VOYA’s list of the Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror is something I look forward to all year long. The 2005 list has some of my favorites like Rebel Angels by Libba Bray and Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud. But it also has so many titles that I haven’t read! Hurrah!
Author: Tasha
Teen Authors
The Los Angeles Times has an article “In Their Own Words” that talks about the trend of young adults writing books for teens. One of the books featured is The Notebook Girls, a nonfiction title compiled from a series of notebooks passed between four friends. There are also several other titles mentioned. Now this is a much better trend than celebrity picture books!
The Little Red Hen
The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney will be released in May 2006. Pinkney takes the classic story of the little red hen and keeps its timeless feel. Pinkney’s art transforms the story, as his art always does, into something even more marvelous. I enjoy his slight changing of the animals who refuse to work so that the hen has an exact reason to pressure each animal to do a specific job. Still they refuse, of course. The pictures will project well to a group of children, allowing librarians, parents and teachers to share this classic tale. This is a lovely addition to the stable of Little Red Hen books out there. Purchase it if you need a new one, don’t already have a copy, or need a version that will work well with a group.
Yankee Doodle America
Yankee Doodle America: The Spirit of 1776 from A to Z by Wendell Minor is a book that takes readers down a road in colonial America through its use of wooden signs as illustrations. Readers follow the signs through the alphabet, learning more and more about America during the Revolutionary War. The information is concise and clear, making reading a pleasure. But the real joys of the book are the wooden signs. They range in topics from individuals involved in the revolution to events like the Boston Tea Party to the Liberty Bell. Each sign is detailed, deeply colored, and finished with a cracked finish so that it gives the impression of having hung for some time above a public house. Use this one in a unit about the Revolutionary War, or give it to students interested in history.
George Shannon Article
The Seattle Times has a piece on author George Shannon who talks about the importance of sound in a book. Shannon’s goal is to create books that are fun, filled with word play and free them to be creative. This approach is very evident in his books White Is for Blueberry and Busy in the Garden. If you haven’t read any Shannon, this is the time to try him out. His poetry dances and his books create wonder.
The True Story of Stellina
The True Story of Stellina by Matteo Pericoli is a magical true story. Holly, Pericoli’s wife, found a tiny baby finch in the middle of Manhattan. She waited for the mother finch to return, but it didn’t. So she took the baby bird home and raised it by hand. The charm of the story is the details of how Holly took care of Stellina and how their friendship grew.
This is another great nonfiction picture book that reads more like fiction. It is lovingly done and lovely to read. Share this aloud with a group, or with someone in your lap, it is sure to create discussion.
The Last Laugh
The Last Laugh by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey is a nearly wordless book that succeeds completely. The book is filled with cartoon panels, so it is a graphic novel for the youngest of beginning readers. It is the story of a mean snake who likes to go up behind other animals and hiss to scare them. Then he accidentally swallows a duck and gets his comeupance. The book is dedicated “to bullies everywhere.”
This isn’t a good book for storytimes, but it is the perfect one to hand to children who are just starting to read or want to try to read on their own. It has such a sense of humor and the pictures are so bright and silly that the panels carry the story even if they aren’t able to read the words. The
Award-Winning Korean Book
A Korean children’s book, Magic Bottles, published by J’aimimage, has won the Ragazzi Award at this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The article goes on to talk about another incredible children’s book, The Cloud Bread, that also impressed everyone at the Fair.
Rabbit Pie
Rabbit Pie by Penny Ives is a sweet bedtime picture book. The text reads like a recipe for rabbit pie: “Find six small rabbits, if you can! Take off any dirty bits and place in warm soapy water.” But it really is the story of a bedtime routine for a jolly family of rabbits wrangled capably by a kind mother rabbit. The joy of the book is that these little toddler bunnies are able to be noisy, silly and purely children as they get ready for bed. Ives has created a little world filled with crunchy carrots, warm beds and lots of love that makes readers want to move right in. This is the perfect quiet bedtime book for sharing when your rabbit is freshly washed, milky warm and ready to let rest until morning.
