tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59172549183621673802024-03-13T15:54:32.739-06:00Bookshelves in the Cul-de-SacConsidering children's literaturedanyellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11829769621184819204noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-66817481270885412142023-12-19T17:56:00.001-07:002023-12-19T17:56:37.309-07:00From Our Bookshelves 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaWFwjWp7Nv18BYqsGzXxEdBEIm-PaeOUsQ9BMsj_ELPcbc-Gv9agakI7KRx35zFeqgb-mFktgKsY3tUFeGmmridLTBxkCSHknWn2IfB70BWwudJ8lhFFzupII-dFZuNTnSI_fRMAk4aNPk5WGnYvkqeRlm7UIyvsRlvwUkkaGj9YiT_ymRjvScmZvGc/s2300/2023%20Blog%20Dog.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1705" data-original-width="2300" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaWFwjWp7Nv18BYqsGzXxEdBEIm-PaeOUsQ9BMsj_ELPcbc-Gv9agakI7KRx35zFeqgb-mFktgKsY3tUFeGmmridLTBxkCSHknWn2IfB70BWwudJ8lhFFzupII-dFZuNTnSI_fRMAk4aNPk5WGnYvkqeRlm7UIyvsRlvwUkkaGj9YiT_ymRjvScmZvGc/s320/2023%20Blog%20Dog.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>We heartily recommend these dozen books from 2023. They made us laugh, cry, and think—sometimes all
at the same time. They prompted giggles, filled us with wonder, and reminded us of truths our hearts knew. Whether you are looking for a book to recommend to the child in your life or a book to read yourself, we think you'll love these.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Picture Books:</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Nell Plants a Tree</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> by Anne Wynter,
illustrated by Daniel Miyares</span></li><li><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> by Nadine
Brun-Cosme, illustrated by Olivier Tallec</span></li><li><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Red Jacket</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> by Bob Holt</span></li><li><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> by Mac
Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen</span></li></ul>Easy Readers:<div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Fox Has a Problem</i> by Corey R. Tabor</li></ul>Fiction:<ul><li><i>The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams </i>by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Daniel Miyares</li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>The Labors of Hercules Beal</i> by Gary D. Schmidt</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>The Puppets of Spelhorst</i> by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Julie Morstad</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>A First Time for Everything</i> by Dan Santat</span></li></ul>Nonfiction:<ul><li><i>Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport </i>by Caren Stelson, illustrated by Selina Alko</li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>Tomfoolery!: Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children’s Books</i> by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Barbara McClintock</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity</i> by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist</span></li></ul>And because there are many wonderful books not on our list this
year, here a list of lists to explore.<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.hbook.com/story/fanfare-2023-booklist" target="_blank">Horn Book Fanfare 2023</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2023/picture-books/books/" target="_blank">Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2023</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2023/middle-grade/books/" target="_blank">Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books of 2023</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://ncte.org/awards/ncte-childrens-book-awards/charlotte-huck-award/" target="_blank">NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children 2024</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://ncte.org/awards/orbis-pictus-award-nonfiction-for-children/" target="_blank">NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children 2024 </a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/10/books/review/best-illustratred-childrens-books.html" target="_blank">The 2023 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’sBooks</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/10/books/review/best-illustratred-childrens-books.html" target="_blank">Publishers Weekly Best Children’s and YA Books 2023</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.slj.com/page/best-books-2023" target="_blank">School Library Journal Best Books of 2023</a></p><p></p></div>danyellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11829769621184819204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-32726293734130128302022-12-23T12:05:00.005-07:002023-01-29T17:21:38.351-07:00From Our Bookshelves 2022<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfdic5v6wPFw-8HZ-plA_wdGKSf7iIkatuRN6fpDQOXRsAEUnZTqXnFXesgWmWb3jbcA6-HlDphzKn7Z8Q6UL_r3T8BI4_enLQrECjH4OEPlZVPrmsE72k-Ko1CNTiQ1nmwESUenQd27OmaHWqAAvyiddoEanCt3aCzoIDlconYjrB8Y89eJoShE3/s1132/2022%20dog%20small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="1132" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfdic5v6wPFw-8HZ-plA_wdGKSf7iIkatuRN6fpDQOXRsAEUnZTqXnFXesgWmWb3jbcA6-HlDphzKn7Z8Q6UL_r3T8BI4_enLQrECjH4OEPlZVPrmsE72k-Ko1CNTiQ1nmwESUenQd27OmaHWqAAvyiddoEanCt3aCzoIDlconYjrB8Y89eJoShE3/w247-h142/2022%20dog%20small.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">As we wrap up 2022, we enthusiastically recommend sixteen of our favorite books from this year. We love discovering books that make us want to read and re-read them—books that we can’t wait to share with the children in our lives. We hope you enjoy them, too.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Picture Books:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Mina </i>by Matthew Forsythe</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Rodney Was a Tortoise</i> by Nan Forler, illustrated by Yong Ling Kang</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Somewhere in the Bayou</i> by Jarrett Pumphrey, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Knight Owl</i> by Christopher Denise</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky</i> by Jihyun Kim</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Farmhouse </i>by Sophie Blackall</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>A Bear, A Bee, and a Honey Tree</i> by Daniel Bernstrom, illustrated by Brandon James Scott</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Fiction:</span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Healer & Witch</i> by Nancy Werlin</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>The Bluest Sky</i> by Christina Diaz Gonzalez</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Black Bird, Blue Road</i> by Sofiya Pasternack</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Swim Team</i> by Johnnie Christmas</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;">Folktales:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>The Three Billy Goats Gruff</i> by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nonfiction:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Solitary Animals: Introverts of the Wild</i> by Joshua David Stein, illustrated by Dominique Ramsey</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>A Seed Grows</i> by Antoinette Portis</span></span></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Unbreakable: The Spies Who Cracked the Nazis’ Secret Code</i> by Rebecca E. F. Barone</span></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Poetry:</span></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Ain't Burned All the Bright </i>by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jason Griffin</span></span></li></ul></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">If you are looking for more book recommendations, browse these best-of-the year lists and award winners.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;"><a href="https://www.bookpage.com/features/best-middle-grade-books-of-2022/" target="_blank">Bookpage Best Middle Grade and Chapter Books of 2022</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><a href="https://www.bookpage.com/features/best-picture-books-of-2022/" target="_blank">Bookpage Best Picture Books of 2022 </a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.hbook.com/story/blogs/fanfare-2022-booklist" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;" target="_blank">Horn Book Fanfare 2022 </a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2022/picture-books/books/" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;" target="_blank">Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2022</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2022/middle-grade/books/" target="_blank">Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books of 2022</a> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://ncte.org/awards/ncte-childrens-book-awards/charlotte-huck-award/" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;" target="_blank">NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children 2023</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;"><a href="https://ncte.org/awards/orbis-pictus-award-nonfiction-for-children/" target="_blank">NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children 2023</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/books/review/the-2022-new-york-times-new-york-public-library-best-illustrated-childrens-books.html" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;" target="_blank">The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2022</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/children/2022/#book/book-1" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;" target="_blank">Publishers Weekly Best Children's and YA Books 2022</a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://www.slj.com/page/best-books-2022" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;" target="_blank">School Library Journal Best Books of 2022 </a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></p>danyellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11829769621184819204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-12705150540793891912021-12-28T09:14:00.011-07:002022-12-23T11:35:08.306-07:00From Our Bookshelves 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTR4W5G-K3caxqXbTTP1BFAYMZVX0-b_lK25nsYOy-xO54biHuaaXOU7xn3JuBL6kWHXjQrG1B7w3YdoO7JUVaEdFf9L2vls19IbL0rGZwD_eoIZkZrsBd1TB9W_H0EBjSyGxQwbilEFztRkGxp86aNTSr4EzU4nS3uq7UrLDshX-tMDcQwDgOwoRz=s458" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTR4W5G-K3caxqXbTTP1BFAYMZVX0-b_lK25nsYOy-xO54biHuaaXOU7xn3JuBL6kWHXjQrG1B7w3YdoO7JUVaEdFf9L2vls19IbL0rGZwD_eoIZkZrsBd1TB9W_H0EBjSyGxQwbilEFztRkGxp86aNTSr4EzU4nS3uq7UrLDshX-tMDcQwDgOwoRz=w174-h200" width="174" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">With 2022 just a few days away, we would like to share fifteen of our favorite books from 2021. These are the books that we read, re-read, and recommended. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Picture Books:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre</i> by Carole Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper</span></li><li><i>Mel Fell</i> by Corey R. Tabor</li><li><i>Watercress </i>by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin</li><li><i>The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess</i> by Tom Gauld</li><li><i>Survivor Tree</i> by Marcie Colleen, illustrated by Aaron Becker</li><li><i>It Fell from the Sky</i> by Terry and Eric Fan</li><li><i>Off-Limits</i> by Helen Yoon</li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fiction:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Fox + Chick: The Sleepover</i> by Sergio Ruzzier</span></li><li><i>Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest</i> by Ole Konnecke</li><li><i>Just Like That</i> by Gary D. Schmidt</li><li><i>Born Behind Bars</i> by Padma Venkatraman</li><li><i>The Beatryce Prophecy </i>by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall</li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Folktales:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Across the Rainbow Bridge: Stories of Norse Gods and Humans</i> by Kevin Crossley-Holland, illustrated by Jeffrey Alan Love</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nonfiction:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown</i> by Steve Sheinkin</span></li><li>The Genius Under the Table : Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain written and illustrated by Eugen Yelchin</li></ul></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Also, be sure to check out these best-of-the year lists and award winners.