Happy Spring!

It’s the first day of spring, and it truly feels like a glorious return of warm weather.  In honor of the day, here’s a fantastic book.

Fogliano, Julie (2012).  And Then It’s Spring (PreK-3)

Winter ends, leaving nothing but brown earth all around.  There aren’t many colors–maybe some blue in the sky–but there’s the hope of seeds and plants and wonderful green things.  Waiting for those flowers, however, is almost unbearably difficult.  Maybe birds ate all the seeds.  Maybe bears came along.  Or, just maybe, the seeds are waiting for exactly the right moment.

This is a sweet picture book for sharing again, and again, and again.  It’s a delightful reminder that, no matter how hard it is to wait for something, the reward is always worth the wait.

High adventure in Paris

Levin, Mark (2011). The Family Hitchcock (Gr. 4-6)

Maddy Hitchcock wants nothing more than a summer of pool-side tanning.  Her father, however, insists that the entire family join their annual vacation.  This year, they’re swapping houses with a family Paris–and what could possibly go wrong?

Everything, naturally.  Spies, international agents, top-secret science, and the opera all figure into this action-packed adventure.

Reader Reviews

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure (2011).

What would you do if you received a birthday card saying, “Happy. HELP. NOW. FOLLOW CLUES. RESCUE US BY PIECING TOGETHER THE EXQUISITE CORPSE. Birthday. Love, Mom & Dad.”  Nancy and Joe, orphan siblings, decide to listen to this letter and rescue their parents. There are a few minor problems. First, they don’t know if their parents actually wrote the letter, and second, Nancy and Joe don’t know if they are going to the right place. Finally, they don’t know what  the Exquisite Corpse is, exactly.

Luckily, Nancy and Joe have grown up in a circus where they have learned many different tricks. They will need to use every trick up their sleeves to piece together the very Top-Secret Robot, also known as the Exquisite Corpse, to  rescue their parents.

            Oops. I wasn’t supposed to say that. Oh well. Will Nancy and Joe be able to piece together the Exquisite Corpse? Will they save their parents? You’ll have to read The Exquisite Corpse Adventure if you want to find out.

If you like books full of adventure and mystery, this is the book for you. The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is made up of 27 “episodes”, each one written by a different author and ending in a cliff hanger. There are also four illustrators who take turns creating the imagery of each “episode”. Due to the concept of multiple authors, the plot is a little choppy, but the story is very compelling. Readers will enjoy sampling their favorite authors, such as Natalie Babbitt, Steven Kellogg, and Susan Cooper, while discovering new authors. I recommend this book to ages 10-13 and give it an “A-”.

Review written by:
Amariah
Age 12

Harris Burdick … the mysteries continue

More than 25 years ago, Chris Van Allsburg wrote a book that captured imaginations and got kids writing stories.

Van Allsburg, Chris (1984). The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (Ages 5+).

Mr. Harris Burdick brought 14 pictures (complete with titles and captions) to a publisher, promising to bring the accompanying stories and some more pictures the next day.  He never returned.  Chris Van Allsburg, a friend of the publisher, saw the pictures and decided to put them all together in a book.  (That’s the story, at least, and Chris is sticking to it.)  This book has inspired creative writing assignments ever since.

It’s not only children who have found the pictures irresistible fodder for new stories.  Famous authors also think the pictures are intriguing.

Van Allsburg, Chris (2011). The Chronicles of Harris Burdick (Gr. 4-8).

That’s where this book comes in.  Take the 14 pictures from Mysteries, then add short stories from 14 well-known authors.  The stories are sometimes eerie, sometimes funny, and always just as mysterious as the original pictures.  Of course, no one knows what the real stories were, and even famous authors can only take their best guesses.  Would your stories turn out the same way?

The authors included in this compilation:
Lemony Snicket
Tabitha King
Jon Scieszka
Sherman Alexie
Gregory Maguire
Cory Doctorow
Jules Feiffer
Linda Sue Park
Walter Dean Myers
Lois Lowry
Kate DiCamillo
M. T. Anderson
Louis Sachar
Chris Van Allsburg
Stephen King

Wildlife, Typography, and Numbers, oh my!

I love books that make me see new things in the world.  I also love the art of letters, numbers, and the way they look.  Naturally, I also love these two books:

Werner, Sharon (2009). Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types (Gr. 4-6)

An A can be tall or short, thick or thin, slanted or vertical.  That A can have a lot of personality!  This book makes animals out of letters: an alligator is made from round and nubbly lowercase a’s along with some sharp and pointy uppercase A’s (teeth! eek!).  The design of each animal is fascinating, and there are plenty of factoids at the bottom of each page.

Werner, Sharon (2011).  Bugs by the Numbers.  (Gr. 4-6)

As if animals and letters weren’t enough, there are also bugs and numbers!  That praying mantis on the cover really is made of numbers!  The numbers give interesting facts about the insects, too.  A page-spread about butterflies has eggs made from 1’s, a caterpillar made from 2’s, a chrysalis made from 3’s, and a full butterfly made from 4’s.  Four life stages, clearly numbered.  Other insects are made from numbers that highlight a fun fact: fleas can jump 150 times their own height.  Those fleas are made from (you guessed it!) 150’s.

We go together …

Sometimes, things go better together.  Cake is nice, but it tastes even lovelier with a glass of cold milk.  Hot dogs are delicious, but ketchup makes then phenomenal.  Games are fun, but they’re a blast when you’re playing with your best friend.  Books can be like that, too.

Start here, with the fighting legend, Joe Louis:
A Nation’s Hope: the Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis (Matt de la Pena, 2011.)

 

 

 

 

Then, go here:

Bird in a Box (Andrea Davis Pinkney, 2011).

There’s boxing, an orphanage, kids with big dreams, and (who else?) Joe Louis.

 

 

 

 

Cake and milk … hot dogs and ketchup … games and friends … and these two books.  Have fun!

So a Walrus Walks Out of a Zoo …

Savage, Stephen (2011). Where’s Walrus? (PreS-K)

What happens when a walrus tires of his life in a zoo?  He searches for new adventures, of course!  This walrus sneaks away when no one is watching, and the zoo keeper must hurry to find the walrus.  On each page spread, you’ll find the clever walrus hiding among fountains, mannequins, businessmen, artists, and more.  He’s not hard to find, but his mischievous grin will have kids talking about what he’s doing and why the zoo keeper doesn’t see him.

This is a wordless picture book, but it involves participation and story telling from young viewers.  The clear, large illustrations make it a great choice for sharing with a group, and the funny situations are wonderful for one-on-one imaginative story telling.  It’s an all-around fantastic book!

Jenkins, Martin (2011). Can We Save the Tiger? (Gr. 1-6)

This book blew me away with its simplicity, straightforward information, and stunning illustrations.  Endangered species are hardly a new topic, but Martin Jenkins has brought the facts together in a way that outshines most other attempts to discuss the issue.  Jenkins passes no judgement on human behavior, although he does suggest that we can make choices that best protect the world we live in.  You’ll learn about dozens of animals that are either extinct or endangered.  You’ll learn why these animals are in trouble, and how many are left (or when the animals were last seen).  You’ll learn about success stories like the American bison, and hopeful stories like the kakapo parrot.  I can’t recommend this book strongly enough–just read it.

As Martin Jenkins says, wouldn’t it be a shame to live in a world where there are no tigers, elephants, polar bears, or ground iguanas?

He liiiiiiiives!

McElligot, Matthew (2010).  Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!  (Gr. 4-6)

It’s not every day that one finds a secret laboratory in one’s basement, but that’s exactly what young Victor Godwin, a Philadelphia science-whiz, discovers behind a bookcase.  What’s inside?  Benjamin Franklin, who has been sleeping in a state of electrical hibernation for the past two centuries and waiting for a secret society to reanimate him in a time of emergency.  Now awake, Mr. Franklin must find the emergency.  First, however, Victor needs to win his school’s science fair–he’s calculated the success of his miniature Pompeii down to the smallest details.

What could go wrong?  Oh … just about everything.

Read it if you like science, history, mysteries, secret societies, or monsters.  It’s a fast-paced adventure that will leave you counting the days until September 1st, when the sequel is published.

Cat Haiku

Wardlaw, Lee (2011). Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku (Gr. 2-5)

He’s a shelter cat, waiting for a home.  Like all cats, he’s picky, patient, and not about to admit that he’d like a nice family.  And, really, “Won Ton” is not a befitting name for an oriental prince (but he might tell you his real name if you’re lucky).  The highlight of this book is the format: each section is told in haiku with deliciously cat-like illustrations.

Read it for the cat, read it for the poetry, or read it for the gorgeous illustrations.  You’ll find something to enjoy!