adventure, Rhyming, Outdoors, Animals, Problem Solving

Ages: 4-8

Powell's Books - The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson

Mudball by Matt Tavares

2005-05-23T00:03:00.000-04:00

Mudball is a great story for any kids that you know that are baseball nuts. It is also a great story for anyone who has been picked on for not being good enough or big enough to do something. This is the true story of Andy Oyler, a minor league baseball player, who in 1903 hit the world's shortest homerun ever. Its a fun story and the beautiful artwork of Matt Tavares captures the rainy day dreariness and confusion of the players perfectly.

Keywords: Baseball, History, Sports, Underdogs

Ages: 7 and up

Baby Brains by Simon James

2005-03-28T03:24:00.000-05:00

Baby Brains is a funny picture book about what happens when parents push their children far too hard. Mr. and Mrs. Brains do everything to make sure that their soon to be born child will be as smart as possible. They get what they want, and Baby Brains is immediately going to school, college, and medical school. When he flying in outer space as a baby astronaut he suddenly realizes that he wants to be a baby and he wants his mommy. Its a cute, fast paced story that will give most kids a giggle.

Keywords: Babies, Achievement, Mothers, Humor

Ages: 5-8

Powell's Books - Baby Brains by Simon James

Monkey Business by Wallace Edwards

2005-03-28T03:17:00.000-05:00

Monkey Business is a fantastically written and artistically drawn book about idiomatic language. The pictures are so detailed that readers will be able to read this book over and over again. This book should appeal to lovers of the I Spy series of books.

Keywords: Idioms, Language, Monkeys, Animals

The Little Gentleman by Philippa Pearce, illustrated by Tom Pohrt

2005-03-28T03:14:00.000-05:00

The Little Gentleman is a fantasy book about the relationship between a girl and a mole. Strange premise yes, but it works. This chapter book explores friendship, magic, reading, responsibility, and growing older. The book grows on you the deeper and deeper you go. One word of warning for those slightly squeamish readers--the book has a very detailed and bloody altercation between two animals (I won't say more to maintain the surprise of the story).

Keywords: Magic, Friendship, Moles, Reading, England, sacrifice, Maturity

Ages: 8 to 12 (see warning)

Ten Little Elvi by Laura Henson & Duffy Grooms, Illustrations by Dean Gorissen

2005-03-05T01:03:00.000-05:00

I don't have much patience for children's books that are more novelty items than books, but I must say that I loved Ten Little Elvi by Laura Henson and Duffy Grooms. It's not that I'm an Elvis fan, because I'm not. So what was it? The book was just done so well. Fantastic rhymes. Fantastic pictures. There really isn't much new that can be done with counting books, and yet the writers of Ten Little Elvi managed to find an original and very fun subject (for Kid's counting books at least). Check this book out, you will laugh and love it. The final line of the book sealed the deal (I would share it, but I don't want to ruin the big finale!)

Keywords: Counting, Elvis, Impersonators, Music, Rock and Roll

Ish by Peter H Reynolds

2005-03-05T00:50:00.000-05:00

Ish is a fantastic book about creativity and following one's dreams. Ramon is a young boy who loves to draw, "Anytime. Anything. Anywhere." When his older brother makes fun of his drawings, Ramon becomes discouraged and almost gives up. His younger sister sees Ramon's skill and love of drawing and encourages his brother. Ramon's love for drawing grows and extends to other creative endeavors. This book shows how other's words have such strong power over us. The whimsical drawings capture the spirit of the book wonderfully.

Keywords: Creativity, Encouragement, Discouragement, Siblings, Art, Emotions

A Sweet Smell of Roses by Johnson, Illustrated by Eric Velasquez

2005-03-04T23:35:00.000-05:00

A Sweet Smell of Roses is the story of two girls who sneak away from their mother to join Dr. King and many others in one of the Freedom Marches. This would be a good book for introducing Civil Rights to younger children. The message is very positive and the threat of violence toward the marchers is only hinted at.

Eric Velasquez's pencil and charcoal drawings are amazing. Each picture has just the smallest hint of red either on a teddy bear's bow, a flag's stripes, or a rose's petals. The red just draws the reader deeper into the pictures.

A fantastic thought provoking book.

Keywords: Civil Rights, Freedom, Martin Luther King, protest

The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard by Gregory Rogers

2005-02-15T01:09:00.000-05:00

The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, The Bard is a fun wordless picture story (dare I say comic book?) about a boy who finds himself transported back in time to the time of Shakespeare. Unfortunately the young boy is transported to the stage of the Globe Theatre disrupting one of Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare chases the young man through the streets of London. The boy is befriended by a bear which only adds to the humor of the story. There are lots of little details to discover on each subsequent read. This is an enjoyable romp for both the young and the old.

Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day by Gary Paulsen

2005-01-14T13:54:00.000-05:00

Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day is a cute story about that moment in time when one realizes that life is often not under are control. This story is about hyper-organized Molly McGinty and one day of horrible luck at junior high, much of which is related to her eccentric grandmother tagging along and causing an extreme amount of funny chaos.

A quick fun read.

The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events (Book #01) by Lemony Snicket (Chapter Book)

2005-01-04T04:22:00.000-05:00

With a title like The Bad Beginning no one should be suprised that this book will be filled with lots of bad things. This is the first in a series of stories about the Baudelaire children, who very soon in the story become orphans after their parents die in a horrible house fire. Things only seem to get worse for these kids after becoming orphans. The story is told very humorously, but in a very twisted way.

Ages: 9 and up
Keywords: Death, Orphans, Siblings, Mystery

Lesson Plan Ideas: This is another one of those books that as a teacher I don't think I would use in a class setting. A much better book for kids to discover on their own when they are ready for it.

My Little Sister Hugged an Ape by Bill Grossman, Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

2005-01-04T04:12:00.000-05:00

My Little Sister Hugged an Ape is by the creators of the hilarious (and often disgusting) counting book, My Little Sister Ate One Hare. This time Grossman and Hawkes have created an ABC book that will appeal to young children and early elementary students also. The sister is back and she is on a hugging spree, hugging a wide range of animals from apes to zebras.

Lots of silly things happen as the sister hugs each of the animals, some funny, and once again many disgusting. Once again the story is told in an easy to follow rhyming pattern. My only complaint about the book, is that it might be a little long for the youngest of readers. But once again a big thumbs up for the work of Grossman and Hawkes.

Keywords: Alphabet, Sisters, Animals, Humor, Rhyme
Ages: 3 to 8

Lesson Plan Ideas: As a class create an ABC poster of animals. Discuss some of the animals from the story that may not be familiar to the reader such as yaks, ferrets, and umbrella birds.

Best Picture Books for Kids - 2004

2004-12-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

It seemed fitting with this being the end of the year that I should make a list of my favorite books for kids from the past year. These are books that have stuck in my head since the first time that I read them, and that I have reread multiple times this year. These books weren't necessarily published in 2004, but I did first read and review them during 2004.

1. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

2. Sometimes I'm Bombaloo by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Yumi Heo

3. Guji Guji by Chih Yuan Chen

4. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

5. The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

6. My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza

7. How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

8. Parts by Tedd Arnold

9. Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin (also Giggle, Giggle, Quack and Duck for President)

10. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner

11. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley

12. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss

13. My Pig Amarillo by Satomi Ichikawa

14. Olivia by Ian Falconer

15. The Road to Mumbai by Ruth Jeyaveeran

16. Alice the Fairy by David Shannon

17 & 18. Home and Window by Jeannie Baker

19. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long, illustrated by David Shannon

20. Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee

Best Chapter Books for Kids and Teens - 2004

2004-12-31T20:05:00.000-05:00

These are some of my favorite chapter books from 2004, they are aimed at a wide age range of children, from 8 to 18. These books weren't necessarily published in 2004, but I did first read them in 2004. All books link back to my original reviews.

1. The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant) by Avi

2. The Fall of Fergal: Or Not So Dingly in the Dell (Unlikely Exploits #01) by Philip Ardagh

3. The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian (TEEN BOOK)

4. Regarding the Fountain, by Kate Klise, illustrations by M. Sarah Klise

5. Shooter by Walter Dean Myers (TEEN BOOK)

6. Mermaid Mary Margaret by Lynn Hazen

7. The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer

8. Rock Star, Superstar by Blake Nelson (TEEN BOOK)

Two books that I did not review, but that would definitely make my llist for this year (and probably be right near the top) would be:

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Tale of Despereaux (being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread) by Kate DiCamillo

Guji Guji by Chih Yuan Chen

2004-12-30T02:14:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love Guji Guji, and every child that I have read the story to has loved it also. Guji Guji is the story of a crocodile who is raised as a duck. As Guji Guji grows older some other crocodiles make Guji Guji aware that he is not really a duck, and they try to convince them to trick the ducks into becoming dinner for the crocodiles. Guji Guji resists the crocodile's pressure and saves his duck family.

This is a simple (and very funny) story that is a great introduction to the dangers of peer pressure and doing what is right. The message is not at all heavy handed. Chen's drawings are a treat to look at.

Ages: 3 to 8
Keywords: Family, Ducks, Crocodiles, Peer Pressure, Humor

Lesson Plan Ideas: A good story to introduce either a health or social studies lesson on peer pressure.

Discussion Questions:
1. What else could Guji Guji have done to save the ducks?
2. What special talents do you think "crocoducks" have?
3. Why did Guji Guji feel closer to the other ducks than to the crocodiles?
4. What do you do when someone else asks you to do something that is wrong?

Meanwhile Adventures by Roddy Doyle, illustrated by Brian Ajhar (Chapter Book)

2004-12-14T16:52:00.000-05:00

I am a big fan of Roddy Doyle's adult books (The Commitments, The Van, The Snapper, A Star Called Henry), but I am beginning to think that he is an even better children's writer. When I was reading The Meanwhile Adventures, I could picture the story was being read to me by a slightly strange and funny uncle. The sort of uncle who likes to share fart and poop jokes with his nieces and nephews, and is always going off on some silly tangent. And I mean that all in a very good way.

Trying to describe the plot of The Meanwhile Adventures is difficult because their are so many different things happening; hence the title, Meanwhile X is happening, Meanwhile Y is happening. There is a mother trying to break the record for running around the world without telling anyone. Meanwhile there is a father in jail for attempted bank robbery with a saw. Meanwhile there are children trying to get their father out of jail, avoid the orphan catcher, and save the world. Oh yeah, and there is a talking dog. Oh yeah, and there are the tangents about figrolls, Irish setters, Irish music, and much more. Basically, this book isn't so much about the plot, but about the telling of the story. And Doyle tells the story superbly.

