Mama Librarian

Review: Circle Series Visual Edition: Black, Red, and White Graphic Novels

2010-11-13T21:29:00.001-05:00

Circle Series Visual Edition: Black, Red, and White Graphic Novels by Ted Dekker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up with some skepticism, as I've not been impressed with the quality of writing of most Christian fiction, but was drawn in despite myself. The story moved quickly (think "24") and was creative and multifaceted. I really enjoyed it. The graphic novel adaptation is well put-together and I thought the art was adequate if not distinguished. It reminded me a bit of last year's Cybils finalist The Dreamer.

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Review: Missile Mouse #1 The Star Crusher

2010-11-13T21:18:00.001-05:00

Missile Mouse #1 The Star Crusher by Jake Parker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full of space battles, clever escapes and nifty gadgets, this is surprisingly gritty science fiction in mouse's clothing. Great for kid fans of Star Wars or Indiana Jones and adult fans of Serenity/Firefly.

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Review: The Chronicles of Meap

2010-11-07T20:41:00.001-05:00

The Chronicles of Meap by John Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This latest comic based on Disney's TV series Phineas and Ferb has some laugh-out-loud moments. I especially liked the evil static electricity weapon.

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Review: Superhero Stampede

2010-11-07T20:35:00.001-05:00

Superhero Stampede by Erik Craddock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Full of superhero tropes and obnoxious name-calling, this latest story about Stone Rabbit and his pals takes them into the plot of their friend's comic book. Though it has a meaningful subplot about respect among friends, the attitude was a bit much for me.

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Review: Tower of Treasure

2010-11-07T20:29:00.001-05:00

Tower of Treasure by Scott Chantler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Light but satisfying, this is a fast-paced and funny fantasy-adventure graphic novel for kids. I'm looking forward to the next one. Appropriate for all ages.

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Review: Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites

2010-10-20T21:28:00.001-04:00

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dorkin presents an intense and compelling mashup of Lady and the Tramp and Dawn of the Dead. These dogs and cats are not always cute and cuddly; the good ones have joined forces to fight supernatural crime, and the bad ones are as bad as any bad guys can be. There is plenty of blood and gore to be found here, but also strength, loyalty and bravery. Fans of Jill Thompson's watercolors (Scary Godmother) will appreciate this more mature offering.

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Review: Copper

2010-10-15T22:26:00.001-04:00

Copper by Kazu Kibuishi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Calvin and Hobbes for existentialists. Really, no, I'm not kidding. It's that cool. Go read it.

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Review: Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 2: Research

2010-10-15T22:21:00.001-04:00

Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 2: Research by Tom Siddell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quirky, creepy and absolutely addicting, this second volume of Tom Siddell's excellent webcomic continues to reveal the layers of secrets at the magical boarding school, Gunnerkrigg Court. From Antimony, to her mother, to the tricky Reynardine, to the ghosts, robots and other creatures who haunt the halls of the Court, nothing is quite as it seems. Siddell never takes himself too seriously, and we find ourself falling hard for his characters. A worthy heir to Buffy.

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Review: The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang

2010-10-15T22:12:00.001-04:00

The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow

This hybrid middle-grade novel tells the story of two friends who make a project of understanding popularity. I appreciated Julie's two dads, who were present in the story but didn't cause much of a stir. I thought all the characters were realistic and multi-dimensional, even the popular ones. The discussion of what's actually important about friendship and popularity seemed very true-to-life. Light and engaging.

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Review: Zeus

2010-10-12T06:57:00.001-04:00

Zeus by George O'Connor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fans of Percy Jackson will welcome this intense, satisfying tale of the battle between Zeus and the Titans. Muddy, brooding inks perfectly complement crisp outlines in O'Connor's drawings. He presents a nice combination of contemporary storyplot and original mythological source material. I read this out of order with Athena, the second in the series, but it didn't matter at all. Highly recommended, ages 10+.

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Review: The Drained Brains Caper

2010-10-10T13:25:00.001-04:00

The Drained Brains Caper by Trina Robbins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This brief mystery graphic novel reminded me of a tamer, sillier version of Brain Camp. The faces are oddly Muppet-like and have the same expression on each panel. The dog is a high point - I look forward to seeing more of him in future volumes.

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Review: Mercury

2010-10-10T13:10:00.001-04:00

Mercury by Hope Larson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's hard to talk about this novel without giving things away. Suffice it to say Larson brings together aspects from multiple genre -- historical fiction, realistic fiction and fantasy -- to create a remarkable graphic novel. Not to be missed.

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Review: Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess

2010-10-10T08:34:00.001-04:00

Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O'Connor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Richly detailed and creatively structured, this compilation of tales about the goddess Pallas Athena evokes the grim violence and majesty of ancient Greece. George O'Connor's magnificent prose and dynamic illustrations are a winning combination. This is a shining star among dull third-person retellings of Greek myths. Ages 10+.

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Review: Zebrafish

2010-10-09T17:10:00.001-04:00

Zebrafish by FableVision

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Vita wants to start a band, but she needs some friends to make it happen. This light friendship story deals with some serious issues, and manages to introduce some biochemistry along the way. Unfortunately, it feels disjointed and the characters lack depth, and they look a little too much alike for the reader to easily follow their relationships. Still, the art is pleasing and the dialogue is snappy. Worth a look.

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Review: City of Spies

2010-10-09T17:04:00.001-04:00

City of Spies by Susan Kim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every kid wants to have superpowers, but Evelyn needs them more than most. Her father has dumped her on an aunt she barely knows while he goes honeymooning with his latest trophy wife. Evelyn draws superhero comics, portraying herself as Scooter, the sidekick of Zirconium Man, battling Nazi spies and diabolical baddies. But when it appears a real spy is in her midst, it's up to Evelyn and her friend Tony to muster some real courage and save the day. Funny and fast-paced, this mystery-thriller will appeal to a wide range of readers.

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Review: The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future

2010-10-03T19:42:00.001-04:00

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by Dav Pilkey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Punching, kicking, name-calling, misspellings, jokes at other's expense, and puking. Lots of puking. All await you in this, the first adventure of best friends Ook and Gluk from a fictional caveman past. Lest you think this story is bereft of any redeeming qualities, I will say there is a whole section of rhyming and one chapter about the spiritual benefits of kung-fu. I can't imagine a kid who would not find something funny in this book. At the same time, there is plenty to offend, and parents who object to the grammatical incorrectness of Junie B. Jones will want to steer clear. Everyone else: enjoy!

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Review: The Cloud Searchers

2010-10-03T18:52:00.001-04:00

The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kibuishi includes adventure, multidimensional characters and sweeping themes in this all-ages adventure-fantasy comic. This volume (#3) may stand on its own, but it is stronger if you have read the other two Amulet books. An excellent addition to a series with a lot going for it. I can't wait for the next one!

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Review: Brain Camp

2010-10-03T12:12:00.001-04:00

Brain Camp by Susan Kim

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is both scary and gross. That means it's exactly right for its genre. It is unpredictable enough to keep the reader guessing, but also includes a predictably satisfying coming-of-age subplot. If you can stomach it, this one is a winner.

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Review: Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

2010-10-03T12:07:00.001-04:00

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Intense and brutally honest, this portrayal of an inner-city kid's involvement in a gang and subsequent run from the police is based on a true story. It may be a book every teen needs to read: kids in the suburbs because they won't likely have experienced it themselves, and kids in the city because they should see the real-life results of getting involved in a gang.

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Review: Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown

2010-10-03T11:58:00.001-04:00

Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Spare and full of gadgets, this recent volume of the Lunch Lady superhero graphic novels started slow and dragged through the opening pages. Our child heroes were relegated to bland supporting roles as the camp counselors presented forced clue after clue about the true identity of the swamp monster. Still, the gadgets carried the day, including winners like the Underwater Bendy-Straw Breathing Apparatus (UBSBA?). One talk bubble per panel might seem ponderous to me, but could be just what a transitional reader needs.

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Review: Foiled

2010-10-03T11:56:00.001-04:00

Foiled by Jane Yolen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pros: fantastic art, interesting character. Cons: confusing at times, no clear resolution nor continuation to a sequel. I'd read the next one, if there were one.

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Review: Binky to the Rescue

2010-10-03T11:53:00.001-04:00

Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second Binky graphic novel takes Binky into new territory -- literally! Clever and full of farts, this adventuresome story is sure to please animal lovers of all ages.

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Binky the Space Cat, Part Three

2010-09-30T22:36:00.000-04:00

After devouring Ashley Spires' adorable and sting-tastic Binky to the Rescue, my daughter Ivy said, "I wonder what happens next in the story?" Of course, I said, "You can write that part." And she did! With a little typing assistance from her old lady, she composed this rather violent tale (spoiler alert):

Binky, Part Three, by Ivy (age 4) and Mama (age 37)

The bees come and sting Ted and cut him open. Binky fights back with his atomic flyswatter. The bees sting Binky and cut him open too. Binky says, “Shoo, go away, bees!” Ted says, “Thanks, Binky, you saved my life!” Then Binky and Ted share a victory pizza.

Then the bees cut their house open and put some sharp stings on there, so when Binky and Ted fall out of their house they will prick themselves. Then they prick themselves and say, “Ouch, ooch, ouch owch!” But Binky’s people from outer space come down in a bigger space ship, and rescue Ted and Binky!

Then they see this bright light and a monster eats them. But they use a sword to cut the monster open and escape. Another monster comes and eats them, but they escape from this one, too, by opening his mouth and cutting all his gums. After that, Binky and Ted are so tired from all the fighting that they fall down asleep on the floor.

Next to come: illustrations in KidPix.

I wonder if 4-year-olds are eligible to nominate books in the Cybils? She won't be awake tonight to get involved in the nom nom nom party, but I'll read through the rules and see if she can participate in the nominations.

It's Cybils time!

2010-09-25T13:04:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to be part of the Cybils again this year. From the web site: "The Cybils awards are given each year by bloggers for the year's best children's and young adult titles. Nominations open to the public on October 1st." Anyone can nominate books in all categories.

For the second time I'm participating on the first round graphic novel panel. That means I get to read lots and lots of graphic novels this fall! I also get to give myself permission to read teen fiction, which most of the time is relegated to the summer when I'm not teaching.

I notice a lot of familiar faces among the panelists this year. I'm looking forward to getting to know new folks in our discussions and decisions! In the meantime, I'm putting books on hold at my public library (which, luckily, has a well-developed graphic novel collection) and starting my list of possible nominees over at Goodreads.

Review: What If? - Laura Vaccaro Seeger

2010-09-04T11:33:00.000-04:00

What If?

written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Ages 4+

32 pages

Roaring Brook Press, April 2010

Happy Picture Book Saturday!

I have been especially fond of wordless books ever since I discovered Tuesday by David Wiesner (and yes, I know, it does have some words... but the point is, you can read the book without reading the words, and it doesn't significantly impact your experience of the book. Such is the experience with What If? The sum total words in this book are:

what
if
and
then
but
or

Seeger (niece by marriage of folk singer Pete Singer) tells, or rather shows, the story of three seals playing with a ball. In the first two of three possible versions of the story, one seal is left out and feels sad. In the third, they find an alternative that makes all three seals happy.

My son, 2, is captivated by this book. He can relate to playing on the beach with a ball, but I think more importantly he finds the feelings of the seals, so adorably presented on their little seal faces, accessible. What child has not been left out, or left others out, intentionally or not? Just as repetition is crucial to children learning to read, repetition of pictures is equally crucial to children learning to understand the importance of considering the feelings of others. This would be a quick and easy springboard to a discussion of feelings without getting didactic.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger's books have all been well regarded. She received some recent acclaim when she received the Caldecott Honor, the NYT Best Illustrated Book of 2007 AND the Geisel Honor in one year (for First the Egg). The following year, One Boy won a similar number of accolades. But for sheer inventiveness, I especially love sharing Seeger's Walter Was Worried with children. The book tells the story, in alliterative feeling statements, of children who are confounded by the weather, but the paintings show each feeling using the letters from the feeling word to create the child's face. For example, if you look closely at the picture of Walter to the right, you can see each of the letters in WOrrIeD.

It's really pretty amazing what Seeger can share in her seemingly simple illustrations. I look forward to sharing them with my students this year, and listening to what they see.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 7 - quiet and simple, but infinitely accessible to children of all ages
Wordsmithing: 6 - almost no words, but the ones she chooses are just right
Personages: 6 - sweet little seals!
Mesmerizitude: 6 - I've read it several times now, and I see something new each time
Illustrations: 7 - beautiful primary colors and sweeping sunsets

Other Reviews

Check-in, long overdue

2010-07-08T11:41:00.000-04:00

So if you were a faithful reader of my blog earlier this year, you might have noticed I started with a bang and ended with a whimper. I have a few reasons for this. (If you prefer to skip the excuses, jump down to "Now that it's summer...")

Last year, the job of media specialist continued to get more intense. I had the same amount of teaching, administration and supervisory work as I'd had the year before, but 200 minutes less per week in which to do it. I had trouble keeping up. It took me a while to adjust, and by then, I'd lost most of the spring.

Mostly, though, I was feeling depressed about the future of my job. To begin with, media specialists across the country are being cut from their schools. My state is in particularly dire straits; our district, along with many others around us, is facing huge budget cuts. I think we still have a few years before our department is cut entirely, but many of my colleagues' positions will be reduced next year.

But that's not the reason for my personal concern. Our union voted to make a change in the teacher's contract which specifies that media specialists must have a media endorsement on their teaching certification. This is generally what I would consider to be a good thing, but unfortunately, I don't have one because I was a public librarian first. So the district, in all its wisdom, has decided I'm not eligible to teach media anymore. Instead, I'll be teaching first and second grade (which I've never taught before). Thinking about how that is going to change the focus of my reading, and my purpose in having this blog, kind of got me stuck.

Now that it's summer, I'm sorting through my TBRs and trying to make some new goals:

I'm reading a lot of professional books about teaching first and second grade, and blogging about them in another location. If you want to read about my process of becoming a classroom teacher, check out my other blog.
Thanks to the two readathons I participated in this spring (Clear Away the Clutter, which also encompassed the Dewey's 24 Hour Challenge, and the 48-Hour Book Challenge), I did get a good chunk of reading done, but I didn't write many reviews. I do have some good notes from the CAtC challenge, so I plan to write up at least mini-reviews of those before the summer is done.
I have been way behind on my two challenges involving books I own, because I've been trying to get through my stack of library books before Mock Caldecott season. Specifically, I set some ambitious goals about historical teen fiction, and I'm not interested in quitting on that one because I lurve me some teen fiction. So I've upped the ante to *gulp* one book a day throughout the summer. We'll see how that goes!
I still have a big pile of books, mostly picture books, but some graphic novels, middle grade and nonfiction, checked out from the public library. I don't think that's likely to change much. My goal is to keep it under 100 books for me and my two kids; I'm currently at 127. My goal also is not to renew a book more than 6 times. Currently I have several that have been renewed more than 10 times, so I've been reading those first and returning them.
I have continued to do Nonfiction Monday and Booking Through Thursday memes occasionally, and I'll continue those.

Those are plenty of summer goals. I hope to get caught up by fall (when I'll be overwhelmed all over again).

Booking Through Thursday: Reviewed

2010-06-24T07:50:00.000-04:00

Today's meme at Booking Through Thursday asks:

Do you read book reviews? Do you let them change your mind about reading/not reading a particular book?