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bookpage.com/features/best-middle-grade-chapter-books-2021/" target="_blank">Bookpage Best Middle Grade and Chapter Books of 2021</a></div><div><a href="https://www.bookpage.com/features/best-picture-books-of-2021/" target="_blank">Bookpage Best Picture Books of 2021</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.hbook.com/story/fanfare-2021-booklist" target="_blank">Horn Book Fanfare 2021</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2021/picture-books/books/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=188499889&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--bMHAHGaupdPxxV9HRuqNkuL1BSEGW5lEbdcN-SHrbq1iob2-C170P94pZED1v9JFYk4E4_IdFlEuTOui39cBVUIYYBA&utm_content=188499889&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2021</a></div><div><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2021/middle-grade/books/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=190917863&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_PruP8STvKeWBUK5iNS_p6Rxe8Ea3xg0QI0JdBeMjYFzSZJ49ukoyIi0zyp8RnjqWhb_Ahql6lAqEeJcGkU-CsSyZlRw&utm_content=190917863&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books of 2021</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://ncte.org/awards/ncte-childrens-book-awards/charlotte-huck-award/" target="_blank">NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children 2022</a></div><div><a href="https://ncte.org/awards/orbis-pictus-award-nonfiction-for-children/" target="_blank">NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children 2022</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/books/review/best-illustrated-childrens-books.html" target="_blank">The New York Times/New York Public Libary Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2021</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/children/2021/" target="_blank">Publishers Weekly Best Children's and YA Books 2021</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.slj.com/?page=best-books-2021" target="_blank">School Library Journal Best Books of 2021</a></div></div><div><br /></div><p></p>danyellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11829769621184819204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-67210668311004825422018-02-14T14:00:00.000-07:002018-02-14T14:00:00.225-07:00Cybils Awards 2017The Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Award Winners were announced today. Head on over to the <a href="http://www.cybils.com/" target="_blank">Cybils site</a> to check out all the winners. While you are there, be sure to look up the winners for the Junior High Nonfiction and Senior High Nonfiction categories. I was lucky enough to be able to work on those committees and enthusiastically recommend the winners. If you haven't read them, add them to your reading list.<br />
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<br />danyellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11829769621184819204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-20659283225630683392017-12-13T09:42:00.005-07:002022-12-23T11:35:42.994-07:00From Our Bookshelves 2017<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We're excited to recommend our favorite twenty books of 2017. These are the books that we have read and re-read, thought about, talked about, and shared. We hope you'll love them, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Picture Books:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wolf, the Duck,
and the Mouse</i> by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen</span></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Walk with Me</i> by
Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wolf in the Snow</i>
by Matthew Cordell</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rooster Who
Would Not Be Quiet!</i> by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When’s My Birthday?</i>
by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Christian Robinson</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Egg</i> by Kevin
Henkes</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Greyhound, a
Groundhog</i> by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Chris Appelhans</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Red Cat
Who Ran Away and Learned His ABC’s (the Hard Way)</i> by Patrick McDonnell</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">After the Fall: How
Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again</i> by Dan Santat</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Town Is by the Sea</i>
by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Fiction:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Wishtree </i>by Katherine Applegate</span></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bronze and
Sunflower</i> by Cao Wenxuan, translated by Helen Wang</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Princess Cora and
the Crocodile</i> by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Brian Floca</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beyond the Bright
Sea</i> by Lauren Wolk</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Nonfiction:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dazzle: World War I
and the Art of Confusion</i> by Chris Barton, illustrated by Victo Ngai</span></li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grand Canyon</i> by
Jason Chin</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vincent and Theo:
The Van Gogh Brothers</i> by Deborah Heiligman</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Undefeated: Jim
Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team</i> by Steve Sheinken</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Secret Project</i>
by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Jeanette Winter</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Poetry:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m Just No Good at
Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups</i> by
Chris Harris, illustrated by Lane Smith</span></li>
</ul>
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And if you're looking for more end-of-the-year lists and award winners, the links below are a great place to start.</div>
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<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="http://bookpage.com/the-book-case/22096-best-childrens-young-adult-books-2017?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Best%20children%27s%20and%20YA%20books%20of%202017%20text&utm_campaign=Gen%20Read%2012/13/17#.WjFWst-nFPZ" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Bookpage The Best Children's and Young Adult Books of 2017</span></a></div>
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<u><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<a href="http://www.hbook.com/2017/11/blogs/read-roger/horn-book-fanfare-2017/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Horn Book Fanfare 2017</span></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2017/section/picture-books/?page=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2017</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2017/section/middle-grade/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books of 2017</span></a></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2017/section/teen/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Kirkus Best Teen Books of 2017</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www2.ncte.org/awards/charlotte-huck-award/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www2.ncte.org/awards/orbis-pictus-award-nonfiction-for-children/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children</span></a></div>
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<u></u><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/books/review/best-illustrated-childrens-2017.html?_r=0" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>The New York Times</i> Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2017</span></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/books/review/notable-childrens-books-2017.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>The New York Times</i> Notable Children's Books of 2017</span></a></div>
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<u></u><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://best-books.publishersweekly.com/children/2017/#book/book-1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Publishers Weekly</i> Best Children's and YA Books 2017</span></a></div>
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<u></u><u></u><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span><br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.slj.com/bestof2017/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>School Library Journal</i> Best Books 2017</span></a><b><br /></b></div>
</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>danyellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11829769621184819204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-54159572993568321662017-11-22T20:08:00.000-07:002017-11-22T20:38:38.449-07:00It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas'Tis the season . . . to pull out your favorite holiday books, and maybe add a few more to your pile. We wanted to spotlight some new books that were released this year. Although very different in style and story, they all highlight a very important aspect of any holiday -- tradition. Whether picking a perfect Christmas tree, eating special foods, giving gifts or singing songs, let your customs and quirks shine this holiday season, and don't forget to share a good book!<br />
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<b>danyelle</b> shares:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1I6_uLN0T2w/WhZA9r5XUVI/AAAAAAAAATk/Q6wOBv_LriInq9jsiEqVWY_yOUCe1T3ZQCLcBGAs/s1600/red%2Band%2Blulu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="321" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1I6_uLN0T2w/WhZA9r5XUVI/AAAAAAAAATk/Q6wOBv_LriInq9jsiEqVWY_yOUCe1T3ZQCLcBGAs/s200/red%2Band%2Blulu.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>Red & Lulu</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">by Matt Tavares</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">published by Candlewick Press</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Red and Lulu, a pair of cardinals that live “on the branches of a mighty evergreen”, are happy in what they consider a perfect home, until one day as winter is setting in, Red returns to find that the tree—with Lulu inside it—is being taken away. Red chirps for Lulu to stay where she is and promises to find her. His search takes Red to a “strange place” that readers will recognize from the light-infused, bird’s-eye view illustrations of the New York Public Library, the Empire State Building, and the streets of New York City. It won’t surprise anyone when Red and Lulu are reunited, but readers will almost certainly learn something new from the added information at the end of the story about the birds’ new home—the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Make sure you take a peek under the dust jacket at the elegant, snowy cover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">review copy received from publisher</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHjl940lKpM/WhZCWqygliI/AAAAAAAAATw/Mf7DHPCx3d06a6HGKo526TfZsPGgkhi9QCLcBGAs/s1600/12%2Bdays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHjl940lKpM/WhZCWqygliI/AAAAAAAAATw/Mf7DHPCx3d06a6HGKo526TfZsPGgkhi9QCLcBGAs/s200/12%2Bdays.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><b>The 12 Days of Christmas</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">by Greg Pizzoli</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">published by Disney Hyperion Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When a young elephant’s friend shows up with a partridge in a pear tree, his dad is a little wary and becomes more concerned still when the friend returns on the second day with a pair of turtle doves. The gifts continue to come, following the lines of the traditional song (three French hens, four calling birds, five golden rings), but with Pizzoli’s comic twists added into the pictures (a swan arrives with an alligator float, the maids a-milking are mice carrying cartons and glasses of milk). With each successive gift, Dad becomes more distressed, and the children and the gift-characters are too caught up in their own boisterous celebration to notice, until finally he breaks down in tears. The cartoon eyes are simple, yet unmistakably expressive, whether Dad is glaring out the window, looking with apprehension at the gifts, or warming up to the affection of new friends. Eventually, Dad softens, and the final page with a stocking hung for each bird, mouse, pig, cat, frog, bunny, and elephant lets readers know that all the characters will be celebrating Christmas together. Great for reading aloud and singing along.</span></div>