Ages: 7 to 12
Keywords: Almost Anything and Everything, Talking Dogs, World Records, Adventures, Ireland, Family, Siblings

Lesson Plan Idea: Geography: Show Mrs. Billie Jean Fleetwood-Mac's journey around the world, according to the route taken in the book.

Discussion Questions:
1. Why did the author include a glossary with the story?
2. Why do you think Kayla only said, "Who are you?", and why do you think Victoria only said, "Batteries included"? How did Rover and their siblings understand them?
3. Who was your favorite character in the story? Why?

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (Picture Book)

2004-12-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

Officer Buckle and Gloria was the 1996 Caldecott Medal winner for best illustrated children's book.

Officer Buckle likes to visit schools and share his collection of safety tips. The children don't pay much attention to Officer Buckle's speeches. One day Officer Buckle gets a canine partner, Gloria, and all of a sudden the kids are paying lots of attention during the Officer's speeches. Officer Buckle doesn't realize that the children are actually paying attention to Gloria's silly stage antics. Officer Buckle's feelings are hurt and he stops giving his talks, Gloria misses Officer Buckle and she refuses to perform for the children. A safety disaster strikes a school, and Officer Buckle and Gloria realize that they need each other.

This is a funny story about friendship. The illustrations are funny, but they need to be looked at closely to appreciate all of Gloria's silly tricks, so it is not the best book if you are doing a read-aloud for a large group.

Ages: 3-8
Keywords: Friendship, Police, Dogs, Safety

Lesson Plan Idea: Health Class-Make a poster of safety tips.

Discussion Questions:
1. Why did Officer Buckle stop giving his safety speeches?
2. Why did Gloria stop performing tricks for the children?
3. How do you think Gloria learned her tricks?
4. Why is it important to always stick with your buddy?

When the Pigs Took Over by Arthur Dorros, illustrated by Diane Greenseid

2004-12-08T12:50:00.000-05:00

When the Pigs Took Over is a story of two brothers who operate a restaurant in a small Mexican village. The older brother, Don Carlos, always wants more (más) of everything. One day he decides to add snails to his restaurant menu. Of course he gets too many snails which causes more and more problems for the village. Eventually the younger brother, Alonzo, saves the day for the village.

This is a cute and funny story. It is also good introduction to the Spanish language (a glossary is included for the eight Spanish words and phrases that are introduced). The illustrations are quite comical as Greenseid attempts to fit more snails, pigs, and birds into each and every picture. Kids will enjoy studying the pictures to see some of the strange places where the animals find themselves.

Ages: 3-8
Keywords: Brothers, Animals, Mexico, Spanish language, Self-control
Lesson Plan Ideas: Math: For younger children have them count the number of snails, pigs, or birds on a single page. For older children have them create a pictograph of the number of snails, pigs, and birds in the book.

The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit by Christopher Wormell

2004-12-06T01:56:00.000-05:00

The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit is a fantastically written and drawn book, but I'm not sure to whom I would ever give or read this book. That doesn't quite make sense does it. It is the story of an very ugly monster who doesn't have any friends because he is so ugly. The ugly monster ends up making himself a friend out of stone, a small rabbit. Then after many years the monster dies, and all that remains is the stone rabbit. I let my wife read this book, and she was so sad and depressed when she finished it that I had to find her a funny happy book to clear her mind.

So even though this is a well written, and interesting story, I'm not really sure it would be appropriate for any young child to hear, unless you are willing to deal with the consequences.

Ages: 4 to 8 (but read the book for yourself before reading it to a child)
Keywords: Companionship, Death, Loneliness, Sadness

Lesson Plans: None, because I wouldn't use this in a class setting.

So Say The Little Monkeys by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by Yumi Heo

2004-12-04T16:26:00.000-05:00

So Say the Little Monkeys is a retelling of a Brazilian folk tale that explains why "blackmouth" monkeys do not make homes, and instead live in thorny palm trees. This is a fun read aloud book, because of the use of lots of repetitious sounds such as "jibba, jibba, jabba". This is the story of a group of monkeys who would rather play all day than work. Yumi Heo's illustrations are simplistic, yet full of colorful detail at the same time. This is a great read for those who enjoy folk tales from around the world.

Ages: 3 to 7
Keywords: Folk Tales, Brazil, Monkeys, Work, Play

Lesson Plan Idea: Write your own folk tale that explains why your favorite animal lives where it does.

Note: I usually include a link to the books I review at Powell's Books, but they did not have this particular book in stock.

Goodnight Lulu by Paulette Bogan

2004-12-01T13:35:00.000-05:00

Goodnight Lulu is the story of a Momma Chicken putting her daughter, Lulu to sleep. Lulu is very worried about all the other animals that could possibly bother her during the night. Each time Lulu asks about a different animal, Momma Chicken reassures Lulu what she will do to protect her daughter. The drawings are simple, yet vibrant. This is a great story for all those kids who find something to worry about as they try to fall asleep.

Ages: 3-7
Keywords: Nighttime, Sleeping, Worries, Fear, Farm Life, Family

Lesson Plan Ideas: Health---What are some ways that you can deal with your worries and fears. Create a poster -- half filled with things that make you afraid, and the other half filled with the people and things that protect you.

Don't Let the Peas Touch!: And Other Stories by Deborah Blumenthal, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

2004-12-01T13:27:00.000-05:00

Don't Let the Peas Touch! is a set of three stories about the relationship between two sisters. Like most siblings Sophie and Annie like to fight about almost anything, in this book they have disagreements about food, quiet, and pets. In the end they always work to solve their problems on their own with very satisfying results. This is a cute set of stories sure to be enjoyed by young sisters everywhere.

Ages: 4-8
Keywords: Sisters, Sibling Rivalry, Family, Girls, Cooperation, Compromise

Lesson Plan Ideas: Social Studies--What are some ways that your family works together when there is a problem? Talk about cooperation.

Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise

2004-11-30T17:25:00.000-05:00

Regarding the Fountain is a very unique book created by the Klise sisters. It is the story of a school principal who attempts to order a new drinking fountain for his school, but instead makes contact with a fountain designer who creates the perfect fountain for the school. In the mean time the students, teachers, and staff of the school uncover a town mystery. The story is told in a series of letters, memos, postcards, newspaper articles, and other assorted discovered documents. There is a lot for a reader to discover in this book.

This should appeal to all those students who like mysteries, history, or just being nosey. The designs and illustrations contained in the book are as much of a treat as the story.

Ages: 8-13
Keywords: Letter Writing, Discovery, Imagination, Creativity, Community, Corruption, Pen Pals

Lesson Plan Idea: Art/Language Arts - Have students write a letter to Florence Waters describing the type of drinking fountain that would be most appropriate for their school, and explain why. Include appropriate illustrations.

Rock Star, Superstar by Blake Nelson (TEEN BOOK)

2004-11-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

Rock Star, Superstar is the newest book by Blake Nelson, most likely best known for his mid-90's book Girl. Like Girl, this book examines teenage life in the Pacific Northwest. In Rock Star, Superstar the book revolves around Pete McGrady who more than anything loves to play the bass. He plays the bass in his school's jazz band and he is also playing bass in a fledgling cover band. Soon Pete is recruited to be in an up and coming "alt-rock" band. Being in the band affects everything, relationships, family, school, and work.

An interesting book for anyone who has every wanted to be in a band. It does not paint an overly glamorous picture of band life, Pete gets screwed over by his bandmates a number of times. It also deals a lot with Pete and his new girlfriend. This book is aimed at teenagers so there is a moderate amount of sex (but Nelson is never very graphic when writing about it) and a large amount of drinking and smoking pot. He does a good job of writing about sex because he talks openly about the ambivalent feelings that are often connected to it when starting out- Should I do it? Am I doing it for the right reasons? Am I doing it right? When can I do it again? What does it all mean?

Age Level: 14 and up
Keywords: Music, Rock, Bands, Coming of Age, Relationships, Sex

Lesson Plans: Not really appropriate for a class setting.

A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound by John Irving, illustrated by Tatjana Hauptmann

2004-11-23T14:07:00.000-05:00

This is the first children's book written by John Irving. The story actually developed from one of Irving's novels, A Widow for One Year, which is about a children's book author. There are lots of things that I liked about this book, especially the gorgeous illustrations by Tatjana Hauptmann (her drawing of Tom captures nighttime dishevelment perfectly and her use of shadows are fantastic); but I can not recommend this book as a children's book.

This book is aimed at those in the 4 to 8 year old crowd. It is a story that is supposed to be about calming down a child after a nightmare, but if anything I think it would make children even more nervous.

In the book Tom is woken up by a sound in his house, a sound that he will eventually describe to his father as, "a sound like someone trying not to make a sound." Very descriptive, but also a very scary idea. Tom's father tries to explain to him that the sound is just a mouse in the wall. The part of the story that I didn't like, is that Tom's baby brother, Tim, is in the room as their father explains about the mouse in the wall. Tim is far to young to know what a mouse is, all he knows is that there is a wet, slimy, furry, animal with no arms lurking behind the walls. Not exactly pleasant thoughts before drifting to sleep.

So I do not recommend this book as a book for children, but it does have an interesting story and gorgeous art work so it is still worth taking a look at.

Ages: Written for 4-8, but I would only think of giving this to someone 10 or older
Keywords: Nightmares, Scary Stories, Night, Mice, Shadows, Sounds, Brothers, Night

Lesson Plans: This might be an interesting book to use for Junior High or High School english to start an introduction about descriptive language. Write a description of an unknown sound.

Powell's Books - A Sound Like Someone Trying Not to Make a Sound by John Irving

Alice the Fairy by David Shannon

2004-11-21T23:43:00.000-05:00

Alice the Fairy is the newest book by David Shannon who is best known for his No, David series of books. This time he has chosen a female protagonist with equally humorous results.

Alice explains to the reader all the skills she has as a "temporary fairy." She can fly, she can turn her father into a horse, she can make it dark, and she can do many other things. Mainly Alice has a very strong imagination. Of course as you would expect in a David Shannon book, Alice's fairy skills also get her in trouble frequently with the Duchess (Mom).

This is a fun book that made me laugh. Alice the Fairy will be enjoyed by lots of young girls (and their parents) for many years. Also as is usual for a David Shannon book the illustrations really make the story and keep things moving along.

Ages: 3-6
Keywords: Girls, Humorous Stories, Magic, Fairy Princess, Mischief, Imagination

Lesson Plans: Creative Writing: If you were a fairy what magic skill would you most want? Why?

Humphrey, Albert, and the Flying Machine by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated by John Manders

2004-11-21T23:29:00.000-05:00

Humphrey, Albert, and the Flying Machine is a new take on the story of Sleeping Beauty. Humphrey and Albert are two brothers who have been invited to the birthday party of the local princess. As you might expect, an 8 and a 10 year old boy have a good word to describe a princess's fancy birthday party, boring.