As a librarian, I've been trained to read reviews and to be discriminate about what to purchase for a collection. I went through the "must buy every starred review!!" stage and emerged with a better understanding of what is appealing for my students and what is a good buy for my school, and what will just sit on the shelf. Basically, my readers don't read reviews (though I am sharing blogs and websites with my olders). They hand-sell books to each other. If a book needs a review, it won't get read unless I put a lot of effort into it. So I have to watch student interest and changes in grade level curriculum carefully, and select those just-in-time purchases that will appeal to them in the moment. This is where reviews really come in handy, and concatenations of reviews like the ones on Titlewave are absolutely essential when I'm looking for just the right book.

As a lifetime reader, I read reviews with trepidation because I hate spoilers. I typically read only as much as I have to to decide if I want to read it or not, and then quickly classify & stick it on my TBR list. (This is currently on Goodreads and it's working well for me.) You might notice my list is way, way too long. I try to tag TBR books thoroughly to help me remember where I got a particular recommendation. This is the time of year when Newbery predictions really get going, so I pay close attention to those and develop a summer reading list of 2011 hopefuls. Last night I added a 2010-stars-so-far tag to my books on Goodreads to reflect the new additions on Elizabeth Bluemle's fantastic list of this year's starred reviews. Many of these books were already on my TBR list, but it's good to have one more reason to read a particular book.

So, knowing a book was reviewed positively is usually all I want before I read it myself. but if I'm buying for a collection, I'll read reviews in a completely different way.

Booking Through Thursday: Signature

2010-06-10T08:08:00.001-04:00

This week's question on Booking Through Thursday:

Do signed copies excite you? Tempt you? Delight you? Or does it not matter to you?

I'm starting to care, but mostly I think they're neat when I can get them, and not so important otherwise. It's the experience of meeting the author that's meaningful to me. I had a great conversation with Lauren Myracle the other day at my fabulous local bookstore, Nicola's Books. She had Gary Paulsen visit a few weeks back, but even though it was cool to meet him and get a signature, I don't think I'll carry that memory very far. Lauren Myracle, on the other hand, made an impression because she took time to talk with each of the people in line (mostly tween girls) and give them her sincere attention. That's pretty impressive!

48-Hour Book Challenge - starting line... and I'm off!

2010-06-04T22:05:00.014-04:00

I've officially started my 48 hours of reading for the 48 Hour Book Challenge, hosted by Mother Reader. 10pm - 10pm, Friday-Sunday. I'll be Twittering my progress and checking in here periodically. More later - I'm reading! =) First book: continuing I Capture the Castle.

Fri 10:10 pm - Sigh... false start. Wouldn't you know it, my son woke up crying as SOON as I sat down to read?? So I'm really starting at 10:10. Really. Now.

Sat 4:20 am - 6 hours, three chocolate-covered espresso beans, four pieces of cold pizza and a cup of chai masala later, I'm thinking I should go to bed. More in the later am.

Sat 7 am - Awake, one kid fed, ready to keep reading!

Sat 10:10 am - 12 hours after I've begun. Total time reading/blogging: 9 hours. 1 book finished (how embarrassing! Lots of kid interruptions - "Maaaammaaaa...."): I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. I wanted to savor that one, and it felt decadent! Now reading NERDS by Michael Buckley. This one will go much more quickly.

Quote from Ivy (4-year-old co-blogger): "Mommy, will you read me some of your book so I can make a picture in my head?"

Sat 12:30 pm - 11 hours, 10 minutes of reading. Listened to audiobook of The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch while doing laundry. Must now stop for a brief time to give an info session about Little Lake Free School, which happens to be the charity I'm supporting. Do you believe in alternative, democratic education? Go to their web site and donate money!

Sat 2:10 pm - back earlier than anticipated. Ready to continue!

Sat 5:30 pm - Done with book 2 (NERDS)! Total reading thus far = almost exactly 14 hours. Took a brief break to put son to sleep and nearly fell asleep myself... dangerous. Luckily the chai masala is holding. I'm going to Goodreads to write some short reviews of these two books.

Sat 7:15 pm - Cleaned the kitchen, folded laundry, made dinner for kids while listening to audiobook. Moving on to Cosmic, the new book by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Millions).

Sat 10:50 pm - Just past 24 hours into the readathon; I've read for 19 of those hours. I am starting to wonder when I will crash. Kids asleep, eating ice cream and hanging out with my husband, who is watching Iron Man. I nodded off once in the chair but that was before Iron Man came on. Cosmic is fantastic, by the way. I'm about 30 pages from the end.

Sun 1:20 am - I waffled between a new Robin McKinley or an old favorite Megan Whelan Turner... The Thief won. It's been 21.5 hours of reading and I'm thinking I need some sleep. Time for a nap -- back in a bit.

Sun 3:20 am - Dexter very obligingly woke me up by calling for Maaaaammaaaa, then promptly going back to sleep. Couldn't ask for a better alarm clock. Also, the last stitch came out of the corner of my eye where it's been bugging me for weeks. Two yays. I got in about a half hour of reading The Thief before drifting back to sleep.

Sun 5:30 am - Woke again to do some more reading. Trying to find a comfy spot that's not too comfy. Munching on chocolate covered espresso beans and wishing we had enough milk left for me to make more chai masala... I should really save it for the baby.

Sun 7:20 am - I can hear the kids are awake now. Total reading so far = 23 hours 30 min. I'm well on my way to my goal of 30 hours!

Sun 9:40 am - walking over to the common house for brunch, about 25% remaining of Thief. Total = 25 hrs 30 min.

Sun 11:50 am - brunch did not afford me as much time as I'd hoped... too much kid wrangling and cleaning up. I'm at 26.5 hours. Kids are now watching Toy Story. Back to finish Thief and then hunt down our library copy of Bone.

Sun 2:50 pm - finished Thief, but no luck finding Bone, so I read the other graphic novel on my TBR pile: Jane Yolen's Foiled. Quick and a bit disjointed, but great art. Then listened to my audiobook while I cleaned the kitchen. Total 29.5 hours!! I am sad to stop but told my neighbor I would attend her blessingway this afternoon. Back in 1.5 hours to continue reading.

4:50 pm - back now. Tom found Bone for me! I think I will read that next. I had a nice talk with my Mom, and I'm ready to continue.

6:10 pm - read for a while, had a half hour nap, and read aloud to Ivy from Bone. Heading over for dinner now. Total: 30.5 hours. Yeah -- met my goal!! =)

7:30 pm - back from dinner, ready to finish with a bang.

10:10 pm - FINISH LINE! Broke for a half hour to help bathe and tuck in kids, but otherwise read Bone and Outlaws of Sherwood for last 2.5 hours.

Total hours reading: 32.5 hours

Total hours sleeping: 6 hours

Books read: 4 partial, 4 complete (one was an audiobook)

Pages read: 1622 (not including audiobook)

I had a great time doing this. I was much more successful than I'd been in previous readathons, mostly because I enlisted the help of my husband in advance and set up other activities for kids to be doing during the day. Also, having food ready and available throughout the day -- I cooked a big pan of mac & cheese in advance, had bagged salads ready, ate common meal and leftovers, etc. Lastly, providing myself with a source of caffeine. The chocolate covered espresso beans were not nearly as effective as the masala chai in keeping me energized. I didn't need any caffeine for the last 12 hours, surprisingly. I bet I will sleep well tonight, though!!

Can't wait to participate again. It was a blast!

48-Hour Book Challenge - pledge for the Little Lake Free School!

2010-05-21T01:36:00.002-04:00

Here's the letter I put together to send to the Little Lake Free School support community:

Hi there -- I'm Maggi, one of the folks hiding in the wings of the wonderful Little Lake Free School. I'm sorry I haven't yet written an intro, but if you've been to any of the intro sessions, I'm the REALLY tall woman with red hair. Can't miss me.

I'm an educator and librarian by day, a mommy and cohouser by night, but in my free time, I am a children's literature blogger at Mama Librarian (http://mamalibrarian.blogspot.com/). I love to read and write about kids' books.

Coming up in two weeks is an event I'm really looking forward to: the annual 48-Hour Book Challenge, hosted by another kidlit blogger. You can read more about it here: http://www.motherreader.com/2010/05/fifth-annual-48-hour-book-challenge.html

Many bloggers will be reading in support of their favorite charity, and I'm putting forth my hat to collect pledges for the Little Lake Free School. My goal is to read as many hours as I can in the 48 hour slot allotted to me. Of course, there will be some sleeping and childcare in there, but nearly all other moments of those two days will be spent reading and blogging about it.

My goal is to read for 30 HOURS. Do you think I can do it?? Your donations would go a long way toward encouraging me to really GO for it!

My suggested pledge is five cents per minute. That would be a $3 donation per hour I read. Boy, I haven't worked for $3/hour in a long time. =) If I reach my goal, that would be a donation of $90. Sound like too much? How about ONE CENT per minute? I bet you have a big jar of pennies somewhere. =)

I will provide incentives, too!! I have a large (think over 1500 titles) library of books. Many great picture books, children's novels, fantasy & SF, rare titles on midwifery, teaching, community and more! For every $0.05 (five minute) per hour pledge you make, you can choose one book from my library. I'll even mail it to you if you're not from Ann Arbor! (You can peruse a catalog of my library at my librarything: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/nubianamy but I own many, many titles I haven't yet added!).

I also have some great AUTOGRAPHED books! Most recently I had four beautiful brand-new picture books signed by the fantastic author/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg, author of The Polar Express. Other autographed copies I have include books by John Perry, Johnathan Rand, Gary Paulsen, Lauren Myracle, and lots more. I will donate a SIGNED book to any donors willing to pledge $0.10 (ten cents) per minute I read in 48 hours.

Every penny donated to LLFS through this challenge will be fed through the Kickstarter program to help LLFS reach their goal there. But, if the Kickstarter goal is not reached, I'll still be passing this money on to LLFS. It's win-win!!

Please feel free to email (or comment here) with questions and pledges, and pass this on to friends of democratic schooling (or anyone who might want a great free book). And thanks for all you do for LLFS!

48-Hour Book Challenge - oKAY, oKAY. I'm in.

2010-05-21T00:50:00.001-04:00

I can't remember in whose blog I first noticed MotherReader's 48-Hour Book Challenge, but I do recall my response was, "Ohhh, good thing I really don't have time for that."

Then the second time I saw it, I thought, "Boy, that looks fun! Still - absolutely no time."

Ten plus posts later... Sheesh. Nothing like peer pressure to get me off my butt. (Or, more precisely, onto my butt -- reading.) So, yes, I'm in!

The rules are very precise, and they only allow chapter books at around a 5th grade level and up. So I think I shall compile an alluring stack of novels to keep me reading. Graphic novels ARE allowed, and I suspect I will mix quite a few of those into the stack, but I have read most of the ones I had checked out of the library. Time to delve into the ol' Goodreads TBR pile, which, last I checked, has exceeded 500 titles. Also, this is a perfect time to catch up on all the books I haven't read for various challenges, especially the YA books I've neglected throughout the school year. The rules also say one audiobook is OK, so that will have to be a pretty hefty audiobook to keep me going through the more ambulatory portions of my scheduled 48 hours.

I will also be informing my husband that I will be busy reading for most of the weekend. This should allow for more uninterrupted chunks of reading time. Maybe. However, my schedule also says I have a party to attend on Sunday afternoon, so that may preclude some reading.

My start time will be 10 pm on Friday (late enough I can be sure the kids will actually be sleeping, early enough I can still read quite a bit before falling asleep). This puts my ending time at 10pm Sunday. Perfect timing to crash into bed for work on Monday.

And this is also a perfect opportunity to support my favorite charity, the Little Lake Free School, the democratic school I'm helping get ready to open its big wide arms in September 2010! If you would like to help support LLFS and are willing to donate a small amount for the time I read/blog -- say, $0.05 per minute read? That would only be $3/hour! You can afford that, right?? -- please email me or post a comment here. I will put all the money I raise in this effort toward their Kickstarter, which will take them just that much closer to their goal.

Now I'm starting to get excited... and trying not to think about all the office-cleaning, packing and other tasks I have to do at work.

Booking Through Thursday: Useful

2010-05-20T09:16:00.000-04:00

Booking Through Thursday is a question-of-the-week meme. This week's question:

What’s the most useful book you’ve ever read? And, why?

I have not posted much about this part of my life here, but once upon a time, I was a doula. I saw this as a step along the journey to becoming a midwife, which is something I may still want to do someday. I was privileged to attend several births in different locations, some in hospital and some at home, the effect of which ten years later was to guide my own decision to have children at home.

I've read a lot -- more than, say, fifty -- books about childbirth. Some were more technical and some were more spiritual. But the most useful book by far was Henci Goer's landmark text, Obstetric Myths Vs. Research Realities. Most midwives would point you to Goer's newer and more accessible book, The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, but I preferred the earlier one. It was denser and aimed more at care providers than at pregnant women themselves, but reading it empowered me enormously.

When I hear about women choosing to have babies in the hospital because they are afraid of what might happen at home, I give them this book.

You can read a good portion of it on Google Books here.

I am absolutely thrilled to discover that she is working on a second edition!

Review: When the Whistle Blows - Fran Slayton

2010-05-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

When the Whistle Blows

by Fran Slayton

Ages 9-12

160 pages

Philomel, June 2009

Summary from Amazon:

Jimmy lives in Rowlesburg, West Virginia, during the 1940s. He does all the things boys do in the small mountain town: plays a mean game of football, pulls the unforgettable Halloween prank with his friends in “the Platoon,” and promises to head off into the woods on the first day of hunting season— no matter what. He also knows his father belongs to a secret society, and is determined to uncover the mysteries behind it! But it is a midnight encounter with a train that shows Jimmy the man his father really is.

I was captivated by these vignettes of a rural railroad community in the 1940s. Rowlesburg is a West Virginia steam train town on the cusp of the diesel revolution. Jimmy is twelve in the first chapter, which takes place on one day -- All Hallows' Eve, to be precise. Each chapter carries the reader one year later in Jimmy's life, with its consummate trials, tests and triumphs.

This short middle-grade novel is a winner. The voice of a growing adolescent is authentic and the historic setting springs to life on every page. Think Stand By Me.

It's funny, too. Here's a taste: "I spit hard onto the ground. The spit is good quality -- heavy and thick with no lumps -- and it comes out in a perfect, spinning wad that slaps itself onto the ground just like the way I'd like to slap Stubby upside the head."

On the other hand, I'm not sure if this will appeal to my typical middle grade boy readers. The content is all boy -- football, trains, gross practical jokes, dead bodies -- but the actual story mostly takes place in Jimmy's head. Although the pacing is fairly quick and the stories are engaging, I'm not sure if it has enough dialogue or action to carry the day.

In addition, it's rife with emotion. Jimmy deals with some pretty intense feelings through the course of seven years. I would like to think this will not put boys off, but the sexist cynic in me wonders. It reminds me of the kind of "I love you, man" melodrama that women writers think men feel, but men themselves scoff at. I guess in the end, being a girl reader myself, I will have to try this out on some boys-who-only-read-boy-books and see what they think.

I would give this to readers of Richard Peck and kids who liked Heart of a Shepherd (another excellent book, by the way).

Ratings

Awesomeness: 7 - quietly unassuming, but packs a punch
Wordsmithing: 6 - vocabulary is straightforward and does not demand much of the reader
Personages: 7 - memorable characters are familiar but still three dimensional
Mesmerizitude: 6 - chapters were short, just right to consume in small bites

Other Reviews - and wow, there are a lot of them! I am assuming this is because Fran is herself a blogger.

at Books, Books Everywhere!
at Bookends and again
at 100 Scope Notes
at Everyday Reading
at The Reading Zone
at Jen Robinson's Book Page
at Beckwith's Book Blog
at Donna St. Cyr
at Not Acting My Age
at Frenetic Reader
at Iron Inklings
at Galleysmith
at Booking Mama (with an author video)
at Capricious Reader
at Carrie's YA Bookshelf
Author interviews here and here and here

Booking Through Thursday: Half

2010-05-06T10:08:00.000-04:00

Booking Through Thursday asks:

So … you’re halfway through a book and you’re hating it. It’s boring. It’s trite. It’s badly written. But … you’ve invested all this time to reading the first half.

What do you do? Read the second half? Just to finish out the story? Find out what happens?

Or, cut your losses and dump the second half?

Honestly, I don't tend to read books I don't like. I'm very selective about my books. I read from recommended and award lists. Mostly I love every book I read. I certainly won't get through a half of a book before I decide I don't like it -- I'll just put it down and read something else. Sometimes I get back to a book after some time and I do enjoy it.

I'll say, there are two books I tried reading multiple times and never got past the first chapter. One was The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkein. The other was Dune by Frank Herbert. I am a big science fiction and fantasy reader, so I'm sad I didn't get into these books. It's been over 10 years now; maybe I'm due to give them another try.

And the Blogmania winner is...

2010-05-01T00:02:00.000-04:00

Suzie! (9oofus2) Congratulations and thanks to all who entered.

Blogmania!!

2010-04-30T16:35:00.002-04:00

WELCOME To BLOGMANIA ! My Blog is 68 of 123.

If you have no idea what this Blogmania business is, check out the main page here.

Basically, the way it works is:
1. visit lots of blogs
2. that are giving away lots of stuff
3. post replies
4. get cool stuff
5. and find cool blogs along the way

Pretty much. There are some links below to give you a place to go. This is TODAY only (April 30), though, so click away before midnight.

MY GIVEAWAY and RULES: I will be giving away a signed copy of John Perry's fantastic Children's Choice Book Award-nominated book THE BOOK THAT EATS PEOPLE. (Fun Fact: You can see John singing on YouTube!) I can ship anywhere in the world. To enter, leave a reply to this post. You can get extra entries by Tweeting or posting on Facebook or on your blog about this Blogmania giveaway -- mention this in your reply.

Now, go visit these blogs and enter to win cool stuff!

(Blog- 1 – HOST OF BLOGMANIA) Between The Pages - http://betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com/

(Blog -2 – CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA) The Black Sheep Dances - http://www.theblacksheepdances.blogspot.com

(Blog-43 - CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA) Books, Books Everywhere - http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/

(Blog-117) Bibliobabe - http://www.bibliobabe.com

(Blog-107 Ellz Readz - http://ellzreadz.blogspot.com/

(Blog-94) Romance Book Scene - http://www.romancebookscene.blogspot.com/

(Blog-20) Polka Spot Farm - www.polkaspotfarm.com

(Blog-40) She-Rain - http://she-rain.blogspot.com

(Blog-84) Shawn’s Sharings - http://shawnssharings.blogspot.com

(Blog-71) Alison’s Book Marks - http://www.alisonsbookmarks.com

(Blog-77) Mommy’s Free Time - http://mommys-freetime.blogspot.com

Brief hiatus, hopefully coming to a close, and Animoto of 100 Best Children's Novels

2010-04-28T01:40:00.000-04:00

I've been overwhelmed by events in my own life -- nothing too important, just the craziness of spring at school and the enjoyment of being outside with my kids -- so blogging has dropped on my importance list. I'm starting to miss it, though. I've read some good books in the past few weeks -- finally finished the Inkheart trilogy, read The Rock and the River, made some headway in I Capture the Castle. And, oh, yes, the amazing stack of notes I took during Blogathon week. Looks like I'll have a busy weekend of writing coming up.

In the meantime, I've been happily immersing myself in Betsy Bird's 100 Best Children's Novels poll results. One thing I did was to download a cover of each of the books and make an iPhoto slide show, which I immediately shared with my fifth grade class. Even with very brief annotations, it was over 15 minutes long. Luckily they are very patient with me. But I thought it would be handy to have a quick version to share on my web site. So... here it is!

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon End of Event

2010-04-11T09:40:00.000-04:00

It's over! I went to bed at 4am and woke up (was awoken) at 7:15 by my son so I could keep reading a bit more.

Here's the pile of books I read!

Here are the notes I took for reviews.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Probably the ones where I really wanted to be reading but was interrupted by responsibilities. It happens. =)
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I think that really depends on what you like to read, but I was enthralled by Marching For Freedom and Almost Astronauts.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Fewer challenges... I was a bit overwhelmed. Also I didn't have nearly as many cheerleaders this year, but it was OK.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Having a plan in advance, breaking things up into hour-long chunks.
5. How many books did you read? 39
6. What were the names of the books you read? see below
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Almost Astronauts and Marching for Freedom
8. Which did you enjoy least? Do I Need It? Or Want It?
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? n/a
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Absolutely yes, unless there is an unavoidable conflict, and even then I would do what I could. I will stick with being a Reader for now.

Here's all 39 books!

Sweethearts of Rhythm	Nelson	48
Marching for Freedom	Partridge	72
Anne Frank Case	Rubin	40
Monarch's Progress	Harley	32
Stitchin' and Pullin'	McKissack	32
Jellaby	Soo	144
My Uncle Emily	Yolen	32
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born	Curtis	32
Do I Need it? Or Want It?	Larson	30
Uncle Bobby's Wedding	Brannen	32
Home on the Range	Hopkinson	48
Minerva the Monster	Kirwin	32
Book of Beasts	Nesbit	64
Librarian of Basra	Winter	32
Back of the Bus	Reynolds	32
But who Will Bell the Cats?	von Buhler	32
Ashley Bryan's ABC of African-American Poetry	Bryan	32
Rabbits	Marsden	32
Odd Egg	Gravett	32
Boy Who Cried Fabulous	Newman	32
Crow Call	Lowry	32
Is There Really A Human Race?	Curtis	32
Molly's Family	Garden	32
I and I	Medina	32
Mermaids on Parads	Greenberg	32
Where Do Balloons Go?	Curtis	32
When I Was Little	Curtis	32
Today I Feel Silly	Curtis	32
Harry's Box	McAllister	32
White Swan Express	Okimoto	32
Silly Little Goose	Tafuri	32
King & King	de Haan	32
Tell Me A Dragon	Morris	32
Everywhere Babies	Meyers	32
Listeners	Whelan	40
Sisters	Caseley	32
Chair for Always	Williams	32
Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers	Whelan	32
Almost Astronauts	Stone	132
One Beetle Too Many	Lasky	48
	TOTAL pages	1626

I had so much fun. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me and all the organizers for putting on a great event!

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in

2010-04-11T03:36:00.000-04:00

3:30am: I made it through my big stack of picture books. I can't believe it! I kept ten or a dozen newer books so Ivy has something to read (although the child does not lack for reading material!).

I started to drift off while reading Carver, so I sat forward in my chair.

I have remaining in the stack for this readathon: two nonfiction, three graphic novels, two short chapter books and three poetic novels. I hope to finish a few more of them before 9am, but this will depend on when I wake up. For now, I will read another graphic novel and then see how I'm feeling.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: Go Indie

2010-04-11T02:11:00.000-04:00

My favorite indie bookstore is Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor. Nicola, the proprietor, can be found giving sage literary advice behind the counter most days. It's full of excellent children's literature. My school had very nice fundraiser with Nicola's in December.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: Early Favorites

2010-04-11T01:12:00.000-04:00

My very favorite book of all time is Watership Down. I read it for the first time in fourth grade. I think I've read it about six or seven times in entirety. It's about time for me to read it again.

Reading an epic of that length was never a problem for me. I was completely hooked by Adams' style. The rabbits were witty, ferocious and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, but it was subtle. The blend of adventure and mythology was captivating to me. Adams also mixed in facts about rabbits that made the whole story more believable.

Following Watership Down, I became a sincere devotee of anthropomorphic animal fantasy and tracked down bibliographies and books from all corners of the earth. Ratha's Creature, Tailchaser's Song and Silverwing all took on the mantle of Adams' genius. Even lesser works like The Sight and Firebringer, and the recent series by Lasky (Guardians of Ga'Hoole) and the very mediocre Warriors series, help bring new children to Watership Down every year. I am pleased every time I see a student walk out of the library with it in his or her hands.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: Get the Heck Out of Here

2010-04-11T01:05:00.000-04:00

What steps did you take to ensure you’d be able to read as much as possible today? Sadly, not very many. I told my husband on Friday I was doing this. He looked at me like I was crazy. I reassured him that many of the books could be read with our kids. As it happened, they were mostly busy doing other things, so I did almost all my reading alone.
Of those steps, which proved to be the most beneficial to your day? Well, reading with my kids was really fun. Also, doing the minichallenge was great fun and helped me stay involved. Having a plan about what to read, and some goals, were helpful as well.
Is there anything you might do differently next time? I will plan in advance to have a sitter or to have Tom take the kids elsewhere for part of the day. I will have pre-prepared food on hand.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in

2010-04-11T00:59:00.000-04:00

1am: Spent the last two hours reading three very intense nonfiction books (The Anne Frank Case, Sweethearts of Rhythm and Marching For Freedom). Wiping my eyes and moving on. I've been taking notes on each book and will be writing reviews, but I want to keep going while I can.

If you are new to this blog, let me just say I've been participating in the Clear Away the Clutter Readathon all week, which happens to be spring break for me. I must say, after a whole week of reading, I feel remarkably rested and willing to go back to work with a fresh heart. I am going to do this every spring break from now on, readathon or not.

Next: another swath of picture books, then some poetry. The chai latte is holding strong.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in

2010-04-10T23:13:00.000-04:00

11pm: Kids are in bed. Husband playing pinochle. I finished a whole book (Jellaby) without one interruption. The piles on my floor are shifting. It's all good! Must now consume some caffeine to get me through the next hour or two. I'm not sure if I'll go to sleep early and get up to read, or stay up as long as I can and take catnaps through 9am?

Now for a few nonfiction books in a row before I start to lose a little steam.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Mid-Event Meme

2010-04-10T19:26:00.000-04:00

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now? I just finished My Uncle Emily.

2. How many books have you read so far? Sixteen, but mostly picture books.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? Hard to say... there are some fun graphic novels and a couple nonfiction titles I've been waiting to read. Marching for Freedom, the winner of the Battle of the Kids' Books, is on my pile.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? "Honey, would you watch the kids all day?" Um, no.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? "Mommy, make me lunch! Mommy, let's play ball! Mommy, let's play Pokemon!" etc.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How fast my house gets messy when I'm not picking up.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Fewer challenges -- it was too distracting! One per hour would be fine.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Plan for more food on hand, and get someone to take my kids out.

9. Are you getting tired yet? I'm just getting revved up, but then, I didn't start until 1pm (4 hours late).

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Have lots of variety on hand.

Sign the linky below with a link to your post with your answers. There will be 4 winners: 1st gets 1 prize packs of books, along with chocolate coins, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th get three books of their choice. This is only open until the beginning of Hour 14.

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: If the Cover Fits

2010-04-10T19:19:00.000-04:00

I've been working my way through a whole stack of picture books. Here's a break for a minichallenge.

Disturbing

Vibrant

Beautiful

Scary

Moving

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in #2

2010-04-10T15:12:00.000-04:00

Um. What? 3pm already and I've read practically nothing. =( I did feed my children and finish Almost Astronauts (WOW WOW WOW). Next will read some board books to my son -- can I count those? -- and put him down for his nap, and read the remainder of my goal books from earlier this week. Good plan. Hope I can carry it out.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon minichallenge: Feed Me, Seymour!

2010-04-10T13:56:00.000-04:00

This one was so creative and wonderful!

Luckily the very first book I read was all about eating... well, musical instruments. So I enlisted the help of my co-blogger Ivy to illustrate this book as best as we could:

I know a shy fellow who swallowed a cello/I don't know why he swallowed a cello/Perhaps he'll bellow!

(Sorry, we didn't have a cello on hand, but Dexter's little pink guitar was good enough, I thought.)

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon minichallenge: Title Sentence

2010-04-10T13:48:00.000-04:00

I love this idea for a minichallenge. I've seen a lot of book title poetry going around the blogosphere, so this is like dipping my toe into the water.

My Abuelita: "Hush, little baby." No such thing in our mothers' house!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon check-in #1

2010-04-10T13:20:00.000-04:00

I'm home from my workshop and ready to begin the Readathon!! I'm pumped, ready to read read read. I'll refer back to my goals for those of you who care about such things.

I started by listening to Inkdeath on my way home. Upon walking in the door, Dexter (21 months) handed me his current favorite book, I Know A Shy Fellow Who Swallowed A Cello. He's fascinated with all books that have musical instruments in them.

I suspect we will mix old favorites with new books today.

Thanks to the cheerleaders who have stopped by to wish me a good beginning!

Dewey 24 Hour Read-A-Thon Minichallenge: Lights, Camera, Read!

2010-04-10T12:51:00.002-04:00

WINNERS! Thank you to all four of you for submitting your fabulous Animoto videos. By random drawing, the winner of the Amazon gift certificate is...

Icedream!

The Ivy's Choice award of a signed copy of THE POLAR EXPRESS goes to...

Readerbuzz!

And the Maggi's Choice award of a signed copy of WOODS RUNNER goes to...

Wendy!

Welcome, new visitors and old friends! Those of you who are participating in the Spring 2010 Dewey 24-Hour Read-A-Thon, I have a minichallenge for you.

Minichallenge: Lights, Camera, Read!

In addition to each participant automatically being entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card, there will be two prizes (see below) and they are JUICY. Here's how to play:

While you are reading and posting this day, acquire some pictures of yourself reading. This is a good way to get a friend or partner, or even your kids, involved (and possibly get them interested in participating in the 'Thon next fall!). If you are squeamish about yourself on camera, you can just use pictures of covers of books you are reading.

When you have a few (six is a good minimum), assemble them into a slideshow using Animoto or your favorite slide-show-creating web site. iPhoto and YouTube is fine, or anything else you want to use. It must include music. (If you can't think of good music, I recommend Patty Larkin's The Book I'm Not Reading.)

When you're done (any time before 5pm EST), come back here and post a link to your Animoto or other digital creation in the comments section. Make sure you also include a link to your blog and an email address so I can contact you.

The drawing for the Amazon gift card will be done exactly at 6pm EST. You get +1 entry by posting your digital creation in the comments section. Additional entries may be gained in the following way:
+1 entry for Twittering this minichallenge (before it's over, please)
+1 entry for posting on Facebook
+1 entry for posting about this minichallenge on your blog, if you have one
Please let me know you've done these things in a comment here.

Prizes! I will give two prizes for creativity, one to be awarded by me and one by my co-blogger, Ivy. We will review all entries and post the winners on Sunday, April 11.

Prize 1: a SIGNED copy of Gary Paulsen's brand new book Woods Runner!
Prize 2: a SIGNED copy of the 20th anniversary edition of Chris Van Allsberg's Caldecott winner The Polar Express (with audio CD and Christmas ornament)!

(You are fortunate that I just happen to be seeing both these authors this week!)

While you're here, browse the blog. I hope you enjoy what you see, and come back again. In the meantime, have a productive Readathon, and I'll see you in your comments sections! =)

-Maggi (Mama Librarian)

Readathon Day 5 check-in: Declutter the Blog

2010-04-09T22:42:00.000-04:00

My check-in basically says I finished Little Leap Forward before going to bed this morning, then read the entirety of How Oliver Olson Changed the World (which was excellent), THEN read the Twilight graphic novel volume 1 (which I will have to write an entire post on), then went to bed. In the morning I got up and started Almost Astronauts (which I am loving, by the way). That's about as far as I got today, as I spent the day playing with my kids and enjoying the crummy weather -- which is to say napping in my easy chair -- then sorted my daughter's craft supplies, and finally went to dinner at my neighbor's house for her fabulous monthly fundraiser. Truly an excellent day. I will attempt to finish Almost Astronauts before I fall asleep in a wine-induced haze.

