Year: 2011

Andy Stanton’s Tips for Helping Children Love Reading

| Tasha
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Image via Wikipedia

The Sun has a very nice article by Andy Stanton, author of the Mr. Gum series, that has practical tips that every parent can use.  The best part is that his focus is not on forcing children to read, but instead in getting children to enjoy books and reading. 

Here are some of my favorites, there are many more in the article:

  • Don’t distinguish between good and bad.
  • I think some kids can be frightened of books so make sure you have them around.
  • Make story-time part of the bedtime routine and part of their world.
  • Put books in their way.
  • Take children to the library.

And my personal favorite: “Every child should read Roald Dahl. He’s like The Beatles of children’s books.”

I needed this after reading articles about a study that shows that boys “can’t read past the 100th page” of a book.  What the title doesn’t tell you is that it is according to their teachers, not a study of boys actual reading habits but teachers’ perceptions.  I think I’ll leave it at that, since I promised myself I would not rant about it.

Book Review: The Watcher by Jeanette Winter

| Tasha

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The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter

Follow Jane Goodall’s life in this vivid picture book.  The book follows Jane from her childhood where she spent a lot of time watching the animals around her, including having a robin nest built on her bookcase in her room.  Jane left home soon after graduating from school, heading to Kenya.  There she met Louis Leakey who was looking for someone to observe chimpanzees.  Jane headed into the jungle to watch the chimpanzees, spending time out near them just quietly viewing them.  She learned all sorts of things that no one had ever discovered before.  Jane spent many years with the chimpanzees learning, but then people began to threaten the chimpanzee habitat, so Jane had to leave them and become their voice, speaking out to assure their survival. 

Winter has created a book that speaks to the heart of what Goodall has done, all of her accomplishments and discoveries pale in the book and in life to her dedication to the animals themselves.  Goodall is a perfect subject for a picture book.  She is a brave woman who braved living alone in the wilderness to do what she felt she was meant to do with her life.  Winter captures all of this in few words, allowing Goodall’s life to speak for itself.

Winter’s illustrations are done in acrylic paint and pen.  They have strong forms, deep colors, and a childlike quality that make the book even more approachable for children.  I especially enjoy the cover image with the reflection of the chimpanzees in the lenses of her binoculars.  It sums up the book delightfully.

There is something special about a book that tells children to follow their hearts, but this one is even more special because it also shows children the value of watching and learning too.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House Children’s Books.

2012 Hans Christian Andersen Awards Nominees

| Tasha

IBBY has announced the nominees for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Awards.  The awards are given every two years to “an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important and lasting contribution to children’s literature.”  The nominees below are selected by IBBY National Sections from 33 countries. 

I always love seeing the covers of the books, even though I don’t speak many of the languages, so here are a selection of book covers from the nominated authors and illustrators along with the list of nominees:

  

Argentina: Author: Maria Teresa Andruetto; Illustrator: Pablo Bernasconi

  
Australia: Author: Christobel Mattingley; Illustrator: Bob Graham

  
Austria: Author: Monika Pelz; Illustrator: Renate Habinger

 
Belgium: Author: Bart Moeyaert; Illustrator: Louis Joos

 
Brazil: Author: Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros; Illustrator: Roger Mello

