Mama Lisa’s House of Nursery Rhymes offers illustrated nursery rhymes from the more popular ones that everyone knows to more obscure ones that are fun to read through. You can also read her blog that offers commentary on languages and cultures with emphasis on children’s songs and traditions.
Author: Tasha
Papertigers Articles
PaperTigers.org has added a couple of articles to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The articles offer list of favorite Asian Pacific American picture books and a reading list of Asian American literature for children and teens.
Grow Up Reading
The West Bloomfield Township Public Library has a fantastic online resource that encourages parents to create an environment for their children that will get them reading. They have ideas for babies through first grade. The tips they give are easily achieved and very important. This is quite simply an inspiring site.
Bridging the Gap
School Library Journal has an interesting article about how to deal with award winners like Criss Cross that bridge the levels between library collections for teens and children. What do you do in your library? Do you buy two copies and place them in both sections? If not, how do you decide where to place them?
In our tiny library, we don’t have enough money to purchase two copies, so we place them as best we can, often agonizing over the choice. We currently have Criss Cross in the children’s department, though I have wondered over the months if it is the best place for it. It seems to be circulating well, or I would definitely have moved it to the teen area. I think it is most troubling when teens would enjoy the sophistication of some of the titles more than younger children, yet the book has been marketed to children. That is when reader’s advisory comes in, though teens may refuse books you pull from the children’s section even with a lot of pushing.
My Father's Shop
My Father’s Shop by Satomi Ichikawa
Young Mustafa helps his father in his Moroccan rug shop. His father wishes that he would pay attention and learn to speak in different languages to their customers, but Mustafa thinks it is boring. When he sneaks out of lessons with a torn rug over his head, he discovers that learning languages can be a lot of fun.
I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations are vibrant, from the colorful rugs to the many different people Mustafa encounters in the market. The text is just long enough to work in a storytime for preschoolers who will also have fun learning how to crow like a rooster in different languages just like Mustafa. It is a great way to share multicultural awareness with children, letting them see just like Mustafa did that all these cultures are what make up the rug of life.
Mo Willems
Yahoo News has an article: Mo Willems draws on the funny side of failure. It is a sweet and funny article on Willems, author of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny, two of my all-time favorite children’s books. Willems captures exactly what children love, pure fun and humor with an ironic twist. They are books that beg to be read again and again and books that simply MUST be shared aloud.
Kevin Henkes
The Wisconsin State Journal has a warm and appreciative article on Kevin Henkes and his marvelous new book, Lily’s Big Day. I am a real Henkes fan from his wonderful mouse characters to Olive’s Ocean. He has a remarkable talent and from what I read here in this article and see in his books a real affinity for children.
Sweet Thang
Sweet Thang by Allison Whittenberg.
Set in the seventies, this book features a loving black family and a strong black female protagonist. Charmaine is a smart girl who is going through puberty. She worries about the way she looks, longs after the handsome Demetrius, and hates having to look after her little cousin, Tracy John, after school. Charmaine is under some pressure. She has to deal with girls with lighter skin calling her names, Demetrius gives her attention in exchange for Charmaine doing his homework, and Tracy John simply will not listen. Throughout the book, readers will understand Charmaine while still seeing the point of view of her larger family, which is quite an accomplishment. The book is warm and inviting. Reading it is like visiting family again no matter what color your skin is. This is a lovely book that almost all middle school girls will enjoy.
On Top of Spaghetti
On Top of Spaghetti by Paul Brett Johnson.
This is great fun. The book is based on the class song, but Johnson has created an original story to complement it. Yodeler Jones owns a Spaghetti Emporium that is successful until a Fried Fritter Fricassee parlor opens next door. So Jones invents the most delicious meatball ever, but then… somebody sneezes. The illustrations are colorful and bright. They will project well for a storytime and children will have fun joining in the sections of song.
