Happy Blogversary to me! 

KidsLit is officially 4 years old this week.  And how the time has flown. 

I was one of the first children’s lit focused blogs online when I started, and am so thrilled to be part of the larger children’s literature blogging community that is now online.  It’s been amazing to watch, applaud, and be a small part of it.

Thank you all for reading, commenting and supporting me.  It has been a lot of fun to share books with all of you over the years.

Here’s to many more years of book blogging to come!

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Shells! Shells! Shells! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. 

So many children are fascinated by shells that this book is an easy sell to kids.  In her signature paper art style, Wallace has created a book that allows children to see real shells through the eyes of her paper bears.  It is the perfect combination of whimsy and welcome with reality, allowing curious children to take a close look at actual shells.   The text tells the story of Buddy who goes to the seashore with his mother.  They find shell after shell and learn about how they are made, what the different parts of shells are called, and the names of the various types.  The book is more scientific information that story at times, but it still works well. 

A perfect book for hot summer days, share this one while sipping lemonade at the shore or dabbling your toes in a pool.  It is also a welcome science picture book that really looks at the details of shells in a friendly package.  A nice addition to science classes for early elementary students.

Shells! Shells! Shells! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. 

So many children are fascinated by shells that this book is an easy sell to kids.  In her signature paper art style, Wallace has created a book that allows children to see real shells through the eyes of her paper bears.  It is the perfect combination of whimsy and welcome with reality, allowing curious children to take a close look at actual shells.   The text tells the story of Buddy who goes to the seashore with his mother.  They find shell after shell and learn about how they are made, what the different parts of shells are called, and the names of the various types.  The book is more scientific information that story at times, but it still works well. 

A perfect book for hot summer days, share this one while sipping lemonade at the shore or dabbling your toes in a pool.  It is also a welcome science picture book that really looks at the details of shells in a friendly package.  A nice addition to science classes for early elementary students.

Shells! Shells! Shells! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. 

So many children are fascinated by shells that this book is an easy sell to kids.  In her signature paper art style, Wallace has created a book that allows children to see real shells through the eyes of her paper bears.  It is the perfect combination of whimsy and welcome with reality, allowing curious children to take a close look at actual shells.   The text tells the story of Buddy who goes to the seashore with his mother.  They find shell after shell and learn about how they are made, what the different parts of shells are called, and the names of the various types.  The book is more scientific information that story at times, but it still works well. 

A perfect book for hot summer days, share this one while sipping lemonade at the shore or dabbling your toes in a pool.  It is also a welcome science picture book that really looks at the details of shells in a friendly package.  A nice addition to science classes for early elementary students.

Kirkus Reviews has its new Science Fiction and Fantasy list out for summer/fall.  Scroll down to page 9 for the children’s section.  I haven’t read any of the books yet, though I do have some in my reading pile and I even have Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks on CD riding around in my car, waiting for me to finish some others first.

Note:  This is a pdf file, so expect slow loading times.

Whooo’s There? by Mary Serfozo, illustrated by Jeffrey Scherer.

A rather grumpy owl patrols the night woods, asking “Whooo!” to every noise and creature it encounters.  The deep blue of the cover continues through the book as the dark sky that frames each picture.  The sense of darkness is given through the depth of the colors rather than any smudging or dark washes.  This makes it very welcoming for small listeners.  Children will get to see all sorts of creatures, including raccoons, skunks, bats, and a howling coyote.  They are all presented as friendly, wide-eyed cartoons.

This book doesn’t have the same magic and mystery of Brian Lies’ Bats at the Beach, but it does offer a very friendly, basic look at night animals.  I would recommend using this with toddler and young preschool audiences.  It has a nice sense of humor, the rhythm of the text will make it accessible to even the youngest children, and there is the awe of being out in the dark.  Even better would be to read it at an evening or pajama storytime.  Then they can head home and see what critters may be out in their own backyards.

Get in on the first discussion at Sharon’s Mock Newbery blog.  Post your thoughts on what the best books to consider for the Mock Newbery would be.  Wednesday Wars is one of my favorites of the year, but Richie already suggested that.  Which makes a certain amount of sense, because I read it thanks to his recommendation.  Anyone else happily making a list of the nominated titles?

Sigh.  The Washington Post has quite a bitter article about Harry Potter and adults reading children’s fiction.  Here are some of the worst of Ron Charles’ piece:

Speaking of adults reading Harry Potter, he says, “I’d like to think that this is a romantic return to youth, but it looks like a bad case of cultural infantilism.” 

He does go on to talk about the fact that over half of the adults in the US don’t read any books at all, but why the venom about reading children’s books?  It seems to me, as an adult who enjoyed children’s literature, that it offers not a simplified and infantile look at the world, but a purity of language, clarity of voice and a vision that relies on good storytelling rather than violence and sexuality to sell itself to readers.

He goes on to write about the fact that Harry Potter has not created more young readers after all:  “Unfortunately, the evidence doesn’t encourage much optimism. Data from
the NEA point to a dramatic and accelerating decline in the number of
young people reading fiction. Despite their enthusiasm for books in
grade school, by high school, most kids are not reading for pleasure at
all.”

But isn’t the question WHY?!  Why aren’t adults reading?  Why aren’t teens reading?  I think it is simplistic to place all of the blame on the Internet, where frankly there is a lot of reading happening.  Could it be that they can’t find books that they enjoy?  Isn’t that where librarians should step in and recommend great reads that suit that particular reader?  One of my favorite things to do is to connect the right person with the right book and watch the magic happen.  I love people who are able to voice their likes, and especially their dislikes.  So many people though see not only reading but intellectualism as something foreign and offputting.  Where do we go from here?  How do we inspire reading?  How do we make it hip? 

These are questions that keep librarians like me up at night.  How do I encourage people to take a risk on a new author?  To invest the time and energy even with it being free of actual cost?  How do we offer access to that Long Tail of libraries where the Harry Potter books bring them in the door but we are ready and waiting with other books they will enjoy?

Let us not despair yet!  We still do have readers in this country.  We will inspire more.  And we can do it with great books, whether classics or new releases, for children or adults.