Well excitement occurs for the boys when a witch shows up and casts a sleeping spell on the princess and everyone in attendance at the party. Everyone including the boys sleep for almost 100 years. Though it is never clearly explained, the boys some how wake up first and must find a way of breaking the sleeping curse on the princess and the other party-goers.

In their search for a handsome prince to kiss the princess and wake her up, the boys encounter the scientist and inventor, Daniel Bernoulli. Bernoulli is neither handsome nor a prince, but at least he is not boring.

Lasky concludes her book by telling the true story of Daniel Bernoulli. This made for an interesting mix of fairy tales and science. And the story was silly enough that even the boys that I have read this story to have managed to put up with the kissing silliness.

This is a fun book, with a very original adaptation of the Sleeping Beauty story. Thumbs up.

Keywords: Fairy Tales, Daniel Bernoulli, Science, Inventors, Boring, Flying
Ages: 5 to 10

Lesson Plan Ideas: What other fairy tales could be mixed with science?

Powell's Books - Humphrey, Albert, and the Flying Machine by Lasky/manders

The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant) by Avi

2004-11-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

I absolutely loved Avi's The End of the Beginning. It is such an amusing and sweet story about friendship, adventure, and imagination. The story is very reminiscent of the original Winnie-the-Pooh books. Avi does a wonderful job of playing with language that the reader will discover something new in each reading of the story. This is definitely one of those stories that you will want to read over and over.

Avon, a snail, decides he needs to have an adventure in his life. He has learned from all the books that he has read that adventures bring happiness. As he is leaving his home, he meets his neighbor, Edward, an ant. Edward decides to joing him on his adventures. This story definitely illustrates that it isn't where you go, but who you go with that makes for a great adventure.

Older kids might at first declare the story to be silly or stupid, but the deeper I read into the story even the most cynical kid was wanting to know what would happen next. The small pencil illustrations by Tricia Tusa are just the right addition for those beginning chapter book readers who might be willing to give this book a try.

I hope Avi decides to return to these characters again, because I think he has a winner on his hands.

Ages: All ages, this is a definite family book
Keywords: Adventure, Travel, Friendship, Imagination, Fantasy

Lesson plan ideas: Have children write their own song for marching. Have children compare and contrast Edward and Avon. Even though the two characters are very different, why are they such good traveling companions?

Even More Parts by Tedd Arnold

2004-11-07T13:48:00.000-05:00

Tedd Arnold has returned with yet another sequel to his fantastic book, Parts. Even More Parts is not a story like Parts or More Parts, but it is a collection of the strange things that adults often say to children. This is an excellent introduction to the use of idioms in language. On one page Arnold shows a teacher saying, "I want all eyes on me." Every student is shown throwing their eyeballs at the teacher. I am guilty of saying that to my students often, after reading this book I think I will need to be much more careful.

This is a very good book, but it does lose some points because it is not the same sort of rhyming and easily flowing book like Parts. Still it is an excellent introduction to lots of different idioms, and his illustrations are even more hilarious than in the previous two books. Each page also contains smaller illustrations to show related idioms.

Age Level: 4 to 8, but I could see using this with older children also
Keywords: Idioms, Language, Body Parts, Humor
Lesson Plan Ideas: An excellent introduction to idiomatic language. Have children illustrate other idioms with which they are familiar.

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

2004-11-07T01:05:00.000-05:00

What a gorgeously fantastic book! I am probably biased because I have been a lover of maps since I was a young boy. I spent many days looking through atlases and dreaming of far off places and people. The Red Book captures that feeling perfectly.

Barbara Lehman illustrates this story (there are no words, which only increases the magic of this book) about two children, with simple, yet colorful drawings. One child lives in a cold northern city, and the other child lives on some warm tropical island. Both children by chance discover the "red book" which shows them about another part of the world with maps and pictures. Their interest in learning more about each other grow until one sets out on a big adventure.

A big thumbs up for this book. This is easily one of my top 10 books of the past year.

Ages: All ages
Keywords: Maps, Discovery, Geography, Adventure, Wordless books, Imagination

Lesson Plans: I would consider using this book while introducing maps to a social studies class. Another possibility would be to use this for a writing exercise; students could write a story that would go along with the pictures.

Science Verse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

2004-11-07T00:52:00.000-05:00

I loved the previous book, Math Curse, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. I've used it frequently as a teacher to introduce math lessons. I smiled when I first saw Science Verse on the shelf and was expecting another fantastic book.

Sorry to say, but the book disappointed me. The authors couldn't decide whether they wanted Science Verse to be about poetry or about science. Often times I felt as if the science explanations were sacrificed to meet the constraints of using familiar poems.

Whereas Math Curse had a story that moved the discussion of math problems along, there was no story that moved one poem to the next. Were there some funny and educational poems in the book? Yes, and I'm sure I will use a few of the poems at one point or another while teaching, but I don't think Science Curse is a strong book when looked at as a whole.

A cd is included of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith reading the poems and adding some silliness to the reading also.

Age range: 8-14
Keywords: Science, Poetry, Evolution, Matter, Biology, Chemistry, Physics

The Road to Mumbai by Ruth Jeyaveeran

2004-11-03T15:44:00.000-05:00

The Road to Mumbai is the story of the journey through India of Shoba, a young girl, and her pet monkey, Fuzzy Patel. Fuzzy announces in the middle of the night to Shoba that they have been invited to a monkey wedding in Mumbai, India. Fuzzy is sort of a snob and he doesn't want anyone else to know about the wedding. Shoba and Fuzzy lose their way multiple times during their trip and must seek the help of many other characters including, camels, elephants, monks, a snakecharmer, a snake, and many Indians.

Fuzzy keeps trying to dissuade everyone from following them to the "boring" monkey wedding. But in the end all their new friends follow them to wedding and save the day.

This is a fun story about adventure, friendship, and imagination. Kids will love the rich colors of Jeyaveeran's drawings and all the interesting creatures and sights of India. This story works as a nice introduction to India for younger children and it includes some factual information including a map of India at the end of the book.

This is a good book, especially for someone specifically looking for something about India or other cultures. Its not one of the best books I've read this year, but I have no trouble recommending it to others.

Keywords: travel, imagination, India, wedding, animals, monkeys, other cultures, customs

Sometimes I'm Bombaloo by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Yumi Heo

2004-11-03T15:24:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I'm Bombaloo is a superb book that almost any child will be able to identify with immediately. It is the story of Katie Honors who most of the time is a pleasant girl, but sometimes Katie loses her temper and turns into the mean and crazy Bombaloo. Imagine if you will a young female Hulk!

This is a great book for young children and older children who are learning to deal with their emotions. Katie learns the consequences of her actions but she also learns that her feelings are part of her that she must learn to understand. She also learns that her family will always love her even if she does occasionally turn into Bombaloo.

The story is fantastic, but Yumi Heo's illustrations turn this book into something extra special. The colorful drawings that explode and fill the page are amazing. The drawings capture the changing moods perfectly.

I have shared this book with library read-alouds with pre-school aged children and with second and third graders in elementary schools----and both groups, boys and girls, immediately connect with this story. All children have those scary bad moods that even manage to scare themselves. They like this story because it lets them know that it happens to everyone.

I look forward to seeing more books created by Rachel Vail and Yumi Heo. This book is a definite big thumbs up.

Keywords: emotions, anger, fear, siblings, family, love

Lesson ideas: This would be a great book to use for a health class for introducing the topic of emotions.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

2004-11-01T18:33:00.000-05:00

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is a great read aloud book by Mo Willems. The reader is given the task of keeping pigeon from driving a bus. The pigeon pleads, begs, lies, offers bribes, makes up stories all in the attempt to drive the bus. Each time the pigeon asks to drive the bus the reader must tell the pigeon, No!

Kids love the opportunity to participate in this story, and they seem to like it better each time they read the story. Mo Willems pictures are very simple, but highly entertaining. I give this book a gigantic thumbs up!

Mo Willems has a great web page about all his work located at:
http://www.mowillems.com/

Parts by Tedd Arnold (2nd Review)

2004-11-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend with my four-year old niece (and other members of my wife's family). I brought along a bunch of my favorite books from the past several months to share with her. Of all the books that I read she told me that Parts was her favorite. Why because the book is silly and it has lots of funny and gross pictures. What's not to love, this book has it all boogers, loose teeth, peeling skin, and even dreaded ear wax.

Arnold's pictures are hilarious. His eyeballs are the absolute best. His writing is also great, lots of rhyming and a good cadence that keeps the book flowing. This is a great book for all young hypochondriacs in training. He has written two sequels, More Parts and Even More Parts.

Visit Tedd Arnold's web page at http://www.geocities.com/~teddarnold/.
*****Original review follows*****

Today was day 2 of my Story Corner program at the library. I read 4 books again: Turtle in the Sea, Players in Pigtails, Two Old Potatoes and Me, and Parts. My read aloud program isn't really geared at a specific age, but at everyone who is in the children's area of the library at 2 PM. I am reading to a group of anywhere from 3 to 20 kids ranging in age from 2 to 9 (older if we count the parents).

When I originally started the program I was going to have a weekly theme, but I've decided against that because I need to appeal to such a wide range of kids. The only part of the theme I am trying to stick to is starting each Story Corner session with a book that has to do with water or water creatures. Today's theme reading was Jim Arnosky's book Turtle in the Sea.

The book that had the biggest response was Parts written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold. Before you even read a word you can tell it is going to be funny because of Arnold's funny looking pictures---all the characters have oversized heads, undersized bodies, and big bulging eyes. You can't help but laugh.

Once you start reading the book gets even funnier...it is an account of the world's youngest hypochondriac. He thinks he is going bald, losing his brain, losing all his teeth....and that's just for starters. The kids were rolling in their seats laughing as one disgusting thing after another happened.

A big thumbs up.

Setting the Turkeys Free by W. Nikola Lisa, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max

2004-10-21T16:23:00.000-04:00

Setting the Turkeys Free is a very cute and creative book. It is the story of a boy who is finger painting and begins to make turkeys with the outline of his hand. Yes, just like kids have been doing in preschool for years! He gives each turkey special decorations and places all the turkeys into a pen made out of popsicle sticks.

Soon a fox enters the story and the boy has to protect the turkeys with changes to his drawing. In a way it sort of reminds me of The Little Prince, in the way that drawings come to life.

This is a fantastic book for the upcoming turkey making season. Teachers will love reading it, and students will love hearing it. It is a great book for teach problem solving, creativity, and imagination to young children. Ken Wilson-Max's bright illustrations mixed with finger painting are a joy to look at and should provide inspiration to lots of young artists.