Minichallenge #5: Declutter the Blog tells me to come up with some way to reorganize things at my blog.

I'm only following through on one meme (Nonfiction Mondays) and that only occasionally. My goal here is to find some memes I'm willing to follow on a weekly or semi-weekly basis, to induce me to post more.
My challenges are being met, but only some of them. I think I got a bit overzealous in the number of books I can read at a time. In particular my YA challenge is not being met. My goal is to read more in my YA books, even if they are not library books.
I only read one or maybe two books a day with my fabulous kids. I would like to read more. My goal here is to read one book in the morning with each child and at least one at night before going to bed.
From an organizational standpoint, I'm not happy with the way I'm sharing my status with each challenge. My goal is to investigate how I can portray this and do a better job of it.
Finally, my goal is to read each other blogger's goal and to learn something from it.

Chris Van Allsburg at the 2010 Sarah Marwil Lamstein Children’s Literature Lecture

2010-04-09T00:08:00.001-04:00

How did I not know that such a fabulous annual lecture was to be heard in my own little city? How did I happen to miss Cynthia Kadohata last year, Daniel Handler in 2008 and Christopher Paul Curtis in 2007?? How, I ask you?? Gaaah!

Well, I am pleased as punch that I didn't miss it this year, and even more pleased that I didn't have to use a personal business day to miss work (Spring Break, I love thee) in order to listen with rapturous appreciation to Chris Van Allsburg talk about how he might be pretty good at drawing.

Here's some proof:

And here's me getting the proof signed:

Some highlights of the lecture:

Chris Van Allsburg had zero art lessons until he went to college. Zero. Art lessons. Even then, he only drew pictures of the sculptures he designed (do not miss these... my favorite? The Invisible Man Bookends).
He bluffed his way into the University of Michigan by lying about how he'd been having lessons "on weekends" and that he was good enough to go into the College of Architecture and Design. You can hear more at the video interview on the Reading Rockets website.
His wife got him into children's literature by talking him up to a publisher, who offered him some boring didactic manuscripts to illustrate. When he turned them down, the publisher suggested he write his own book ("Notice he didn't offer me a contract"), which, of course, he did.
Speaking of which, Abdul Gazazi is pronounced "ga-ZAY-zee." From the author's mouth, folks.
He's currently working on a biography of the 62-year-old retired charm school teacher who went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. We saw pictures. It looks fabulous.

I recorded the whole thing on my iPhone, but it looks as though CPC's 2007 lecture was not only audiorecorded, but videorecorded as well, which means I may not have to release my bootleg version. Stay tuned.

Happy 100th post to me!

Readathon Day 4 check-in: Clear Out the Pack Rat Mentality AND the TBR

2010-04-08T23:29:00.000-04:00

No check-ins today -- I was too busy playing with my kids and (squeee!) seeing Chris Van Allsburg speak. I'll write a blog entry tomorrow about it with pictures and everything, but I'm just too darn tired tonight. I did get some good reading done while standing in line for autographs, though.

Here are the questions from tonight's minichallenge:

1.) Is there at least one book on your growing TBR that has been there forever and (if you were honest) you could give up without to much trauma?

Since my goal has been to read all those books I've had out of the library for way too long, it's hard to say. I've enjoyed every single one of the books I've read this weekend. Looking at what's left, I suppose I would say Home on the Range, the biography about John Lomax. I'm only so-so about biographies in general. I'm sure it will be good, but I wouldn't miss it if I never read it. Of course, it's short, so I'm sure it'll be no trouble at all.

2.) What is your latest "Gotta Have It" book? (that you can get once you've given up that one in question #1)

Ohhhh, I guess my next really wanna read is Ash by Malinda Lo. I had to send that one back to the library already once, so I put it on my "read at least some of" pile for Saturday's 24-Hour Readathon.

3.) What are your classics - your 'comfort books' that you never want to give up?

If you mean those books I could read over and over again, I would include Watership Down (my #1 all time favorite book), Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books (like Twilight with telepathic horses), Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series (the best dialogue in SF ever), the Liaden series by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (the absolute best mix of romance, science fiction and fantastic writing), Robin McKinley's Sunshine (closest thing to Buffy in a book) and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (depressing, sure, but such great world building). I read the Liaden and Bujold books again last year. Looks like Watership Down and Ender's Game are up for a re-read soon!

4.) What are your best tips for keeping that TBR in check?

You're asking ME? Um. I don't think I'm qualified to answer, since I own well over over a hundred books I've never read. This year I've gotten good at putting things I don't need to read RIGHT NOW on my Goodreads list instead of checking them out of the library. It's been helpful to help me prioritize.

Readathon Day 3 check-in: Share the Blog Love

2010-04-07T22:35:00.000-04:00

Oh this is a hard one. There are so many fantastic blogs out there. I never have time to read them all. I try to make time, but it seldom works out that way.

I'm also a fairly new blogger, and I haven't put a ton of energy into finding the best, #1 blogs, since I barely have time to read the ones I've already found... see above.

Mostly I appreciate it when people come to visit me, and stick around. So here are three blogs I have discovered by visiting blogs of people who've become my followers.

Peaceful Reader. She's a thoughtful YA reviewer with a nice mix of memes, reviews and discussion about work, life and kids. What's not to like? Definitely worth a look. http://peacefulreader.blogspot.com/

This Purple Crayon. You'll be hard pressed to find a more stylish blog. Natalie is an enthusiastic elementary media specialist with a new job, so it's fun to hear her discuss her classes. http://thispurplecrayon.blogspot.com/

Lost Between the Pages. I've seen Miss Martini most recently on Nonfiction Mondays, but she also has some snappy posts about teaching. http://lostbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/

Readathon Day 3 check-in

2010-04-07T01:49:00.003-04:00

2am: Just finished Lost and Found by Andrew Clements. Awesome! Time for bed - more in the morning.

12 noon: Working my way through Melonhead. falling asleep as I do. Hilarious! Husband took Ivy to the doctor for checkup.

5pm: Loving Melonhead even more. Husband picked up some books from the library and I am trying not to read the Twilight graphic novel. I did read a book with Ivy (Musical Beds) and read my email, and am importing Inkdeath into the iPhone.

10pm: Somehow I let Ivy talk me into taking us all out for sushi again tonight. Kids are finally both asleep and I'm ready to read read read! First, though, to check on the minichallenge for tonight...

Challenge: Hogwarts Reading Challenge

2010-04-07T00:50:00.000-04:00

This looked like too much fun to pass up: the Hogwarts Reading Challenge.

First, I went to the Sorting Hat to be Sorted. Yikes! Slytherin! This will be no fair since there is only ONE other person Sorted into Slytherin so far. Oh, well. We will just have to be extra conniving and creative to pull it off. =) Looks like I'll be re-reading me some Harry Potter to get those extra points.

Here are some possibilities for each of the classes:

Transfiguration: well, this is a no-brainer, as I've been wanting to read The Sweet In-Between for a while. I think Ash should work, too, as I've heard it is about werewolves, but I'll have to read it to find out.
Defense Against the Dark Arts: another no-brainer; I'll read NERDS. Perhaps there will be more.
Charms: I've been wanting to read one of the Fairy Realm books, so I'll read The Charm Bracelet.
Potions: this one was trickier. I finally found this cute new book that got at least one good review: The Magical Leaping Lizard Potion.
Astronomy: another easy one; any of the books on my to-read list with the word "star" (Jimmy's Stars, Every Soul A Star, Yellow Star, The Aurora County All-Stars) or one of my ubiquitous science fiction books will do
History of Magic: I'll begin with A History of Witchcraft, a book that's been on my TBR pile for a few months now.
Arithmancy: Chris Van Allsburg's newish picture book Probuditi! will qualify here, but there are others as well.

Ancient Runes: I haven't yet read that new Dan Brown yet... also the new Rick Riordan series would qualify, once it's released.

Divination: plenty of books to read here -- I'll pick one of the astrology books I've been meaning to read.

Care of Magical Creatures: maybe Dia Reeves' Bleeding Violet?

Muggle Studies: any of the biographies I'm reading will qualify

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon! (April 10, 2010)

2010-04-07T00:22:00.000-04:00

In the midst of this week-long Clear Away the Clutter Readathon, I will be participating as a Reader in the Dewey 24-Hour Read-A-Thon. This biannual challenge is something I tried last year and mostly failed miserably. I'm guaranteed to do better this year. =)

I'll also be offering a minichallenge in the afternoon, and I think it will be really fun! I'm offering three prizes for participation. Watch the Dewey blog for more information, or stop by at 1pm EST to participate in the minichallenge.

I won't even be starting my Readathon until 1pm because I have a workshop that morning, but I will try to go strong after that. To reiterate my goals, they are:

reading at least 20 picture books off my to-read shelf, and writing mini-reviews of them (eventually)
reading at least 5 nonfiction books off to-read shelf and writing mini-reviews
reading at least part of one book for each of my reading challenges
reading to both my children
reading at least some of every hour of the day I am awake, starting 1pm EST

To preserve some spontaneity, I don't think I'll choose the picture books or nonfiction books, but I sure have plenty to choose from. The books from the reading challenges are as follows:

YA Through the Decades: I Capture the Castle

Take Another Chance: The London Eye Mystery

Finish That Series: Inkdeath (audiobook)

GLBT Challenge: Ash

Clover, Bee and Reverie: Grow

Hogwarts: A History of Witchcraft

Readathon Day 2 check in #2 - Review-A-Thon

2010-04-06T22:42:00.000-04:00

Here's Readathon activity #2: Review-A-Thon.

In an effort to be efficient and feel like I've actually accomplished something during this 'Thon, I'm going to post mini-reviews of every book I've read here. I'm taking notes on each book, but most of the reviews will be short.

In addition, there are a few reviews I started but never finished. I'll be posting those tomorrow:

Less Than Half, More Than Whole
The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

Finally, I read a bunch of books for various challenges, primarily for the LBGT and poetry challenges, but haven't reviewed them. My goal is to have these finished and posted by Friday:

Readathon Day 2 check in

2010-04-06T14:01:00.002-04:00

2pm: I started the day by reading to my son in bed. How sweet is that? I read some of Raw Milk Revolution over breakfast, also caught up on email and read some blog posts. Husband took the kids to grandma's, leaving me free to read! Hooray. I read lots of email and blog posts, and finished Raw Milk Revolution while doing a load of laundry at the common house. I have 2 more hours of unfettered reading. Time to get started on that TBR pile!

3pm: Finished lunch and Who's Jim Hines? On to Sassy...

10:30pm: Read a bit then fell asleep in the chair... husband came home with kids and went to the gym. I took them outside and read while they played. It's very hard to get any reading done while watching a 1.5 year old who has a tendency to run into the parking lot. They finally fell asleep just before 10. Finished Sassy -- ready for some Andrew Clements!

Readathon Day 1 check in #3 - Activity #1 (Clutter and Hoarding Rehab)

2010-04-06T01:17:00.000-04:00

Okay. I do have a hoarding problem. As noted in my original Readathon post, I have some books from the public library I've renewed more than ten times. Er. Some many more than that. So, I've admitted it. Now, to the challenge!

Here's a picture of my TBR shelf:

Note that the top shelf is, indeed, two deep:

And, so as not to be outdone, here is Ivy's TBR pile (she's only 4, so she is allowed to make hers easier to reach):

Part two... my plan. As I said in my intro post, my goal is to read those books I have renewed ten times or more. I have other goals as well, but that's my central focus. There are 12 books, and here they are:

How Oliver Olson Changed the World
Sassy: Little Sister is Not My Name
Almost Astronauts
Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing
Who's Jim Hines?
A Chair for Always (I have actually read this one but will write a review)
One Beetle Too Many
Home on the Range: John A. Lomax and His Cowboy Songs
Lost and Found (Clements)
Yuki and the 1000 Carriers
Bird (already read it, ditto review)
Melonhead

(I also have What Will Fat Cat Sit On? which has been renewed 17 times, but that's because I'm sure I have already returned it. I'm hoping the library finds it any day now.)

Here's a picture of those 12 books to prove I am organized enough to find them all and put them in one place:

Additional books will be added if I am thinking I'm getting close to finishing any of these. I also need to finish Raw Milk Revolution and Simplicity Parenting, as they are due Friday and can't be renewed, but I've already started on these.

Part Three... work my plan. Well, thankfully, my dear husband will take the kids tomorrow to Grandma's house and leave me alone to read blissfully from morning until about 4pm. I can put a good dent in these books tomorrow.

So! I feel better already. None of those are super chunky. I can do it! I think I'll tackle a short fiction book after reading the two nonfic ones I'm finishing, then Almost Astronauts.

Nonfiction Monday: The Day-Glo Brothers - Chris Barton

2010-04-05T17:29:00.000-04:00

The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors

by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tony Persiani

Ages 4-8

48 pages

Charlesbridge, July 2009

I've been waiting and waiting for my public library to buy a copy of this book so I could review it! I so wanted to include it in my Mock Caldecott. I should have just shelled out the bucks and bought a copy for myself. It's a fantastic book and full of quirky details.

From Amazon:

Joe and Bob Switzer were very different brothers. Bob was a studious planner who wanted to grow up to be a doctor. Joe dreamed of making his fortune in show business and loved magic tricks and problem-solving. When an accident left Bob recovering in a darkened basement, the brothers began experimenting with ultraviolet light and fluorescent paints. Together they invented a whole new kind of color, one that glows with an extra-special intensity: Day-Glo.

What I liked best about this biography is the very human fallibility of brothers Joe and Bob. Neither are perfect, but they complement one another well. Their story speaks to the importance of working together to make things happen, which is not something kids ordinarily learn from a biography. Most famous heroes are portrayed as being the best or the smartest or the hardest working. These guys were none of those things. They were ordinary people who had a good idea and were curious to see what would happen with it. Plenty of their ideas failed, and that's cool too. Kids need more opportunities to fail.

The science is first rate and would be great to replicate in a controlled environment, but I wonder how much of it was dangerous. I don't think making a fluorescent sponge cake is a good idea.

Ivy chose this one two nights in a row for bedtime reading. She loved the stunt plane and the glowing flowers. She also noted how they got older in the pictures as the book went on: "Look, here's Bob and he's a little older than the last Bob!" Last night I didn't edit any text and she fell asleep on the last page.

Winner of the 2010 Cybil Awards for best nonfiction picture book; also a 2010 Sibert Honor winner.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 8 - I'm a sucker for the first book written on a subject (*cough* Claudette Colvin)
Wordsmithing: 7 - Funny and comfortable, like my Uncle Chuck.
Personages: 8 - These guys were neat individuals.
Mesmerizitude: 8 - Even my 1.5 year old couldn't look away from the day-glo!
Illustrations: 8 - Clever use of color, but the retro design is even cooler. Those guys riding in their car look like the happiest inventors on earth.
Factfulness: 8 - Excellent back matter on fluorescence.

Other Reviews

Readathon Day 1 check in #2

2010-04-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

3pm... finished my appointment (ordered some excellent glasses) and did some grocery shopping; enjoyed audiobooks almost the whole time. Finished Lighting Their Fires, Rafe Esquith's third book on teaching, and am most of the way through The Golden Hoard. Also stopped at the mall to view the new iPad. It's cool, folks!!