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<i><b>tara</b></i> shares:<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fcWcoAUkGvA/WhR0DhRgQ7I/AAAAAAAAASs/mfBsKjmpecwqJWwlgc28Y1lRJSbYfoxIQCLcBGAs/s1600/pick%2Ba%2Bpine%2Btree.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="261" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fcWcoAUkGvA/WhR0DhRgQ7I/AAAAAAAAASs/mfBsKjmpecwqJWwlgc28Y1lRJSbYfoxIQCLcBGAs/s200/pick%2Ba%2Bpine%2Btree.jpeg" width="181" /></a></div>
<i><b>Pick A Pine Tree</b></i><br />
by Patricia Toht<br />
illustrated by Jarvis<br />
published by Candlewick Press<br />
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The metallic lettering and bow adorning the dust jacket wrap up a cheerfully illustrated nod to the distinct and magical experience of choosing the perfect pine tree to decorate for Christmas. <br />
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"Pick a pine tree<br />
from the lot --<br />
<br />
slim and tall<br />
or short and squat."<br />
<br />
Rhythmic text guides you through visiting the tree lot, finding just the right tree, bringing it home and decorating with friends and family. Warm colors and descriptive verse highlight the smells, lights, trimmings and family that are required to transform a humble pine into the perfect Christmas tree. I love illustrations with reappearing characters (the birds from the beginning make an appearance at the end of the book) and my children loved watching the happy pets join in the family festivities. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">review copy received from publisher</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RVfzRURd40/WhR6wV4HE2I/AAAAAAAAATI/_b-BsiQHjoYxvdP6prJyfdVxa2hDoutHACLcBGAs/s1600/a%2Bchristmas%2Bfor%2Bbear.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="328" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RVfzRURd40/WhR6wV4HE2I/AAAAAAAAATI/_b-BsiQHjoYxvdP6prJyfdVxa2hDoutHACLcBGAs/s200/a%2Bchristmas%2Bfor%2Bbear.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i><b>A Christmas for Bear</b></i><br />
by Bonny Becker<br />
illustrated by Lady MacDonald Denton<br />
published by Candlewick Press<br />
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Bear and Mouse -- unlikely friends that fit together so well. In this holiday installment of the Bear and Mouse franchise, we see Bear hosting a holiday party for his friend and because he has never had a real Christmas he must rely on what he has read, and "Clearly, the most important thing was pickles."<br />
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Though not familiar with "Christmas pickles," it was easy to be drawn into the back and forth exchanges between curmudgeonly Bear and curious Mouse. While Mouse sneaks away to search for presents, Bear repeatedly brings him back.<br />
<br />
"Unnecessary hogwash!" Bear scolded. "We have pickles, remember."<br />
"Oh," said Mouse.<br />
And Mouse trudged behind Bear back to the living room. <br />
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Each time, Mouse dutifully returns to his friend's party to eat pickles "from France" and to listen to Bear read a "long and difficult poem" even though all he wants is a Christmas present. The watercolor, ink and gouache illustrations delightfully capture the emotions and sweet relationship between the two while transforming a grumpy Bear and disappointed Mouse with a fitting holiday resolution.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">review copy received from publisher</span>tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16122329373781298388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-50961516530846897172016-12-07T18:00:00.005-07:002022-12-23T11:44:24.809-07:00From Our Bookshelves 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPzATZgBH98tMp80Ym3UutIdHsaQsoIut03SeSBfgSRb2uZZexPPX1Tj5He-2oRIs8ru3Et3U49W_DduInvPEj0rzNnE8-yTzeFfGYQkdyDZRtbH3IrTGzG2GiwbDggkU7AA5A07tdgsfxCAo8g2LRu637cNfGS0n3UdRNAGelviglI0eeMT9lbKu/s1148/2016%20dog%20small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1040" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPzATZgBH98tMp80Ym3UutIdHsaQsoIut03SeSBfgSRb2uZZexPPX1Tj5He-2oRIs8ru3Et3U49W_DduInvPEj0rzNnE8-yTzeFfGYQkdyDZRtbH3IrTGzG2GiwbDggkU7AA5A07tdgsfxCAo8g2LRu637cNfGS0n3UdRNAGelviglI0eeMT9lbKu/w170-h188/2016%20dog%20small.png" width="170" /></a></div><br /><div>2016 is quickly coming to an end, and one of our favorite things to do is scour all of the end-of-the-year lists for any favorite books we may have missed. Are there any hidden gems that have escaped your notice?</div>
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Before the year closes, be sure to check out these "Best of" Lists:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://best-books.publishersweekly.com/children/2016/">Publisher's Weekly's Best Children's and YA Books 2016</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/books/review/best-illustrated-books-of-2016.html?smid=fb-share&_r=3">The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2016</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2016.html">The New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2016</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2016/section/middle-grade/">Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books of 2016</a><br />
<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2016/section/picture-books/">Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2016</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.hbook.com/2016/12/blogs/read-roger/fanfare-2016/#_" target="_blank">Horn Book Fanfare</a><br />
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<a href="http://slj.com/bestof2016/picturebooks.php">School Library Journal's Best Picture Books of 2016</a><br />
<a href="http://slj.com/bestof2016/chapterbooks.php">School Library Journal's Best Chapter Books of 2016</a><br />
<a href="http://slj.com/bestof2016/nonfiction.php">School Library Journal's Best Nonfiction Books of 2016</a><br />
<a href="http://slj.com/bestof2016/middlegrade.php">School Library Journal's Best Middle Grade Books of 2016</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.ncte.org/awards/orbispictus">NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ncte.org/awards/charlotte-huck">NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/71457-2016-nba-longlist-for-young-people-s-literature-announced.html">National Book Awards</a><br />
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And, if that didn't quench your thirst for top books of the year, let us throw our vote it! These are some of our favorite books from 2016. <br />
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Picture Books:<br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: inherit;">They All Saw a Cat</i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;"> by Brendan Wenzal</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">A Well Mannered Young Wolf</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Jean Leroy, illustrated by Matthieu Maudet</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Owl Sees Ow</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">l by Laura Godwin and Rob Dunlavey</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Before Morning</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Princess and the Warrior</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Duncan Tonatiuh</span></span></li>
</i></span></ul>
Non-Fiction Picture Books:<br />
<ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">A Poem for Peter</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Andrea Davis Pinkney by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Melissa Sweet</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Best in Snow</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by April Pulley Sayre</span></span></li>
</i></span></ul>
Fiction:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Hour of the Bees</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Lindsay Eager</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Girl Who Drank the Moon</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Kelly Barnhill</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">When the Sea Turned to Silver</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Grace Lin</span></span></li>
</ul>
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Non-Fiction:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Russell Freedman</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Pamela S. Turner, illustrated by Gareth Hinds</span></span></li>
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Poetry:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Julie Morstad</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by Bob Raczka</span></span></li>
</ul>
tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16122329373781298388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-90761939729085215372015-12-18T05:00:00.006-07:002023-12-19T16:57:11.514-07:00From Our Bookshelves 2015'Tis the season for many things . . . including end-of-the-year lists. You'll want to check these lists twice to make sure you didn't miss any of the year's best.<br />
<a href="http://www.hbook.com/2015/11/blogs/read-roger/fanfare-2015/#_" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.hbook.com/2015/11/blogs/read-roger/fanfare-2015/#_" target="_blank">Horn Book Fanfare</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2015/section/middle-grade/" target="_blank">Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Books</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.slj.com/best-books-2015/#_" target="_blank">School Library Journal's Best of 2015</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/68552-pw-s-best-children-s-books-of-2015.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=a8537d8fd3-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-a8537d8fd3-304458317" target="_blank">Publisher's Weekly's Best Children's Books</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2015.html?action=click&contentCollection=Sunday+Book+Review&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article&_r=1" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2015.html?action=click&contentCollection=Sunday+Book+Review&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article&_r=1" target="_blank">The New York Times Notable Children's Books</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/28/books/review/28-new-york-times-best-illustrated-childrens-books-of-2015.html?_r=0" target="_blank">The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2015.html#.VnMr-xUrKhd" target="_blank">National Book Awards</a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHEJxIBP8MY/VnM4POrUNkI/AAAAAAAABU8/udKXZW8WSXA/s1600/French%2BBulldog%2Bsigned%2Band%2Bcut.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHEJxIBP8MY/VnM4POrUNkI/AAAAAAAABU8/udKXZW8WSXA/s320/French%2BBulldog%2Bsigned%2Band%2Bcut.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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And, finally, here are <i>our </i>favorites of 2015. These are books that we read, loved, and shared again and again. We whole-heartily recommend them.<br />