Ages: 3-7
Keywords: Turkeys, Art, Fingerpainting, Problem Solving, Creativity, Courage, Friendship

Leaf Jumpers by Carole Gerber

2004-10-19T17:34:00.000-04:00

I didn't care for Leaf Jumpers. It was blah, the sort of book that you could have imagined was written during the 1950's or earlier. The book is written from a child's perspective of fall, but the problem is no real child would ever talk or act like this.

One positive thing about the book, I could see a teacher using the book just as an example of using adjectives and descriptive language. A teacher could also use it for a science class to teach the different types of leaves. But truthfully, I can't imagine a child sitting still to listen to this story.

Ages: 3-5

Keywords: Autumn, Fall, Leaves, Trees, Colors, Adjectives

The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer

2004-10-19T17:23:00.000-04:00

The Legend of Spud Murphy was a fun, short read. It is the story of two brothers, Marty and Will, who are forced to spend time in a library during the summer instead of getting into trouble at home.

Neither boy wants to spend time at the library for two reasons. First, it will be boring. Second, the librarian Mrs. "Spud" Murphy is evil and mean. She has been given the name "Spud" by the children of their neighborhood, because she supposedly keeps a potato gun at her desk to take care of problem children.

The first day they are at the library, Spud lays down the rules and tells the two brothers they are not to leave the carpet of the children's area. Marty decides he needs to test how serious Spud really is, and quickly gets into deep trouble. (I especially loved her punishment, and if I have my library job next summer I think might get a stamper of my own!)

With the two boys afraid to get into anymore trouble, they actually begin reading books in the library! They quickly read through every book in the children's area. Marty makes his brother sneak into the adult section to get another book for them to read---you will have to see for your self what happens next.

This is a great book, especially for boys who are hesitant about reading. Eoin Colfer (writer of Artemis Fowl series) promises there will be more books about the Woodman brothers and I can't wait to see where he takes the brothers next.

Ages 7-11

Keywords: libraries, books, brothers, mischief, humor, adventure, authority

Tru Confessions by Janet Tashjian

2004-10-12T20:09:00.000-04:00

Tru Confessions is a cute story about twelve year old Tru (Trudy). The story is written as a diary. Tru has lots of the same struggles as most twelve year old girls-friends, boys, school work, the usual. Tru is also struggling to deal with her twin brother, who happens to be developmentally delayed. Tru is also an aspiring video documentarian and much of the book is about her trying to capture and tell the story of her brother via a cable access contest.

It is a touching story, but it does a good job of not becoming overly sentimental, while still treating the subject with respect that it deserves.

Ages: 9-13
Keywords: Adolescence, siblings, empathy, mental retardation, diaries

Verdi by Janell Cannon

2004-10-06T01:28:00.000-04:00

Verdi is a wonderful story of a fun-loving young yellow snake who doesn't want to grow old and turn green. Verdi thinks all the other old green snakes are lazy, boring, and rude. The older snakes all try to give Verdi advice so he can protect himself and grow to an old age. Verdi ignores their advice and attempts to hide the changes that are occuring with him, and eventually hurts himself.

When Verdi must take a break to rest and recover, he finally starts to accept some of the wisdom of the older snakes, but also keeps a little part of his young crazy side alive also.

Cannon's illustrations are as beautiful as they are funny. The detail in her work is amazing. This is an excellent story for kids coming to grips with some of the physical and emotional changes of growing older.

Ages 6 to 11

Keywords: Aging, Maturity, Adolescence, Snakes, Respect, Risk-Taking, Nature

Unlikely Exploits #02: Heir of Mystery, or Four Legs Good by Phillip Ardagh

2004-10-04T21:21:00.000-04:00

Heir of Mystery, the second book in the Unlikely Exploits series is a funny and twisted continuation. Like the Fall of Fergal death plays a key role in the story. This is an excellent book for the Halloween season.

The story covers Fergal's funeral, and the discovery that Fergal's brain was not buried with the rest of his body. The McNally children spend the rest of the book trying to track down Fergal's missing brain and run into some very undesirable characters.

This was a good book, but it didn't grab me quite the same way that the Fall of Fergal did. There is no way that it could though, because the whole series seemed so unique at that point. With that said, this is still a very continuation. I admire Ardagh's writing style, it is like you are sitting with a crazy uncle and he is trying to tell you a story. Things aren't always told in a completely linear fashion, but he always takes a chance to answer the questions that the reader might be having as he reads along. One slight concern, which isn't a really a concern, but it does seem as if the vocabulary in Heir of Mystery is a little more challenging than in the Fall of Fergal. Not a bad thing, but just a thing for readers to be aware so that they don't get frustrated.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with the teddy bear in book 3, and of course what happens with Fergal.

Keywords: Mystery, Horror, Death, Medical Experimentation, Family, Dogs, Storytelling

Ages: 9 - 12 (but I think older children will also enjoy this story, as will adults)

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

2004-09-30T14:38:00.000-04:00

I loved Mo Willems previous book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and I think that his newest book Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale might even be better.

Willems takes would could have been a very simple story about a child losing a favorite stuffed animal and turns it into something wonderful for the whole family. It becomes a story about parenting, the frustration of not being understood, the frustration of not understanding, the beginning of language, and much more. The book instantly grabbed me, because of Willems' creative mixture of cartoon illustrations and photographs. I hope he certainly gives this style additional tries in the future (I hope some other writers and illustrators give this method a shot also). The photographs give it a richness and depth that is often missing from many books.

Oh and most of all, this book is absolutely hilarious. It is definitely a book that will be read many times.

Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer

2004-09-30T14:25:00.000-04:00

Olivia Saves the Circus is another fine picture book in the Olivia series by Ian Falconer. In this adventure Olivia is asked to tell her class about her vacation. As Olivia begins to tell the class about a visit to the circus her imagination gets the best of her, and soon Olivia has replaced all the usual performers in the circus.

As usual, Falconer's drawings are amazing. Especially the large foldout picture of Olivia imagining herself as the Queen of the Trampoline. Thinking of Falconer's artwork, I would love to see him write a wordless Olivia picture book. Think of the imaginative stories that kids could make up using his pictures!

Mermaid Mary Margaret by Lynn Hazen

2004-09-14T01:27:00.000-04:00

Mermaid Mary Margaret is the journal of a 4th grader who goes on a cruise in Greece with her grandmother, in place of her recently deceased grandfather. For such a young girl I think a lot is expected of her and I wondered how many parents would put their own child in this position. Once I let go of that question I was able to enjoy this very cute and touching story.

The cruise is populated mainly by a senior citizen crowd and her grandma spends a lot of time napping so it leaves Mary Margaret a lot of time to write in her journal and "wonder" about life. At one point she even makes up her own list of her seven wonders of the world. A lot of her wondering has to do with imagining to be a mermaid.

She does manage to have several adventures on the book and meet lots of interesting characters.

This is a very well written book, but it is filled with the sadness of losing a grandparent and probably even more sad, watching her grandmother try to cope with the loss of her grandfather. I think this will be a good story for some children, but for others they might not be able to cope with some of it. But overall, I give a big thumbs up to this book.

Teachers: This would be a great story to use when you are discussing longitude and latitude in class. Mary Margaret has to chart the longitude and latitude of every place she visits to make up for the school work she is missing.

Keywords: Death, Grandparents, Journals or Diaries, Travel, Greece, Sadness, Geography, Longitude and Latitude

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner

2004-09-07T00:05:00.000-04:00

Skippyjon Jones was one of my favorite read alouds of this past summer. Schachner has such lyrical pacing in her writing, plus it is hilariously funny. This is the story of a Siamese kitten with a very active imagination when he is sent to his room by his mother Skippyjon imagines that he is actually a Mexican Chihuahua. And not just any Chihuahua, but Skippito Jones a great sword fighter.

Skippito is picked by the other Chihuahuas to fight the great bandito who is stealing all the beans (red, black, boston baked, jelly, and more). Schachner works in lots of small Spanish words into the story (so definitely read it through before attempting a read aloud with this story).

This story has fantastic language, and lots of funny and suprising twists as it moves along. It also has good opportunities for audience participation (clapping and singing Skippito's song). And Schachner has added lots of colorful and fun illustrations that fill the whole page and will fascinate every child.

Definitely one of the top five books I've read this year.

Keywords: Imagination, Role Playing, Spanish, Dogs, Cats, Mothers, Adventure

The Fall of Fergal: Or Not So Dingly in the Dell (Unlikely Exploits #01) by Philip Ardagh

2004-09-06T02:25:00.000-04:00

This was a funny and twisted book. If Quentin Tarantino ever decided to write a children's book I suspect that it might end up being something like The Fall of Fergal, and I mean that in a good way. The story is told in a very non-linear fashion, but in an easy to understand fashion because the author speaks directly to the reader.

The book is twisted because it starts off with young Fergal McNally falling to his death from a 14th floor hotel room. The story then tracks backward trying to explain how and why Fergal fell out the room. This story has a drunk father, poor siblings being raised by the oldest sister both necessary components for a tale of pity.

The story revolves around one La Fey McNally attempting to win a typing contest (parts of it reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). I know you are saying a book about a typing contest---but yes it does work for this story, and it allows some other interesting characters in addition to the McNally family to enter the story.

I enjoyed this book and I am anxiously awaiting future books in the Unlikely Exploits book. There is much more that I still want to know about Fergal and the rest of the McNally's. Book 2 in the series is titled Heir of Mystery and is now available.

David Roberts contributes funny and unique illustrations to this story.

Most appropriate for ages 9 and up.

A website to learn more about Philip Ardagh is located at http://www.philipardagh.com.

Keywords: Death, Humor, Siblings, Family, Contests, Mystery

Looking for Bobowicz: A Hoboken Chicken Story by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Jill Pinkwater

2004-09-04T14:52:00.000-04:00

Looking for Bobowicz is the story of young Nick Itch whose parents have just made him move from their comfortable suburban life to Hoboken, New Jersey. On Nick's first day in Hoboken his bicycle is stolen by a mysterious phantom who everyone seems to know about, but that no one wants to talk about.

Nick and his two new friends Loretta and Bruno work together to solve the mystery while reading comic books and meeting the many interesting characters of their neighborhood.

This is a fun and silly book, and its all good clean fun (unlike a Captain Underpants or The Day My Butt Went Psycho------even though I do enjoy those). A funny mystery story with excellent characters that kids will love.

Good for ages 8-12.

Keywords: Moving, City Life, Humor, Mystery, Adventure, Problem Solving

Mallory on the Move by Laurie B. Friedman, illustrated by Tamara Schmitz

2004-09-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

Mallory on the Move is the story of 8-year old Mallory who is struggling with her families move to a town three hours away from her best friend. Mallory copes with an obnoxious older brother, the snobby girl who lives next door, and being true to her old best friend.

