Month: April 2010

Which Ones Have You Read?

| Tasha

Big thanks to TeacherNinja for this idea!  I have bolded the ones I have read:

 

100. The Egypt Game – Snyder (1967)

99. The Indian in the Cupboard – Banks (1980)

98. Children of Green Knowe – Boston (1954)

97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo (2006)

96. The Witches – Dahl (1983)

95. Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren (1950

94. Swallows and Amazons – Ransome (1930)

93. Caddie Woodlawn – Brink (1935)

92. Ella Enchanted – Levine (1997)

91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Sachar (1978)

90. Sarah, Plain and Tall – MacLachlan (1985)

89. Ramona and Her Father – Cleary (1977)

88. The High King – Alexander (1968)

87. The View from Saturday – Konigsburg (1996)

86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Rowling (1999)

85. On the Banks of Plum Creek – Wilder (1937)

84. The Little White Horse – Goudge (1946)

83. The Thief – Turner (1997)

82. The Book of Three – Alexander (1964)

81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Lin (2009)

80. The Graveyard Book – Gaiman (2008)

79. All-of-a-Kind-Family – Taylor (1951)

78. Johnny Tremain – Forbes (1943)

77. The City of Ember – DuPrau (2003)

76. Out of the Dust – Hesse (1997)

75. Love That Dog – Creech (2001)

74. The Borrowers – Norton (1953)

73. My Side of the Mountain – George (1959)

72. My Father’s Dragon – Gannett (1948)

71. The Bad Beginning – Snicket (1999)

70. Betsy-Tacy – Lovelae (1940)

69. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart ( 2007)

68. Walk Two Moons – Creech (1994)

67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher – Coville (1991)

66. Henry Huggins – Cleary (1950)

65. Ballet Shoes – Stratfeild (1936)

64. A Long Way from Chicago – Peck (1998)

63. Gone-Away Lake – Enright (1957)

62. The Secret of the Old Clock – Keene (1959)

61. Stargirl – Spinelli (2000)

60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi (1990)

59. Inkheart – Funke (2003)

58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Aiken (1962)

57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary (1981)

56. Number the Stars – Lowry (1989)

55. The Great Gilly Hopkins – Paterson (1978)

54. The BFG – Dahl (1982)

53. Wind in the Willows – Grahame (1908)

52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)

51. The Saturdays – Enright (1941)

50. Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell (1960)

49. Frindle – Clements (1996)

48. The Penderwicks – Birdsall (2005)

47. Bud, Not Buddy – Curtis (1999)

46. Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls (1961)

45. The Golden Compass – Pullman (1995)

44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Blume (1972)

43. Ramona the Pest – Cleary (1968)

42. Little House on the Prairie – Wilder (1935)

41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare (1958)

40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Baum (1900)

39. When You Reach Me – Stead (2009)

38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix – Rowling (2003)

37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Taylor (1976)

36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Blume (1970)

35. HP and the Goblet of Fire – Rowling (2000)

34. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham – Curtis (1995)

33. James and the Giant Peach – Dahl (1961)

32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – O’Brian (1971)

31. Half Magic – Eager (1954)

30. Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne (1926)

29. The Dark Is Rising – Cooper (1973)

28. A Little Princess – Burnett (1905)

27. Alice I and II – Carroll (1865/72)

26. Hatchet – Paulsen (1989)

25. Little Women – Alcott (1868/9)

24. HP and the Deathly Hallows – Rowling (2007)

23. Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder (1932)

22. The Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo (2003)

21. The Lightening Thief – Riordan (2005)

20. Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt (1975)

19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Dahl (1964)

18. Matilda – Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee – Spinelli (1990)

16. Harriet the Spy – Fitzhugh (1964)

15. Because of Winn-Dixie – DiCamillo (2000)

14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Rowling (1999)

13. Bridge to Terabithia – Paterson (1977)

12. The Hobbit – Tolkien (1938)

11. The Westing Game – Raskin (1978)

10. The Phantom Tollbooth – Juster (1961)

9. Anne of Green Gables – Montgomery (1908)

8. The Secret Garden – Burnett (1911)

7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)

6. Holes – Sachar (1998)

5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Koningsburg (1967)

4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Lewis (1950)

3. Harry Potter #1 – Rowling (1997)

2. A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (1962)

1. Charlotte’s Web – White (1952)

Whoa!  I did better than I expected.  Somehow I think I was just the right age to hit most of the classic reads.  We even read some of them like Johnny Tremain in school.

