Month: September 2016

This Weeks Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

| Tasha

Woo hoo! Broke 11,000 tweets shared on Twitter!

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week that I think are cool:

I tried everything to get to sleep last night. Well, everything except closing…:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

“Book talking by the stack opens up so many possibilities” – Read more over on the :

Bringing It ‘Home’: Chris Raschka Completes Vera Williams’s Final Book

Disney Announces New Rick Riordan Imprint

Gloriumptious, word-guzzling genius of Roald Dahl

Heathy diet linked to improved reading skills in children

Here Are Some of the 18th Annual Intl Latino Book Awards Winners

How Diverse Is Children’s Literature? This Infographic Tells The Disturbing Truth

My Favorite Read-Aloud Books Right Now: September 2016 – GeekDad

Never stop reading aloud to your kid

Reading Aloud Will Create a Better Reader · Guardian Liberty Voice

Residential school memoir set to become new Canadian children’s classic

Scrumdiddlyumptious to Oompa Loompa: Roald Dahl’s splendiferous words are now in the Oxford dictionary

Storm Reid Cast as Meg Murry in Disney’s :
Temple Grandin Inks Deal With Penguin Young Readers

This Boy’s Dream Of Being A Princess Inspired An Innovative Kids’ Book

Transgender Books for Kids and Teens

‘Trombone Shorty,’ 4 others receive $250,000 Heinz Awards

LIBRARIES

First Woman, African-American Sworn In as Librarian of Congress

How you can help India’s first free public library for the Tibetan exile community

Pew Research Shows Public Libraries Remain Vital to Communities

"Reading forces you to be quiet in a world that no longer makes place for that."…:

TEEN READS

8 Book Recommendations From an Unexcitable Reader

Challenge your perceptions with these 9 groundbreaking YA novels

Graphic novels that grab you — The Horn Book

YA author Amy Zhang: My books are there so people won’t feel they’re alone –

YA Books with a Male Point of View – The Hub

Young adult authors stress importance of strong stories

What a Beautiful Morning by Arthur A. Levine

| Tasha

What a Beautiful Morning by Arthur A Levine.jpg

What a Beautiful Morning by Arthur A. Levine, illustrated by Katie Kath (InfoSoup)

When Noah visits his grandparents, Noah and his grandfather start the day with a song. They head outside with the dog even if its raining, singing all the way. At breakfast they made plans for the day. But lately, Grandpa has been forgetting to ask about making plans. Then one day when Noah woke him from a nap, Grandpa didn’t know who he was. His Grandma explained that sometimes Grandpa got confused and that it was better to focus on what he still had rather than what he lost. So Noah set out to do the things alone that he had done with his grandfather, until he discovered that Grandpa still responded to music and songs. It was a way to start once more having special mornings together.

This book is so beautifully done. It is about the very special relationship that children have with their grandparents, the delight of staying with them, and how each morning can be special just because someone cares for you and spends time with you. It is also about the power of music to connect people and experiences as well as its special quality with those suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia. Throughout, the character of Grandma is there, at first secondary to the strong relationship between grandfather and grandson and then stepping up to fill some of the gaps left behind. She is warm and loving and very special.

Kath’s illustrations are bright colored and friendly. When Grandpa is confused or feeling separate, she uses a visual device to indicate the change by having his face lose color. If he is particularly confused, the colorlessness spreads on the page, taking up his entire body. In this way, children will see visually the change coming over Grandpa and understand that it is deeply affecting him and his personality.

It is rare that I tear up when reading a picture book, but this book is particularly moving. Have tissues ready. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers

| Tasha

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A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston (InfoSoup)

This striking picture books tells the story of a young girl who loves to read, who is “a child of books.” She meets a boy who seems lonely, his father only reading the newspaper and ignoring the sea of words from fiction swirling around them. She leads the boy off on an adventure of stories. Down rabbit holes, up mountains, through dark tunnels, into fairy tale woods, past monsters in castles, into the clouds for bedtime stories, and much more. They return home, to a bright colored house on a gray street, and the boy leaves with a book under his arm trailing words behind him.