Mallory quickly becomes friends with the 8-year old boy who lives next door (after promising her best friend that neither would become friends with boys). The two 8-year olds share stupid jokes and learn to team up against their older siblings.

This is a fun and fast-paced book that I think will appeal to both boys and girls, especially anyone who has had to move before.

Tamara Schmitz's cartoon-style drawings are a nice touch. This book is a good one for younger readers (ages 7-10) who are a little bit past beginning chapter books, but aren't quite ready for the harder chapter books.

Keywords: Moving, Sibling Rivalry, Friendship, Wishes

Strong Storytelling Can Tally Up Math Skills

2004-08-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

Here is some very interesting research out of the University of Waterloo in Canada. Yet another reason why kids need to be exposed to books at a young age. I will see if I can find more of the research about the effects of storytelling at a young age.

I should have some more book reviews up in just a few days.

The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian

2004-08-11T01:29:00.000-04:00

This book completely sucked me in, unlike any book that I have read in a long time. Yes, at points it seemed very far-fetched. But even with it being far-fetched you wanted it to be real. Janet Tashjian drew me in with her characters that I truly wanted to know more about. Larry is so fantastically idealistic and flawed at the same time that one can't help but love him. He is idealistic in only a way that a teen can be.

This is how good the book was...I started reading the Gospel According to Larry on Friday night and by Sunday morning I had finished it, and its sequel Vote for Larry. It has been quite a while since I've consumed books like this.

Larry struggles to fit in with our materialistic and media driven society. Larry turns the tables and opens the eyes, but eventually has to suffer for his bucking of the system.

It is probably most appropriate for those 13 and older to get a full grasp on some of the concepts. This is definitely a book that will raise consciousnesss and discussions. I can't wait to see the next book in the trilogy.

Definitely check out "Larry's" website to find out more.

My Pig Amarillo by Satomi Ichikawa

2004-08-09T15:03:00.000-04:00

My review won't be that objective for that book. I loved this story of Pablito and his pet pig, Amarillo because it took place in the tiny Guatemalan village of Todos Santos. Todos Santos is a place I was lucky enough to visit during the Spring of 2000.

Ichikawa's illustrations are absolutely stunning....even though she does not mention the village by name I knew it immediately by her colorful drawings of people, buildings, and geography.

Her story is cute and touching. It is about Pablito, a young boy who raises and evenutally loses his pet pig. Pablito is filled with the same sadness as anyone who has lost a pet feels. His grandfather helps him come to grips with his loss by practicing the ancient custom of sending a message to the deceased on All Saints Day (Todos Santos in Spanish). Pablito then constructs a kite to send his message. Pablito then recieves a message back in the form of a large cloud formation that looks just like Pablito.

This is a good book for examining how different cultures deal with loss. There is an introduction to a few Spanish words (my one complaint about the book, because it takes part in a portion of Guatemala where Spanish is not the principal language). Many of Ichikawa's books deal with places she has visited and I can't wait to explore more of her books.

I recommend this book strongly for those 6 and over.

The Island-Below-The-Star by James Rumford

2004-08-09T14:48:00.000-04:00

This is another story by James Rumford (also writer and illustrator of Dog-Of-The-Sea-Waves) that tells of the ancient Polynesians discovering the Hawaiian islands. In this particular story he tells the story of five brothers, each with different skills and interests, but all sharing a love of adventure. The four older brothers decide to follow a bright star to a far away island. They decide to leave behind their youngest brother, Manu the lover of birds, because he is too young and the trip will be too dangerous.

Manu sneaks on board their canoe and goes along for the voyage. The five boys eventually are caught in a large storm and lose their way. Manu saves the day when he spots a far off land-bound bird and uses it to lead his brothers to the island.

Rumford includes a one-page history and discussion of the ancient Polynesian explorers to provide some of the facts behind the story.

This is wonderful story filled with gorgeous watercolor illustrations. The story is an excellent introduction to Polynesian culture. It is also a good adventure story that illustrates how each of us have a special purpose.

Recommended for children 6 and older.

Dog-Of-The-Sea-Waves by James Rumford

2004-07-25T15:03:00.000-04:00

This is the fictional story of Manu and his four Polynesian brothers who were early disoverers of the Hawaiian islands. Manu misses his home, but eventually befriends a injured seal and nurses it back to health. The seal eventually saves Manu when a volcanic eruption creates massive waves that pull Manu under.

This book contains beautiful watercolors which contain a good introduction to the wide variety of wildlife found on the Hawaiian islands. The book also contains the entire story written in Hawaiian, additional information about the discovery of Hawaii, and more detailed information about Hawaiian plants and wildlife.

This was a fun book that any child who loves animals will enjoy. It also presents a good message about every person (and animal) having a special purpose in life.

Arnie, the Doughnut by Laurie Keller

2004-07-25T14:52:00.000-04:00

This hilarious picture book stars Arnie the Doughnut who is created in a bakery, goes home with a customer, and then discovers to his horror that he is about to be eaten. No one had ever told him at the bakery that is what happens to doughnuts. He spends the rest of the book pleading with his new owner what he should do with the doughnut instead.

This is a funny and original book. This is a fun story for kids of all ages, but there is far too much text hidden in the illustrations to make for a successful read-aloud book. I think kids will have a lot of fun reading this book--especially those in the 8-10 year old range, because there is a lot to discover in further readings of this book.

Shooter by Walter Dean Myers (Teen Book)

2004-07-24T01:00:00.000-04:00

I will start out by saying this is a book for a high school age and older crowd. Walter Dean Myers has such a unique writing style. In this story he tells of a Columbine-type high school shooting incident. Instead of telling the story as a straight narrative, he tells it as a committee report created after the shooting. The report contains interviews with 2 friends of the shooters, the diary of the shooter, newspaper articles, a police incident report and more.

The story comes together ambiguously, especially with the interviews. How truthful are people responding? Are the right questions being asked? I kept asking myself Why, and this is before I even am sure of what actually happened.

This book paints a scary picture of violence, alienation, and race relations among teens. I give this book a big thumbs up for those readers who are mature enough to handle the material. I would also check out Myers' previous book Monster.

For more information go to: www.walterdeanmyersbooks.com

Dear Dumb Dairy by Jim Benton

2004-07-24T00:13:00.000-04:00

Well this is goofy, I'm a 36-year old man reviewing a book written by another man which is actually the diary of middle school aged girl. Well here goes. This was a hilarious fast read. Benton gets a good grip on adolescent paranoia about their world.

This book deals with jealousy of the "perfect girl", trying to avoid being nick-named, having your dog really eat your homework, having a best friend who is in need of a new signature lip gloss flavor, and many more of life's problems. The writing does draw you in, because you want to see what the next mess is that Jamie create for herself. The pages are also filled with comical illustrations, including possible hairstyles for Medusa (lots of ways she could have worn those snakes).

The book is aimed at ages 9-12, but I think it will mainly appeal to the younger ones of that age range. More books are on their way in this series, which I am sure will quickly become a hit.

Selections for July 15, 2004

2004-07-15T14:53:00.000-04:00

Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen
Moo Who? By Margie Palatini
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner

Read Aloud Selections for July 14, 2004

2004-07-14T14:51:00.000-04:00

Go Away Big Green Monster by Emberly
Hepcat
My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Little Green by Keith Baker
Sweet Dream Pie by Audrey Wood & Mark Teague
King Bidgood’s in the Tub by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don WoodA Cake All For Me by Karen Magnuson Biel, illustrated by Paul Meisel

Read Aloud Selections for Tuesday, July 13

2004-07-14T02:23:00.000-04:00

1. Olivia by Ian Falconer
2. Olivia and the Missing Toy by Ian Falconer

I love the artwork in the Olivia books, it whimsical with a good use of simple coloring, with an occasional bit of famous art (Degas, Pollock) added.

3. The Gruffalo ---This book is hilarious, plus I love the rhyming prose. It was so much fun to read because of the way that the words flowed as I read them.

4. Who is the Beast? by Keith Baker

5. I want to Be a Cowgirl by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross - Not a bad book, but the words didn't seem to flow as smoothly from my mouth as other books. Maybe its me or maybe its their writing.

6. Just Like Josh Gibson - I was really hesitant about reading this book, but the kids responded very well to this story of a girl who loved baseball during the 1940's.

7. Diving into the Deep Blue Sea - A story with a very repetitive structure, but the younger kids really enjoyed following along with me.

8. Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. Excellent illustrations as always to go along with a good story about just being yourself.

I started reading the book Thunder Rose, but for the first time this year I aborted a story after reading for about five pages. The words weren't flowing out of me and I knew I was losing the kids in my group. I would try this story again with an older crowd (ages 8 and above most likely)

Reading Selections for Monday, July 12

2004-07-12T18:22:00.000-04:00

A good group of books today that seemed to be roundly enjoyed by about 20 different kids today.

Tuff Fluff by Scott Nash. A fun silly detective story about the missing brain of a stuffed duck and the stuffed rabbit detective. Bright colorful pictures. The story is actually a chapter book with several short chapters (2-4 pages).
Serious Trouble by Arthur Howard. I had read this book several times last year while substituting and usually had good luck with it. It is the story of a young prince who would rather be a court jester who is forced to save the kingdom from an indecisive three-headed dragon. A good book for class clowns.
Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen. This is a dorky story about Mr. Magee and his dog getting into trouble while out for a boat ride. Despite its dorkiness I really enjoyed reading it because of its creative rhyming. The book has such a fantastic rhythm. The rhythm was so good that I had trouble turning it off during the rest of the books that I read today.
Country Kid, City Kid by Julie Cummins. A cute book about the differences between a city kid and a country kid (as a former country kid myself I did find the book to be quite stereotypical). In the end the two "different" kids meet at camp and become best friends.
My Chair by Betsy James, illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. As stated before I really liked this book. Unfortunately I think much of it was lost on the kids in my reading corner. This would probably be a better read aloud book with just one or two kids.

Despite its true dorkiness, my top pick for the day would be Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee because it is such a fun book to read out loud.

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill, illustrated by Ronni Solbert

2004-07-12T00:06:00.000-04:00

I was helping someone find a book earlier this week, and by chance The Pushcart War caught my eye. Instantly my memories took me back to when I was 10 years old. I had loved this book, it was one of those chapter books that I read multiple times. I loved the action, the humor, and the struggle of the underdog.

Here it is 25 years later and I wanted to see what I would think of the book today. I decided this would be my lunch break book. I was instantly sucked in, and enjoying the book thoroughly. This is an excellent book illustrating the tension between large corporations and individuals and small businesses. If this book was rewritten today, instead of it being a war between trucks and pushcarts maybe it would be a war against SUV's.