Made lunch for myself and the kids. Catching up on email (that's reading, right??). Next: gardening and more audiobooks. Husband is at the gym and then we're off to dinner & Avenue Q... that will be a bit of a reading break, but well worth it! Tonight: I'll finish Raw Milk Revolution and read some more in Simplicity Parenting, which is due back on Friday.

Readathon day 1 check-in

2010-04-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

10:00. On my way to the optometrist. Got up early to read before the kids were awake (4:30-6am). Audiobook this morning. More reading in the waiting room.

Imagination and reality to a 3-year-old

2010-04-01T01:44:00.000-04:00

There's a discussion right now on the fantastic email list child-lit about "creepy" children's books. I shared the following anecdote about Ivy and her experience of a creepy book.

My daughter Ivy's creepy book was Mo Willems' "I Will Surprise My Friend," one of his Elephant and Piggie books. At age 2, she was enamored of E&P and had us read them aloud to her often. When this one was released, we immediately bought it for her and she was scared witless by the part where Gerald imagines Piggie being eaten by a scary scary monster "right now." But she wanted it read again. And again. Every time she'd cry and cover her eyes, then ask for it again. We read it to her, I kid you not, fifty or sixty times over the next few days -- clearly she was working it out. We'd patiently explain about the thought bubbles and how Gerald was imagining, and she'd nod understanding, and then freak out again when we got to the scary scary monster part.

One week later, she brought the book to our neighbor Chet and proceeded to read it aloud to him. When she got to the part with the thought bubbles, she pointed solemnly and reassured him, "Those are just imagination. It's not a real monster." Success!

The final part of the story came four months later, when drawing a picture with her grandmother. Ivy drew a picture with thought bubbles, and told grandmother (who is a noted child development expert), "This part is real life, but this part is just imagining.

Now she's four and reads the books aloud to her little brother, who is totally oblivious to scary scary monsters.

Clear Away the Clutter Readathon: April 5-11

2010-03-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

Just in time for Spring Break!! It's the Clear Away the Clutter Readathon, hosted by the Neverending Shelf, where the goal is to chip away at that ol' TBR shelf. I can tell you, the public library will be very happy to get some of its books back.

Let's see... here are some reasonable goals:

Read a little bit each hour I am awake. (Can I count reading blog posts?)
Read all the books I've renewed 10 or more times. (13 books, I'm sorry to say.)
Read at least 5 books every day with my children.
Write notes on every book so I can write mini-reviews of all of them.
Finish reading ALL the poetry books I've checked out so I'm prepared for Poetry Month.

How about one unreasonable goal?

Read one entire novel every day.

This will also overlap with the Dewey 24 Hour Readathon on Saturday/Sunday, so I'll be doing a lot of concentrated reading that day, although I also have a commitment in the morning that Saturday.

Webcomic: xkcd

2010-03-26T08:04:00.001-04:00

While I take a short hiatus, please enjoy the hilarity that is xkcd.

Library Loot, Mar 15

2010-03-16T21:23:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I did a Library Loot post. I get most of my books from the library; I've only ever received two ARCs in the mail, and I (shamefacedly) haven't read either one. Luckily our local library system is excellent, and I can get nearly anything I want from it.

I have a much more structured reading schedule this year, but I've kind of fallen down on the job in the past month. I'm not a reluctant reader, but when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I resist structure of all kinds, even when it's related to things I like or appreciate. Not a very typical librarian, I suppose.

In any case, Ivy and I were at the library the other day, returning a few things we were done with, and I found a couple books I've been waiting for. So, even though I already have over a hundred books checked out, I got a couple more.

The Magic Thief #2: Lost! by Sarah Prineas - I really enjoyed the first one, and was excited to spot the second at the bookstore.
Moriboto II: Guardian of the Darkness by Nahoko Uehashi - I've heard a lot about this one and haven't read the first one yet; it's on hold at the library and should be arriving soon. For some reason, I thought it was manga, but it's just regular prose.
Some readers for Ivy: The Dinosaur Who Lost His Roar (cute anti-bullying story with graphic novel components), Harry and the Lady Next Door, two Little Bear books.
Wishing for Tomorrow by Hilary McKay - ooooh! I was waiting for this, the sequel to A Little Princess, written by one of my favorite contemporary authors. I sure hope it's good.
The Prometheus Project #1: Trapped - I'm always looking for good science fiction for middle graders, and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Here's hoping it lives up to the hype.
Some choices by Ivy: DW's Guide to Perfect Manners, Most Loved Monster, Minerva the Monster (at the bottom).
The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton - another one that's been on my to-read list forever, and the library finally got it.
Truce by Jim Murphy - I read Betsy Bird's review and was hooked. Glad to finally have it.
The Listeners by Gloria Whelan - this I hadn't heard of, but I love Whelan and am looking forward to reading it.

Now to schedule them and not read them. =)

What was in your library bag this week?

Review: Bad News for Outlaws - Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

2010-03-15T12:32:00.000-04:00

Bad News for Outlaws

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Ages 6-10

32 pages

Carolrhoda Books, November 2009

Okay, I admit it. My father hooked me on westerns when I was a little kid. One of my very favorite movies of all time is Silverado. The sense of adventure, the open prairie, the black and white morality all appealed to my childhood brain -- and now, of course, it's too late. It's embedded in my psyche.

But even if you don't care much for westerns, or if you have (heresy!) never seen Silverado, Bad News for Outlaws is a smashing success. It begins with a strong hook. I defy any child to resist the power of Bass Reeves capturing the criminal Jim Webb:

Webb couldn't outrun a horse. And he knew he'd hang for sure this time. In a last-ditch effort to escape, Webb stopped in his tracks, turned, and let loose with his rifle.

The rest of Reeves' story is told chronologically, with one-page episodes of each part of his life, from the slavery of his youth to becoming a Deputy U.S. Marshal. The focus is on his time capturing criminals. The text is scattered with fascinating facts, anecdotes and quotes about Reeves.

One of the distinguishing features of this biography is the quality of Bass' character. He was an exemplary shot, but killed very few men in his lifetime. A touching segment tells how Reeves was required to arrest his own son, who'd killed his cheating wife.

The back matter is rich with additional detail, including a glossary of "Western Words," a timeline of Reeves' life, books and web sites for further reading, more about Indian Territory and Judge Isaac Parker, who hired Reeves, a selected bibliography and an author's note.

The illustrations by R. Gregory Christie are colorful and rich paintings, with a thick line and impressionistic style. You can read an interview with him at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast here.

When judging biographies for sharing with my classes, I always go back to Judy Freeman's 10 biographical "ingredients" in her recipe for Biography Hash. Not all biographies need to have all ten, but it sure helps -- and this one does. I can predict some serious hash-making next week!

Winner of the 2010 Coretta Scott King Award.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 8 - superb example of biography and a smashing story to boot.
Wordsmithing: 8 - compelling descriptions and evocative quotes.
Personages: 7 - Bass is a fabulous character and a great role model.
Mesmerizitude: 7 - a quick read.
Illustrations: 7 - though not my style, the paintings are very eye-catching.
Factfulness: 9 - truly excellent scholarship and inclusion of notes about the research process.

Reviews & Other Stuff

at the publisher web site
at Happy Nappy Bookseller
at INK
at The Reading Tub
Listen to the author reading from the beginning of the book at Teachingbooks.net.

Why not to read early chapter books aloud

2010-03-09T02:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a rant I've repeated a few times now, so I thought I should post it someplace where I can link to it.

This is my response to parents who ask me questions like, "Do you have #43 in the Frog and Toad series? My kindergartener can't wait for me to read it to her."

Books like Frog and Toad and Mr. Putter and Tabby are written especially for children who are learning to read on their own. They don't have any significant concept challenges, so readers can focus on decoding and fluency.* (I call those books junior fiction; most people call them "easy readers" which I think is demeaning to beginning readers who don't find them easy!) This category also includes abridged versions of classics, Magic Tree House, Nate the Great, Geronimo Stilton, Captain Underpants, Junie B. Jones and nearly all television or movie tie-ins.

As a media specialist, I suggest you save junior fiction for beginning readers to enjoy on their own. This has a few significant advantages. One is that these books sell themselves, so there's no need to read them aloud to get kids interested in them. Once they are hooked on a series, young readers will never lack books about familiar, comfortable characters, which encourages them to read more. Another is that you as the parent will never be stuck reading the forty thousandth Magic Tree House or Rainbow Fairy book aloud. Let your readers know they will be able to read them alone soon and this may be motivation for them. Third and most important, when you read aloud more complex chapter books, you have the opportunity to share some great literature (read: fun and interesting, not just "good for them") that your children otherwise would not discover on their own until many years later, if ever.

I enthusiastically recommend Toys Go Out and its sequel as great read-alouds for preschool and up. I love the Mercy Watson books too, but they qualify as junior fiction to me, so I prefer to recommend them as read-alones instead. In general, but not always, animal adventure stories are somewhat gentler than those about humans. Here, in no particular order, are some of my other favorites:

Jenny and the Cat Club by Esther Averill (many books in this series about a cat and her cat friends)
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (3 books - gentle adventure)
All About Sam by Lois Lowry (4 books)
The Magician's Boy by Susan Cooper (for those who love fairy tales)
The Puppy Sister by S.E. Hinton (a dog who wants to be a girl)
Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White (lesser known adventures by author of Charlotte's Web)
Mary on Horseback (historical fiction with some intense moments - less racist than Little House on the Prairie)
The Littles by John Peterson (several in this series, tiny people aka Borrowers except with tails)
Mary Poppins by P.L Travers (nothing like the movie, trust me - much weirder!)
Catwings by Ursula K. Leguin (cats with wings!)
Cricket in Times Square by George Selden (many books in series, some out of print)
Bunnicula (many in the series about the thoughtful dog and the vampire rabbit)
anything by Dick King-Smith - mostly animal stories

For those who want something a little sillier, try these -- very little children, however, may not get the jokes.
The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle (about poo!)
Stuart's Cape by Sara Pennypacker (2 books)
The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (and its scary sequel, and really anything by him for kids)
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (3 books)

Finally, please don't stop reading picture books. Many are written for younger children, but others are much more complex and can bring incredible richness to your children's reading lives well into their middle school years. If you're looking for something longer than the average picture book, I suggest you try picture book biographies. Ask your librarian for recommendations.

For more on reading aloud, Jim Trelease is so amazing!! He just retired from doing workshops on read-alouds, and I think it's a darn shame. You can hear him here:http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/video_2.html and here: http://www.vimeo.com/2273440

* One caveat is that older books, such as Frog and Toad, may have concepts or words six or seven year old children may not be familiar with.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon! (April 10, 2010)

2010-03-07T22:16:00.000-05:00

The Read-A-Thon is coming up in about a month. They're looking for volunteers if you can help out.

In some ways it's an excellent day, being a Saturday and all, and I don't have any community meetings. It's the end of my Spring Break. But I also have a conflict resolution workshop that morning, and that will take a big chunk out of my day. Oh, well.

My goals include:

reading at least 20 picture books off my to-read shelf, and writing mini-reviews of them
reading at least 5 nonfiction books off to-read shelf and writing mini-reviews
reading at least part of one book for each of my reading challenges
reading to both my children
reading at least some of every hour of the day

Do you plan to participate in the Dewey Read-A-Thon this April? If so, what will you read?

Whitewashing and Coverjacking

2010-03-05T02:18:00.000-05:00

There's been a lot of buzz about the issue of whitewashing YA and children's book covers. Specifically:

Liar by Justine Larbaliester: the original cover portrayed a woman with white skin and straight hair, not the African-American character as written in the book. After much brouhaha, Bloomsbury redid the cover.
Magic Under Glass, also Bloomsbury: main character has dark skin, but cover has a model with white skin. Again, cover was redone, but only after ranting and raving from bloggers. You'd think they'd learn?
The Mysterious Benedict Society books: Sticky, a character of color, has been presented as white (or even albino) on covers. Little, Brown has agreed to amend covers, although with a notable lack of apology.
Summaries about above issues at The Book Smugglers in their Cover Matters feature,

I like to see covers that accurately represent the people inside. I get very annoyed if they don't. I will buy books about characters regardless of their race, but in cases like mysteries, fantasies and SF, I'm more likely to buy a book if it has a person of color on the cover because I think they are so poorly represented in these genre.

If I used Facebook for things other than private communication, it might matter more that I've joined Readers Against White Washing. As it is, I'm happy to suggest you do the same.

In a related note, there's been a lot of conversation on child_lit about boys not wanting to read books with girls on the cover, such as Calpurnia Tate or Ella Enchanted. One of the solutions posted was to remove the cover and sell the book without it. I've gotten rather uppity about this solution.

Sharon Levin said it very well:

So, really, what we’re saying is that boys are interesting and girls are boring. We wonder how any boy could be interested in what girls are up to, even though in any good book, the story, conflict, etc. should be interesting enough to be a good read for ANYONE.... As I was ranting on the way home from the airport after the conference the spousal unit said “Would any of these people hold up a book about an African-American child and say to a white kid, ‘you wouldn’t like this, it’s about a black kid’? Well, of course not, that would be racist. So, why in the world is sexism not only accepted, but reinforced, taught even, by those we hope know better?

I am wishing we lived in a society where we did not have to redirect boys after they see covers with girls on them, knowing we don't have to make that effort with girls and covers with boys on them. Even more, though, I am wanting a world in which we, as teachers and librarians and parents, explicitly teach our children about racism, sexism and homophobia when we encounter such moments ("Here, read this great book!" "No, it has a girl on it -- I'm a boy, I want to read a boy book." "Do you know you were being sexist just now?" "What's sexist?" etc.). I hear people saying they don't do that. That, frankly, pisses me off.

Booking Through Thursday: Grammar

2010-03-04T16:45:00.001-05:00

Booking Through Thursday is a question-of-the-week meme. This week's question:

In honor of National Grammar Day … it IS “March Fourth” after all … do you have any grammar books? Punctuation? Writing guidelines? Style books?
More importantly, have you read them?
How do you feel about grammar in general? Important? Vital? Unnecessary? Fussy?

I am a stickler for grammar and punctuation in my professional life. I've never been able to fall into the conventions of online chatting or writing quick emails with no punctuation; even my notes to my husband are meticulously grammatical. Not that I don't ever make a mistake. And sometimes I even start sentences with "and." =)

I do a mini-unit each year with my fourth grade students. This is usually in cooperation with teaching them the conventions of typing: one space after each punctuation mark, two after each period, etc. We read some funny books on punctuation, correct a few paragraphs with errors and learn to use a checklist for editing our own work. Student's work improves dramatically in this experience.

I like to start with Punctuation Takes A Vacation by Robin Pulver. This humorous story, illustrated with childlike paintings, shows what would happen if punctuation left the classroom. Students One two page spread has punctuation marks writing postcards back to the students. Later the punctuation from the classroom next door comes over and messes up their work. It's funny and useful and the kids love it.

The second book I use is Greedy Apostrophe, which goes more in detail about the mistakes one makes using the apostrophe to create possessives where there are not supposed to be any. This mistake pervades student work, even those hung in the halls, and I tell them in no uncertain terms that it makes them look bad when they use apostrophes in the wrong place. We do a short worksheet so they get practice putting the punctuation in the right place.

Another excellent and very funny series of books are the picture books by Lynne Truss, starting with Eats Shoots and Leaves, followed by The Girl's Like Spaghetti and Twenty-Odd Ducks. These books present a sentence twice, with two different ways to punctuate it, resulting in different meanings. The funny part is the illustration going with each sentence. Every fourth grader I know thinks these books are hilarious.

Incidentally, when I read the adult version of her book Eats Shoots and Leaves, I was eating alone in a diner at 7 in the morning, falling all over myself laughing. If you're a grammar and punctuation fanatic like me, treat yourself to her book sometime.

