3
Mar
Tournament of Kids’ Books 2013
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Tournament time.
March Madness season is upon us, and in a college basketball town that means one thing… Lawrence, Kansas, home of the University of Kansas Jayhawks, goes gaga for brackets and basketball.
In the children’s room of the Lawrence Public Library, it also means it’s time for the second annual Tournament of Kids’ Books. The Tournament of Kids’ Books is when the most checked out kids’ books of the previous year face off, from the Sweet Sixteen to the Championship round, voted through by the kids of Lawrence throughout the month of March. It’s a fun way to feed off this bracket-crazy, basketball-loving good time.
Last year was the first year of Tournament of Kids’ Books and since it was such a success, we decided to do it again this year. Who can forget last year’s climax at the Winner’s Ceremony when KU basketball players, Jeff Whitey and Justin Wesley, announced the winner? We’re hoping (fingers crossed) they’ll be able join us again this year. There will be a raffle for prizes for those who vote. Some of the goodies include a bag of books provided by the Friends of the Lawrence Public Library, as well as advanced readers copies of the latest books from featured authors like Tom Angleberger (Origami Yoda) and Jarrett Jarrett Krosoczka (Lunch Lady).
Now, are you ready to preview this year’s title contenders?
Here’s the opening round match-ups:
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger VS Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch VS. Bone: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith
Dear Dumb Diary: Okay, So Maybe I Do Have Superpowers by Jim Benton VS. Babymouse: Queen of the World by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
Flat Stanley: The Mount Rushmore Calamity by Jeff Brown VS. Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon by Mary Pope Osborne
Rainbow Fairies: India, the Moonstone Fairy by Daisy Meadows VS. Disney Fairies: Silvermist and the Ladybug Curse by Gail Herman
Stone Rabbit: BC Mambo by Erik Craddock VS Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit by Jarrett Krosoczka
Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Carnival Prize by David Adler VS. Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet by Kirk Scroggs
The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski VS. Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool
That’s our Sweet Sixteen! Any predictions of who will come out victorious?
A printable bracket is available to download from the Lawrence Public Library’s website. And you can keep up with the progress of the tourney on the library’s Facebook and Twitter page.
For the love of books and basketball… Read and Rockchalk!
2
Mar
Small Press Stories: Benny’s Brigade
Benny’s Brigade
by Arthur Bradford, illustrations by Lisa Hanawalt
**”Small Press Stories” on Sturdy for Common Things is a new regular series featuring children’s books from small, independent publishers. They aren’t often on everyone’s radar, so this is my way of giving a shout out to the little dudes.**
Find it at: Your library | Amazon | Indiebound
Published: McSweeney’s McMullens (August 7, 2012)
Recommended Reading Age: 4 & up
In a nutshell: Literally! Benny’s Brigade is about a walrus named Benny who magically emerges from a walnut shell. The two sisters who find him, Elise and Theo, decide to take the polite walrus to school with them and naturally, the miniature walrus is a hit. To entertain the children, Benny sings a song about the sea which in turn upsets him because he misses his life in the ocean. To help reunite Benny with the ocean, the children decide to build Benny a ship and recruit a brigade to assist him on his journey.
Seems kooky but tame enough, no? Just wait until you get to the conclusion.
Myself as a child would have probably crafted my own pretend Benny after reading this book, and would’ve ended up carrying my walrus around like Elsie and Theo had. I would love to hear a child’s perspective after reading this book, because even though it is a bit of an odd-ball story, I found Benny’s Brigade refreshingly unique with each turn of the page. Bravo first time children’s book author Arthur Bradford and illustrator Lisa Hanawalt. I look forward to your bright future in children’s literature.
Don’t take my word for it: 100 Scope Notes Wildest Books of 2012
Extras: Did you know that jacket cover can fold out into a two-sided poster? It can!
Interview of the author Arthur Bradford and illustrator Lisa Hanawalt by Arthur Bradford’s daughters, Elsie and Theo.
Other children’s titles by McSweeny’s McMullens.
Source of book reviewed: My local library!
1
Mar
Barry’s Best Buddy
Barry’s Best Buddy
by Renee French
Find it at: Your library | Amazon | Indiebound
Published: TOON Books, an imprint of Candlewick (March 12, 2013)
Recommended Reading Age: 3 & up
In a nutshell: I’m a big fan of TOON Books. The kids at the library are fans of TOON Books. L is a fan of TOON Books. They do a knockout job at making accessible graphic novels, giving kids the early confidence they need to keep coming back for more.
Barry’s Best Buddy is their latest comic for brand-new readers. Barry, the grumpy the bird, is awoken from a nap in his dull house by his friend Polorhog who promises a surprise for Barry. The two set off on a stroll, making a stop at the hat shop, even though Barry does not like hats. They stop at the ice cream stand, even though Barry does not like ice cream, but gives into the tasty treat. On almost every page is the mysterious presence of ants, marching along with peculiar objects such as light blubs, paint, rope, and pendants that prompt the reader to wonder if they have a role in Polorhog’s surprise at the end of their journey.
Renee French’s soft, playful illustrations are eye-catching and pair perfectly with the friends’ humorous episode of their friendship of opposite personalities. I do side with the concern of this reviewer that the format of Barry’s Best Buddy could be slightly confusing for a beginning reader. The dialog follows a continuous path where the characters appear multiple times in a single panel, which might be difficult for the new reader to follow. So, be aware of this if the reader has not yet acquired intuitive reading skills, as it requires some comic literacy beyond the very early reader. My suggestion when you read Barry’s Best Buddy with a beginning reader is to be sure to point to the character/word bubble next in the dialogue sequence, guiding them in Barry and Polorhog’s exchange. It will make for a good exercise in learning how to read comics.
Extras: Read about Barry’s Best Buddy, the author Renee French, and preview the book on the Toon Books website.
Also, TOON Books has an incredible amount of resources available to parents, kids, and educators. Like these lesson plans, and instructional on “How to Read Comics”, a DIY cartoon guide, and free printable coloring pages.
Source of book reviewed: I won a copy of this title from a TOON Book giveaway.
26
Feb
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
by Stephan Pastis
Find it at: Your library | Amazon | Indibound
Published: Candlewick (February 26, 2013)
Recommended Reading Age: 7 & up
In a nutshell: Meet Timmy Failure:
This is Timmy Failure. Timmy Failure is the founder and CEO of a detective agency with his 1500lb polar bear sidekick, Total. This is Total:
Together they make the hilarious super sleuth team in Stephan Pastis‘ first book for children, Total Failure, Inc. They totally fail in every way at detective work, but they totally succeed when it comes to having a good laugh. Timmy sneaks off on missions riding on his mom’s Segway, the Failuremobile, while his polar bear partner in crime seems to always be getting into other people’s garbage and has an unending appetite for chicken nuggets and naps.
In between Timmy’s blatantly terrible and hilarious attempts at solving crimes, trouble frequently arises when Timmy gets into squabbles with his mom, his teacher, and his classmate and associate (Timmy language for friend) Rollo Tookus, who’s obsessed with good grades and getting into “Stanfurd”. There’s also Molly Moskins (the tangerine girl who smiles to much), and last but not least, Timmy’s arch enemy Corrina Corrina, known to Timmy as the Evil One. Corrina Corrina runs her own (cough.. successful) detective agency of her own, the Corrina Corrina Intelligence Agency also known as the CIAA.When Timmy’s mom’s Segway goes missing, she is the prime suspect.
And if you aren’t won over yet by this kooky cast of characters there’s my personal favorite, Flo, “Flo is not short for Florence. It’s short for “Misshelve my books and the blood my FLOw,” the librarian. Flo is a tough biker dude bibliophile who reads Emily Dickinson and only communicates through grunts. Flo looks out for Timmy in more ways than just allowing him to go over the allotted 20-minutes for internet usage at the library.
I honestly cannot remember laughing out loud from a book as many times as I did with Timmy Failure. The characters, the story concept, and the illustrations are spot-on. I also appreciate that Timmy is not the one dimensional character I assumed he was going to be when I first started reading the book. There’s more depth than what meets the eye. Throughout his hap-hazardous adventures, he is an only child of a single mom who seems to be struggling with her job and finances and has a real loser of a boyfriend. Timmy frequently mentions making gobs of money with Total Failure, Inc. and giving his mom a job after a few successful cases. It makes me wonder if perhaps his wild imagination causes him to act out as a way to cope with his troubles. It’s easy to laugh at Timmy’s completely flawed attempts at being a detective, and his absurd imaginary polar bear friend, Total, but the bread-and-butter of Timmy’s character is that his real-life issues make him relatable to the reader and seem, well, human.
Fans of Wimpy Kid and Big Nate will instantly gravitate to the humor and heavy illustrated format of Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. Let’s face it, Timmy will probably not succeed at world domination, but he will dominate the hearts of young readers as well as adults who are certain to find themselves chuckling along with their kids.
It would be a TOTAL FAIL not to read this book.
Don’t take my word for it: “I love [Stephan Pastis’] Pearls Before Swine and was definitely looking forward to this. The illustrations are great, and I think students will be quick to pick it up. Fabulous beginning: “It’s harder to drive a polar bear into somebody’s living room that you’d think.” – review from Ms. Yingling Reads
Trailer:
Extras: Read an excerpt from the book. Download and enjoy these fun and games.
Check out Candlewick’s Timmy Failure Pinboard which has a great collection of videos and pics.
Also, take a minute to visit the Failure is an Option: Timmy Failure Blog.
Total Failure, Inc. must be serious about world domination, because Timmy and Total even have their very own Facebook page.
Source of book reviewed: Advanced Reader Copy provided by the wonderful people at Candlewick.
25
Feb
Penguin Storytime
Kansas has seen quite a bit of winter weather recently with last week’s Blizzard of Oz. Lots and lots and lots of snow. The library was even closed a couple of days due to the weather, so storytime was organized last minute, but it turned out nicely. The arctic temperatures (it was -2 degrees this morning!), the snow, and the ice were my inspirations to have a penguin storytime. I even dressed the part in black pants, a black blazer, and a white button down. I was tempted to dance like Dick Van Dyke, but restrained myself for the sake of the children.
Penguin Storytime Lineup:
Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
Everyone loves Tacky. The storytime kids instantly knew this book about a very odd penguin named Tacky an his very proper companions. Tacky was also the inspiration behind the storytime craft.
Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner
Simple, colorful, and informational book about penguins. This is a great non-fiction picture book especially for preschool aged children.
Penguin by Polly Dunbar
Perhaps the favorite of the bunch. Penguin had the kids laughing and laughing. I was in a bit of a bind looking for penguin books last minute and was so happy to stumble upon this one. You can enjoy the story in it’s entirety by watching this animation, but I highly recommend checking out the book if you have the chance.
Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon
This week, the storytime kids were in on a very special treat. I read a book to them that hasn’t even been published yet. I was given an advanced readers copy of Penguin on Vacation by the publisher and decided to test drive it at storytime. It was a success. A story of friendship between two animals.
Penguin Walk: After the last book, I had all the kids stand up and I taught them how to walk like a penguin: Knees together, arms straight and pointing down, with extra waddle.
Penguin Craft:
When I decided to do a penguin storytime, I found a lot of great craft ideas (like the ones here and here and here) inspired by Tacky the Penguin. The concept made a great last minute craft for this storytime, but I couldn’t find a template large enough, so I made my own. I pre-cut all the pieces for the penguin and the mismatch shirt and bow-tie beforehand using cardstock and scrapbook paper. The kids glued all the pieces together along with a pair of large googly eyes. Very Tacky, indeed.
Here is how my little L’s penguin turned out:
I’ve included a template to use as a guide for making this craft. Print a few of these puppies out and cut the shapes needed for making your own penguin. (Hopefully, you can decipher my awful handwriting.):
We’re supposed to be hit with another winter storm this week. Might have to consider more arctic animals for next week’s storytime… Polar Bears? Seals? Abominable snowman?
Stay warm out there!