The humor and the silliness of it holds up. Quite unbelievable for a book that is 40 years old this year. Jean Merrill does a fantastic job of using multiple writing styles to tell a story from multiple perspectives. Merrill uses diary entries, stenographer's notes, speeches, newspaper articles, letters to the editor, and plain old narrative to move this story along.

I will say it again, I LOVE THIS BOOK. Its about fighting for yourself and its about using your brain over your brawn.

Ages: 9-13
223 pages

My Chair by Betsy James, illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma

2004-07-09T01:57:00.000-04:00

This is an excellent book for teaching about both diversity and imagination. A collection of children are shown using a wide variety of chairs--each chair means something special to that child. DePalma does a fantastic job showing what each child imagines their chair to be as well as showing what the chair actually is.

This would be a good book to use when trying to get kids to quiet down, have them imagine what their chair is in their minds.

This book would be good with children 4-8 years old.

Highly recommended.

Go Read A Book!

2004-07-09T01:46:00.000-04:00

I'm probably preaching to the choir, but go read a book---any book!

What is your idea for fixing the problem of Americans not reading?

What if television and radio stations weren't allowed to broadcast for 30 minutes once a day (possibly somewhere between 6 and 8 pm, every night)?

Past Story Corner Readings

2004-07-08T01:00:00.000-04:00

I've fallen behind on several of the books that I have read for my story corner. I will try to give some reviews of these books later.

July 1, 2004
1. Jake Johnson: Story of a Mule by Tres Seymour
2. It’s Summer by Linda Glaser

July 6, 2004
1. Pet Show by Ezra Jack Keats
2. Swimming with Dolphins by Lambert Davis

July 7, 2004
1. Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens
2. Epossumondas by Colleen Salley
3. Yoko by Rosemary Wells

A quick review of the seven books, Tops & Bottoms was probably my favorite. I liked the story and the way the book was laid out (top to bottom instead of left to right).

Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch

2004-07-07T02:31:00.000-04:00

This is a fun story about choosing one's own path in life. Suki decides to wear the brand new kimono given by her grandmother for the first day of the new school year. Her older and "cooler" sisters try to dissuade her. Suki sticks to her decision but faces teasing from her fellow students. In the end the other students decide that Suki is "cool". This is a good story for early elementary students who are having trouble dealing with peer pressure. It is also a good story about families.

The illustrations do an excellent job of showing Suki's movement and emotions. It is a beautiful book to look at.

Ages 5-9

I recommend this book.

Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones by Phyllis Root, illustrated by David Parkins

2004-07-07T02:24:00.000-04:00

This is the story of Cousin Lazybones who moves into his Aunt Nancy's house and tries to take advantage of her hospitality. Lazybones only helps when he can do it in a very lazy way, and Aunt Nancy eventually tricks him into leaving.

Not a bad book, but nothing about it wowed me.

Ages 5-10.

What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

2004-07-06T01:01:00.000-04:00

This is a gorgeously illustrated book that shows various animal parts (noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouths, and feet) and then allows the reader to make guesses about the purpose of that body part. Each guessing page shows only one specific body part of several animals, and the follow up page shows the entire animal and a short explanation of the body part. The end of the book contains additional information about each animal.

This would be a fantastic book for any budding zoologists in your family, or for any curious child in general. There is information that will be new to both children and adults as they read this book.

Ages 4 to 8.

The Most Magnificent Mosque by Ann Jungman, illustrated by Shelley Fowles

2004-07-06T00:51:00.000-04:00

This book tells the story of three boys, Rashid (a Muslim), Samuel, (a Jew), and Miguel (a Christian) and how they used to play and cause trouble in the courtyards of the Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain. The boys get older but reunite when a new King is about to tear down the Great Mosque, and replace it with a Catholic Cathedral. The three men are able to show how the Mosque was important to the entire community.

This is a good book for introducing diversity and showing how different faiths can work together for the common good. I loved Fowles' illustrations they do an excellent job of showing the beauty of the Spanish mosques.

Ages 6 to 10.

How Are You Peeling?: Foods with Moods by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers

2004-07-06T00:19:00.000-04:00

A friend of my wife recommended this book to me...so it pains me to say this. I did not like this book, I thought it was unbelievably dorky. Actually I think it is because this book is trying too hard to scream out the word "CUTE".

The book is a series of photos with various fruits and vegetables with faces expressing various moods. As I checked the book out of the library (I was already feeling embarrassed at this point), the clerk said, "They will pay people to do anything!"

Even though this book disturbs me beyond belief, I think I might have to read it to a small group of children to see how they react. Maybe I've just lost my sense of humor about these things.

The Day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathmann

2004-07-06T00:06:00.000-04:00

Peggy Rathman's silhouette drawings are stunning to look at, especially with the pastel sunsets in the background. Her pictures illustrate the day when all the babies crawled away and one boy-hero saves the day and all the babies. She tells her story with fun rhyming verse.

This is a good story about teaching responsibility, and would probably be a good story for any young ones who have a new baby brother or a sister.

Ages 2 to 7.

Roger, the Jolly Pirate by Brett Helquist

2004-07-05T23:43:00.000-04:00

This story tells the origin of the Jolly Roger flag flown by pirate ships. Jolly Roger was a happy pirate who wasn't much good at doing the things required of a pirate (like killing or sailing). Through an accident Jolly Roger strikes fears into other sailors, and gains the respect of his fellow pirates.

This isn't a bad story, but I much preferred the book, How I Became a Pirate. One bonus of this book, it does contain words and music for The Ballad of the Jolly Roger.

For ages 4-8.

My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza

2004-06-30T01:25:00.000-04:00

Yes, it was my lucky day today discovering this book. My Lucky Day turns almost every previous fairy tale on its ear when fox meets piglet. This was a fun read aloud book, because all of the children were surprised because the story had a good unexpected ending. I would like to say more about Kasza's story, but I want each of you to have the same first encounter that I and my audience had with it today. The young children at my story corner today were able to appreciate the humor and surprise of the story because of a basic familiarity with common fairy tales. Good for ages 3 and up.

The other books read today:
1. Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott
I wasn't sure how the kids would respond to this book, but they all followed along, and made good predictions as the story progressed.
2. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss
I've linked to my previous review. As I said before I love the humor in this book, but I found when reading this to a younger crowd (most were under 5), I was having to explain a lot of the jokes because they didn't have enough prior knowledge of worms. I am also not sure if the younger groups are able to handle the diary entries (Though I didn't seem to have this problem when I read Diary of a Wombat)
3. Goodnight Lulu by Paulette Bogan
4. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

This is a fantastic book for a read aloud, there is an opportunity for your listeners to participate on almost every page. As much fun as the listeners had participating, I had more fun acting out the part of tantrum throwing pigeon. I am looking for more recommendations of books like this one by Mo Willems.

Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola

2004-06-29T01:46:00.000-04:00

Kids love Tomie DePaola's tale of an Italian witch and her bumbling assistant, Big Anthony. This was my first of five books read today. Most of the kids had heard Strega Nona several times, but still insisted that I read it again. It was funny as I read the book I noticed one girl out of the corner of my eye who was mouthing all the words as I read the story. What a good feeling that was for me. One girl in my story corner read the book 10 times this weekend, and wanted me to read it again----I don't think I could give a better endorsement for a book.

The other 4 books that I read today were:

1. The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama
2. The Night the Iguana Left Home by Megan McDonald
3. Papa Get Me The Moon by Eric Carle
4. How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

Poodlena by E B McHenry

2004-06-28T01:50:00.000-04:00

Poodlena is the diva of the city and of the dog park. She normally won't play with the other dogs because she doesn't want to wreck her perfect pink hairdo. But one day, the dog park is a muddy mess and Poodlena accidentally is bumped into the mud. She quickly realizes how much fun it is to get dirty and to play with the other dogs.

Fun drawings of the city and its dog, but be warned this book has a whole lot of pink in it. This may be the book for parents who are worried that their girls are too girly--and want them to have a little outdoor fun.

Poodlena website

The Golden Hour by Maiya Williams

2004-06-28T01:46:00.000-04:00

Every book that I have reviewed up to this point has been a picture book. I really wanted my first chapter book review to be a good one, but unfortunately it isn't. I say that hesitantly, because I really liked the first third of the book.

The Golden Hour is the story of 13-year old Rowan and his 11-year old sister, Nina. Both of them are attempting to get over the death of their mother, and are sent to strange small town in Maine to spend some time with very unique Aunts. While exploring the town with 2 other children, they discover a hotel that becomes a time machine during that golden hour right before the sunsets each night.

The children end up traveling back to the time of the French Revolution (which I must confess is a time period that has never much interested me---which probably is the main reason why the book lost my interest) to search for Nina. They meet many people on their journey---I think there were too many characters also, making for a messier than necessary story.

If you have an interest and some knowledge of the French Revolution (which I doubt of most 9-12 year olds) than you will probably enjoy this book more than I did. Being that this book does partly take place during the French Revolution the story does have some violent content.

I did Enjoy Maiya Williams' opening chapters describing Rowan and Nina having to visit their aunts in a strange town with supposedly nothing to do. I also liked the way that she worked in some multi-cultural elements into her story without getting preachy, and treating them as problems the children had to solve especially being that they were in a time with very different attitudes.

Zigby Dives In by Brian Paterson

2004-06-28T01:32:00.000-04:00

Zigby (a zebra) and his friends Bertie Bird (an African guinea fowl) and McMeer (a meerkat) have several misadventures when they try to go fishing. They lose their fishing net and encounter an octopus while trying to retrieve the net.

This is a simple book, but it has fun, bold, colorful illustrations. My favorite picture is of Zigby swimming with a school of zebra fish.

Children in the 6 and under crowd should enjoy this funny adventure story.

A Zigby website by the author and publisher.

Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin

2004-06-28T01:17:00.000-04:00

"But keep an eye on Duck. He's trouble."

This is another book by Doreen Cronin (and illustrated by Betsy Lewin), the creators of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type which I reviewed previously.

As with Click, Clack, Moo this story takes place on Farmer Brown's Farm. Farmer Brown has decided to take a vacation (can you blame him with animals like these?). Farmer Brown's brother Bob has been left in charge of the farm. Unfortunately he is not aware of Duck's writing ability, and Duck's fondness to improve the quality of life for the animals and for making humans miserable.

I think this book may be even funnier and sillier than Click, Clack, Moo. Its a great read aloud that should be enjoyed by a wide range of children, but probably best for the 3-7 year old crowd. Another great introduction to the power of writing for the younger set, and possibly teaching the lesson not to believe everything that you read.

There is a third installment of these books called Duck for President which I plan on reviewing soon.