The Night Fairy

| Tasha

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Angela Barrett

Newbery winner Schlitz returns with a celebration of fairies that will have any child entranced.  Flory, a night fairy, was only the size of an acorn when she was out flying and was crunched on by a bat who mistook her for a luna moth.  After her wings were crushed, she fell down into a cherry tree in a giant’s garden.  There she found a birdhouse just the right size for a fairy’s home.  Because she couldn’t move around easily on her own without wings, Flory befriended a very hungry squirrel who let her ride him in exchange for food.  But Flory wanted a grander animal to ride and when she saw the hummingbirds she knew just what she wanted.  But the hummingbirds were aloof and distant, too busy to talk with her about her needs.  It wasn’t until one bird was trapped in a spider web in the garden that Flory could bargain with her.  That bargain would take her on an even greater adventure that teaches Flory what friendship and being a fairy is really about.

Schlitz’s writing is laced with magic.  This deceptively slim volume holds so much story that it could have been much longer.  Instead, Schlitz has written a tightly woven story gilded with wonderful language.  The language invites readers deeply into the story, lets them know that something special has been written here, and then sails them off on adventure. 

I greatly appreciate that Flory is a fairy with plenty of chutzpah and guts.  She is prickly, brave and wonderfully independent.  At the same time, she dresses in flower petals, is a tiny size, and is undeniably feminine.  Bravo for a heroine who wields a dagger while dressed in petals!

Highly recommended, this book should be handed to any youngster who enjoys a good fairy tale.  This book has plenty of action and adventure married with magic and beauty.  Appropriate for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from Advanced Reader Copy received from Candlewick Press.

Extensively reviewed across the Kidslitosphere.

Mirror

| Tasha

Mirror by Suzy Lee

The author of Wave returns with another wordless book that captures emotion through images alone.  Her use of simple lines, white space and minimal color sets a unique tone in this book.  It is the story of a girl who is sad and alone before she discovers a mirror.  As she interacts with her reflection, she becomes exuberant as do the illustrations.  She begins to dance with her reflection and then something odd happens and her reflection does different things than she does.  This makes her angry so she shoves the reflection, bringing the book to a crashing end.

Lee excels at creating wordless stories that have depth and grace.  Here her thick black lines come together to make a story that is interesting and universal.  Her skill with white space is really at its best here.  She offers an entire two page spread of only blank pages that really create a vital moment in the book.  On other pages, she is unafraid to keep large parts of the page bare and allow readers to really focus on the figures themselves.

The book itself is wonderfully designed with a tall, thin cover than evokes the shape of a mirror.  The endpages feature the colors and inky shapes found inside the book.  Beautifully and caringly done.

A wordless book that offers emotion, surprises and delight, this book will be enjoyed by many different readers.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Seven Footer Press.

Also reviewed by The Well-Read Child and Pink Me.

ALA’s Most Challenged Books of 2009

| Tasha

Here are the most challenged books of last year.  In 2009, ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom received reports of 460 efforts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula or library shelves.  However, many of the challenges go unreported.  The OIF estimates that only 20-25% of challenges are reported. 

Amazing to see Tango no longer in the top place.  Welcome Lauren Myracle whose books are edgy, modern and great fun to read!  Equally amazing is to see older titles like The Chocolate War continuing to offend over decades of time.

Here are the most challenged books in those 460 that were reported:

1. “TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs


2. “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality


3. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide


4. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee
Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group


5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group


6. “Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group


7. “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence


8. “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things,” by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group


9. “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group


10. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

 

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Chris Crutcher at Fox Cities Book Festival

| Tasha

Our local book festival is in full swing and today I got to listen to Chris Crutcher talk about book banning and censorship.  The audience was entirely librarians and the event wasn’t open to the public though Crutcher will be appearing in local schools too.

We got to hear about the inspiration for Running Loose and Chinese Handcuffs, both based on real-life incidents.  His talk was filled with humor and good vibes as well as little sympathy for people who want books censored in schools. 

