Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree by Jan Peck, illustrated by Valeria Petrone, is a picture book that cries out to be read aloud and shared with a group. It is the story of a little girl climbing a huge tree and finding all sorts of animals. In the end, it turns out she has been climbing her bunkbeds and visiting her stuffed animals. The text is rhythmic, rhyming and repetitive. It is perfect to put gestures to and have antsy toddlers and preschoolers act it out. The large, bright illustrations are also perfectly sized for sharing. Add this one to your storytime collection, especially with the animal-themed Summer Reading Program in 2006.

Inexcusable by Christopher Lynch has proven to be the type of book you either love or hate. I happen to love it, as much as one can love a dark character study. It is the story of Keir, a teenage boy, who rapes a girl but cannot come to terms with how he as a “good guy” did it. The majority of the book is flashbacks to the previous year as he tries to demonstrate what a good person he really is. But through all of the glimpses into his life, darkness shines rather than goodness. It is an incredible achievement that Lynch has been able to create a character so in denial but allow the reader to realize how damaged the character, his family, and his life truly is.
This type of book is really why I read. Getting into the head of a violent teen boy is something I could never have done without this book. Keir is such a complex character and by the end, the reader feels slightly sickened about the fact that they understand this boy to such an extent having lived in his skin.
Glorious achievement. This is one that I am rooting for to win the Printz or Printz honor this year. I am hoping that the darkness and fearsomeness of the topic does not turn people away, because in the end, it is not a book about rape but a book about what families and society can do to a weak boy.

One Scary Night by Antoine Guilloppe is a masterpiece of wordless storytelling. The title and the evil eyes on the front of the book set the tone of the story where a young man is walking through a wintry wood followed by a wolf. The tension builds and builds, until… You didn’t think I’d give it away did you?
It is unusual to find a wordless story that works for older children, but this one will. The black and white illustrations are bold enough to use with a group and may inspire young artists to create wordless books of their own. It is also a perfect title for Halloween storytimes or to combine with other spooky tales in a monster storytime.

Winter Friends by Mary Quattlebaum and illustrated by Hiroe Nakata is a book of linked poems that tell the story of a little girl who lives in a city and goes out to play in the snow. In the snow she finds a lone blue mitten and eventually finds the little boy who has misplaced it. The poems are just the right length to share with preschoolers and have subjects that any child will relate to from jumping into clean laundry to my favorite poem in the book about seeing your breath on cold days.
Accessible, filled with lovely language, and paired with lovely illustrations, this is a great book to introduce young children to poetry.

Lights Out by Arthur Geisert once again features his wonderfully original pigs. In this almost wordless book, a piglet is scared of going to sleep unless the light is on, but his parents make him turn it out at 8:00. They tell him that he can figure something out, so he does. And what follows is an amazing tour through a Rube Goldberg-like contraption that eventually turns out the piglet’s light after he has drifted off to sleep.
This is not a book to be shared with a group, but one to savor with a child on your lap. The little details are what make any contraption like this work. This is perfect to share with children who are not quite reading yet, since they will get to tell the story of the contraption to you. Share this one and savor it!

School Library Journal has released their Best Books 2005 list. 62 titles are on the list with a strong showing by nonfiction titles. Enjoy!

School Library Journal has released their Best Books 2005 list. 62 titles are on the list with a strong showing by nonfiction titles. Enjoy!

Ruby Sings the Blues by Niki Daly is a joy to read aloud. It is the story of Ruby, who is LOUD! She talks loudly, even though she tries to be quiet. So after being too loud at home and too loud at school, she decides to just be silent. But that is when two neighbors step in and encourage her to use that loud voice to sing jazz. If you are a person with a booming voice that you rarely get to use, this is great fun to read aloud. Just let loose your inner Ruby and get those eagerly listening kids to jump in surprise.

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner is the story of Coriander, a young girl growing up in England in the time following the execution of King Charles I. Coriander is special. Not only is she the pampered daughter of a wealthy merchant, but her mother is a fairy. So Coriander can sometimes predict the future and is given a gift of silver shoes that can transport her to fairyland. But when Cromwell takes over England turning it into a Puritan state, Coriander’s entire world changes. Her father is encouraged to marry a good Puritan woman to distance himself from his support of the murdered king. Soon after his marriage he is forced to flee the country leaving his young daughter behind with his new wife, who turns out not to be a good woman after all. Coriander suffers abuse at her new mother’s hands and cruelty at the hands of a minister who moves in with them. Her life in turmoil, Coriander finds ways to survive the unsurvivable, taking readers along on an amazing journey of imagination and strength. Coriander is a great heroine in a book that uses a touch of magic to illuminate a dark period in England’s history.
I found the combination of historical fiction and magic to be a great device for the book. It allows the author to toy with time, to contrast the Puritans with the fairy realm, and to give relief from the darkness of the history. This lovely book is sure to be popular with two sets of children. One that will enjoy the fantasy and one that will enjoy the history. Encourage girls to pick this one up, they will not be disappointed.