A Book

June 2, 2009 | Tasha

A Book by Mordicai Gerstein

Deeee-lightful! I found this book to be fresh, clever, surprising, and great fun.

When the book opens, the lights inside go on and the family in the book wake up. One day, the little girl asks a question that she has been thinking about for some time. “What is our story?” Each of her family members (including the pets) think that the book is about them and head off the page. The readers are eventually left with the little girl alone. She heads to the next page where she discovers a big goose who thinks that the girl is from a fairy tale. Nope. Perhaps a mystery? Alice in Wonderland? A pirate tale? Historical fiction? Outer space? Nope, none of them. But the little girl has decided what to do about the situation.

I love the perspective of this book, peering down to the page from above as the characters live their lives. Gerstein uses humor, wonderful bits of stories, and themed art work to make sure that readers know just where they are. My favorite genre page is the historical novel. I guffawed out loud. Yes, guffawed. Truly.

Children who know how books are supposed to work (which means almost everyone) will get the joke right away and love laughing along. This book has the feel of The Monster At the End of this Book where that fourth wall is removed and the reader becomes a participant in the tale. If I had a class of children to read to, this would be my clincher at the end. Appropriate for ages 4-6 – older for reading aloud since they too will enjoy the humor.

Adios Oscar!

June 2, 2009 | Tasha

Adios Oscar!: a butterfly fable by Peter Elwell

Oscar is a caterpillar with big plans to turn into a butterfly and head to Mexico. His caterpillar friends don’t believe that they will ever turn into butterflies, but Edna the bookworm takes him to a library for bugs where he learns about butterflies and caterpillars. Oscar also learns that they speak Spanish in Mexico, so he sets out to learn the language. Soon Oscar is ready to build his cocoon and transform. He has dreams of monarch butterflies but when he emerges he finds that he is a moth instead! He is expected to fly around lightbulbs and eat socks, not fly to Mexico. What is a small gray moth supposed to do with his bright sunny Mexico dreams?

This book is a great blend of factual information on butterflies and caterpillars and a story about one’s dreams and reality. Elwell has married the two divergent subjects into a nicely cohesive book. His illustrations are a large part of the book’s success, offering a silly, fresh feel. As a reader, I was pleasantly surprised by the twist of Oscar being a moth and the choice that he faces about expectations for moths and his own dreams.

Appropriate for ages 3-6, this book is a great addition to a butterfly unit or story time and will offer a discussion opportunity about everyone’s dreams.

Boston Globe – Horn Book Awards

June 2, 2009 | Tasha

The 2009 Boston Globe – Horn Book Awards have been announced. They “reward excellence in children’s and young adult literature” and have three categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonfiction, and Picture Book.

The winners are:

Fiction and Poetry: