30
Dec
Seeing Things
Cheesey grins
Babes in dreamland.
We all fall down.
Cheers.
First snow.
Twinkle lights.
Bright eyes.
Homemade.
Bed head.
Winter scene.
Holiday trimmings.
Put to work.
First library card.
Glowing snow. (Glowsticks in the snow. Try it.)
Lady Jay.
Smiles to go ’round.
Where does the time go?
Seriously.
In between finishing my first quarter of grad school, Will finishing his last semester of school before student-teaching next year, having a baby, visitors, finals, sleepless nights, the holidays… The days fly by.
But since Christmas we’ve finally had some slow down time. Some neglect the laundry time. We’ve been taking naps, reading, (re)watching Downtown Abbey. Unwinding. I can’t seem to remember the last time one of us wasn’t working, or had school work, or a deadline. A little r&r has been long overdue.
The new year is fastly approaching, but today I’m taking a break from tomorrow. Today is all about today and reflecting on the blur behind us, these little moments caught between all the hustle and bustle that make it all worth while in the end.
29
Dec
Reading Together
***Reading Together is a sampling of books I’m currently reading aloud to my 3-year-old toddler, Lorelei, and newborn baby, Mira. I work in the children’s room of a public library and am always bringing home stacks and stacks of books to share together. Old and new. These are our current favorites. Some of which have been read over and over and over again…. Times thirty. To the tenth power.***
This the first “Reading Together” post that highlights what I’ve been reading lately with not one kiddo, but two!
My two girls.
The picture above was taken shortly after we brought Mira home from the hospital. Lorelei adores her sister, and since sharing books is one of our favorite things to do in our house, she didn’t waste anytime introducing her sister to a few.
Naturally, there is a bit of crossover when reading aloud to these two, so these lists aren’t entirely separate. Lorelei listens to me read to Mira and sometimes joins us. Mira is occasionally in arm while reading to L before bed. Nonetheless, here is a selection of a few mighty fine books we’ve enjoyed reading together:
Reading with Lorelei:
Journey by Aaron Becker
I did not wait to check this book out from the library. I did not ask for a review copy from the publisher. I went straight to my favorite local bookstore, The Raven, and purchased this book. It is unique, imaginative, brilliant, and beautiful. All bets on that it gets recognition as a Caldecott winner or honor in 2014.
Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Matt Phelan
A darling book about a panda bear who wants to throw a panda party, but he is the only panda at the zoo. What is a panda to do? A children’s book rockstar author/illustrator duo teamed up to create one of the sweetest books we’ve read all year.
Moonday by Adam Rex
Now this book is pure awesome. Totally original. The moon comes down out of the sky for a visit and puts the whole town in a dreamy state.
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna
Lorelei read this book at school and fell in love with it. She would cheerfully recite “I’m a pout-pout Fish with a pout-pout face, so I spread my dreary wearies all over the place! Blub, Bluub, Bluuuuuuuuuuub!” all around the house. A classic preschool favorite of both kids and adults.
I Am Blop! by Herve Tullet
I have to admit, when I first paged through this book I thought it was a bit ‘meh’. But then I saw how much Lorelei would read it over and over again, making up her own stories, and I got it. I suppose that is why Herve Tullet is so good at what he does. He engages children in a way that no one else can. He is the master of the interactive book.
What Do You Do With a Kangaroo? by Mercer Meyer
From the mind who created Little Critter, a book about a girl who is faced with a bunch of animals that give her a difficult time.
Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner
Mr. Schu was kind enough to send Lorelei an autographed copy of Mr. Wuffles! after David Wiesner visited his school. It seems to me that those who enjoy Mr. Wuffles the most have a strong history of cat fandom. Lorelei and I fall under this category.
I’m a Big Sister by Joanna Cole
Other than the book One Special Day, this was a favorite book to read before the baby arrived. Highly recommend for new soon-t0-be-siblings.
I’m a Frog! by Mo Willems
Oh, Elephant and Piggie… How we love to read your books. After a few reads, L ends up memorizing the stories and has been seen on multiple occasions acting them out. (See Vine above.)
Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated b Marjorie Priceman
When the weather turned frigid in December, we took this favorite wintery book off the shelf for a few reads.
Baby Bear Counts One by Ashley Wolff
We loved reading Baby Bear Sees Blue together and I’ve also used it in stortime, so I was delighted to see baby bear again in a new book by Ashley Wolf that introduces numbers 1-10, counting down the days until baby bear’s winter hibernation. Like Baby Bear Sees Blue, Baby Bear Counts One has gorgeous colorful illustrations. While reading this book to Lorelei, Mira would perk up and hone in on the illustrations. I’m not sure if it was the contrast of the black bear or what… She would stare and stare at the pages.
Over the River and Through the Wood: A Thanksgiving Poem by Lydia Maria Child, illustrated by Christopher Manson
We sang this book to sleep the weeks before and the weeks after Thanksgiving.
A Sister More Like Me by Barbara Jean Hicks, illustrated by Brittney Lee
A few weeks after I had the baby, I took Lorelei for some one-on-one mommy time to see the new Disney movie “Frozen”. She is now obsessed and spends her days pretending to make it snow like main character Elsa. We placed holds on every “Frozen” book the library owns and have been checking them out as they become available. This one is my favorite, because the illustrations faintly resemble the old school Disney illustrations of artist Mary Blair.
Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt, illustrated b Matthew Forsythe
A recent read 0ver and over and over and over and over again book. Super illustrations and fun story. Two thumbs up.
Magic Tree House Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pop Osborne
A couple days ago, L and I wandered over into the young reader chapter book section in the library. She started selecting a few books off the shelf. Anything pink or sparkly. So, I thought if we are over here we might as well try giving Magic Tree House a go. Couldn’t hurt. Sure enough, we read through the first one in a day. She wanted to read more, so we went back to the library the next day to check out the next #2-8. The addiction has started.
Reading with Baby Mira:
Peek-a-boo! by Janet & Allan Ahlberg
Cute poem with cute illustrations. Lorelei picked this board book out for Mira at the library and we’ve been having a good time reading it since.
Peek-a-who? by Nina Laden
A former co-worker (a.k.a. retired wizard of children’s librarianship) gave this book as a gift to Mira. It’s her favorite book for wee ones.
Look Look! by Peter Linenthal
Early on, little baby eyes prefer high contrast black and white, as well as warm red or orange tones as their eyes start to develop. (You can read more about their eye sight development here.) These books by Peter Linenthal are perfect for the beginning months of a baby’s life.
The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes
Because. It’s the best.
What are you reading together? Please share in the comments below!!
27
Dec
Review: Fairy Tale Comics
Fairy Tale Comics
Edited by Chris Duffy
Find it at: Your Library | Your Local Bookstore
Published: First Second Books, imprint of Macmillan (September 24, 2013)
Recommended reading age: 6 – 12 years
In a nutshell: In the fashion of Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists (mentioned here!), comes Fairy Tale Comics, a compilation of celebrated graphic artists and illustrators and their interpretations of timeless fairy tales from around the world transformed into colorful, energetic comic panels. It’s the perfect gateway book into graphic novels for those unfamiliar with reading them. Like reading books with text, readers of graphic novels develop preferences in genres the more they read them. But with graphic novels you also tend to develop a preference in illustration style. At least that is what happened with me the more I read. If you or someone you know is curious to dive into the world of graphic novels, but don’t know where to start, this book is an ideal introduction. One can thumb through a sampling of modern cartoon storytellers depicting tales we all know and love. Where Nursery Rhyme Comics can also be entertaining for a younger, pre-K crowd, there are a few tales in Fairy Tale Comics that are for the older crowd (6 & up). If you’re familiar with the grim nature of original fairy tales, then you understand why. My 3-year-old loves reading these, but I’m selective as to which ones we read together (FYI).
You could be 7 or 77 and find a tale that captures your eye. Who knows, it may foster a relationship with an artist that guides you head-first into the wonderful world of graphic novels.
What if you’ve read Fairy Tale Comics? Now What?
Here are a few children’s books by artists featured in the book that are totally worth checking out:
Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson
(Fairy Tale: The Boy Who Drew Cats)
Brett Helquist, illustrator for A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
(Fairy Tale: Rumpelstiltskin)
Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert
(Fairy Tale: Rabbit Will Not Help)
(Fairy Tale: Rapunzel)
Bean Dog and Nugget: The Ball by Charise Mericle Harper
(Fairy Tale: The Small Tooth Dog)
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki COMING MAY 2014
(Fairy Tale: Baba Yaga)
Source of book reviewed: Review copy provided by the publisher.
18
Dec
Mocking It Up
It’s the time of year that puts me in the spirit of the season. And when I say “spirit of the season”, I’m not talking about Hannakah/Kwanzaa/Christmas/Eid/New Year’s. I’m talking about the Youth Media Awards. Librarians, teachers, and children’s book enthusiasts find they have an extra pep in their step as we countdown the days until the American Library Association announces their annual book awards on January 27th, 2014. Until then, while the official awards committees debate the winners in private, lists of favorite children’s books have been organized across the country to openly discuss probable winners of the awards. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this practice, these discussions and lists are referred to as “mock awards”. Yesterday, Betsy Bird posted a few mock lists on her blog and I found myself checking to see which titles were the most favorable listed. Specifically, I had my eye on the Newbery.
Now, here I’m going to let my nerd show.
I’ve complied a list of Mock Newbery nominations that were mentioned in Betsy’s post as well as a few others from various organizations that were not. Here are the goods…
Doll Bones is the clear favorite, followed by The Thing About Luck, Counting by 7’s, P.S. Be Eleven, and The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp.
I bet you’re wondering who the runner-ups are that just missed the Top 5 cut-off…
They are:
Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool (47%)
Once Came Home by Amy Timberlake (42%)
The Center of Everything by Linda Urban (42%)
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (42%)
The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore (37%)
Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal (37%)
These are the Mock Newbery lists I used to compile this info:
Mock Newbery lists highlighted on Fuse 8 Production:
Berkeley Carroll School Brooklyn Public Library Children’s Librarians Association of Suffolk County Dayton Metro Library Packer’s School Sacramento Public Library Saint Anne’s School St. George’s Independent School The Suffolk Cooperative Library SystemAdditional Mock Newbery lists:
Allen County Public Library Anderson’s Book Shop Daniel Boone Regional Library Eastern Shore Regional Library Global Mock Newbery Kansas City Public Library Michiana Mock Newbery Club Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services San Diego County Office of Education South Central Kansas Library System Wake County Public Library (Eva Perry Mock Newbery)
How about you?
Do you mock?
Have any 2014 Newbery predictions?
17
Dec
In the Field: Meet Laura Perenic
A new “In the Field” post is up on the University of Washington iYouth Blog! Today’s featured youth librarian is Laura Perenic from the Middletown Branch of the MidPoint Library System. “In the Field” is a monthly series that introduces library students to innovative, awesome librarians rocking the library world and providing amazing services to kids and teens across the country.
Please be sure to check out it out: In the Field: Meet Laura Perenic
Thank you Laura for being this month’s special guest!
*If you’re a youth librarian that would be willing to rock the “In the Field” interview, shoot me an email at sturdyforcommonthings (dot) gmail (dot) com.