 
Canada: Author: Tim Wynne-Jones; Illustrator: Stephane Jorisch

 
Cyprus: Author: Elli Peonidou

 
Czech Republic: Illustrator: Peter Sís

  
Denmark: Author: Lene Kaaberbol; Illustrator: Charlotte Pardi

 
Finland: Author: Sinikka Nopola / Tiina Nopola; Illustrator: Virpi Talvitie

 
France: Author: Jean-Claude Mourlevat; Illustrator: Henri Galeron

  
Germany: Author: Paul Maar; Illustrator: Rotraut Susanne Berner

  
Greece: Author: Christos Boulotis; Illustrator: Effie Lada


Iran: Illustrator: Mohammad Ali Baniasadi

 
Ireland: Author: Eoin Colfer

 
Italy: Author: Bianca Pitzorno; Illustrator: Francesco Tullio-Altan

 
Japan: Author: Masamoto Nasu; Illustrator: Satoshi Kako

 
Republic of Korea: Author: Hwang Sun-Mi; Illustrator: Hong Seong-Chan

 
Latvia: Illustrator: Anita Paegle

 
Netherlands: Author: Tonke Dragt; Illustrator: Annemarie van Haeringen

 
Norway: Author: Bjorn Sortland; Illustrator: Oyvind Torseter

 
Romania: Author: Silvia Kerim; Illustrator: Valeria Moldovan


Russia: Illustrator: Gennadij Spirin

 
Serbia: Author: Ljubivoje Rsumovic; Illustrator: Dobrosav Zivkovic

 
Slovak Republic: Author: Daniel Hevier Illustrator: Peter Uchnár

 
Slovenia: Author: Tone Pavcek; Illustrator: Alenka Sottler

 
Spain: Author: Agustin Fernandez Paz; Illustrator: Javier Zabala Herrero

 
Sweden: Lennart Hellsing; Illustrator: Anna-Clara Tidholm

 
Switzerland: Author: Franz Hohler; Illustrator: Kathrin Scharer

 
Turkey: Author: Sevim Ak; Illustrator: Feridun Oral

 
United Kingdom: Author: Philip Pullman; Illustrator: John Burningham

 
USA: Author: Paul Fleischman; Illustrator: Chris Raschka


Venezuela: Illustrator: Arnal Balleste

Book Review: My Side of the Car by Kate Feiffer

| Tasha

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My Side of the Car by Kate Feiffer, illustrated by Jules Feiffer

Sadie and her dad are finally heading to the zoo.  Their trip has been cancelled for several reasons that Sadie can clearly remember, but today nothing can stop the trip.  They are on their way to the zoo when Sadie’s father points out that it’s raining.  Sadie looks  out her window and says that it isn’t raining on her side of the car.  Her father keeps driving, because all Sadie sees out her window is sunshine and lots of people heading to zoos.  People on her side of the car are watering their lawns, though it’s pouring on her father’s side of the car.  When they get to the zoo, Sadie’s father allows her to decide if they should stay, because it is raining hard on his side of the car.  Sadie decides that it would be too wet to go to the zoo in the rain.  So they reluctantly head home, until her father notices that the sun is out on his side of the car…

This picture book is inspired by a real-life event between author Kate Feiffer and her father, illustrator Jules Feiffer.  They share their version of the event that inspired the book at the end of the picture book, and Kate continues to insist that it was never raining on her side of the car.  That’s be beauty of personal perspective and the power of imagination and expectations for children.  This book captures it with humor and because it is told from Sadie’s point of view, with an honestly and care for the child view.

The combination of the fresh point of view from Kate Feiffer and the loose-lined art of her father is a winning one.  The imaginative power of Sadie never wavers in Kate’s writing.  The humor of the text and its attitude is reflected effectively in the illustrations as well.

Highly recommended, this book reminded me of both my own strong convictions as a child and those of my own children.  It is a testament to the imagination and creativity through which children view the world.  Appropriate for ages 5-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by

Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Winners

| Tasha

The Ontario Library Association gave out their 2011 Forest of Reading Awards:

Blue Spruce Award (Grades K-2)

My Think-A-Ma-Jink by Dave Whamond

 

Silver Bird Express Award (Grades 3-4)

Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires

 

Silver Birch Fiction Award (Grades 4-6)

Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders by Kevin Sylvester

 

Silver Birch Non-Fiction Award (Grades 4-6)

How to Build Your Own Country by Valerie Wyatt and Fred Rix

 

Red Maple Fiction Award (Grades 7-8)

Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant

 

Red Maple Non-Fiction Award (Grades 7-8)

The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland

 

White Pine Award (Grades 9-12)

The Monkeyface Chronicles by Richard Scarsbrook

 

Le Prix Tamarack (Grades 4-6, French-language)

 La Quête du dernier dodo: Les Adventures de Cosmo le Dodo by Patrice Racine

 

Le Prix Tamarack Express (Grades 4-6, French-language)

Les Dragouilles 2 – Les Bleues de Montréal by Maxim Cyr and Karine Gottot

Anyone read any of them?  I really enjoyed Binky the Space Cat, but haven’t read any of the others.  And the Les Dragouilles 2 looks very appealing, but I’d have to have it in English.