Review: The Boy on Fairfield Street - Kathleen Krull

2010-03-01T17:24:00.002-05:00

The Boy on Fairfield Street

by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher

Ages 6-10

43 pages

Random House, 2004

Every year we celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday during March (is Reading Month). I do a week of activities with my students and read them all the Dr. Seuss books they've never heard of. This is my favorite book to read to the older kids, fourth or fifth grades, who think they know everything about Dr. Seuss.

Krull presents a chronological story of the early life of Theodore Seuss Geisel, focusing on his experiences as a boy in Springfield, Massachusetts. It includes the happy details, such as Ted's mother reciting lists of nonsense words to help him go to sleep (names of pies!), and not so happy details, such as Ted being bullied by anti-German neighbors. At the end there are four pages of further information about Geisel's later years, a comprehensive list of books written by Seuss and some suggestions for further reading.

This biography appeals to children of all ages, but I especially like to share it with older children who have had the experience of being punished for dreaming too much. Ted is presented as a creative but unfocused genius, full of ideas but not a lot of drive. I think many creative children (myself included) can relate to this state of being.

It is beautifully illustrated with a painting on each two-page spread. At the bottom of each spread is a character from one of Seuss' books. I took these icons and made a trivia/word puzzle out of them, appropriate for 3rd grade and up. (Post a comment with your email address if you'd like a copy.)

Ratings

Awesomeness: 7 - full of great information about Seuss, and gorgeous to boot.
Wordsmithing: 6 - well written, and only a bit too long for reading aloud in one session.
Mesmerizitude: 6 - I especially liked all the stuff at the end (back matter?).
Illustrations: 7 - perfectly captured the capricious, creative nature of Geisel as a boy.
Factfulness: 7 - very well done!

Other Reviews

on SMS Book Reviews

SLJ 2010 Battle of the (Kids') Books

2010-03-01T17:03:00.000-05:00

The SLJ Battle of the Kids' Books has begun! Oh, this is bound to be a fun year. Last year's Battle was a source of much amusement for me. Don't miss it!

Review: Shakespeare Bats Cleanup - Ron Koertge

2010-02-25T04:02:00.001-05:00

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup

by Ron Koertge

Ages 10+

116 pages

Candlewick, March 2003

English teachers, take note: hand this book to your students, and you can teach them poetry little by little, almost without effort. Isn't that the power of poetry: to instruct subtly without you even knowing you're learning?

Kevin, once MVP on his school ball team, now is laid up with mono. He writes in his journal to escape the monotony of his illness, but also to reflect on the loss of his mother, girlfriends, baseball and other issues of importance. As he begins to claim his identity as an author, he struggles with his changing identity as a baseball player.

Kevin begins with the familiar haiku and then moves on to more complex forms, including sonnets, a pantoum, a ballad, blank verse, a sestina, couplets and a pastoral. I enjoyed reading each form before learning its name, as Koertge demonstrates the type of poem before explaining what it is. He discusses structure, scansion, rhyming and similes in passing, almost offhandedly, and uses the ongoing metaphor of baseball to help keep things concrete.

I was planning to read Hate That Cat to my 5th graders (as a follow-up to Love That Dog, which I read aloud to many of them in 3rd grade), but now I am considering reading this one. I'm going to have to ask them if they'd be embarrassed having me read about sex and stuff. There's nothing inappropriate for middle schoolers, but having your librarian read about making out might be more than they can handle. Maybe better to leave it to them. I could read All the Broken Pieces. Hmmm. Hard to choose -- they're all so good.

Teaching idea: after reading the novel, students respond in their reader response journals with one of the poetic forms Kevin used.

Nominated for the Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award, 2006.

Question for you: what other books do you recommend for middle school boys?

Ratings

Awesomeness: 8 - tight and clever, with just the right amount of poetry instruction.
Wordsmithing: 7 - no heavy punches here; even Kevin's mother's death is presented with a light hand, but excellent poetic examples.
Personages: 7 - Kevin is likeable but not outside the realm of normal boy.
Mesmerizitude: 7 - a quick read; it kept me interested.
Factfulness: 7 - taught me more about poetry than the best instruction manual.

Other Reviews'n'Stuff

at lection
at bookshelves of doom
at Finding Wonderland
recommended on Common Sense Media
interviews with Ron Koertge at Through the Looking Glass and Cynsations
lesson plans at the State Library of Indiana web site
more novels in verse | still more novels in verse

Review: The Yearling - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

2010-02-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

The Yearling

by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Ages 10+

400 pages

I read this book for the YA Through the Decades challenge (book 1!).

I loved the perpetual question asked in the book: how would they be challenged next? There was no question it would happen, nor did it feel excessive or overly dramatic. It was just the way life was in the northern Florida swamp. Yet even though the question of survival was always on Jody's family's mind, it was never so sharp and immediate as it was in the last chapter, where Jody ran away from home and discovered his own truth: in the end, when one is hungry, animals must be food. It is eat, or die - no questions asked, no morality, just truth.

I'm listening to another book, Farm City, that discusses this idea, but clearly in our "civilized" world, it is a choice to eat animals for food. The author embarks upon a month-long experiment to see if she can successfully feed herself on her own garden and animals for one month. She talks about how she wasn't sure if she could kill her rabbits, being mammals like her, but discovers in the hungry moment that it didn't matter that much. Food is food, and she is grateful for it. I think perhaps with Jody being so emotionally tied to Flag that he has crossed a line, but I suspect, had it been necessary, Jody would have been able to eat Flag's meat, with appreciation for what Flag did for him.

Oh, and can I just say? You know you've really made it when your book gets its own publishing imprint. Not to mention its own Wikipedia entry.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 7 - never ponderous even in its tome-like length, this is a great survival story.
Wordsmithing: 8 - Rawlings does a spectacular job evoking the language and attitudes of the people of rural Florida of this time period, but the true magic is in her description of the swamp.
Personages: 7 - several characters were flat, but Jody and his family are multifaceted and fascinating to read.
Mesmerizitude: 8 - I found myself reading bits of it under the covers on my iPhone in the middle of the night.

Review: From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books - Kathleen T. Horning

2010-02-23T21:02:00.000-05:00

From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books

by Kathleen T. Horning

Adult

230 pages

HarperCollins, February 1997

As a librarian, I've had myriad opportunities to review children's literature on the fly, in the form of booktalks and newsletter reviews, but it wasn't until I started writing this blog last year that I've looked critically at my skill as a writer and reviewer. Reading From Cover to Cover was a gift to myself to help me write better and more informative reviews, and I highly recommend all bloggers do the same.

From Cover to Cover is written in a friendly, readable style, using a format designed for easy reference. It uses all the best features of nonfiction to guide the reader to the information she is looking for. Horning begins with an explanation of how children's books are published, the parts of a book and various categories of children's books. Then she methodically covers each type of children's literature: nonfiction, traditional literature, poetry, picture books, easy readers and transitional books, and fiction. She concludes with a short chapter on writing a review.

One of the nicest elements of From Cover to Cover is the use of mentor texts to exemplify each aspect of children's literature. Horning has a long, juicy list of recommended titles in each chapter. I can see I'll have to devote a chunk of my summer to reading all those books!

I was thrilled to see that From Cover to Cover will be released this April in a revised edition! You can bet I'll be picking up a copy to have on my reference shelf.

Horning has received multiple awards and commendations, including the 2009 Scholastic Library Publishing Award. She is a former president of ALSC and a Newbery Award chair. She is currently director of the CCBC and will be delivering the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture this year.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 8 - an excellent resource for all reviewers.
Wordsmithing: 7 - written simply and clearly.
Mesmerizitude: 8 - I breezed through these 200+ pages in a day, but came away full of ideas.
Factfulness: 9 - superior content, both presentation of elements of literature and recommendations of exemplary texts.

Other Reviews'n'Stuff

at A Garden of Books
Read an excellent interview with Horning in SLJ (July 2009)

Catching up

2010-02-21T23:46:00.000-05:00

Boy, it's been a heck of a month. Practically no posts this month -- it reflects my ability to stay awake at the computer at night. I've kept up with reading, but I have many partially finished reviews. I'm very glad to say I'm on vacation for one week, and I'm planning to use this time to its fullest!

Goals for my vacation:

Spend time with kids! ... including reading to them. I hardly ever do this during the week because I just see them before bed, other than a bedtime story. I'd like to ramp this up and do more reading.
Read! I have several books I've put off reading, and I want to get caught up. This means at least 2 books per day over break. Yikes!
Review! I want to finish all the reviews I've been putting off, and also review all the books I read this week. I won't deluge you with reviews, but I'll save them over the next month and release one or two a day.
Read blogs! My blog reading has seriously deteriorated, and I miss it. I've spent some time culling my email down to professional-only (LM-NET and child-lit, mostly, with a few organizational lists) and now it's manageable. I have to check out Google Reader on my iPhone to see if it's doable. That could help me keep caught up. Otherwise, I will have to plan a block or two of blog-reading time each day.
Do my (our) taxes.
Plan my next 5 weeks of classes, and outline the remainder of the year.
Spend 1/2 day at work cleaning and sorting my office.
Do odd jobs around the house, like hang pictures and sort papers.
Enjoy my birthday (Friday) and get lots of free things at restaurants. =)

This is doable, but I will need to figure out priorities tomorrow morning while doing laundry.

Here's a participation question: what do you do first when you go on vacation? Clean your house? Sleep in? Tackle those big projects or do nothing? Plan or go spontaneous?

Nonfiction Monday: Extra Cheese, Please! - Cris Peterson

2010-02-08T00:49:00.006-05:00

Extra Cheese, Please!

by Cris Peterson, photos by Alvis Upitis

Ages 4-8

32 pages

Boyds Mills Press, 1994

It's Nonfiction Monday (see the roundup this week at Great Kid Books) and I have another book about cows! (My school is planning to buy a cow to support Heifer International during this year's March is Reading Month (MIRM), so I checked out all the books on cows and milk we had in our public library. You'll see several of these reviews come up over the next few weeks.)

Cris Peterson, the author of eight books on farming and agriculture for children, is a full time dairy farmer in Wisconsin. She is also the author of Huckleberry Bookshelf, a syndicated weekly column on children's literature. She and photographer Alvis Upitis have created this excellent nonfiction book on how milk is made into mozzarella cheese. Peterson won the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Children's Literature Award for Extra Cheese, Please! as well as for four other of her books.

Description:

When Cris Peterson's cow Annabelle gives birth to a calf, an amazing process begins. Now Annabelle can produce milk--about 40,000 glasses of milk each year, or enough cheese to top 1,800 pizzas. Alvis Upitis's sparkling photographs document the cheese-making process--starting on the farm where Annabelle's calf is born and milking begins, then moving to the cheese-making plant where the milk is heated and cooled, stirred and swirled, thickened, drained, and sliced--and finally packaged for stores. Cris Peterson's personal and informative text explains the process in a simple and engaging manner. Mr. Uptits's photographs capture moments on the farm with the cows and the calves and reveal an inside view of the cheese-making process. A wonderful collaboration, concluding with the author's own recipe for pizza.

The writing is about as technical as in Aliki's book on milk, which is to say perfectly accessible to younger readers, but complicated enough to satisfy students who appreciate technology. The text is peppered with fun similes ("The bricks of cheese float like overgrown building blocks in a bathtub.") that make it easy for students to visualize the process. Because it's illustrated with photographs, this will be a good compliment to Aliki's book, too.

Oh, and I was hoping for instructions on how to make cheese, but instead there's a pizza recipe. Perhaps I'll try it and bring in the results for students to taste! (Too bad we had to take out the kitchen to install the book room...)

Lesson ideas:

While reading, students listen for ways in which owning a cow would be beneficial for Heifer International donor families. Scribe a class list after reading.
Use the description of cheesemaking to guide students in writing their own how-to book on making mozzarella. Then, make cheese using a kit.
Research one of the villages serviced by Heifer International. Using the figures given in the book on how much cheese a cow can produce, determine how many cows a village would need in order to provide cheese for all residents.

Additional Resources

Here's a brief lesson plan for 2nd-3rd grade provided by Powell Center on identifying natural, capital and human resources. (PDF)
Oregon State Extension has a module in their Start Smart Eating and Reading breakfast program for 1st-2nd grade about milk and calcium. (PDF)
The curriculum Bringing History Home uses More Cheese, Please! to teach about assembly line production.
The Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri State University present a webquest called Dig Into Dairy, in which students learn about different cattle breeds in the United States.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 5 - a very useful book for teaching the how-to style
Wordsmithing: 6 - clear description of a technical process
Mesmerizitude: 5 - I'm only slightly interested in factory cheesemaking
Photographs: 6 - very clear
Factfulness: 5 - just enough for younger students, but would have loved additional info

January Check-In

2010-02-04T11:09:00.001-05:00

I'm trying a lot of new things this year with this blog, and I'm pretty happy with how things are going. It is more work, but I feel it is more rewarding as well. I'm working on pacing my reading better, but already I'm getting behind. I'm keeping track of my reading using an Excel spreadsheet downloaded from another generous blogger, but I'm ashamed to say I can't remember who it was! I love it, whoever you are.

Total books read or listened to so far this year (not counting books read while teaching): 16

Nonfiction

Eleanor, Quiet No More (biography)
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (biography)
Green Grass and White Milk (informational)

Middle Grade

Picture Books

The Mitten

Audiobooks

Heroes of the Valley (not reviewed - somewhat too long but really well crafted, with three dimensional characters and a smashing, gruesome conclusion... but really, I think reading Powers ruined me for any other coming-of-age fantasy quests)
Shug (not reviewed - great characters; reminded me of Rules)
Farm City (currently listening - interesting, but not as good as some other eco-memoirs I've read in the last few years; the writing is funny but somewhat abrasive, and I haven't developed much love for the family yet)

Graphic Novels

Stitches (not reviewed - amazing and powerful; reminded me of Blankets)

Challenges

YA Through the Ages: This is my most challenging challenge, because there are so many books I chose to read. I just finished The Yearling. Whew! It took me longer than anticipated. I'm quite behind on my schedule, but I hope to catch up over February break. Next is Seventeenth Summer.
Take Another Chance: I finished #1 (Read Your Doppelganger) and have started #2 (Blogroll Roulette), so I'm right on schedule with this one.
Clover, Bee and Reverie (poetry): I've scheduled my poetry reading (all poetic novels) for this one for February and March, so there will be lots coming up. I just read my first book yesterday, All the Broken Pieces.
Original TBR: I scheduled one per month here. I should be reading Dove and Sword this week, but I'm swamped with other reading and ack! I hope I don't get too behind.
Read'n'Review: I'm doing well here -- I've actually reviewed just about all the books I've read so far this year, which is a huge improvement over last year! I have not reviewed many of the audiobooks, though. I'm not sure if I plan to include these or not. It's hard to write review notes when I'm walking around or driving while listening.
Finish That Series: This is a very brief challenge for me, and I'm only participating at the lowest level. It was really just an incentive for me to actually read/listen to Inkheart once and for all. I've done one book so far and it was very good!
GLBT Challenge: I still need to come up with a list of books, but I read Tango Makes Three and wrote a mini-challenge piece on why I am doing this challenge.

Memes, Themes and Other Writing

I reviewed my last year experience and made some goals for this year.
I've done a few Nonfiction Monday entries, which is helping me keep up on my nonfiction reading.
I'm trying out Booking Through Thursday. Themes this month were Favorite Unknown and Twisty Endings.
I did one Saturday Review, though it's hard for me to sit down at the computer on the weekend.
Memes to try in the future: Poetry Friday, Fairy Tale Friday and Saturday Network.
I participated in Bloggiesta this January, which was a blast and so helpful to get my blog spruced up for the new year! I highly recommend it.
I compiled my list of favorite middle grade books for Betsy Bird's 100 best poll at Fuse 8. I loved her picture book poll and can't wait to see the favorite books revealed this year.

