Times Online has a list of the top books for boys. It is a rather confusing list of adult titles, children’s titles and even picture books. I would go through and mark the ones I’ve read, but it’s not that many of them. As I scan the list, I see lots of fantasy, but also humor and nonfiction. As I read a list like this my mind always blanks on things that are not on it, but I’d like to see more graphic novels.
The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers.
Ah, the joy of a new Oliver Jeffers book where one is sure to venture into a strange, unknown world and return with a slightly different view of our own.
This one is a winner from its title on through to the very end. Henry is a boy who loves books, but not like we do. Henry loves to eat books. And as he eats them, they fill not only his stomach but his mind. He decides that he has to eat more and more of them so he can become the smartest person in the world. But eventually, the books start to upset his stomach and he can’t continue. Or can he?
The illustrations are wonderful and complex. They are done on a variety of book spines, book order cards, book pages, and much more. This adds an entirely different dimension to the book and its illustrations. On each page, there is an implied flavor and scent of old yellowed pages, wide and thin spines, and books in all of their varieties. The text and illustrations are filled with sly humor which kids will love.
So Jeffers does it again. This is a great book to share with older elementary students who will get the jokes and the bizarre situation. Preschoolers may not be sophisticated enough to truly get this story, so this would be a great one to share with elementary students learning about the library. It would demonstrate how very cool librarians really are, just by reading this one aloud.
Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee.
I enjoyed Yee’s Tracks in the Snow, and this one is another good one. Published in the same half-size as his first book, this book takes a small child through a rainy day. It pairs rhymes with a form of guessing game where sounds and rhyme give a hint to the type of animal that will fill in the blank. The joy of a rainy day is captured as the little girl moves through her exploration of puddles, rain and wetness.
The illustrations are charmingly done. I appreciate the fact that the child could be of almost any race with her brown skin and dark hair. Combine that with the great sound language where rain and water make a wide range of sounds from gurgle to rum-a-tum-tum to plip-plip-PLOP!
It is a joy to read aloud and will have all children ready to get out their rain gear and jump into puddles. Perfect for a spring storytime or to share with children who are learning to rhyme. There is enough here to keep even antsy preschoolers happily listening.
Many of you probably already read Anastasia Goodstein’s blog YPulse. It is a look at marketing and media targeted at teens and can offer great insight into teens and how to market for them as a library. Give it a read, if you don’t already. Look especially for her nice round-up of news stories on a regular basis. Very handy.
Anyway, Anastasia has now written a book on the same subject. Totally Wired: what teens and tweens are really doing online has been reviewed on Yahoo! Tech where I find that it has been well received, which will not surprise any of Anastasia’s blog readers.
Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman.
Lehman does it again with another winner of a wordless picture book. This is the story of a boy who is in a big house during a rain storm. He finds a key that unlocks a trunk which has a ladder inside. This leads him through tunnels and a looping stair to a lighthouse. There he finds a group of children who befriend him and let him join in their play. He is sad when he has to return home again and leave them behind, but perhaps they will find a way to see each other again!
Lehman’s illustrations are so evocative but clear. They need no words to carry the story forward at all. The sharp-eyed child will see the lighthouse out of the boy’s window, tying the story together.
I find that wordless picture books don’t work for a story time, but are ideal to read with children in Kindergarten and first grade who are just on the cusp of learning to read. The power to create their own story and the freedom from struggle with the act of reading allows them to really connect with this type of book. Perfect to pull out when children are getting frustrated.
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino.
This is a lovely book. It is the story of every Friday in the life of a boy and his father. Friday is the day they look forward to most of all because of what they get to do. In their urban lives no matter what the weather or season, they walk through the city, stopping now and then to look at interesting things like buildings being built, store windows, and counting the dogs they see. At last they arrive at the diner for breakfast together where they order pancakes and sit together and talk about “all sorts of things.”
The illustrations of the book are modern but retro as is the diner that they end up in. The story is told simply, but has lines that reverberate with meaning. I particularly enjoy this: “Everyone is rushing, but we’re taking our time.” That sums the entire book up.
Share this for Father’s Day with a kid near you.
A huge THANK YOU to the Horn Book and Fuse #8 for including me in their list of Kid-Lit Bloggers to Watch. What a great list of bloggers to be a part of! I also love that I am described as one of the first kidlit bloggers out there. Yup, that’s why I missed out on the cool trend of creating amazing names for blogs. LOL
Of course, it does make me feel a bit of an elderly, kind auntie to all of you younger bloggers out there. And that’s younger not only because of the age of our blogs!
From Auntie Tasha to all of you: thanks so much for allowing me this seat to watch the world of kidslit blogs evolve and grow.
For any fans of LM Montgomery and the glory of Avonlea (which I frankly found much more fun as a television show than a series of books, something I rarely say) this is the site for you. Picturing a Canadian Life offers glimpses into Montgomery’s personal journals, scrapbooks, and more. View a gallery of her book covers, read about her interest in fashion, and discover her passion for collecting. Even someone like me, who appreciates her storylines more than her writing, will enjoy the site.
Was that blasphemy?!
SLJ’s April issue has an interview with Sara Pennypacker, author of one of my favorite new series Clementine. I enjoyed reading about her background in visual arts and how her family factors into the stories. She seems as lovely and warm as her writing.
Waking Brain Cells 