Confused Animals and Traveling

2004-06-24T23:47:00.000-04:00

I really thought I was going to have a small Story Corner today. In fact I thought I might have to cancel it, because the library was holding another kids event at the exact same time as my Story Corner. Instead I ended up with my largest group so far, about 17 attendees. I had read five books already, when I usually stop at four. At this point, one of the young boys who had been sitting quietly the whole time handed me his firefighter book and asked me to read it also. How could I turn him down? It is hard to read a book out loud when you are seeing it for the very first time, but in the end the boy was happy with my reading.

1. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
2. Possum Come A-Knockin' by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by George Booth
3. Too Many Pears by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley
4. Are We There Yet? by Dandi Daley Mackall, illustrated by Shannon McNeill
5. Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burnigham
6. A book about a firefighter that now escapes me.

Boats and Dinosaurs That Go Bump, and A Lazy Lion

2004-06-24T00:15:00.000-04:00

My Story Corner had a few more kids today. There seven of them listening at one point, and three of the kids are repeat visitors. My boss said something to cheer me up also...he was impressed that each of the kids was taking home one of the books that I read to the group. He said that proves that I made some sort of connection with the children. He said it is much better to connect with a small group than fail to connect with a large group.

We only read three books today. I have started picking the first book to read to the group and then I let the listeners pick the other books that I will read today.

1. I'm Mighty by Kate and Jim McMullan
2. Bumposaurus by Penny McKinlay, illustrated by Britta Teckentrup
3. The Lazy Lion by Mwenye Hadithi, illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway

I'm Mighty is about the day in the life of a tug boat. It shows how the tug boat moves the much larger ships around the harbor. The book is drawn in a very cartoony way (the tug boat talks)----but there is a lot of difficult vocabulary in the story for the under 5 crowd who are most attracted to the look of this book. I did enjoy reading the book, because it has lots of fun sound effects to make. Be careful when reading the book, because Mighty the Tug Boat "butts" into other boats when moving them. Kids could not stop laughing at the word "butt".

Bumposaurus is the tale of a near-sighted dinosaur and all the trouble that he gets into from the time he is born. A fun read with colorful illustrations. After the "butt" fiasco of I'm Mighty, more mayhem followed when Bumposaurus tried to eat his sister's tail. This is the quote from on of the kids in my audience today..."Yewwww, I wouldn't eat my sister's butt!"

The Lazy Lion is a story that explains why lions don't have homes and are always roaming the plains of Africa. The lion decides he is so important that someone else should build him a home. The lion goes around commanding other animals to build him a home since he is king of the beasts. Each of the animals that he encounters obeys his command and builds him a home just like that particular animal lives in. The lion is never satisfied for what is built for him. This is a good story about the pitfalls of being too bossy. It is an older book, but it still is a good read. Interesting drawings of lots of different African animals and their homes.

Dogs, Bears, Kites, and Goals-----Oh My!

2004-06-23T01:00:00.000-04:00

Attendance was sparse at the library today, and especially for my Story Corner. At one point I only had one five year old girl and her mother listening. The girl was very interested and wanted me to keep reading, so I guess I should feel good about that. Since I was reading for the one girl, I let her pick from my larger selection of read aloud books. She picked every book on the list except Spike and Henry and the Kite Dragon.

1. Spike by Paulette Bogan
2. Where's My Teddy by Jez Alborough
3. Henry and the Kite Dragon by Bruce Edward Hall, illustrated by William Low
4. Wonder Goal by Michael Foreman
5. Giant Children by Brad Bagert

Spike is a funny story about a dog who decides he doesn't want to be a dog any more. He tries to become other animals such as a horse, a bird, and a chicken. As you can guess the results are disastrous. He eventually realizes that he does like being a dog, because he likes barking, playing Frisbee, and slurping his owner's face.

Where's My Teddy is the story of Eddie who loses his Teddy. As you can guess from just that sentence this story has lots and lots of rhyming. It is a very fast read aloud. Best for kids 3 to 6 years old.

Henry and the Kite Dragon is a story based in 1920's in New York City's Chinatown. The Chinese kites like to fly their kites off of their rooftops and scare birds. They end up getting into lots of fights with the neighboring Italian kids from Little Italy because unknowingly they have been scaring their pet birds. Both groups learn a little bit more about each other and learn about each other's traditions. A good read for kids 8 and above.

Wonder Goal is a great book for any aspiring soccer player you may know. A young boy is playing a game with his new team and he makes a "wonder goal"---the type of goal always featured in soccer posters with a diving or leaping goalie. The thoughts of the boy transition into him kicking another "wonder goal" at the World Cup final. The illustrations were wonderful, I especially liked the sketches on the inside front and rear covers of kids playing soccer around the world. I would like to see Michael Foreman incorporate those images into another story. This book would appeal to soccer players and sports fans ages 6 and up.

Giant Children is a collection of funny poems. Today I just read one funny poem about loving chocolate even the adults were laughing as I read this book.

Trains and Giants

2004-06-22T00:44:00.000-04:00

My Story Corner was sparsely attended today---only about 5 kids showed up today. I'm really not sure why attendance was so small. I moved past the ocean and diving themes of last week. I thought I would try a train theme---which I'm not sure if it went over that well.

Books
1. Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell, illustrated by Ted Rand
2. Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
3. The Spiffiest Giant by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
4. I Dream of Trains by Angela Johnson, illustrated by Loren Long
5. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley (repeated from June 18)

I have about 50 books pre-selected for my Story Corners this summer. I usually spend about 30 minutes looking over my books and trying to pick 4 or 5 books to read for a particular day. I still am not sure what age group I am going to get any particular day. My group ranged in age from about 2 to 8 today...making it very difficult to find the "right" books. But I noticed that I had several books on my shelf related to trains (I consider a roller coaster in the train family).

Mailing May and Roller Coaster I knew would both be received well, but I Dream of Trains I wasn't sure. In fact at one point I put down I Dream of Trains and went right to The Spiffiest Giant. Well the kids were still eager for more stories so I tried I Dream of Trains, well I should have trusted my instincts--the kids weren't into it, I wasn't into it...so we were all bored and depressed by the end. The story is about a young black child picking cotton in the south and dreaming of riding the train with the legendary Casey Jones. Of course it talks about wanting to escape the fields and the death of Casey Jones. I need to read the book again, but on this particular day it just wasn't the right book. This book should probably be saved for children ages 8 and up.

Mailing May is a fun story about a girl being sent as a package to her grandmother in Idaho during the late 1800's. It is a fun story that paints an interesting picture of olden days and adults bending the rules to make something happen. This story can be understood by children 6 and up---but there are a few tricky vocabulary words that will need to be explained to children.

Roller Coaster is a fun and colorful book detailing a girl's first ride on a roller coaster. The book creates the feeling of actually being on a roller coaster as it zips and turns. It talks about fear and overcoming fear. This is a very fun read aloud book. Good for all ages.

The Spiffiest Giant is the story of a giant who is a slob and decides one day he should dress better. He is also a very kind giant who gives all his clothes away to help the various animals in the forest. In the end the giant decides he doesn't need the fancy clothes because he would rather be comfortable. There is lots of rhyming with animal names...makes it easy for children to participate as the story goes on. A fun read aloud especially for kids ages 3 to 7.

After the mistake of trying to close with I Dream of Trains, I brought out the book Diary of a Wombat again. I needed something that would allow all the children to leave on a positive note. The book worked as planned.

Folks Call Me Appleseed John by Andrew Glass

2004-06-20T16:07:00.000-04:00

Author and Illustrator: Andrew Glass
Ages: 7 and up

This book tells about when Appleseed John's brother Nathaniel came to live with him while John was still living in western Pennsylvania. John was already used to the wilderness lifestyle, Nathaniel was not ready for it. Though this book tells only about one episode of his life, it really isn't a good introduction to the Johnny Appleseed tales. There is very little mention of his planting of apple trees, or even the importance of apple trees in this book. It also skips over the fact of Johnny's religious beliefs and missionary work. Skipping over Johnny's religious beliefs and the importance of apples gives this character no sense of purpose.

This book requires that the reader know something about Johnny Appleseed already---almost everyone (animals included) he encounters in this book responds favorably to Johnny because they already know his stories. A beginning reader is likely to be as familiar with Johnny.

One book, though it is a chapter book instead of a picture book, that I would recommend is The Sun, the Rain, and the Apple Seed: A Novel of Johnny Appleseed's Life by Lynda Durrant. It gives a much more detailed and well rounded account of his life.

Exploring the Deep Dark Sea (non-fiction)

2004-06-20T15:33:00.000-04:00

Author & Illustrator: Gail Gibbons
Ages: 4-10

This book is good introduction to modern oceanography for children. It shows the submersibles and other equipment used by oceanographers use to make their discoveries. The book also shows the different ocean zones as the submersible dives deeper and deeper. Gail Gibbon's illustrations show the variety of ocean life that is encountered within each ocean zone.

Gibbons' drawings are basic but they do a good job of showing ocean life. She closes her book with a three page history of diving and ocean facts. Not a bad book, but some of the vocabulary will be difficult for the younger readers.

Impromptu Story Corner

2004-06-20T00:35:00.000-04:00

The library doesn't have a Story Corner scheduled on Fridays, because fewer people visit on Friday and we operate on half staff those days. But this Friday a group of 25 kids showed up at the same time all wanting to use the 6 children's computer terminals. I could sense there was about to be trouble so I threw together an impromptu Story Corner. I'm glad it happened also, because the rest of the day had been very. It seemed like a good day for humor so I read two books: Diary of a Wombat and Stinky Smelly Feet: A Love Story.

Diary of a Wombat
Author: Jackie French
Illustrator: Bruce Whatley
Ages: 3 and up

This book has some similarities to Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. Both of them are the diaries of two seemingly dull animals, and both books are wickedly funny. French and Cronin achieve their humor in two different ways. The worm in Cronin's book has very human qualities beyond writing a diary such as dancing, talking, and wearing a baseball hat. French allows her wombat to remain a wombat (other than the fact it is keeping a diary), but the diary is almost written as a series of observations of the wombat's activities---sleeping, scratching, and eating. The comedy in Diary of a Wombat is much more believable, though more subtle than that of Diary of a Worm. Both books are very funny. I think it would be interesting to see both author's try and write a diary for the other animal....I think French would have some interesting and subtle observations to share about the life of a worm that were lost in the more direct comedy of Cronin in her book.

I am going to find some more books that are Diaries of various animals. I think that it would make for a good theme for a future Story Corner. I think both books would make for a good introduction to a diary writing lesson. Diary of a Wombat would be a good book for starting a science lesson about observation.

