Adam Cadre has written an impressive article on William Sleator’s body of work: 25 books by William Sleator. Sleator is great writer to recommend to teen boys who like some science fiction or strangeness in their novels. Well, Cadre writes it much more clearly than I can, and offers a synopsis of each title.
Month: August 2006
RindaWriter
Child_Lit, the email list, is having a discussion about children’s literature blogs. I shared a couple of the new-to-me blogs mentioned yesterday, and here is another: rindawriter’s Xanga Site. This blog has reviews of children’s books and lots of links of interest to children’s lit lovers.
Sheryl McFarlane
Canadian author, Sheryl McFarlane has Sheryl McFarlane’s Book Blog as well as a website that features information on her writing. Her blog offers reviews of other author’s books and she has a great list to the side that shows all of the authors she has reviewed in the past.
Fairrosa's Reading Journal
Many of you may recognize Fairrosa, the great children’s lit site. She has now added a blog, her Reading Journal that is filled with reviews of the books she has just finished. Very nice.
Frederick's Wisdom
Maine’s Times-Record has an article that made me swoon with pleasure: Frederick the mouse had it right. The article is based on Leo Lionni’s classic picture book, Frederick, where a mouse doesn’t work all summer long to prepare for the winter cold, but instead gathers images and stories from the summer to keep the other mice warm during the winter. The article encourages people to do the same for themselves, savor summer and capture your own memories to keep yourself warm after the summer sun leaves.
Little Chef
The Independent has an article about Little Chef, as teen cookbook author Sam Stern is known. This 15-year-old from the UK has written a cookbook for teens: Cooking Up a Storm. The article takes a look at how Stern got started cooking and gives librarians a heads-up about a second cookbook coming out in October.
Mary Higgins Clark Writes for Kids
Mary Higgins Clark Ships Off to Children’s Books announces that the famous author of suspense novels has written her first children’s book. It is illustrated by Wendell Minor. Alarm bells went off in my head when I read her quote: “I thought it would be a daunting project, but with six grandchildren and 11 step-grandchildren, I’ve been telling stories to children for a long time.” Sigh. Yeah, children’s books are easy-peasy, remarkable how difficult it is to do one WELL.
Hippo, No Rhino
Hippo! No, rhino by Jeff Newman.
The inept zookeeper at the zoo accidentally labels the rhinocerous as a hippo. The rhino is upset by this and tries to get the visitors to the zoo to fix it. Unfortunately, all of the adults are happy to read the sign and just assume that it is a hippo. It isn’t fixed until finally a little boy takes care of it. Then prepare yourself for the twist at the end.
Newman’s almost wordless book is a joy. His illustrations are hysterically funny, from the rhino using one of the birds on his back as a dart to the dejected rhino at the end who has finally given up. Read this one aloud with plenty of gusto as the rhino tends to bellow in words that always rhyme-o. Definitely worthy of the honor of being the final book in a storytime that will keep antsy children glued to their seats. This will work for preschoolers and kindergarteners as well as older children who enjoy a good laugh.
Sleepyhead Bear
Sleepyhead Bear by Lisa Westberg Peters, pictures by Ian Schoenherr.
Bear is so sleepy on a hot summer day, but he keeps getting bothered by bugs! The bugs aren’t scared when he growls at them, they just follow him when he goes into the lake, and then he disturbs a bee hive. It isn’t until he is thrown down a hill and lands in a meadow that he discovered insects that he can enjoy.
This book is a great read-aloud with rollicking rhymes, filled with action, plenty of places for giggling, and then concludes with the magic of butterflies filling the air. Read this one to classes or storytime crowds. It is just right for preschoolers through kindergarteners and will easily fit into units on insects, butterflies, and bears.
Waking Brain Cells 