My favorite quote of the presentation was towards the end when he spoke about teens who are not part of the in-crowd needing the books he writes:  “If you ban that book, you ban him.”  Lovely stuff and a wonderful way to spend a morning.

Spring Break

| Tasha

Over the next week, I will be off on spring break with my kids and taking a break from the computer as well. 

Hope everyone has a spectacular start to their spring!

The blog and I will return on Monday, April 12th during National Library Week.  Even that week posting may be sporadic thanks to our local Book Festival.

Sweet Dreams Lullaby

| Tasha

Sweet Dreams Lullaby by Betsy Snyder

In rhyming couplets, a young bunny prepares for bed in this peaceful book.  Young listeners will cuddle down just like the bunny as they move through a landscape of jewel tones and sensory imagery.  The illustrations move from late afternoon through the moon rising and stars twinkling in the sky.  Different animals make their way to bed following some of the same steps as children.  Hummingbirds get drinks of water.  Ducks wash themselves in puddles.  A daddy frog sings to his children.  Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a small gem of a book.

Snyder excels at both writing and illustrating.  Some of the images in her poem are so lovely, gentle and perfect that they will stop you for a moment in delight.  The clever use of parallels between the animal bedtimes and children’s routines are done with a subtle hand.  Snyder’s illustrations are filled with deep colors that change throughout the book as the evening deepens.  There is a sense of continuity throughout the illustrations and the book that is soothing and gentle.

A great bedtime book for toddlers, one can’t read this book without feeling calm, warm and snuggly.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.

Visit Betsy Snyder’s blog for information on her work.  You can also read an interview with her at Picture Book Junkies Blog.

Willow’s Whispers

| Tasha

Willow’s Whispers by Lana Button, illustrated by Tania Howells

Willow’s voice was never any louder than a whisper.  She wished it were louder because no one in her class could hear her speak.  She got the wrong juice at snack, couldn’t tell others that she was playing with the toys, and never got picked as line leader because she couldn’t speak up.  Her father knew that her voice was inside her and would find its way out.  The next morning, Willow got up and made a magic microphone.  When she spoke into it, her voice was strong and loud.  She could speak to her classmates and ask for what she wanted.  But disaster struck at the end of the day when the microphone was crushed.  Could Willow find her her voice in time to be line leader?

Written with an understanding of being shy and the effort it takes to overcome, Button has captured the shy, quiet child perfectly here.  The loving relationship between Willow and her father is also worth noting.  He does not pressure her to change, rather it is her own decision and creativity that bring it about.  Howell’s illustrations make great use of white space.  They have a simple design and child-like feel to them that really works well.

This book will really speak loudly to those who are quiet.  It also offers a window of understanding to those who aren’t.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Kids Can Press.

Also reviewed by Kiss the Book and BookDragon.

The Can Man

| Tasha

The Can Man by Laura E. Williams, illustrated by Craig Orback

Tim wants a skateboard for his birthday but his family can’t afford to buy him one right now.  So when Tim sees the Can Man collecting cans to earn money, Tim realizes that he can do that to earn money for his skateboard.  Tim gathers cans with great energy, finally getting seven bags which should be more than enough for his skateboard.  On the final day he can collect cans, it is pouring rain.  The Can Man is out with his grocery cart collecting too, though he admits to Tim that he hasn’t found many cans lately.  Time explains that he is going to use the can money for a skateboard.  When he asks the Can Man what he’s collecting for, he learns that he needs the money for a warm coat.  The Can Man helps Tim bring the bags of cans to the redemption center.  After redeeming the cans for money though, Tim sees the Can Man walking away and knows just what he should do.  He runs outside and gives the Can Man all of the money he made.  On his birthday, Tim finds a package outside his door.  Inside is a skateboard.  Not a brand new one, but one that will work just fine and even has a fresh coat of paint, thanks to the Can Man.

Williams has taken what could have been a didactic moral tale and turned it instead into a fresh story about kindness and community.  Her text has a warmth to it that makes the story relatable, bringing the issue of homelessness and poverty directly into a child-eye view.  Orback’s illustrations reflect the same honesty as the words.  His paintings glow with a warm light and offer a realistic view of the neighborhood the story is set in. 

Bravo for a book that brings social concerns to children without lecturing!  Appropriate for ages 4-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Lee & Low Books.

Also reviewed by A Psych Mommy and  BookDragon.