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Picture Books:<br /><ul><li><i>Supertruck</i> by Stephen Savage</li>
<li><i>Counting Crows</i> by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey</li>
<li><i>Two Mice </i>by Sergio Ruzzier</li>
<li><i><a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/10/spotlight-on-picture-books-2015.html" target="_blank">Float</a> </i>by Daniel Miyares</li>
<li><i><a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/10/spotlight-on-picture-books-2015.html" target="_blank">Wolfie the Bunny</a></i> by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora</li>
<li><i><a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/03/tara-recommends-bear-ate-your-sandwich.html" target="_blank">The Bear Ate Your Sandwich</a></i> by Julia Sarcone-Roach</li>
<li><i>Job Wanted</i> by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Chris Sheban</li>
<li><i><a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/10/spotlight-on-picture-books-2015.html" target="_blank">Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution</a></i> by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch</li>
</ul>
Fiction:<br /><ul><li><i><a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/10/spotlight-on-fiction-2015.html" target="_blank">The Nest</a> </i>by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen</li>
<li><i>Echo</i> by Pam Munoz Ryan</li>
<li><i>Audacity </i>by Melanie Crowder</li>
<li><i><a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/10/spotlight-on-fiction-2015.html" target="_blank">The Hired Girl</a></i> by Laura Amy Schlitz</li>
<li><i>Orbiting Jupiter</i> by Gary D. Schmidt</li>
</ul>
Nonfiction:<br /><ul><li><i>Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower </i>by Greg Pizzoli</li>
<li><i><a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/10/spotlight-on-nonfiction-2015.html" target="_blank">The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club</a></i> by Phillip Hoose</li>
<li><i>Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad </i>by M.T. Anderson</li>
<li><i><a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/10/spotlight-on-nonfiction-2015.html" target="_blank">Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans</a></i> by Don Brown</li>
</ul>
Poetry:<br /><ul><li><i>Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes</i> collected by Elizabeth Hammill, illustrated by more than 70 artists</li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-76741780083901962592015-10-23T05:20:00.000-06:002015-10-23T05:20:00.363-06:00Spotlight on Nonfiction 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans </i>by Don Brown</span></div>
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Most teenagers won't remember ten years ago when Hurricane Katrina pounded New Orleans, after they read Don Brown's account in <i>Drowned City</i>, they won't likely forget <i>it</i>. The account starts with an African breeze that grows to a category three storm over the Atlantic. By the time Katrina hits just east of New Orleans, it has slipped to a category three storm, but still it breaks levees, floods the city with one million gallons of water per minutes, and leaves 80% of the city under water.</div>
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In this graphic novel readers see the dramatic story unfold across the pages. Illustrations of people standing, slumping, leaning, and trying to escape the water are filled with desperation and humanity. And it's the impact of the storm on those people that drives the story. We see 20,000 people packed into the Superdome with no electricity, no sanitation, and insufficient food and water. We see a man hold a baby above the floodwaters as he tries to escape. We see a couple race up the stairs of their home just ahead of the water. They use a knife to scrape a hole in the roof and get out just in time. We see people stranded on rooftops surrounded by rising floodwaters. And we see those that don't make it.</div>
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Brown brings readers right into the disaster, recounting the many failures: 360 city buses don't show up to evacuate residents; empty trains leave the city; police abandon their post; there is a lack of communication and coordination between government agencies; there is looting and shooting; more than 1400 people die. He also describes the rescue efforts of individuals and agencies. Despite stagnant water teeming with garbage, oil, poisonous snakes, and dead bodies, more than 40,000 people are rescued.</div>
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This accessible account leads readers into complex ideas and questions. What could the government have done better? Where does responsibility to protect people from natural disasters lie? How far should society go to protect individuals who choose to stay in harm's way? What role did race and poverty play in the government response to the disaster?</div>
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Brown incorporates quotations from survivors and includes meticulous annotations and bibliographic information.</div>
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This is a power book.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club</i> by Phillip Hoose</span></div>
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I've always admired the Danish Resistance during World War II, particularly the heroic transport of most of the Danish Jews to Sweden before they could be rounded up by the Nazis. What I didn't realize until I read this book is that the Resistance had a slow start. While fearful and overwhelmed adults in Denmark capitulated to German demands, a small group of young boys fought back. 14-year-old Knud Pedersen and his brother Jens, along with a few of their friends, were disgusted with Danish leaders, and admired the way Norway was fighting against the German. In broad daylight, they fought by twisting traffic signs and spraying walls with blue paint. Their activities escalated to sabotage, arson, and stealing weapons. They called themselves the Churchill Club and their actions inspired others to resist and the Danish Resistance grew.</div>
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Engrossing from page one, Hoose's account is based on extensive interviews with Knud Pedersen.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America</i> by Susan Campbell Bartoletti</span></div>
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When George Soper was hired to figure out the source of a typhoid outbreak that infected six members of the Warren household in 1906, his investigation led him to Mary Mallon, a cook who had infected at least 24 people. Mary turned out to be the first documented healthy typhoid carrier in the United States.</div>
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In this highly readable biography, Susan Campbell Bartoletti looks at Mary's plight. She was not just "a living culture tube" or "a chronic typhoid germ producer" as George Soper called her, but she was also an intelligent, fiery tempered, fiercely private, independent, Irish woman who didn't accept Soper's assertion that she was making people sick.</div>
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This book and Gail Jarrow's superb book, <i>Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary,</i> look at the same subject. While Jarrow follows Soper's investigation of the medical mystery, Bartoletti's focus is on Mary. Together these books make an excellent choice for student analysis of the different approaches authors take in texts with the same topic.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-76133484107079644092015-10-23T05:10:00.000-06:002015-10-23T05:10:00.657-06:00Spotlight on Fiction 2015<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Circus Mirandus</i> by Cassie Beasley</span><br />
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If the stories that Micah's grandfather told him are true . . . if there really is a place where an elephant named Big Jean can do long division, where a French vulture can tell the future, and where an illusionist can make you fell the frosty winds of Antarctica while you sitting in your chair . . . if Circus Mirandus is an actual circus . . . then "that [means] magic [is] real" . . .(17) and maybe, just maybe, magic can save Micah's dying grandfather. When Micah's grandfather, Ephraim Tuttle, visited Circus Mirandus as a boy, the Man Who Bends Light promised him a miracle. He's been saving that miracle for a time when he really needs it, and that time is now. Micah is certain that if he can get into the circus and talk to the Man Who Bends Light, the Lightbender will save his grandfather.<br />
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In alternating chapters, a family mystery slowly unfolds just as the tension in Micah's story builds, creating suspense that will keep readers turning pages right up to the end. This story is just the right blend of the fantastic and the sometimes difficult realities of the real world.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Nest </i>by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen</span><br />
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<i>The Nest</i> came out just a couple of weeks ago, and it already has racked up five starred reviews. It is deliciously creepy, not in a blood-and-gore kind of way, but in a get-inside-your-head kind of way.<br />
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Steven has been coping with anxiety and bad dreams for a while and now there is more tension at his house because his newborn brother has a rare congenital problem. Even though his therapist assures him that "what happens in a dream stays inside the dream," Steven's latest dreams with creatures of light that promise to "make things better" seem all too real. (110, 23) And in some ways, he wants them to be real.<br />
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The first-person telling puts readers right into Steven's thoughts as he struggles to figure out what is a dream and what is reality. That ambiguity makes this a psychological thriller that you'll read in one sitting. (I did.) Oh, and the villain is the most chilling I've met in a long time. I bet it'll change the way you feel about wasps.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Hired Girl</i> by Laura Amy Schlitz</span><br />
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Laura Amy Schlitz describes her new book as a "good old-fashioned story" and that is exactly what it is.<br />
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Since her mother's death, 14-year-old Joan does all the woman's work on Steeple Farm, and it's hard work: she takes care of the chickens, cleans out the privy, cooks meals for her father and four brothers, does laundry, and puts food by. When her father decrees that she can no longer attend school and then burns the few books she owns, Joan decides there is nothing left on Steeple Hill for her, and she goes to Baltimore to become a hired girl. She has little idea what she is getting into, but she is desperate enough to take a chance on a better life.<br />
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In Baltimore she begins a very different life working for a Jewish family. While she enjoys the conveniences of electricity, hot and cold running water, a dumbwaiter, and a carpet sweeper, Joan works to learn the Jewish rules of kashrut and appease cranky Malka. But it is the more universal experiences that change her. She learns to respect people's differences. She learns about men who are, thankfully, not all like her father, and gets her first kiss. She learns about meddling (not a good idea to pass on a love sonnet you found to help a relationship along), heartbreak (things don't go well after that first kiss), and forgiveness.<br />
