Amy Keroes is a mother who was searching for good reads for her children. She wanted books that offered positive and believable characters for her son and daughter. Out of her search came the Anti-Princess Reading List, a collection of picture books that feature strong girls in lead roles. Her site also offers books that feature working mothers and book for babies. If you are a working parent yourself, she also has lots of parent reads she recommends.
PhillyBurbs.com has the news that despite Stan Berenstain’s death in 2005, the Berenstain series will continue. Son Mike Berenstain is an illustrator who writes most of the series now. In the article, he talks about how Dr. Seuss changed his parents’ work:
It was Geisel who advised Mike’s parents, Stan and
Jan Berenstain — primarily cartoonists — to make the Berenstain Bears a
series rather than a single book. The couple had intended to write
about penguins next.
Imagine that!
The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli.
Take one look at the cover of the book, and you can get the sense of exactly how this book reads. It is a friendly, silly, imaginative book about a toddler who receives a box for his birthday. When he unwraps the paper, he is thrilled to find a box that has a stuffed dog inside it. He names the dog Oscar and they immediately set off on adventures based on the box.
My favorite part of the book is the ending where the thrill of having a cardboard box is not broken, but sustained. Perfect. I also liked the way that the real present of the stuffed dog is incorporated into the child’s play, but just isn’t the center of it. The illustrations are cartoony and friendly, perfect for toddlers.
Recommended for toddlers, but make sure to have a large cardboard box on hand in case it inspires them! This book will work for a group of toddlers as well, because it combines two fascinations: boxes and birthdays.
Whale by David Lucas.
Joe is asleep in bed when there is a sudden crash and his whole house tips sideways. It turns out that a huge whale has beached and landed on the town. No one knows what to do to fix the problem. Joe asks the Owl who asks the Wind who asks the Sun and finally after a few more steps the Innumerable Stars are consulted. And the Stars recommend that everyone sing the Rain Song. Though there are people who don’t think it will work, they try it. And the whale is free. The town was still smashed to pieces until the sea creatures come to help.
The art of this book is wonderful. It has a folksy feel to it that is warm and embracing. I especially enjoy the pages filled with panels that move the story forward, such as the page where Joe notices the very large eye filling his window. I also loved the size of the whale being so immense and amazing above the smashed buildings of the town.
Lubar has written prose that goes beautifully with the art. It has rhythm that is not intrusive but can still be clearly felt. The device of asking the Owl, the Wind, etc. for advice ties the story to folktales, deepening the connection with the illustrative style.
This one will fly off of library shelves due to the huge whale on the cover. It would be a great addition to story times for Kindergartens and preschoolers on sea life, folktales, or just for fun. This is definitely worth sharing.
The Christian Science Monitor has posted several articles about children’s lit. The books covered include Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson and Where’s the Cake by T.T. Khing. There are also picture book recommendations, pirate books, an audio book, and mysteries. Enjoy!
The Telegraph offers a list of a twelve books to read before you are twelve year old. The list was reviewed by Ingrid Hopson, librarian of the year for the School Library Association, and it is WONDERFUL!
Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick
Cloud Busting, by Malorie Blackman
Dream On, by Bali Rai
Evil Inventions (Horrible Science), by Nick Arnold
Framed, by Frank Cottrell Boyce
A Dog Called Grk, by Joshua Doder
I, Coriander, by Sally Gardner (Hurrah! This was a favorite of mine!)
Journey to the River Sea, by Eva Ibbotson
Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve
The Ring of Words – An Anthology of Poetry, selected by Roger McGough
Saffy’s Angel, by Hilary McKay (YES! Loved this one and the others in the series!)
Unbelievable!, by Paul Jennings
Ginger Bear by Mini Grey.
One can’t go wrong with a picture book by Mini Grey, author of The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon and Traction Man Is Here!
Ginger Bear was published in Great Britain in 2004, but has just made its debut here in the United States. The story is about Horace who gets a lump of dough from his mother and a bear-shaped cookie cutter. Horace gives the bear eyes and a nose out of currants and plans to eat it right away. But things keep delaying him eating the cookie until finally he has to put it next to his pillow and plan on eating it the next morning. But in the night, Ginger Bear wakes up. He heads to the kitchen and makes an assortment of friends out of dough and decorations. They create a circus right in the kitchen but disaster strikes and Ginger Bear is forced to find a place that is safe for a cookie to be.
I loved this book. Like the other picture books Grey has done, this one has humor that is spot on. I laughed out loud at what Horace usually does with dough his mother gives him. When he brings it back “it was deep gray and fluffy (and quite a lot smaller.)” Grey’s illustrations are also wonderful. I especially enjoyed the horror of Ginger Bear looking down at the disaster in the kitchen. Tragic but also very funny.
I would recommend this picture book for slightly older readers. Kindergarteners and first graders will enjoy it, but second and third graders will get all of the sly wit. If you are doing a cooking unit in your classroom, I would have this ready to read as they munch afterwards. It also makes for a very un-Christmasy holiday read. Definitely one you want to seek out and read. It’s a real treat.
School Library Journal has an interview with Lois Lowry in their latest magazine (it is also available online.) Lowry is one of my favorite authors, as I have probably mentioned here before. Her Giver and Gossamer are both truly stunning novels that open young readers up to new worlds. The interview focuses primarily on The Giver, which is a real treat.
Stephen Hawking, author of A Brief History of Time, is writing a novel for middle-graders. The book, George’s Secret Key to the Universe, will be published this fall. I look forward to handing this one to my son who is fascinated by quantum physics.