Stinky, Smelly Feet: A Love Story
Author: Margie Palatini
Illustrator: Ethan Long
Ages: 4 to 10

This is a cute story about two ducks, Douglas and Dolores, that are falling in love. Unfortunately, Douglas has extremely stinky feet. In the end love conquers all, including stinky feet and they live happily ever after. The book, especially its premise, is very funny, but the book probably drags on a little bit longer than necessary. Would I share it again, yes because its funny and every young kid knows someone that has stinky feet.

I'm not sure how I could apply it to a classroom setting, maybe as an introductory reading in a hygiene lesson for health. Palatini does maintain a wonderful web site for herself which contains many activities and study guides for her books.

Stars, Sharks, and Monsters

2004-06-18T02:23:00.000-04:00

There was another activity taking place at the same time as my story corner today so I only had 5 children attend. It was good because each of the children attending were very inquisitive, so we had lots of little discussions.

How to Catch a Star
Author & Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
or this link also.
Ages: 4 and up

This wonderful book reminded me of The Little Prince. The ephemeral nature of all that is around us. The importance of friendship. This is my favorite book that I have read this week. Its short and sweet, and it intrigues kids.

Olivia
Author & Illustrator: Ian Falconer
Ages: 3 and up

This is a fun story about a pig who makes mischief all day long. My favorite was her going to the art museum and trying to make sense out of a Jackson Pollock painting and then attempting to recreate it on her bedroom wall.

Surprising Sharks
Author: Nicola Davies
Illustrator: James Croft
Ages 4-10

A non-fiction book of sharks that can be used both with beginning readers and those slightly more advanced. The book mainly points out that there are many different kinds of sharks. Sharks can be dangerous, but not as dangerous as humans are to shark. It works well as a read-aloud selection if one skips the more detailed shark descriptions and concentrates on the narrative.

Go Away, Big Green Monster
Author & Illustrator: Ed Emberly
Ages 3-7

A simple picture book that allows the child to encounter a Big Green Monster and then conquer their fear of the monster part by part. The artwork is imaginative and colorful. The book would also work well with children who are learning their basic colors or learning parts of the face.

I am not doing another Story Corner until Monday so I will try to write some reviews of some other books that I have read lately. Hopefully I will get some books up for the older kids soon.

Rainy Days, Bad Moods, and other books

2004-06-17T01:00:00.000-04:00

This is going to be a really short post, because I am dead tired tonight.

We covered five books in the Story Corner today.

Raindrops Plop
Author: Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Illustrator: Pam Paparone
Ages: 5 and under
Summary: Fun rhymes about a rainy day and good 1-10 counting practice (forward and backward).

Orson Blasts Off!
Author & Illustrator: Raul Colon
Ages 7-11
Summary: Bored because his computer is broken, Orson is taught to use his imagination by his Jack-in-the-box, Weasel. Orson and Weasel have all sorts of different adventures at the North Pole, at sea, and in outer space. I wasn't completely crazy about the book's writing, which is confusing and lacking in spots.

Clever Crow
Author: Cynthia DeFelice
Illustrator: S.D. Schindler
Ages: 4-10
Summary: A tricky crow plays lots of tricks on Emma and her family in order to capture various shiny things. Emma decides to trick the crow to save the day. The book has lots of rhymes and lots of opportunities for audience participation.

Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day
Author: Jamie Lee Curtis
Illustrator: Laura Cornell
Ages 4 and up
Summary: This is a fun book about the wide range of emotions that all of us feel day to day. It builds self-esteem by letting us know that each of these wildly changing emotions are necessary and valid. Not to mention the book and its rhymes are just plain funny to read.

Splash
Author & Illustrator: Ann Jonas
Ages 6 and under
Summary: A good book for introducing addition and subtraction as various animals take turns jumping in and out of a pond. The book has lots of action and could also be used for a ecology lesson for the very young.

An abundance of positive reviews?

2004-06-16T01:34:00.000-04:00

I don't have patience with books I don't like. So if I don't like a book it is hard for me to put the effort into it that reviewing would entail.

At this point I am reviewing mainly books that I am using for my read alouds at the library---so I don't want to pick a stinker. I am also getting lots of great advice from other people in the library about good books to pick. I suspect that as I get further and further into this project that eventually I will read some books that will go on a stinker list, but for the near future don't be suprised if you are seeing lots of positive reviews.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

2004-06-15T01:01:00.000-04:00

Author: Doreen Cronin
Illustrator: Betsy Lewin

Today was my first read aloud at the library. I read four books today: Fish Wish , The Day I Became A Pirate, The Old Man and The Flea, and Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type.

I previously reviewed both Fish Wish and The Day I Became A Pirate. Both books were well received, especially the pirate book. Probably better received because it is fun to talk like a pirate---there were lots of spots that I was able to have the kids act like pirates. I will talk about The Old Man and the Flea in a future review.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is fantastic because it is funny and mildly subversive at the same time. Even though most kids in attendance had heard the book (and most multiple times) they were clamoring to hear the story once again. A brief summary of the story is that the cows have somehow obtained an old typewriter, and they have been using it to write letters and make demands of their boss Farmer Brown. As you can guess Farmer Brown doesn't like to be told what to do by his cows, or any of his other animals for that matter. Problems escalate and before you know it the cows are on strike.

This book has fun artwork, fun word pacing (just practice saying "Click, Clack, Moo" to yourself several times and you will see what I mean), and a fun plot. I loved it, and more importantly the kids loved it.

Doreen Cronin has also written two other related books: Giggle, Giggle, Quack and Duck for President. She also wrote another favorite of mine, which I reviewed previously: Diary of a Worm.

I look forward to reading more of Cronin's future work. I certainly hope she keeps up her subversive streak.

Secret Seahorse

2004-06-14T01:55:00.000-04:00

Author: Stella Blackstone
Illustrator: Clare Beaton

Ages: 2 to 5

Secret Seahorse has similar collage artwork to that as Fish Wish which I reviewed recently. Both are simple books aimed at the younger crowd, but the text in Secret Seahorse is written as a rhyming poem. Each page also has a seahorse for the reader to find.

The prose and the artwork are both very playful. More detailed information about coral reefs and its creatures are found on the final pages of the book. If choosing between Secret Seahorse and Fish Wish---I would probably pick Secret Seahorse just because the book works on multiple levels for multiple readings.

The Monster at the End of This Book

2004-06-12T23:58:00.000-04:00

Author: Jon Stone

The Monster at the End of This Book had drifted from my memory until I bumped into this morning while shelving books. Just seeing the cover brought an instant smile to my face. My smile continued to grow as I opened the book and Grover began to plead with me to avoid the monster at the end of the story. He pleads, he blocks, and does everything in his power to stop me from reaching the end.

The book is a big self-esteem booster because Grover recognizes the readers strength, determination, and courage as he or she moves closer to the end and the monster. I won't say more about the book just in case the book has slipped your mind also so that you can have the same happiness that I experienced this morning.

What better praise can I give for a book other than the fact that it has been 14 hours since I read it, and thinking about it still makes me smile. Thank you Grover!!

Fish Wish

2004-06-12T00:01:00.000-04:00

Author-Artist: Bob Barner

Ages: 2-6

Fish Wish is the story of a boy imagining to be a clownfish living in a coral reef. He tells of the clownfish seeing dolphins, turtles, jellyfish, seahorses, shrimps, crabs, an octopus, and a squid.

The text is very simple and short. This book is about the wonderful collages that Barner has created to show the beauty of the coral reef. The book contains a picture glossary so that the child and reader can identify the various creatures seen in the story. The last page of the book contains more details children, parents, or teachers wishing to learn more about coral reefs.

Fish Wish is a great book, with whimsical artwork, for the youngest children who enjoy fish, ocean life, aquariums, or Finding Nemo.

One Small Place in a Tree

2004-06-11T23:39:00.000-04:00

Author: Barbara Brenner
Illustrator: Tom Leonard

Ages 4-8

One Small Place in a Tree is a very interesting book in that it explores a forest by examining a single hole in a oak tree. Leonard's colorful pictures bring us into this forest so that we can watch what is happening. Brenner simply and precisely explains to us what we are watching as if she was taking us on a field trip to this actual tree.

We witness a bear scratching a tree, bugs digging small holes into those scratches, birds pecking deeper holes into the bug holes, various animals using the ever expanding hole as a home or a nest, to the eventual fall and further decay of the oak tree. Even after the tree has fallen she shows us how this tree continues to be important to the forest.

I would recommend this book for young children interested in nature and animals. One Small Place in a Tree would make an excellent read aloud book to introduce a science lesson about animal habitats or plant life cycles.

Home & Window

2004-06-11T01:50:00.000-04:00

Author-Artist: Jeannie Baker

Ages: 5 and up

Home and Window are both similar wordless picture books by author-artist, Jeannie Baker. Both books are similar in that the picture is the changing view out of a single window over approximately 25 years.

In the book, Home, Baker shows the changes that occur to a girl and her urban neighborhood. In the book, Window, Baker shows the changes that occur with a boy as his rural home becomes enveloped by a growing suburban community.

The window pictures in both books are stunning collages created by the artist. Each time I look at her work I discover new details that had to the story. Children who are fans of Eye Spy books should get a kick out of her work trying to find changes and similarities as time progresses.

Without the use of a written story (there are words scattered throughout the pictures), Baker is able to make important points about the interactions humans have with their environment. She recognizes that these interactions can be both positive and negative. Both books also show the importance of family in the development of children.

I can't say it enough, but I love Jeannie Baker's work. If you decide to experience her books give them the time that they truly deserve. I can't wait to see more of her work.

Because of the detail of her collages I could not see using this book in a group setting. The pictures need to be studied in detailed. But I would easily recommend this book to students. It would be interesting to use for an art class to show the possibilities of collages. It would be an excellent book to use with a social studies class studying communities. An interesting project that would work with all age levels is to have children write the story that should go along with these pictures.

I can't stress it enough, these are fantastic books.

Storytime topics

2004-06-10T01:55:00.000-04:00

I will be running one of the story hours at the local library branch this summer. I am trying to put together some good ideas for books to read. At this point these are the themes I am thinking about. I will be having kids age 3-10 taking part. So each day I am hoping to read one younger book and one older book.

I welcome any suggestions for books that would be appropriate for the themes. I will be reading Monday - Thursday---so I need approximately 8-12 books for each theme.

My tentative theme list:

Week 1: Under the Sea
Week 2: Around the World in a Week
Week 3: Something Old, Something New (Caldecott Classics and Recent Arrivals)
Week 4: The United States
Week 5: Creativity
Week 6: Real People and True Stories
Week 7: Funny Books
Week 8: Ohio Writers

Other possible topics

Boys only/Girls only, Poetry, Families, Chapter Book Beginnings, Nature

Well the new job starts tomorrow so time for me to get some sleep.