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Written as a series of Joan's diary entries, the story is set in 1911 and the relevant social issues of the time--women's rights, class division, religious prejudice, and labor rights--are addressed. Historical details and content infuse seamlessly into the story; readers will feel like they've been picked up and placed right in Joan's world.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-68687501177611901182015-10-23T05:00:00.000-06:002015-10-23T05:00:00.902-06:00Spotlight on Picture Books 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Float </i>by Daniel Miyares</span></div>
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Miyares is fairly new to picture books (his first illustrated book came out 2010), but boy, does he know what he is doing! <i>Float </i>is the wordless story of a boy who takes a boat folded from newspaper out to play. When the rain starts, he floats it in puddles and in the gutter, but the boat gets away from him and ends up destroyed. Dejected, he trudges home holding his water-soaked paper. But, with a little comfort and help from home, he is soon off on a new adventure.</div>
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The gorgeous illustrations are filled with movement and the exuberance of childhood play. Ink and watercolor backgrounds in shades of gray with a just a hint of color make the pages look as rain-soaked as the boy's adventure, and his rain jacket in brilliant yellow foreshadows the final scene while keeping readers' attention focused on the boy.</div>
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Varied perspective, perfect pacing, and impeccably-placed page turns make this one of my favorite picture books of the year.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Wolfie
the Bunny </i>by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zacharia O’Hora</span></div>
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If you are looking for a fabulous and funny new read aloud, Wolfie the Bunny is it.</div>
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The Bunny family finds a baby on their doorstep. A wolf baby--an <i>adorable </i>wolf bunny. Dot, the bunny daughter is understandably concerned. "He's going to eat us all up!" "But Mama and Papa [are] too smitten to listen." Oblivious to any danger, her parents take pictures and dote on their new son, Wolfie, as Dot continues to warn them: "He's going to eat us all up!"</div>
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Dot's persistently annoyed expression makes her all the more delightful, and her feisty protestations make for some of the funniest moments in the book. In a twist at the end of the story, it's spunky Dot who proves herself the hero of the family.</div>
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Adults will appreciate the tongue-in-cheek mocking of any parent who has even been "smitten" with a child, and kids will understand--and laugh at--Dot's frustration with her new brother.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution</i> by Mara Rockcliff, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch</span></div>
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We all know Revolutionary War heroes like George Washington, Nathanael Greene, Patrick Henry, and Ethan Allen, but in <i>Gingerbread for Liberty</i>, we meet an unlikely hero--a baker. Christopher Ludwick was a German baker who owned a gingerbread bakeshop in Philadelphia. He had a big booming laugh and a kind and generous disposition. And he was a patriot. When the Revolutionary War started, the baker (who was too old and fat to be a soldier), built ovens and made bread at his own expense for the soldiers. Then, when England sent Hessian soldiers to fight the patriots, the baker volunteered to talk to them. Under cover of night, he rowed out to the Hessian army and convinced many of the soldiers to switch sides.</div>
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Bits of humor in the text and art add a touch of lightness to this war story that will draw in young audiences. Paper cut-out illustrations resemble gingerbread cookies, creating stylized scenes that allow the baker's personality to shine through. An author's note at the end has additional information that you must read before sharing the book.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear </i>by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall</span></div>
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This true story of the original bear named Winnie was written by the great-granddaughter of Harry Colebourn, the man who raised the bear, as a bedtime story for her son, Cole. Harry was a veterinarian serving as a captain in the Canadian military during World War I when he saw a trapper with a bear cub at a train station. He purchased the bear for $20 and named her Winnipeg (or Winnie for short) after his hometown. After Harry convinced his Colonel to let him keep the cub, Winnie became a mascot of sorts for the brigade and traveled with them across the ocean to England. But when the men had to join the fighting in France, Harry left her at the London Zoo. It was there that she was visited by Christopher Robin (son of A. A. Milne) who was allowed to play in Winnie's enclosure. Their friendship inspired Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories.</div>
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Beautiful illustrations by Sophie Blackall include panels, spot art, double-page spreads, and details that encourage readers and listener to linger over every page. Period photos decorate the final pages in scrapbook style.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-77254801152115204682015-09-15T18:11:00.000-06:002015-10-01T08:57:46.648-06:00Why Fall May Be my Favorite SeasonTomatoes are ripe, the weather has cooled down, pockets of red and orange are emerging on the mountain outside my window--it's almost time for pumpkin pie. And just in case you need more reasons to celebrate fall, let me give you three:<br />
<br />
First, two of the best children's literature blogs are back in session. At <a href="http://blogs.slj.com/heavymedal/" target="_blank">Heavy Medal</a>, Jonathan Hunt and Nina Lindsay look closely at Newbery contenders with ooh-I-wish-I-would-have-written-that posts. Their commentary is smart and thoughtful, and the comments provide a great forum to join the discussion. <span id="goog_1497245612"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">Calling Caldecott<span id="goog_1497245613"></span></a> considers possible Caldecott contenders. Check it out to discover titles you may have missed, look at some the year's best books in a new way, and add your own two cents to the discussion.<br />
<br />
Second, the <span id="goog_448904262"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">National Book Awards</a> announcement yesterday of their longlist for Young People's Literature started--albeit unofficially--the awards season. Finalists will be announced October 14th and the winners will be announced on November 18th. Mark your calendars. Meanwhile, I am just waiting to get my hands on a copy of <i>The Thing About Jellyfish</i>.<br />
<br />
Finally, the <span id="goog_448904247"></span><a href="http://www.cybils.com/">Cybils Awards </a><span id="goog_448904248"></span>will begin accepting nominations October 1st. Put together a list of books you would like to see recognized and get ready to nominate. (Rules are found <a href="http://www.cybils.com/about-the-cybils-awards/nominations-rules" target="_blank">here</a>. Nominate <a href="http://nominations.cybils.com/nominate.php">here</a>.)<br />
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Tomato sandwiches, open windows, good books . . . happy fall.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-51357345133897160132015-09-06T09:52:00.000-06:002015-09-09T16:36:38.045-06:00tara recommends The Hired Girl by Laura Amy SchiltzLaura Amy Schlitz is a talented writer and I am always excited to read her new books because of the unusual stories and well-developed characters. I was hooked when I finished <i>The Night Fairy</i> and I continued to be impressed by <a href="http://bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2012/09/tara-recommends-splendors-and-glooms-by.html" style="font-style: italic;">Splendors and Glooms</a>,<i> </i>as they<i> </i>invited me into unique new worlds with details I hadn't experienced before. Her newest story, <i>The Hired Girl</i>, takes a more traditional twist and is set in the 1900's. While the setting is more familiar, this Americana romance explores some interesting issues of religious diversity, family ties and class distinction, all while embracing the foibles and resilience of human nature. <br />
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14-year-old Joan has not had an easy life, a life made even more difficult with the death of her doting mother and the cold resentment of her father. As the only woman on her father's farm, she is forced to leave school and become solely responsible for the cleaning, cooking, washing, gardening, mending and chicken tending. Her life is basically one of servitude and she longs to fulfill her mother's dream for her and become a schoolteacher, a wish not likely to come true under the hatred of her father and the heavy drudgery of farm work. She takes courage, however, after her father burns her beloved books and reveals all the ugly things he feels about her, and she runs away to become a hired girl.<br />
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A kind stranger takes her off the street and, after changing her name and lying about her age, she is given a job in the Rosenbach's home. In this new household, she must work hard to please Malka, the old family housekeeper, and to learn all the strange new rules of a Jewish family. She also must navigate her emerging feelings toward Mrs. Rosenbach, kind but often disapproving, Mr. Rosenbach, who takes her under his wing, and their three children. The developing story shows her mettle, while also highlighting her youth and lack of relationship experience.<br />
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Written entirely in Joan's journal entries, each passage is incredibly detailed, so much so that when dialogue is presented it feels more like a traditional first person narrative. The combination of styles works, but the length of almost 400 pages and lack of white space skews to an older audience. Fans of historical romance will appreciate Joan's girlish fantasies and the compelling characters and attention to detail is engaging. <br />
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<i>The Hired Girl</i><br />
by Laura Amy Schlitz<br />
published by Candlewick Press<br />
September 2015<br />
recommended for ages 14 and up<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 14px;"><i>Review copy received from publisher.</i></span>tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16122329373781298388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-89440741390511509072015-05-29T13:43:00.000-06:002015-07-15T08:01:09.659-06:00May Storytime Briefly 2015I have conflicting feelings about the month of May. First, I am counting down the days until school lets out. I look forward to summer days with no homework, no school projects, and no bell schedule. Summer is the time when I get to decide what to do with my children, and I love it. On the other hand, it also the last month of storytime at school, and I know I will miss the students I have come to know this year.<br />
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I decided to wrap up the year with fables, folktales, and biographies.<br />
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Among all the biographical stories we read this year, there was not a single one about a woman, so we took a week to look at a couple of amazing women. We read<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 </i>by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet and</li>
<li><i>The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever</i> by H. Joseph Hopkins, illustrated by Jill McElmurry.</li>
</ul>
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We talked about Aesop's Fables with the following stories:</div>
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<ul>
<li>"The Fox and the Crow" retold with puppets and</li>
<li><i>Mouse & Lion</i> by Rand Burkert, illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert.</li>
</ul>