My description above doesn’t capture the beauty and wonder of this picture book. Jeffers’ poetry looks deeply into our relationship with fiction. Into the joy of discovering new adventures of heading down rabbit holes that other readers’ feet have merrily disappeared down before yours. He celebrates the shared language of story, the shared settings of tales, and the shared experiences that we have all had, separately but also together.

The illustrations are unique and very special. The merger of the painted characters with amazing typeface art is dynamic and original. It slows you down, naturally asking you to read the words that the mountains, clouds, and forest are made from. If you do, you discover old friends hiding there, beautiful words from classic children’s books. They invite you to read more, to rediscover those books of your childhood or introduce your favorites to your children. By the end of the book, I was slowly reading each word in the illustrations, lingering and sighing contentedly. My day slowed and enriched by memories.

Beautiful and luminous, this picture book is rich and unique. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Wonderfall by Michael Hall

| Tasha

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Wonderfall by Michael Hall (InfoSoup)

In a series of poems, this picture book celebrates the changing seasons through the experience of a tree. First in the greenness of summer, the acorns start to fall from the oak tree. The yellow school bus arrives and the tree’s leaves start to change. Harvest time arrives, parades march past, and Halloween comes.The leaves start to fall, Thanksgiving comes and children play in the piles of leaves. Wind arrives, taking most of the leaves off the tree and its time to rake. No leaves left, the tree stands bare until snow comes with the new winter season.

Hall celebrates the autumn season with this picture book that encompasses the very beginning signs of autumn all the way through to full winter. The focus on a single tree as the one experiencing the changes works well, particularly with the vivid changes that the tree goes through itself. It is also interesting to see trees as witnessing what humans do just as they watch the activities of the squirrels on the ground and in their branches. The book ends with information on animals seen in the book and how they prepare for winter.

The illustrations are signature Hall with bold shapes done in collage. The leaves are oversized and glorious, full of bold colors and the size of branches. They enliven the page no matter their color, making the winter pages when they are gone all the more cold and barren.

Simple and poetic, this is a great new pick for fall story times and units. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Greenwillow Books.

The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz

| Tasha

The Inquisitors Tale by Adam Gidwitz

The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz (InfoSoup)

Released September 27, 2016.

The author of the A Tale Dark and Grimm series returns with a medieval tale set in the year 1242. It is a tale told by an inn full of strangers, who each know a piece of the miraculous stories of these children. There is William, the huge boy who is an oblate in the monastery but doesn’t mind using his fists. There is Jacob, a Jewish boy who had to flee his village when it was set on fire by some Christian boys. There is Jeanne, a peasant girl who has fits and sees visions that come true. Finally, there is Gwenforte, Jeanne’s greyhound who died and then returned from the dead. These children and the dog traverse France looking for safety and along the way they change hearts, create miracles, heal the sick (even a farting dragon) and build faith.

Immediately upon opening the book, I tumbled headlong in love with it. After all, it has the format of Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales, though it is far less bawdy! I also enjoyed that all of the stories happen right in the inn rather than on a pilgrimage. Gidwitz notes with a wryness that some of the narration includes more details than any observer would have, but my goodness it makes for a better telling of the tale. The medieval setting is beautifully captured through the rich prose.

This is a book that tackles big issues with gusto. It is a book steeped in faith, one where children perform miracles and a dog returns from the dead. But this is a book that looks beyond Christianity as well to the Jewish faith and thus becomes more inclusive in the way it speaks about faith. Religion itself is at the heart of one of the largest moments in the book, protecting Jewish Talmuds from being burned. It’s a powerful moment, a statement about the importance of the written word, and a purely medieval view of the value of illuminated books.

