Winter Friends by Mary Quattlebaum and illustrated by Hiroe Nakata is a book of linked poems that tell the story of a little girl who lives in a city and goes out to play in the snow. In the snow she finds a lone blue mitten and eventually finds the little boy who has misplaced it. The poems are just the right length to share with preschoolers and have subjects that any child will relate to from jumping into clean laundry to my favorite poem in the book about seeing your breath on cold days.
Accessible, filled with lovely language, and paired with lovely illustrations, this is a great book to introduce young children to poetry.

Lights Out by Arthur Geisert once again features his wonderfully original pigs. In this almost wordless book, a piglet is scared of going to sleep unless the light is on, but his parents make him turn it out at 8:00. They tell him that he can figure something out, so he does. And what follows is an amazing tour through a Rube Goldberg-like contraption that eventually turns out the piglet’s light after he has drifted off to sleep.
This is not a book to be shared with a group, but one to savor with a child on your lap. The little details are what make any contraption like this work. This is perfect to share with children who are not quite reading yet, since they will get to tell the story of the contraption to you. Share this one and savor it!

School Library Journal has released their Best Books 2005 list. 62 titles are on the list with a strong showing by nonfiction titles. Enjoy!

School Library Journal has released their Best Books 2005 list. 62 titles are on the list with a strong showing by nonfiction titles. Enjoy!

Ruby Sings the Blues by Niki Daly is a joy to read aloud. It is the story of Ruby, who is LOUD! She talks loudly, even though she tries to be quiet. So after being too loud at home and too loud at school, she decides to just be silent. But that is when two neighbors step in and encourage her to use that loud voice to sing jazz. If you are a person with a booming voice that you rarely get to use, this is great fun to read aloud. Just let loose your inner Ruby and get those eagerly listening kids to jump in surprise.

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner is the story of Coriander, a young girl growing up in England in the time following the execution of King Charles I. Coriander is special. Not only is she the pampered daughter of a wealthy merchant, but her mother is a fairy. So Coriander can sometimes predict the future and is given a gift of silver shoes that can transport her to fairyland. But when Cromwell takes over England turning it into a Puritan state, Coriander’s entire world changes. Her father is encouraged to marry a good Puritan woman to distance himself from his support of the murdered king. Soon after his marriage he is forced to flee the country leaving his young daughter behind with his new wife, who turns out not to be a good woman after all. Coriander suffers abuse at her new mother’s hands and cruelty at the hands of a minister who moves in with them. Her life in turmoil, Coriander finds ways to survive the unsurvivable, taking readers along on an amazing journey of imagination and strength. Coriander is a great heroine in a book that uses a touch of magic to illuminate a dark period in England’s history.
I found the combination of historical fiction and magic to be a great device for the book. It allows the author to toy with time, to contrast the Puritans with the fairy realm, and to give relief from the darkness of the history. This lovely book is sure to be popular with two sets of children. One that will enjoy the fantasy and one that will enjoy the history. Encourage girls to pick this one up, they will not be disappointed.