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We talked about flattery and about morals. The students did a great job of articulating the lessons that could be learned from <i>Mouse & Lion</i>.</div>
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We finished the year with these folktales from Africa:</div>
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<li><i>Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile</i> by Won-Ldy Paye, illustrated by Margaret H. Lippert and</li>
<li>"The Girl who Loved Danger" told using <a href="http://www.stevelightart.com/" target="_blank">Steve Light's</a> story box.</li>
</ul>
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I cannot recommend Steve Light's story boxes enough. They making storytelling fun for kids and adults alike. And I think it was the perfect way to end the year.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-65780966710122013762015-05-25T01:00:00.000-06:002015-05-25T01:00:02.720-06:00tara recommends Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes collected by Elizabeth HammillNursery Rhyme books are scattered throughout my shelves. I have several Mother Goose collections (including the essential <i>Tomie dePaola's Mother Goose</i> and <i>Mother Goose's Storytime Nursery Rhymes </i>by Axel Scheffler), <i>Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes</i> by Salley Mavor (one of my favorites), and several different versions of rhymes in the board book variety (including <i>Tomie's Little Mother Goose</i>). I definitely did not think I needed any more collections to stock my personal library . . . but I was wrong.<br />
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<i>Over the Hills and Far Away</i> is a Treasury of Nursery Rhymes that breathes new diversity and life into the genre. Collected by Elizabeth Hammill, it has the traditional rhymes that you would expect and look forward to, but as an added surprise, there is a healthy collection of lesser-known rhymes from all around the world. <br />
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One particularly enchanting page comes early in the book, and really showcases the genius of this creative collection. I read it several times because I love how it compares, at a glance, the similarities and differences between cultures with one base rhyme. Four different versions of "Little Miss Muffet" are set side-by-side on the page (English, Jamaican, American, Australian) and reading them together is just fun.<br />
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If you set the unique rhymes aside, this book is a must-have for the artwork alone. With over 70 different artists contributing their talents, each page is a new style and a surprise, with artists including Mo Willems, Ashley Bryan, Jon Klassen, Jerry Pinkney, and many more. There is certainly nothing boring or expected in these pages and the full color illustrations are simply beautiful. <br />
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This is a grown-up collection of nursery rhymes that will still entertain young readers with clapping rhymes, riddles, counting-out rhymes, traditional rhymes and distinct illustrations. Even if you think you have seen it all, check this collection out and it is sure to find a space on your shelves.<br />
<br />
<i>Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes</i><br />
collected by Elizabeth Hammill<br />
illustrated by more than 70 celebrated artists<br />
published by Candlewick Press<br />
March 2015tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16122329373781298388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-71153994444463159082015-05-15T01:00:00.000-06:002015-05-15T16:06:17.636-06:00Interview with Author Jen WhiteIn today's post, debut author Jen White discusses her exciting new novel, <i>Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave</i>--a superbly-paced middle-grade adventure with memorable supporting characters and two unbelievably brave (and yet completely believable) sisters.<br />
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<i>After her mom dies, Liberty's father shows up in a camper to take Liberty and her younger sister, Billie, for the summer. At first, Liberty thinks things with her "gone-forever-but-now-he's-back-dad" might work out fine, but when he abandons the sisters at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, she realizes that they are on their own. As the sisters try to get to safety, some of Liberty's twelve-year-old decisions are ill-advised, but her loyalty to Billie never wavers. </i></blockquote>
<b>Q: Liberty and Billie have a wonderfully strong bond. Did you draw on personal experience to portray their relationship? </b><br />
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A: I’m sure I did, although it wasn't a conscious decision. I come from a large family and we are all close in age. I have two sisters and two brothers. I am the oldest, so the bossy, controlling part of Liberty I came by naturally. I also have my own children. Although, I do feel like Liberty and Billie are their own creations. When I wrote them I wasn't thinking of a particular person or persons. They came alive as I wrote and after I finished my first draft I felt like I had a really good handle on who they were and how they behaved.<br />
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<b>Q: Liberty and Billie cross paths with several interesting characters—do you have a favorite?</b> <br />
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A: In some ways they are all my favorites. There’s a true emotional connection behind each character. I would say I really loved Star Wars Kid (Roger) and didn't want his story to end. I hope I can create some form of Roger again in my future writing. I also loved Lavender Lady and Orson. They made me laugh and were a great duo to write. And finally, I’d say, I loved Tattoo Guy. I love him because upon first observation he seems intimidating and scary, but as the book progresses we get the whole picture of who he is (compassionate, funny, and smart). In the beginning he is not who he seems. In general, I think this is true of most people. There is so much more to a person than what we see on the surface. Deep down everyone has a story that we can relate to.<br />
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<b>Q: Your story presents mental illness with delicacy and candor. Was it difficult to achieve that balance?</b> <br />
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A: Thank you, I’m so happy to hear you say that. I worked very hard on those scenes and wanted them to feel right. I would say the moments with Liberty and Billie’s dad were my most difficult to write and I spent most of my time on those scenes trying to make them feel real. People deal with mental illness daily— trying to cure it or contain it, as well as trying to accomplish everyday tasks such as how to: work, sleep, eat, take care of children, get an education, find someone to love, etc.. In many ways mental illness can feel like business-as-usual for the people who live with it or for people whose loved ones struggle, so I wanted, at times, what was going on with dad to feel both comfortable and uncomfortable to Liberty and Billie. Obviously, in the book, their dad needs help. The girls need to get over the dream of who they want him to be and come to terms with who he really is. They also need to get to a place in the book where they recognize he is not behaving normally. Sometimes mental illness isn't entirely obvious until, when suddenly, it is.<br />
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<b>Q: What is the hardest part of writing for you? What is the most rewarding?</b> <br />
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A: Right now I can pinpoint two hard parts. First, forcing myself to create time to write can be difficult for me. My family is still all at home, so there are many needs at my house. I am one of the primary people who take care of those needs, so time is my enemy. There is a constant struggle between things that need my immediate attention and also my writing (which also needs my attention, but it doesn't always feel quite as urgent). When I am not getting my writing time I turn very cranky. At my house we have this game, Table Talk, that we play at dinnertime and one of the questions is: If you could be a super hero what quality would you have and why? I always choose the ability to stop and start time. My kids think that is the WORST super hero power ever. But wouldn't that be awesome? I dream of having all the time in the world. Second, I think the hardest part in a manuscript is generally the middle…I would say around page 130 is where I start to slow down and feel stuck. That’s because I don’t use an outline as I write. I’m a seat-of-my-pants kind of writer, so the middle always gets difficult because I have to make important decisions that affect the ending. I hate middles. The most rewarding part of writing is reading a scene you just wrote and think, wow! I kind of like that. In fact, I like it a lot. That feeling is addictive.<br />
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<b>Q: This is your first published book. Were there any surprises along the journey from idea to publication?</b> <br />
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A: Yes, there were surprises. I remember going to a marketing meeting at FSG/Macmillan after the book was first bought and someone asked, “Do you have any questions?” And I sat there trying to think of an intelligent question when I finally said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I don’t know.” Now, two years into the publishing process, I think I would have better questions. Another surprise is once your manuscript is bought by a publishing house is takes a REALLY LONG time to hold that book in your hands. It just does. There’s no real way around it. Also, I didn't realize how much I was going to need and rely on my agent who has turned out to be a really amazing person, so I lucked out there. When I was making my agent choice, I didn't realize how important that relationship would be, and I have been pleasantly surprised. The same is true for my editor. I have learned so much from her. It’s great to work with people who love my book almost more than I do. The publishing world is really quite small and I think it’s important to surround yourself with great people, and in turn, be good to the people around you.<br />
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<b>Thanks Jen, for taking the time to tell us a little about yourself and your book. I'm looking forward to reading your next book, especially if you tell us more about Star Wars Kid's story.</b><br />
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You can read more about <i>Survival Strategies of the Almost Brave</i> and read the first chapter at <a href="http://jenwhitebooks.com/" target="_blank">Jen White Books</a>. Pick up a copy of your own when it comes out on June 9.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-18733689586255496882015-04-30T15:11:00.000-06:002015-05-02T00:56:37.428-06:00April Storytime Briefly 2015In my neck of the woods, April was filled with the craziness of bunnies, blossoms, and snow. This month's storytimes reflect that.<br />
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We started the month with books about rabbits. We read<br />
<ul>
<li><i>The Black Rabbit</i> by Philippa Leathers;</li>
<li><i>Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!</i> by Candace Fleming, illustrated by G. Brian Karas; and</li>
<li><i>Wolfie the Bunny</i> by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zacharia OHora.</li>
</ul>
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<i>Wolfie the Bunny </i>was huge hit. One boy, in particular, laughed at almost every page turn. That's a keeper!</div>
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We read Native American folktales:</div>
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<ul>
<li><i>Rabbit's Snow Dance</i> by James and Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Jeff Newman and</li>
<li><i>Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest </i>by Gerald McDermott.</li>
</ul>