Allen Mock Caldecott 2010 finalists

2010-02-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

My three second-grade classes looked at a ton of 2009 fiction and nonfiction picture books, and out of all of them, here are the ones they chose as finalists:

A Book by Mordecai Gerstein
Robot Zot by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by David Shannon
The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky, illustrated by Andrew Joyner (not eligible for the Caldecott because it was published in Australia)
I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam
Dinotrux by Chris Gall
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli
Harry and Horsie by Katie Van Camp, illustrated by Lincoln Agnew
The Book That Eats People by John Perry, illustrated by Mark Fearing
Nasreen's Secret School by Jeanette Winter
Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types by Sharon Werner, illustrated by Sarah Forss
The Goblin and the Empty Chair by Mem Fox, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon

I suspect the quieter titles will lose out to the funnier, more splashy books. The Book That Eats People is written by a local author, so I'm kind of hoping it wins. I'm also very fond of Goblin in the Empty Chair (the mysterious ending is so compelling!) and A Book is fantastic. Robot Zot has been a big favorite, though, and I bet that will prevail.

I have one more week of reading these aloud to two more classes; after that, they will choose their favorites and start debating. I've never done the debate with second grade before, so it'll be interesting to see how they manage it. It'll be pretty scripted: I made a form with room for the title and why they think it should win. We'll begin with a discussion about what makes good illustrations to keep them focused on the pictures rather than the story.

I think I will have a contest with the older students to come up with a name and rules for our annual Allen picture book award. This will be the third year we've done this process, and it would be very cool to have a shiny medal to put on all those books. I wonder if there's a place I could produce a custom shiny embossed medal?? Hmmm...

Let me just point out some themes:

Scary books. I Need My Monster and The Book That Eats People were both scary enough to get my second-graders quivering in their silent little shoes. I think they were disappointed that the Goblin in the Empty Chair were not more scary -- I mean, the word "goblin" should have been a tip-off, right? Wrong. They still liked it, though.
Two books with two exclamation points in the title!!
At least three qualify as preschool titles; it is interesting that 7-year-olds would choose them.

I will review each of these titles over the next few weeks.

Nonfiction Monday: Eleanor Quiet No More - Doreen Rappaport

2010-02-01T10:03:00.003-05:00

Eleanor Quiet No More

by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Gary Kelley

Ages 4-8

48 pages

Hyperion Books, February 2009

Eleanor was a serious child. Her parents died when she was ten. Even though she had money, she was poor in love and affection. She was taught to be quiet and not speak up for herself or others. But Eleanor's compassion was awakened as she matured, and she found many opportunities to help others all over the world, by herself, as First Lady and, later, for the United Nations.

This picture book biography is in the same style as Rappaport's Martin's Big Words, which is a staple for reading at any time of the year in my school. It combines description with quotes from King and others in his life. The format works equally well to tell Roosevelt's story. I found myself tearing up at her selfless and inclusive actions.

It includes that most useful of all biographical tools, a timeline, in the back, as well as several suggestions for more reading. I would have loved a list of references for each quote, but I doubt it would be important to the intended audience.

I've always been fond of Eleanor Roosevelt. She seemed to me a sensible, funny individual. Now I'm inspired to learn more -- which, I think, is the ultimate goal of any nonfiction book. Another fine achievement by Doreen Rappaport.

A Recommended book listed by the Orbus Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 7 - memorable and significant contribution to the picture book biography genre
Wordsmithing: 8 - a lovely selection of quotes in particular
Mesmerizitude: 6 - enjoyable read
Illustrations: 7 - muted colors emphasize the challenges of the time and Roosevelt's plain appearance
Factfulness: 6 - concentrates on Roosevelt's character rather than facts about her, but highlights some interesting moments

Other Reviews - one lone review at readerbuzz -- write a comment if you know of another!

Review: Love, Aubrey - Suzanne LaFleur

2010-01-31T22:45:00.000-05:00

Love, Aubrey

by Suzanne LaFleur

Ages 9+

244 pages

Wendy Lamb Books, June 2009

(spoilers)

Aubrey wakes to a world that has changed overnight -- again. Her mother has run off, following the accidental death of Aubrey's father and little sister, leaving her alone in the house. It's a haunting beginning to a story about healing and trust following a devastating experience.

Speaking as one who's recovered from major trauma, Suzanne LaFleur has hit the emotional and physical sensations right on the head. Aubrey has persistent stomach pain and nausea when she remembers her family. The way she deals with food is directly related to her inner peace, until at last she is able to accept the feeling of "food... heavy in my stomach" (p. 205) just as she is able to accept love from others, both Grandma and her friend Bridget.

The story steps carefully through Aubrey's healing and shows from the inside out how she begins to trust again. Even greater than her pain is her need for a parent who loves her, and a family that belongs together. It is remarkable how she manages to find both by the end of the book, but in different places and with different people. There were several points at which the story could have been resolved, but LaFleur followed through and tied up all the loose ends, which made for an even more satisfying ending.

In other reviews, readers have named it as a teen novel, but I think it is very middle grade, even though the issues are heavy. The things she is going through as an 11 year old girl will resonate with older readers, but there is nothing inappropriate about it for younger readers. I can think of several fourth graders I'd recommend it to.

Love, Aubrey is a first novel that does not read like a first novel. I felt like I was reading a Patricia Reilly Giff -- familiar and expertly crafted, solidly paced, with characters that read like real people snipped right out of their lives and pasted onto the page. Certain scenes, such as that in which Aubrey and her grandmother go roller skating, include every perfect detail to recreate the experience for the reader. I am definitely looking forward to more from LaFleur.

Favorite quote: "Meatloaf is better left over."

Shortlisted for the Waterstone Children's Book Prize,

Ratings

Awesomeness: 7 - a very fine story!
Wordsmithing: 7 - read like a straightforward realistic fiction novel, with food metaphors that packed a punch
Personages: 7 - I cheered for Aubrey and felt the realism in every flashback she had with her family
Mesmerizitude: 7 - I was surprised by its length when I was done -- it didn't feel like 250 pages

Other Reviews

2010 Challenge: Blogroll Roulette

2010-01-31T12:27:00.000-05:00

This is the second of twelve mini-challenges as part of the very clever Take Another Chance challenge over at Find Your Next Book Here:

Challenge Description: Find a blogroll at either your book blog or a book blog you like that has at least 15 book blogs on it. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1 for the min. and 15 for the max. and then hit generate. Then find the blog that is that number on the blogroll you selected. (For example, if you get 10 at Random.org, then count down the list of blogs until you get to the tenth one). Go to that blog and pick a book to read from the books that they have reviewed on their blog. Read it and write a post about it. Be sure to link to the blog post you picked the book from!

I don't have a blogroll on my blog, so I chose the POC Reading Challenge blogroll, hoping that it would lead me to a book about POC to read. My r andom number generator gave me 12; blog #12 in the list was Brown Girl Speaks -- yes! I love that blog. I searched recent posts for a middle grade book, since that's my focus, or failing that, a YA book. I found If You Come Softly by Woodson, which I already have on my YA Challenge pile. Score!

I'm scheduled to read this one in August, so I'll write my review then.

iPad - the birth of the picture ebook?

2010-01-30T08:48:00.001-05:00

I am so excited about the launch of the iPad. http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Of course, I'm a total Mac geek and a faithful iPhone user. I'm happy with my iPhone for just about everything... except I just can't see the possibility of graphic picture books on such a tiny screen. And now...

I watched the whole 2 hour Keynote presentation on the Apple web site. Everything it can do is pretty -- but I really sat up and took notice when it came to iBooks, their eBook platform. Using the 2-page view, you can see both pages of a book.

9" screen, 1.5 lbs. This is really going to make picture eBooks possible. I think this is going to be a core strength of this device -- once the price comes down a bit, that is.

Booking Through Thursday: Twisty

2010-01-28T21:04:00.000-05:00

Here's the question for this week's Booking Through Thursday:

1. Do YOU like books with complicated plots and unexpected endings?

2. What book with a surprise ending is your favorite? Or your least favorite?

I love unexpected endings, but not complicated plots. I can deal with a bunch of characters if there is good dialogue. I can't handle a ton of description if there are lots of characters, though, because I "see" the characters through their actions, like a movie.

I am very fond of Holes for the surprise ending. =)

Sorry for the short post. I have to be up at 5:30 for the second day in a row to drive a friend to the airport.

2010 Challenge: Take Another Chance

2010-01-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

This is a very cool challenge: the Take Another Chance Challenge from Find Your Next Book Here. The description is very complicated, so I would suggest going to the web site and reading about it there. I'll be posting a separate post for each mini-challenge.

Challenge 1: Read Your Doppelganger

Review: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice - Philip Hoose

2010-01-26T01:54:00.002-05:00

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

by Philip Hoose

Ages 10 and up

133 pages

Melanie Kroupa Books, January 2009

This is my first Nonfiction Monday post in a long while, and my first time participating in the actual event. You can find today's roundup at Playing By The Book.

Many young readers easily sort themselves into two categories: those who prefer fiction and those who prefer nonfiction. I can really only say I've met a handful who bridge these categories without any effort. If I'm trying to get a fiction reader to try some nonfiction, or vice versa, I often go the biography route. Even non-narrative biographies can be compelling reading.

As a young reader, I definitely fit into the former category, though I did love me some joke books and folklore ephemera. Even now, I have a hard time picking up a nonfiction picture book when I could choose a fiction one. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice sat on my shelf for mmmrrph weeks before I finally looked at my calendar, sighed, and scheduled it for review this week.

Can I just say? Compelling doesn't begin to cut it. Really. As in, I'm putting all Hoose's books on my to-read pile NOW.

For those of you who, like me, have been lured away from the nonfiction side of the library by your When You Reach Mes and Homer P. Figgs, this book is an account of a little-known hero of the civil rights struggle. Claudette Colvin was a teenager who was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for not relinquishing her seat on the bus -- eight months before Rosa Parks. Colvin played a pivotal role in the little-known case of Browder v. Gayle, in which she and four other African-Americans successfully sued the city of Montgomery, claiming bus segregation laws were unconstitutional.

Colvin has largely been quiet about her role in the civil rights movement until recently; although she does appear in books, there are no other sources for young readers which quote her directly or provide this level of detail into her involvement. Young people who read about the history of civil rights for African-Americans may never have known that a teenager could, and did, do so much for the movement. Reading this book may very well provide a huge breakthrough for students who may be interested in participating on a personal level in social justice.

Hoose has compiled a winning collection of artifacts, quotes and historical data and interspersed it seamlessly with Colvin's own account of her experiences in the Montgomery bus boycott and court proceedings. I wish student textbooks were written this way. I mean, really, can't we just toss our dead white guy books in favor of a collection of award-winning, compelling nonfiction like this??

My only struggle here is knowing to whom I can recommend this book. I think many of my fifth graders could and would enjoy it, with some guidance through some of the bits on teen pregnancy, but I doubt they'll pick it up without a lot of prodding. All my teachers, of course, but who has time to read nonfiction? I showed it to my principal today with a 20 cent review and she said, "Hmmm, looks kind of long." Yeah. True. But really, those 133 pages (yes, I even read the notes at the end) just flew by. I'm hoping my booktalks and reading aloud bits will lure in those students for whom nonfiction is an unexplored territory. Maybe I'll even make some converts. After all, you got me, Philip Hoose.

A Newbery Honor book, a finalist for the YALSA Award for Nonfiction for Young Adults, a Sibert Honor book and winner of the National Book Award.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 9 - solid journalism, compelling original material and thoughtful analysis
Wordsmithing: 8 - reads smoothly, especially for a nonfiction title
Mesmerizitude: 8 - some important a-has about the civil rights movement as a whole and the bus boycott, Parks and MLK in particular
Illustrations: 8 - my favorite photo is Rosa Parks on page 42
Factfulness: 10 - and how often does one find a truly NEW addition to civil rights historical literature?

Other Reviews

at A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy
at Reading Rants
at Becky's Book Reviews
at nomadreader
at Rasco from RIF
Leave a comment if I forgot your review!

Booking Through Thursday: Favorite Unknown

2010-01-21T10:46:00.001-05:00

This post is part of the Booking Through Thursday meme.

Who’s your favorite author that other people are NOT reading? The one you want to evangelize for, the one you would run popularity campaigns for? The author that, so far as you’re concerned, everyone should be reading–but that nobody seems to have heard of. You know, not JK Rowling, not Jane Austen, not Hemingway–everybody’s heard of them. The author that you think should be that famous and can’t understand why they’re not…

Picture book author: Robert Munsch. I have the joy of introducing students to Robert Munsch every year. Because he's Canadian, kids often don't see his books in bookstores in the States. The only Munsch title they are likely to be familiar with is Love You Forever, which is, needless to say, not funny. He's the one who hooks even the most reluctant listener into gales of laughter.

Chapter book author: William Sleator. Kids are always asking for scary books. They eat up the Goosebumps and Michigan/American Chillers and Alvin Schwartz folktale series. As they get older, I point to this author and whisper, "He's scarier than anything you've ever read." Interstellar Pig? Nightmare-inducing. The Boxes? Brrrr. House of Stairs? Creepy beyond belief.

Teen author: Julian Thompson. I was obsessed with The Grounding of Group 6 as a teen. I didn't read any of Thompson's other books until I was in my 20s, but when I did I was pleased to read they were as quirky and strangely compelling as my original obsession.

What authors do you love that no one's heard of?

2010 Challenge: Clover, Bee and Reverie - A Poetry Challenge

2010-01-18T10:15:00.003-05:00

I'm planning a poetry unit for my 5th graders, so I'm all set for this one. You should just see my TBR pile. Right now I'm focused on other books, so I probably won't get started until February.

I'm participating at the Sonnet level, which is 14 books of poetry, two badges and at least one expert badge. I'm reading many books of narrative poetry, so that will be at least one focus. Others might include epic poetry or visual poetry (though I don't see that one on the list).

Here's my to-read list of narrative poetry. Most are middle grade, with a few teen choices sprinkled in there. I tried to choose half with boy protagonists and half with girl protagonists.

3/15 - started to add reviews.

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg - done!
Fearless Fernie by Gary Soto - done!
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge - done!
Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson - started but stalled, will finish ASAP
Here in Harlem by Walter Dean Myers
Bird by Zetta Elliott - done!
Worlds Afire by Paul B. Janeczko - done!
Crossing Stones by Helen Frost - done!
Zorgamazoo by Robert Weston - done!
Summerhouse Time by Eileen Spinelli - done!
Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli - done!
Grow by Juanita Havill
Spinning Through the Universe by Helen Frost - done!
T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte

Other backup choices include: Almost Forever by Maria Testa, The Voyage of the Arctic Tern by Hugh Montgomery, Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, Ringside 1925 by Jen Bryant, Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong, Kaleidoscope Eyes by Jen Bryant, Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones and Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham. I've read several already (Where the Steps Are by Andrea Cheng, The Way A Door Closes and Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith), so I can't count those.

Since I want to use these in my poetry unit in March & April, I will need to do the majority of my reading before then. Luckily, these are quick reads. I'll schedule them for the next few weeks.

ALA Awards 2010 actual winners

2010-01-18T09:34:00.001-05:00

Here are my notes from this morning. Forgive any errors or omissions. Some obvious winners and some surprises! My comments in red.

