Readathon Hour 4 check-in

8 books read. I finished the blog entry I've been putting off for weeks, yay!  I'm going to take a break soon and eat lunch. Wonderful: Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi. 

Review: Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel

Some Bugs by Angela Diterlizzi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
(see below for detailed rating)


We begin this review with the consideration of why Brendan Wenzel's illustrations are so damn cute. Cuteness researcher (really an ethologist) Konrad Lorenz identified a set of traits that cause human beings to think something is cute. We're apparently hardwired for it. Large head, large eyes, rounded shape all contribute to the cuteness factor, and Brendan Wenzel's animals have it in spades.

I'm not just talking about the bugs in this book, either. Wenzel has done illustrations of bazillions of animals for conservation organizations and companies promoting the welfare of animals.

The text itself is readable and provides plenty of fodder for thoughtful K-2 teachers (verbs! -ing suffix! pattern text to write!), but Wenzel's art is what really distinguishes this selection. I have not yet met one child who doesn't adore it, no matter if they love bugs or not. It's just that good -- and considering it was blurbed by Eric Carle, I think that says something. I will not hesitate to say every library serving children of any age needs this book.

Watch the book trailer.

Ratings start at 5 out of 10 (perfectly acceptable) and go up or down from there.

Awesomeness: 9. It doesn't get much better than this.
Wordsmithing: 7. Simple is hard. This is done very well.
Personages: 8. Considering there is no dialogue, the ladybug and her compatriots have a whole lot of personality.
Mesmerizitude: 9. We've read it at least a dozen times since I brought it home from the library.
Illustrations: 10. Bright, beautiful, detailed and kid-friendly.
Factfulness: 6. The only information here is the kind that comes from observation - but there is plenty of that to be had.

Other reviews: Jean Little Library | Sagging Bookshelves | Kate's Bookery | Teach Preschool

Check out this interview with Diterlizzi at Mr Schu's.

More about Brendan Wenzel: The Plucky Ones | Ninunina

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Readathon Hour 3 check-in

7 books read. I'm taking a moment to finish my blog post about Some Bugs, then I'll read three more picture books.

Readathon Hour 2 check-in

Four books down, whew! They were all lovely. Two I read aloud to my son and two I read to myself. Best so far: Galapagos George. 

Readathon hour 1 check-in

I haven't started yet, because I had to finish editing my manuscript, but now that that's done, I can delve into my TBR pile! I grabbed a random handful of picture books to start with. Breakfast eaten, kids fed, Pandora on. Time to refill my tea and settle on my couch. 

Dewey's 24-hour Readathon 2014 commences TOMORROW!

I'm excited, particularly because my TBR shelf is SO big and this will give me an excuse to sit down and read a whole bunch of them. 

In preparation for this year, here are some things I did:

• Ordered as many Cybils books and Caldecott hopefuls on interloan as I could manage. I have 105 books checked out at the moment, and 16 more ready to pick up tomorrow.
• Collected all my TBR books into one place. I considered prioritizing, but I think I'll have more fun if I just pick whatever I want. 
• Cleaned my house. A clean house is a huge relief. My kids helped me with this. We did an hour blitz when we got home, at 8:30 at night. They thought I was nuts, but the six-year-old vacuumed and the eight-year-old cleaned the bathroom while I took the recycling and garbage out, and we all picked up our stuff. They had a blast and went to bed pleasantly exhausted. 
• Warned my friends and kids they would be fending for themselves. I will stop to feed them dinner, but the rest they are expected to manage on their own. They were totally on board with this. In fact, my eight-year-old will be participating in the readathon too! My son will be cheerleading and letting us read to him. 
• Arranged snacks. I might get another pumpkin pie. After this, I'll make pancakes and stick them in the fridge for tomorrow.

I have intention to blog and tweet periodically throughout the day, in addition to writing brief reviews on Goodreads. No research for these reviews, just thoughts of my own. I can go back and flesh them out later.

Good luck to everyone who's participating! 

Review: Sisters

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I read this simultaneously with my 8-year-old reading Smile. That was really sweet.

I liked it even more than Smile, but it was definitely bittersweet and hard to read at times. I wonder what Raina's sister thought of it?

Absolutely relatable, with just the right amount of detail, and perfectly middle-grade appropriate. (Or 8-year-old appropriate, as it happens.)



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