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We had a spring snowstorm which seemed like the perfect time to share <i>Rabbit's Snow Dance</i>, and the Native American folktales dovetailed nicely with what the students were learning in class.</div>
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</div>
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We talks about ocean animals by reading</div>
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<ul>
<li>"About the Teeth of Sharks" by John Ciardi;</li>
<li><i>Humphrey the Lost Whale</i> by Wendy Tokuda, illustrated by Richard Hall; and</li>
<li><i>Trapped! A Whale's Rescue</i> by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor.</li>
</ul>
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I'm not sure the shark poem entirely fit with the whale theme, but I love sharing this poem during National Poetry Month. The two books about whale rescue provided an interesting contrast, not just because the rescue methods were different, but because Humphrey trapped himself by swimming up the river, and the whale from Robert Burleigh's book was trapped by human-made nets.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-36748150746130033702015-03-31T12:00:00.000-06:002015-03-31T16:59:27.350-06:00March Storytime Briefly 2015My parents' children--all eight of us--were born in different months, so when I was growing up, we each claimed our birthday month as our own. And because I still feel a little like March is <i>my </i>month, I decided to share my favorite things. I introduced the month by sharing<br />
<ul>
<li><i>My Favorite Things </i>by Oscar Hammerstein, music by Richard Rodgers, illustrated by James Warhola.</li>
</ul>
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Then each week we talked about some of my favorite authors and illustrators, past and present.</div>
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My favorite poems to memorize when I was a kid were Shel Silverstein's. Memorizing fourteen lines of light verse was a whole lot easier than memorizing William Shakespeare. For storytime, we read/recited the following:<br />
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<ul>
<li>"Kidnapped!" by Shel Silverstein, from <i>A Light in the Attic</i>;</li>
<li>"Skin Stealer" by Shel Silverstein, from <i>A Light in the Attic</i>;</li>
<li>"Crocodile's Toothache" by Shel Silverstein from <i>Where the Sidewalk Ends</i>; and</li>
<li>"Sick" by Shel Silverstein, from <i>Where the Sidewalk Ends.</i></li>
</ul>
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Just as I was wrapping things up and heading out the door, I got a request to read "Boa Constrictor." Unfortunately, we were out of time--I'll have to find a way to incorporate that into an upcoming storytime.</div>
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<div>
When I was a second grader, my favorite book to take on road trips was an Encyclopedia Brown book. Any Encyclopedia Brown book. The episodic chapters make the books easy to set down and pick up again when your family makes frequent stops as mine did. I introduced the students to Encyclopedia Brown, talked about what encyclopedias are, and read</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>"The Case of the Silver Fruit Bowl" from <i>Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace</i> by Donald J. Sobol.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<div>
Before reading the solution at the back of the book, I asked the students if they thought they could solve the case. They are pretty observant third graders and had some great ideas.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We looked at Erin Stead's beautiful illustrations and discussed woodcuts, linocuts, and the process for making prints. We read</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>A Sick Day for Amos McGee </i>by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead;</li>
<li><i>And Then It's Spring</i> by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead; and</li>
<li><i>If You Want to See a Whale </i>by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jon Agee's new book, <i>It's Only Stanley</i>, came out just in time to be included in my month of favorite things. We talked about humor and read</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>It's Only Stanley</i> by Jon Agee;</li>
<li><i>Little Santa</i> by Jon Agee; and</li>
<li><i>Milo's Hat Trick</i> by Jon Agee.</li>
</ul>
<div>
And I'll ask again what I always ask when I talk about <i>Milo's Hat Trick</i>: Why is this fantastic book out of print? Bring it back. Please.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-52027859040761234222015-03-02T01:02:00.000-07:002015-03-02T01:02:00.210-07:00tara recommends The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach"By now I think you know what happened to your sandwich. But you may not know <i>how</i> it happened." Does this grab your attention? If these opening lines haven't hooked you, the rest of <i>The Bear Ate Your Sandwich</i> certainly will.<br />
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"It all started with the bear." Elaborate details take you on a bear's journey out of the forest, via a berry truck, into the city, and ultimately to an abandoned, delicious sandwich on a park bench. During the exciting adventure, funny details delight as the bear explores the city and this new "forest" becomes his playground. Readers should find particular amusement in the "trees," "bark," and especially the squishy "mud" that is actually wet cement.<br />
<br />
Soft, gently blurred illustrations created with acrylic paint and pencil lend an abstract feel while showcasing a distinct personality to a very real, curious bear. The playful artwork happily displays the bear frolicking in the park, bathing in a fountain, and splashing in puddles, right next to curious, yet oddly unconcerned, children.<br />
<br />
The story is funny and charming with bright, happy pictures, but the unexpected Klassen-like twist at the end is what makes this book special. If you haven't read this one already, be sure to pick up a copy and enjoy.<br />
<br />
<i>The Bear Ate Your Sandwich</i><br />
by Julia Sarcone-Roach<br />
published by Knopf Books for Young Readers<br />
January 2015tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16122329373781298388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-79115912234687591442015-02-28T11:30:00.000-07:002015-02-28T11:30:01.200-07:00February Storytime Briefly 2015American Library Association Awards, Chinese New Year, and storytelling -- there was much to talk about in February and great stories to read.<br />
<br />
We talked about the Geisel Award and the Caldecott Award. We read<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>You Are (Not) Small </i>by Anna Kang, illustrated by Christopher Weyant;</li>
<li><i>The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art </i>by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary GrandPre; and</li>
<li><i>The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend</i> by Dan Santat.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I pulled out other award-winning books from 2014, and a cheer erupted when I announced that <i>Sam & Dave Dig a Hole </i>(by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen) had been given a Caldecott Honor. Yep, they liked that book.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our school holds a storytelling event in the month of February where students tell stories in their classrooms. Each teacher then selects a student to represent her classroom at a school-wide assembly. While the kids were preparing their stories, I decided to tell one of my own, so we celebrated Chinese New Year with following stories:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China</i> by Ed Young and</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-resolution-and-story-for-lunar-new.html" target="_blank">"The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Fierceness."</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
After hearing "The Fox Borrow's the Tiger's Fierceness," one boy commented on the story's similarity to <i>The Gruffalo </i>by Julia Donaldson. Similar it is.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
We continued our celebration of Chinese New Year with Japanese stories:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>The Paper Crane </i>by Molly Bang and</li>
<li>"Little One Inch."</li>
</ul>
<div>
I used <a href="http://www.guidecraft.com/p/little-one-inch?pp=24" target="_blank">Steve Light's storybox </a>to tell "Little One Inch." (When you look at the storybox, be sure to watch the video of Steve Light telling the story. Brilliant.) When I finished, a girl said, "Oh that was great! If you were doing the storytelling festival, you would win." All credit for that goes to Mr. Light. Thank you, sir. As an added bonus, I overheard my five year old telling the story this week with her brother's dinosaurs and bear. "Lemme out! Lemme out! Lemme out!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We talked about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We read</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution</i> by Don Brown and</li>
<li><i>Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the Revolution</i> by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I loved pairing these books because while the art and storytelling styles are different, the themes are similar. And the students loved the stylized art in <i>Gingerbread for Liberty! </i> It was a great way to end the month.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-20959223892091153642015-02-19T01:00:00.000-07:002015-02-19T01:00:09.851-07:00A Resolution (and a Story) for the Lunar New YearThings have been awfully quiet around here lately, but I'm still here and resolving to get back to more regular posting. Today is Chinese New Year and the perfect day to share a Chinese story, so share this story (adapted from the <i>Record of the Warring States</i>) or a favorite of your own.<br />
<br />
恭喜发财! (Gongxi facai!)<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Fox Borrows the Tiger’s
Fierceness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tiger was hunting in the forest when he spotted a
fox just walking around minding his own business. <i>Mmm</i>,
thought Tiger, <i>that fox looks like he
would make a tasty snack</i>. And springing
with his powerful legs, Tiger pounced and caught the fox under his large
paw. Fox knew he was in grave danger,
but not wanting to be someone’s dinner and being very clever, he thought
quickly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How <b>dare</b> you attack me!” he cried.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This caught Tiger by surprise, so instead of sinking his
teeth into Fox, he asked, “Why shouldn't I enjoy a little snack? I caught you fair and square.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fox made his voice a little louder and a little bolder and said,
“You have no right to kill me! <b>I</b> am king of the forest.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tiger laughed, “<b>You?</b>
King of the forest? You are nothing more
than a scrawny creature--how can you be king of anything?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fox was ready with his answer. “I will prove it to you. Walk with me in <b>my</b> forest, and you will see how frightened all the animals are of
me. Then you will <b>know </b>that I am king of the forest.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now Tiger didn't really believe that Fox was king of the
forest, but the little fellow spoke so loudly and so boldly that Tiger wanted
to see how the experiment would go, so he released Fox. Then, Fox, holding his head high, proudly
walked deeper into the forest with Tiger right behind him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After they had gone a short way, Fox called, “Hello!” to a
rabbit that was munching on grass. The rabbit
caught sight of Fox (which was frightening enough), and then he saw Tiger
following closely behind. The rabbit’s
eyes grew wide, and his ears began to tremble, and he hopped quickly away into
the long grass.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>Of course</i></b><i> that little
rabbit would run from Fox</i>, Tiger thought.