Alex Award - long list, I didn't write it down =P

Schneider Family Book Award
Picture Book: Django by Bonnie Christensen
Middle Grade: Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin This was one of my favorites this year, and I'm happy it won something.
Teen: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork Again, so happy to see Marcelo get some love, but surprised it didn't show up again below.

Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement (African-American author)
Walter Dean Myers Yay! My third graders will be so excited - I'm reading them Love That Dog. =)

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent
The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

Coretta Scott King - Illustrator
Medal: My People by Langston Hughes
Honor: The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes

Coretta Scott King - Author In light of recent discussion about the wealth of books about African-Americans during slavery and the dearth of anything else, this is very exciting. Mare's War in particular was very impressive!
Medal: Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Honor: Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis

Margaret A Edwards Award
Jim Murphy

William C. Morris Award for First Time Author (YA)
Medal: Flash Burnout - L.K. Madigan I don't read YA, but did this one come out of nowhere?
Finalists:
Ash This one is on my TBR pile. =)
Beautiful Creatures
The Everafter
hold still

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for YAs Zero surprises here.
Medal: Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman
Finalists:
Almost Astronauts
Claudette Colvin
The Great and Only Barnum
Written in Bone

Printz Award - YA Fiction What the...? I am completely surprised by this set of choices, but again, I don't read a lot of YA. I will be very curious to read others' responses.
Medal: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Finalists:
Charles and Emma
Monstrumologists
Punkzilla
Tales from the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973

Odyssey Audiobook
Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo Such a neat book, glad to see it get some attention.
Honors:
We Are the Ship
Peace, Locomotion
?? one other I missed, sorry

Pura Belpre
Illustration Medal: Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day by Pat Mora
Honors:
Diego: Bigger Than Life
My Abuelita
Gracias Thanks
Literature Award: Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
Honors:
Diego: Bigger Than Life
Federico Garcio Lorca

Mary HIll Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award
Lois Lowry

Mildred L. Batchelder
Medal: A Faraway Island - Annika Thor (Swedish) This one sounds good!
Honors:
Big Wolf and Little Wolf
Eidi
Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness Was this a graphic novel? If so, nice cross-format breakout here!

Sibert (Nonfiction)
Medal: Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone
Honor:
Day-Glo Brothers I can't wait to read this! My library doesn't have any copies. =P I think I'll just have to buy one for myself.
Moonshot
Claudette Colvin

Carnegie (Children's Video)
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Great to see. =)

Geisel (Early Reader) Wow, NO Elephant & Piggie! And no Cowgirl and Cocoa.
Medal: Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes Liked this one.
Honor:
I Spy Fly Guy Yes!
Little Mouse Gets Ready
Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends
Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day

Caldecott (Illustrations) No surprises here. I'm disappointed there were no funny books though.
Medal: Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Honor:
All the World
Red Sings from Treetops

Newbery (Literature) OMG! An all middle-grade year!! I'm so thrilled. =)
Winner: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Honors:
Claudette Colvin
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Guess I'd better read it now!
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Really loved this one.
Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg Yay!! I loved this book and I'm surprised to see it here.

2010 GLBT Mini-Challenge: Why This Challenge?

2010-01-18T01:25:00.000-05:00

I'm participating in the GLBT 2010 Challenge this year. The first mini-challenge is to write a post about why this challenge is important to you.

This challenge is important to me because all librarians everywhere need to be familiar with literature about all oppressed minorities. (It is not too lofty a goal.)

This challenge is important to me because my husband is a surrogate father to two beautiful girls whose mothers are lesbians. I want to stay current about what books to recommend to them as they grow up.

This challenge is important to me because I'm a bisexual woman in a marriage to a straight man, and it's easy to marginalize this part of my identity. By intentionally reading books about GLBT characters, I'm renewing and strengthening my connection to the GLBT community.

ALA Awards 2010 predictions

2010-01-18T00:07:00.000-05:00

Here I am, anticipating waking up early on a day off to sit in front of my computer and watch the live telecast. I sure hope I can get on this year. I had technical difficulties in previous years.

I've been paying close attention on the Heavy Medal blog and enjoying other bloggers' predictions about who will win. I haven't done nearly as much reading as others have done, but I have some ballpark predictions for the awards coming up. Here's what I think will happen, based on my own reading and others' offerings on blogs and lists:

Newbery
Medal - Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Honor - When You Reach Me
Honor - Anything But Typical
Honor - The Dunderheads

Caldecott
Medal - Lion and the Mouse
Honor - All the World
Honor - Moonshot
Honor - The Curious Garden

Printz
Medal - Marcello (or possibly these will be switched)
Honor - Liar
Honor - Wintergirls
Honor - Charles & Emma

Geisel
Winner - Cowgirl Kate & Cocoa: Horse in the House
Honor - Pigs Make Me Sneeze
Honor - Can You Make a Scary Face? or Rhyming Dust Bunnies (I can't pick)

I don't know enough about the Coretta Scott King or Pura Belpre medals to be able to choose possible winners... clearly I need to remedy this for next year.

I will be so curious to see what actually happens.

Review: The Mitten - Jim Aylesworth

2010-01-16T22:54:00.000-05:00

The Mitten
retold by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Ages 4-8
32 pages

Scholastic Press, October 2009

In Michigan, winter goes on for quite a long time, and so there is a great demand by teachers for winter-themed tales. Our school does not do much with holidays, so secular stories like this one are doubly requested. I can already tell this new retelling of a classic Ukranian folktale will find a comfortable place in the early elementary curriculum.

Illustrated by Barbara McClintock (Our Abe Lincoln), in lines recalling the style of Maurice Sendak, Aylesworth tells the story of a boy gone out to play in the snow, proudly wearing mittens, hat and scarf knitted by his grandmother. The mitten is lost in the snow. In turn, a squirrel, a rabbit, a fox, a bear and a mouse squirm in to get warm.

The only other version of The Mitten I've read is the Jan Brett one, although we have another (Tresselt?) in the library. I'm going to have to check that one out, because the ending of this one is quite different. I didn't think it was as cute. In the Brett retelling, the animals are ejected from the mitten by the mouse's sneeze, and the child finds the mitten all stretched out. There's a hilarious, wordless picture of her holding the two mittens, one small, one enormous, with a befuddled look on her face. Aylesworth chose to have the mitten explode into little bits (admittedly an excellent illustration, with freaked-out animals flying everywhere) and the boy's grandmother knits him another one; this is cozy, but not as strong a conclusion.

Otherwise, though, this is a masterful retelling of a very enjoyable tale. Aylesworth's repetitive, rhythmic cadences just beg to be read aloud. I immediately began writing the reader's theater script in my head.

Ivy chose this one from my big pile of Caldecott hopefuls. She predicted the fox would eat the rabbit and squirrel, but was pleased by the actual outcome.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 7 - Aylesworth + McClintock = a dynamite package
Wordsmithing: 7 - fine repetitive retelling
Personages: 5 - flat fairy tale characters
Mesmerizitude: 6 - excellent re-readability
Illustrations: 7 - nice contrast of colorful cartoon animals on white backgrounds

Other Reviews

Review: Green Grass and White Milk - Aliki

2010-01-15T07:15:00.000-05:00

Green Grass and White Milk
by Aliki
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Harper Collins, 1974

My school is planning to buy a cow to support Heifer International during this year's March is Reading Month (MIRM), so I checked out all the books on cows and milk we had in our public library. You'll see several of these reviews come up over the next few weeks.

Aliki is a classic favorite picture book writer. This easy reader style nonfiction offering is simple, but offers some fascinating tidbits of information:

"Good summer grass and good winter hay are healthful food for a cow. The better a cow eats, the better milk she will give."

At the time this book was written, it may be that many cows were still fed on grass and hay. Now it is almost impossible to find a dairy that feeds that way. Most cows are fed grain (bad) and soy (worse) and leftover bits of I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it.

Later readers will encounter a diagram of the cow's 4 stomachs and an explanation of why cows chew their cud -- this is how grass is broken down into nutritious food for the cow. There is also a detailed dairy diagram with pipes & tubes demonstrating the pasteurization process. I can imagine my students who are fond of machines and technology will be riveted to this page. This explanation is given for pasteurization:

"It is quickly heated to a temperature of 161 degrees F (71 degrees C) for 15 seconds. That is not boiling."

Um, no. Most kids now drink "ultra-pasteurized" milk, which is heated to 284 degrees F (140 degrees C). This has the advantage of making the milk last much longer before spoiling, but also turns it into something completely different than it was before it was cooked. Beneficial, even crucial, vitamins, enzymes and nutrients are lost. Many people who are allergic to milk products are not allergic to raw (non-pasteurized) milk.

Raw milk is scary to many people because we grew up in a "sterile is better" culture. Of course, the folks who get the Heifer International cow won't be sterilizing their milk, will they? They'll drink it raw -- just like the way babies get their milk from mamas all over the world. In the United States, raw milk is illegal in most states.

The book then explains how to make butter and yogurt, which of course is fascinating. Incidentally, don't try to make yogurt with ultra-pasteurized milk, because it won't work.

I was even more bemused when I found out that this book was revised, re-illustrated and even renamed by Aliki in 1992. I guess a book about milk that included the word "grass" in the title was just too confusing for kids now. I will track down the other title and see what the revisions look like.

Excuse me while I pour my illegal raw milk on my cereal.

Ratings

Awesomeness: 6 - an important topic made simple for young children
Wordsmithing: 5 - although it's hard to make complex subjects easy to understand!
Mesmerizitude: 6 - I love the bits about pasteurization and homogenization, and the process of how to make butter and yogurt will be great projects
Illustrations: 4 - I can see why she chose to reillustrate - these are somewhat washed out and from earlier in her career
Factfulness: 6 - clear and full of good information

Review: The Unfinished Angel - Sharon Creech

2010-01-11T17:23:00.007-05:00

The Unfinished Angel
by Sharon Creech
Ages 9-12
164 pages
Joanna Cotlen Books, September 2009
978-0061430954

To me, Sharon Creech fits in that select group of authors one would recommend to older elementary students using the words, "This is an author you do not want to miss." In fact, I did that very thing twice last week, in my annual pre-Newbery Power Point presentation to my two fifth grade classes. So I don't mind saying I have high expectations for any book with Sharon Creech's name on it.

The Unfinished Angel is different from any other Creech book I've seen yet. It has her same short chapters, same thoughtful, humorous inner monologue. But the main character in this book is a mystery, and I had no more answers at the end of the story than I had at the beginning. The angel has no name; it has no gender. It simply thinks it's an angel.

What works about this story is the angel's bewilderment and frustration at dealing with "peoples." It's easy to hear the angel complaining (in my head, in an Italian accent). It doesn't quite have human vocabulary down, which leads to amusing wordplay and clever, invented words like "adulterinos" and "fidgetated." It's like Junie B. Jones with four syllable words. It is touching to note how, even in moments of great confusion, the angel cares for its humans with a sweet, grumbly sort of love.

What I think works against the story is the wandering plot and frequent deviations from the main story. I found myself re-reading several passages, uncertain about where things were going, and still confused by the end. I feel a little dense.

Final verdict? I'm not sure I will recommend this to my students. This is not as weak an offering as Castle Corona (which I thought blundered and doddered to an uninspired conclusion), but I'm not convinced kids will find their way through the slow story and strange words to appreciate the clever writing. In the meantime, I'll continue to suggest The Wanderer, Bloomability and Walk Two Moons to anyone who will listen.

Ratings
Awesomeness: 4 - clever and touching, but slow and confusing
Wordsmithing: 6 - funny speech patterns
Personages: 4 - I just didn't care enough for Zola or the angel, but the kids were cute
Mesmerizitude: 5 - the story lagged a bit at times, but the good writing helped keep it going

Other Reviews
• at The Reading Tub
• at Becky's Book Reviews
• at Charlotte's Library

This was posted at Saturday Reviews on January 16, 2010.

2010 Challenge: Original TBR

2010-01-11T01:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a challenge I can really sink my teeth into. My TBR pile is ridiculously big, but I have hundreds more books on my shelf I have never read (Librarything says only 97, but who's counting?). I can't say this will ever change, but this may help me whittle away at some of the books I've been waiting years to read. In keeping with the nature of this blog, I will only read children's or YA books.

Here's my list of 12:

Dove and Sword by Nancy Garden
Incident at Hawk's Hill by Allan Eckert
Last Days by Scott Westerfeld
Morning Girl by Michael Dorris
The Prince in Waiting by John Christopher
Riding Freedom by Pam Muños Ryan
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeline L'Engle (also on my list for the YA Through the Decades challenge, but applicable here because I've owned it for years without reading it)
Seaward by Susan Cooper
The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill
Magic or Madness by Jean Larbaliester
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
Ironman by Chris Crutcher

I will schedule these to be read throughout the year and check back in as I progress.

2010 Challenge: Read Your Doppelganger

2010-01-11T00:43:00.010-05:00

This is the first of twelve mini-challenges as part of the very clever Take Another Chance challenge over at Find Your Next Book Here:

Challenge Description: Find an author who has either the same initials, the same first name, the same last name, or the exact same name as you. Read a book by this author and write a post about it. (If you try to keep your identity anonymous on your blog, you don't have to reveal what part of the author's name is the same as your name.)

I figured this would not be easy, as both my first and last name are fairly uncommon. I started by looking up books written by authors with my last name. Hmmm... I'm not particularly interested in literary criticism of Slaughterhouse Five, nor am I having trouble sleeping. Then I tried my first name, which is an unusual spelling of Maggie (no e). I found some books about quilting, St. Augustine, FL and Bible studies. There were a few fiction titles, but nothing captured my interest. Maggi-Meg Reed did the audiobook narration for lots of great titles, but I guess that's not quite good enough. Maggi Charles wrote several paperback romances, but even I'm not sure I could struggle through one.

Finally, as I was poking around Amazon, I found an actual YA title with an author named Maggi. I bought a copy for $4 through Amazon and will be curious to see if it's any good (the sole review on Goodreads, at least, is positive).

Update! I received the book:

Kerry, A Teenage Mother
written by Maggi Aitkens, photographs by Rob Levine
Lerner Publications Company, 1994
48 pages, b&w photographs

This true story (one must assume it is true, but it doesn't say anywhere in the book if it is or not) relates a case study of a single teen parent named Kerry and her toddler Vanessa.

There's not much to appeal to the average reader about this book. The photos are quite nice, but black and white is, unfortunately, the kiss of death for books for young readers. It's only 16 years old, but the style feels more like early 1980s. While Vanessa is sleeping, for example, the book describes Kerry as having nothing to do but "jigsaw puzzles and the game of Life, which sounds radically different from today's world of texting and online multiplayer games.

Kerry seems very real and honest, but also a good example for many teen moms. She's smart, motivated and spends time with her daughter. The last page is Kerry telling teen parents not to give up their dreams just because they are parents. Primarily, it's a warning against teen pregnancy, but it does present some hope for kids who might be facing being parents themselves.

2010 Challenge: Read'n'Review

2010-01-10T23:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, take a deep breath... this challenge is going to be a big one for me. From Reader Challenges:

• Review each book you read between January 1st and December 31st of the current year.

• PLEASE keep your reviews clean & respectful ~ these books we read are the hard work of an author, and we don’t need to be mean. Even if you didn’t like the book, please try to find something you can say that would be encouraging to the author.

• Reviews can be as short, or long, as you wish
• You MAY overlap with other challenges
• eBooks and Audiobooks ARE allowed
• If there will be spoilers in your review, please note this in the subject line of your post so that those who don’t want to read them can skip that review. Thank you.

I am a dismal failure thus far at writing regular reviews. However, I acknowledge that doesn't mean I will always be a dismal failure. Hence, this challenge.

Wish me luck!