Brilliant, medieval and funny at just the right moments, this book is a lush look at medieval times for young readers. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dutton.

National Book Award Long List

| Tasha

The long list for the National Book Award has been announced. The National Book Foundation will announce the five finalists from the list on October 13 and the winner will be presented on November 16.

Here are the nominees for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature:

Booked Burn Baby Burn

Booked by Kwame Alexander

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina

Ghost March: Book Three (March, #3)

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

March: Book Three by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell

Pax Raymie Nightingale

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story The Sun Is Also a Star

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story by Caren Stelson

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

When the Moon Was Ours When the Sea Turned to Silver

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin

 

Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina

| Tasha

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Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina (InfoSoup)

Juana lives in Bogotá, Colombia with her family. She loves things like reading, drawing, Brussels sprouts, and Astroman. She also loves living in Bogotá and in particular having a best friend like Lucas, her dog. Still, there are some things she doesn’t like. She doesn’t like the school uniform she has to wear, doing classwork, and in particular she doesn’t like learning “the English.” When Juana complains about having to learn English and how hard it is, the adults around her encourage her to keep trying. She is also told about a special trip that her grandparents are planning to the United States and Juana will get to meet Astroman there! But in order to be allowed to go, Juana has to do better in her classes, particularly English.

Filled with lots of pictures and even some infographics, this book is particularly approachable for children. With the same humor and heart as series like Clementine, this picture book offers a glimpse into another culture as well as a smart and independent heroine. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text, making it just challenging enough that readers will understand how hard it is to decode a different language and yet how rewarding it is too.

The illustrations are bright and cheery. The infographics, used to label different characters with their unique characteristics are funny and nicely designed for clarity. The city of Bogotá and the people in Juana’s life are shown in bright colors with lovely humorous touches.

The first book in a new series that offers diversity, Spanish and lots of heart. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda – The Movie

| Tasha

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Fox acquired film rights for Becky Albertalli’s YA novel last October and will work with Temple Hill, a production company that has been involved in very successful adaptations of teen novels including “The Fault in Our Stars.”

There is now news from Variety that Greg Berlanti is being considered for director. He is known as both a showrunner and the director of “Life As We Know It.” He has also produced and written.

It’s beautiful to see an LGBT title being adapted into a film.

The Best Man by Richard Peck

| Tasha

The Best Man by Richard Peck

The Best Man by Richard Peck (InfoSoup)

Released September 20, 2016.

Archer recounts the two weddings that he has been in, one really bad and the other really good and all of the time in between. The first was a wedding where he was in first grade and the ring bearer. He tried hiding in the bushes and only managed to get his outfit full of mud and to rip a hole in the too-tight cloth. The best that can be said is that it made a popular YouTube clip. Archer also managed to make a new friend that day, a friendship that would carry through his grade school years. As grade school progresses, Archer tries to figure out what type of person he wants to be. He knows that he wants to be like his grandfather, his father and his uncle. He also wants to be like his fifth-grade student teacher too, a handsome veteran who turns school into a media frenzy. It is the wedding of his uncle to his teacher that is the best wedding ever. As Archer matures, he shows the men around him what means to be the best kind of man too.

Peck is a Newbery Medalist and this one of his best ever. Peck takes the hot topic of gay marriage and makes it immensely approachable and personal. Archer is a wonderfully naive narrator, someone who isn’t the first in the room to figure things out. That gives readers space to see things first and to come to their own opinions on things. Then the book offers insight into being human whether gay or straight. There is no pretense here, just a family living their lives together and inspiring one another to be better than they are.

Peck’s lightness throughout the book is to be applauded. This is not a “problem” novel that grapples with the idea of gay marriage and debates it at length. Instead it is a book filled with laugh-out-loud humor and lots of delight. Alongside that is a great deal of poignancy with aging grandparents, the ins and outs of love, and the growth of characters throughout.

Entirely engaging and immensely readable, this is one of the best of the year. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dial Books.