Book Review: In the Meadow by Yukiko Kato

| Tasha

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In the Meadow by Yukiko Kato

A little girl and her family head to the river to play.  On the shore, she spots a butterfly but when she tries to touch it, the butterfly flies away.  The little girl follows into the meadow, filled with tall grasses.  The grass tickles, trips, and sways.  It is almost like a green sea around her, growing so tall that only her hat and face can be seen.  The butterfly disappears, but a grasshopper lands on her arm and jumps away again.  The little girl is alone in the tall grass, so she closes her eyes and listens to the noises of the meadow.  And then she hears one more noise, her mother’s voice calling to her.

This picture book explores nature in a very personal way.  All of the senses are involved in the description of the meadow, from the scent of the crushed grass under her feet, the way the grass feels on her skin, the way the grass looks as it sways, to the sounds of the meadow and its creatures.  This immerses the reader in the experience of the meadow, both its beauty and the way you can lose yourself in it.

Kato’s words are simple, perfect for small children.  They reveal the meadow slowly, building it into a full experience.  Her illustrations are done in acrylic paints and oil pencils.  They are done in delicate lines, yet have a freedom, a naturalness.  The vast green of the field, dances on the page, at times detailed and at other times simply an expanse.

This lovely book is ideal to use with toddlers and preschoolers who will see themselves in the meadow.  It would be a great piece to use with an art project where children draw their own meadows, or even build collages from found grasses.  But primarily, it is a fresh, wonderful look at nature from a small child’s point of view.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Also reviewed by Biblioreads and featured in 7 Imp.

Readers Become Vampires and Wizards

| Tasha

 

I’m rather fascinated by a new study from the University of Buffalo that finds that readers on fantasies like Twilight and Harry Potter really get into what they are reading.  The study found that through reading, psychologically people became part of the world they were reading about and also derived emotional benefits from it. 

Readers all know that we become emotionally involved in books, that if it’s a great read, part of us lingers in that world calling us to return to the book.  It’s why books can be impossible to put down. 

While we don’t become the characters, we do get to experience their world through their eyes.  It’s powerful and for those of us who can’t stop reading, an important piece of our emotional landscape. 

Interestingly, the report found that just like with our real life friends, we shift our behavior to fit in with our book character friends as well. 

So is this something you believe to be true?  Are you a reader who becomes what you read?

Thanks to LISNews for the link.

Final Hunger Games Tributes Cast

| Tasha

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Lionsgate has announced the final two tributes in the upcoming Hunger Games movie.  If you missed any, you can check out their Facebook page.  These final two are tributes who have a large role in the games, Cato and Clove. 

Cato will be played by Alexander Ludwig who appeared in Race to Witch Mountain.  Clove will be played by Isabelle Fuhrman who appeared in Orphan. 

Now we just have more adult casting to look forward to.

Book Review: The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R. Vamos

| Tasha

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The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Rafael Lopez

This is a fresh, fabulous cumulative tale that is made spicier and more interesting thanks to the Spanish sprinkled liberally throughout.  It is the story of a farm maiden who stirred a pot.  Once she started stirring, all of the animals wanted to help with what she was cooking.  The cow gave milk, the hen gave eggs and zested the lime which was picked by the donkey who was carrying the duck to the market.  Eventually everyone is waiting for the treat to be finished until they started playing music and dancing.  Then no one was watching or stirring the pot!  Thank goodness that they returned just in time to enjoy the arroz con leche that they had all cooked together.

When I read this book to myself silently it really didn’t work, but read aloud it merrily dances along, even with my very imperfect Spanish pronunciation.  For classes in our community, the blend of Spanish and English is very desirable.  Happily, the Spanish here forms the real foundation of the story rather than just being extra words that are thrown in.

Lopez’s art is so vibrant and warm.  The sun shines when you open the book, thanks to the use of a beautiful yellow for the majority of the background.  Add to it the purple clouds tinged with red, the orange ground, and the vibrant green of the plants, and you have a book where the colors are filled with heat and spice.

A rollicking picture book that celebrates Spanish and English mixed together sweetly, just like the perfect arroz con leche.  Appropriate for ages 3-5, and in language classes for older children.

Reviewed from copy received from Charlesbridge.

Check out the book trailer to get a feel for the book and the illustrations: