Author: Tasha

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

| Tasha

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee.

James and Eamon head to Eamon’s grandparents house at the beach to go to nature camp nearby during the day.  The book follows the boys not as they go to camp, but as they return to the house each evening.  They play video games, each lots of banana waffles, and spend most of their time indoors even though the beach is right at their doorstep.  It isn’t until their final night there that they spend some time outside and discover that it is the best part of their week.

This book is such a treat.  Frazee has a great sense of humor that children will immediately appreciate.  Often the text says one thing while the pictures tell the truth of the situation, which is great fun.  But what makes this book so stellar is that it perfectly captures modern boys, video games, and friendship.  The tone is exactly right, the characterizations are spot on, and there is a joyous skip to the entire book.

Additionally, the grandparents are a welcome pair in children’s books.  Not relegated to the background, these grandparents are unique individuals who simply allow the boys to have the week they want to have rather than pushing them to do more constructive things. 

Highly, highly recommended for boys, girls, parents and grandparents.  This goes in my top ten picture books of the year.  Recommended for a wide range of ages because of the humor: ages 6-10.  (Actually, my 11-year-old laughed even louder than the rest of us!)

What's So Bad About Being an Only Child?

| Tasha

What’s So Bad About Being an Only Child? by Cari Best, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

Rosemary Emma Angela Lynette Isabelle Iris Malone knows what it feels like to be an only child.  And to her, it feels horrible!  Smothering and lonely at the same time.  She begs for a sibling, sulks for a sibling, but her parents don’t understand what’s wrong with being an only child.  Rosemary struggles with her lack of brother or sisterhood until she meets a turtle at the pond and brings it home.  Soon other animals follow as well and she has a menagerie at home who play with her, argue, share secrets and generally are the family she never had.

Rosemary is a character written and illustrated with such verve and vinegar.  She’s a refreshing change from other little girls in picture books who can be a bit too pink and frilly to read as real.  Rosemary is a true child from her pigtails to her crooked teeth to the glint of frustration in her eye.  The illustrations and the text work well together, creating the pitch-perfect tone here.

While reading the book, I feared that this little girl was going to find a way to have a baby enter her family in one way or another.  So I was happily surprised when she started collecting animals to be her family. 

Immensely fun to read aloud and a joy to share, this book will be loved by children with many brothers and sisters or those with none.  Recommended for ages 5-7.

Looking for Loons

| Tasha

Looking for Loons by Jennifer Lloyd, illustrated by Kirsti Anne Wakelin.

Woken by the first morning sun, Patrick heads to the porch to watch for loons on the lake.  One by one, his family members join him, each awoken by a sound or smell to the beauty of the fall day.  It takes patience and willpower (to not succumb to the smell of a pancake breakfast) to watch for the loons.  By the end of the book, Patrick’s patience is rewarded.

The prose in this book is poetic and beautiful.  It perfectly captures the stillness of a morning broken only by the slightest of noises like slippers flopping, kettles whistling and skillets being placed on the stove.  The interludes where the text breaks away from the cabin and looks towards other creatures around the lake are wonderful as well, allowing readers to “see” birds, frogs, and beavers.

As you can see from the cover, the art of this book is done with realism and softness.  It dances between almost photographic realism and a blurriness of sunshine and dappling of leaves.  As the text moves to outside glimpses, so do the illustrations, revealing even more creatures than the text itself. 

Perfect reading for anyone who heads north to a cabin or wishes they could.  This book is not only about loons, but also about wilderness and patience and family.  It has a cozy warmth about it, perfectly capturing a sunny autumn morning.  Recommended for ages 5-8.

Twilight the Movie

| Tasha

MTV has an interview with Ashley Greene, star of the film version of Stephanie Meyer’s popular vampire books.  She tells of her own love of the novels, and talks about fan concerns about her height and the length of her hair.

Stephanie Meyer has a whole page on her website dedicated to the movie.  You’ll find more pictures of the cast there.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

| Tasha

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.

Released March 25th, 2008.

Frankie is a sophomore at a private boarding school, Alabaster.  As a freshman she was invisible to the popular crowd, although her older sister had introduced her to everyone multiple times.  But now with a fuller figure, she gains the attention of Matthew, a very cute senior.  Frankie starts going out with Matthew but becomes more and more worried about what exactly he sees in her beyond her body.  When she discovers that Matthew and his friends are part of a secret all-male society on campus, she waits and waits for him to tell her about it.  But when he doesn’t, Frankie takes matters into her own hands and makes the Loyal Order her own with a blend of modern technology and classic pranks.

Lockhart pays homage to Wodehouse with her writing style and delivery, offering a classic feel to the prose but also a broad sweep of caustic humor.  It is this humor and the sharp tongues and wit of the characters that bring the book to life.  The cleverness of the dialogue is marvelous to see as is Frankie’s pride in her own intelligence.  Frankie is one of the brightest and unexpected of heroines.  Her inability to play by the rules is refreshing as is her refusal to be simply a girlfriend while the boys have all of the intrigue and fun.

Recommended for other smart teens who will enjoy the wordplay, humor and wit of the book.  You may see a run on Wodehouse after they read this!

Visit E. Lockhart’s website and blog for information on her books, appearances and more.

A Visitor for Bear

| Tasha

A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton.

Bear never has visitors, in fact he even has a sign on his door that says “NO visitors allowed.”  When a small determined Mouse comes to the door, Bear turns him away.  But Mouse appears all over inside Bear’s house as he prepares for breakfast.  After trying and trying to keep Mouse out of his house, Bear gives up and allows him to stay for tea.  And with that one snack together, Bear discovers that maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t hate having visitors so very much.

This book is simply charming.  The soft-hued illustrations don’t shy away from some great slapstick comedy routines.  They will delight young readers.  The repetition and rhythm in text makes this a perfect read-aloud and children will enjoy chorusing some of the repetition along with the reader.  Under all of this runs a story that is warm and filled with friendliness. 

A great choice for reading aloud to preschoolers and Kindergarten classes. 

Not a Stick

| Tasha

Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis.

Portis returns with a second book following her winning Not a Box.  This time readers experience the joy and play that a stick can create.  A piglet finds a stick and begins to play with it.  The adult voice cautions throughout how a stick should be handled, but the pig is just happily caught up in imaginative play. 

The illustrations here are thick line drawings that echo childhood and the text is short and wonderfully supports the spirit of the illustrations.  The sense of freedom and play here is captured to perfection, just as it was with the first book. 

Very toddler friendly, this book can be shared with a wide range of children from ages 3-6.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

| Tasha

Won't You Be My Neighbor Days_1205851898658

Won’t You Be My Neighbor Days are being celebrated in Pittsburgh this week in honor of Mister Rogers.  You can participate too by wearing a sweater on March 20th in honor of Fred Rogers and his incandescent approach to children’s television and children themselves. 

All together now:

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day
Since we're together we might as well say
Would you be mine, could you be mine
Won't you be my neighbor
Won't you please, won't you please
Please won't you be my neighbor

			

	


				
					


	

			
Spatulatta
		

				

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Spatulatta is a cooking site for children that has recipes for foods that are real.  So the recipes are child-friendly and so is the food, but adults will want to eat it as well.  


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


They have a great cookbook out right now too:


 


 


 


Check out the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs recipe to get your kids loving turkey meatballs with their spaghetti.  Even better, they get to smush the mixture together with their hands, something my 6-year-old considers the essence of culinary skills.