<i>Fox would eat him if he got the
chance.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So with Tiger still suspicious, the pair walked even deeper
into the forest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hello,” Fox called to a monkey that was chattering in the
tree tops. The monkey swung down to chatter
at Fox, but when he saw Tiger, his eyes grew wide and his tail began to
tremble, and grabbing a kudzu vine, he swung away through the trees.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tiger thought, <i>Perhaps
Fox is fiercer than I supposed. Still,
he can’t possibly frighten <b>all</b> the
animals and be king of the forest.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The two continued walking and hadn't gone much farther when
Fox called, “Hello!” to a boar that was wallowing in the mud. “Ugh,” grunted the boar, and looking up, he
saw Fox with Tiger walking after him.
The boar’s eyes grew wide, and his tusks began to tremble, and he
crashed off into the underbrush leaving a trail of mud behind him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>That</i></b><i> is surprising!</i>
thought Tiger. <i>Boar is afraid of Fox.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But before he had time to wonder at the strangeness of it,
Fox was greeting a crocodile sunning himself by the river.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hello,” called Fox.
And the crocodile turned to snap at the little fox for bothering him
while he was enjoying the afternoon sun, but seeing Tiger made the crocodile’s
eyes grow wide (just a little), and his thick leathery skin began to tremble
(just a little). And the crocodile slunk
slowly into the river and swam away. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tiger was so shocked, he couldn't say a word, but Fox
could. Fox stood straight and tall,
looked up at Tiger and in his boldest voice declared, “You see? All the animals flee from me. I am truly king of the forest.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tiger had to agree it was true, and bowing his head, he
turned and left Fox to rule over his forest.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that is how Fox borrowed the Tiger’s fierceness.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-52250710416847577872015-01-31T12:16:00.000-07:002015-02-02T12:31:03.034-07:00January Storytime Briefly 2015Snow, snow, and more snow--that's what we should be seeing in my neck of the woods around this time of year. Even though I didn't even pull my snow shovel off its hook in January, that didn't stop me from pulling some snow books off my shelves.<br />
<br />
We talked about hats and earmuffs and read<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Brimsby's Hats</i> by Andrew Prahin and</li>
<li><i>Earmuffs for Everyone: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs </i>by Meghan McCarthy.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>Earmuffs for Everyone</i> reminded one student of a book we had read a few months ago--<i>Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum</i>. He was pretty pleased with himself when I pointed out that both were were written and illustrated by Ms. McCarthy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We talked about snow and read</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Outside </i>by Deirdre Gill and</li>
<li><i>Snowflake Bentle</i>y by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian.</li>
</ul>
<div>
I think those selections left us lamenting our lack of snow, so the next week I changed plans.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We talked about unreliable narrators and read</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>The True Story of the Three Little Pigs </i>by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith and</li>
<li><i>The Bear Ate Your Sandwich</i> by Julia Sarcone-Roach.</li>
</ul>
<div>
We considered the stories' narrators, and compared them to the narrator in a book we had read previously--Jon Klassen's<i> This Is Not My Hat</i>. If you haven't seen <i>The Bear Ate Your Sandwich</i>, go find a copy <i>now</i>. You can thank me later.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We read books about science:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Gravity </i>by Jason Chin and</li>
<li><i>Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Universe</i> by Stephanie Roth Sisson</li>
</ul>
<div>
We looked at the illustrations and talked about the upcoming ALA Youth Media Awards. I can hardly wait for next week to share some of the winners!</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-89898704209200571672015-01-01T07:00:00.000-07:002015-01-01T07:00:02.407-07:00Cybils Finalists 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Os8qccAOjD0/VJ48mfX6i-I/AAAAAAAABNE/axRusrM5LAM/s1600/squirrel_sleeping_color.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Os8qccAOjD0/VJ48mfX6i-I/AAAAAAAABNE/axRusrM5LAM/s1600/squirrel_sleeping_color.png" height="193" width="320" /></a></div>
Well, I've read my last YA nonfiction book, for this year at least. Serving on the Young Adult Nonfiction panel for the Cybils has kept me busy for the past few months, and you can see the finalists for that category and <i>all </i>the Cybils categories on<a href="http://www.cybils.com/blog" target="_blank"> their website</a>. Happy reading!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-46133463806064462852014-12-31T09:58:00.000-07:002015-02-27T11:56:16.112-07:00tara recommends Blizzard by John RoccoFor me, winter doesn't live up to its name unless the world has a nice covering of white, glistening snow. Gentle snowflakes falling, building snowmen and shoveling walks are all part of a magical, sometimes slightly inconvenient, winter experience. But, what happens if the snowfall is so extreme, you can't even leave your house?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfM9mO5KEXw/VKLXVtSzDsI/AAAAAAAAAPI/0qV8vWdTjsE/s1600/blizzardcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfM9mO5KEXw/VKLXVtSzDsI/AAAAAAAAAPI/0qV8vWdTjsE/s1600/blizzardcover.jpg" height="320" width="278" /></a><i>Blizzard</i> by John Rocco is based on the author's true experiences in the blizzard of '78 that blanketed his town in forty inches of snow when he was a boy. A snowstorm that trapped people inside their homes, canceled school (obviously), and left a community watching for snowplows to clear the roads and release them from their snow prison.<br />
<br />
On page one (before the title page), creative pictures cover a small boy with snow, inch by inch, pulling you into a snowy wonderland that transformed everything in an instant. Snow-covered pictures look like a real blizzard has enveloped the pages and the clever use of everyday items, such as the stop sign almost entirely buried in a snow bank, bring home the seriousness of the storm.<br />
<br />
The passage of time is expertly laid out as each day is identified in a different way. Tracks in the snow, raisins on the floor and the top of a grocery list are a few ways Rocco counts down the weeklong adventure. <br />
<br />
When rations get low, young John decides to implement the training gleaned from his "Arctic Survival Guide" and he sets off with tennis rackets on his feet and a sled to carry supplies on a journey to the neighborhood market. A sense of adventure carries him along as he checks in with neighbors and makes a list of things to pick up at the store. The neighborhood connectivity and historical details (the clerk uses the store phone to call John's parents, letting them know he is on his way) create a charming and heartwarming glimpse into the past.<br />
<br />
Rocco deftly recalls a personal "heroic" story filled with charm, nostalgia and adventure that will appeal to all readers. This is a must have for any winter library.<br />
<br />
<i>Blizzard</i><br />
by John Rocco<br />
published by Disney-Hyperiontarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16122329373781298388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5917254918362167380.post-19968390341915542542014-12-29T14:25:00.003-07:002022-12-23T11:45:10.107-07:00From Our Bookshelves 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sxFMo31SII8/VJRlF7zamjI/AAAAAAAABMI/1_fYuT9oDK8/s1600/dachshund_color_0001_signed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sxFMo31SII8/VJRlF7zamjI/AAAAAAAABMI/1_fYuT9oDK8/s1600/dachshund_color_0001_signed.png" height="288" width="320" /></a></div>
If you haven't tired of lists yet, we have one more for you to peruse--our favorites. These are 2014 books that we read, re-read, shared, and bought for our personal library shelves. Every title is a keeper!<br />
<br />
Picture Books:<br />
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/07/spotlight-on-picture-books-2014.html" target="_blank">Have You Seen My Dragon?</a></i> by Steve Light</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/07/spotlight-on-picture-books-2014.html" target="_blank">Rules of Summer</a></i> by Shaun Tan</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/11/tara-recommends-shh-we-have-plan-by.html" target="_blank">Shh! We Have Plan</a></i> by Chris Haughton</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/10/danyelle-recommends-take-away-a-by.html" target="_blank">Take Away the A</a></i> by Michael Escoffier, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo</li>
<li><i>The Storm Whale</i> by Benji Davies</li>
<li><i>Sam and Dave Dig a Hole</i> by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen</li>
<li><i>My Grandfather's Coat </i>by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated Barbara McClintock</li>
</ul>
<div>
Fiction:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/07/spotlight-on-fiction-2014.html" target="_blank">Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy </a></i>by Karen Foxlee</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/07/spotlight-on-fiction-2014.html" target="_blank">Revolution </a></i>by Deborah Wiles</li>
<li><i>The Night Gardener</i> by Jonathan Auxier</li>
<li><i>The Fourteenth Goldfish </i>by Jennifer L. Holm</li>
</ul>
<div>
Nonfiction:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/07/spotlight-on-nonfiction-2014.html" target="_blank">The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights</a></i> by Steve Sheinkin</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/07/spotlight-on-nonfiction-2014.html" target="_blank">He Has Shot the President!: April 14, 1865: The Day John Wilkes Booth Killed President Lincoln</a></i> by Don Brown</li>
<li><i>Gravity </i>by Jason Chin</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.bookshelvesintheculdesac.blogspot.com/2014/07/spotlight-on-nonfiction-2014.html" target="_blank">The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia</a></i> by Candace Fleming</li>
<li><i>Brown Girl Dreaming</i> by Jacqueline Woodson</li>
<li><i>The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus</i> by Jen Bryant, illustrated Melissa Sweet</li>
</ul>
<div>
Poetry:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>How I Discovered Poetry</i> by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper</li>
<li><i>Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems </i>selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated Melissa Sweet</li>
<li><i>On the Wing </i>by David Elliott, illustrated by Becca Stadlander</li>
</ul>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1