18
Feb
Open This Little Book
Open This Little Book
by Jesse Klausmeier, illustrated by Suzy Lee
Find it at: Your library | Amazon | IndieBound
Published: Chronicle Books (January 1, 2013)
Recommended Reading Age: 3 & up
In a nutshell: A book that, upon opening it, will surely make you smile. Open This Little Book is as clever as it is surprising. Open the cover and you will find a smaller book within.
Open that book and you’ll find a ladybug that opens an even smaller book.
Within opening each little book a character and a scene is revealed.
Repetition and color recognition are perfect cues for preschool age children, while the storytelling is flawless for all ages. I mentioned before that I’ve been playing around with the new Vine app. Have you tried it out yet? The first thing I did after reading it was make a Vine. Oh, the fun to be had with this delightful book!
Don’t take my word for it: “Take a debut author with a creative book concept, mix in a skilled illustrator, and finish off with a publisher who gets books that are not always mainstream (in size or concept) and you have a winner. ” – review from Kid Lit Frenzy
Trailer:
Extras: Be sure to check out this awesome interview with the author Jesse Klausmeier on Watch. Connect. Read. The images of her first draft of Open This Little Book are priceless.
Source of book reviewed: My local library!
17
Feb
Adventures as Annie: The Knight at Dawn
Magic Tree House Adventures is BACK! Thank you to everyone that has emailed and/or commented about the previous programs. I loved hearing your feedback. For those of you who are new here, Magic Tree House Adventures is a monthly public library program for ages 5-8. Each session is themed around a book in the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne in which there is a whole lot of history, science, activities, crafts, and plenty of fun. And I dress up as Annie. Braids and all.
For the first session we went back to the time of Knights and Castles as Jack and Annie did in The Knight at Dawn.
First… A Special Guest!
During the warmer months in Lawrence, I’ve seen a few men dressed in medieval wear practicing sword fighting in the park. I had no idea how to find these mysterious fighters, so I put it out there in the Twitter-verse, asking if anyone knew who they were. I received a reply within minutes. Thank you, Twitter. They’re a part of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and the Shire of Carlsby is located in Lawrence, Kansas. What luck! I reached out to them and one gentlemen agreed to visit the program and talk about what it was like to live back in the Middle Ages; the type of armor a knight wore, and what it was like to be a knight during that time. He brought helmets and chainmail, which he graciously allowed the kids to handle and pass around. It was awesome and they loved it. I’m so grateful they were able to make it.
Where Are We? Who Are They?
A Magic Tree House Adventures staple. “Where Are We? Who Are They?” is a 10-minute slideshow presentation/discussion where I flash a picture up on a projector and ask the kids what is going on in that particular image. For example, for this session the first picture was a picture drawn during the Middle Ages and I asked, “What year was this picture drawn? And what is going on in the picture? Do you think it was made last year?” We discussed The Middle Ages, the Feudal system, castles, parts of a castle, knights, tournaments, and battles.
Marshmallow Catapult, Castle Construction, & Sword Making
After “Where Are We? Who Are They?” the kids were divided into three groups and rotated between the various activities. These activities were marshmallow catapults, castle construction, and sword making.
Marshmallow Catapult
I talked very briefly about catapults and the physics of a catapult during the “Where Are We? Who Are They?” discussion. I told the kids to imagine a spring. When you press down on the spring that is called “potential energy”. It’s stored energy waiting to be released. When it is released and the spring bounces up, that is called “kinetic energy”. The result is movement. It is the same with a catapult. Press down (potential energy) and release (kinetic energy). What better way to test out what was discussed than flinging marshmallows at a castle? I created our own version of storming the castle using homemade catapults and poster board castles. I created several popsicle stick catapults using this guide. We used books and audiobooks to experiment with different shooting heights. I found it worked the best when the catapult was on a slope.
The only problem was that it was so fun that they didn’t seem to want to take turns. It was a hit.
Read More
16
Feb
Navigating Early
Navigating Early
by Claire Vanderpool
Find it at: Your library | Amazon | IndieBound
Published: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, and imprint of Random House Children’s Books (January 8, 2013)
Recommended Reading Age: 10 & up
In a Nutshell: A tale of friendship and the unforgettable journey of two boys in their quest for truth, Navigating Early is author Claire Vanderpool’s first appearance since her 2011 Newbery Award Winner, Moon Over Manifest.
After Jack Baker’s mother passes away, his father, a navy captain during WWII, uproots him from his home in Kansas and moves him to a boarding school in Maine. Upset by the loss of his mother, his home, and anything familiar, Jack finds himself entirely alone in his new surroundings. That is, until he meets odd-ball Early Auden, who has also recently lost someone he loved dearly. Early lives in the custodian’s room of the school with his pet frog, bizarre charts and news clippings, a jar of jellybeans, and a continuous string of numbers written across the chalkboard in the room- the number Pi. Another reason Early is very different from other boys is that he doesn’t just see numbers when we looks at Pi. He sees colors, he sees characters, he sees an epic story narrated by numbers.
“Before the stars had names, before men knew how to use them to plot their courses, before anyone had ventured beyond his own horizon, there was a boy who wondered what lay beyond. He gazed up at the stars with praise and wonder, but his wonder was not only born of awe. It was also born of a question: Why?”
Thus begins Early’s story of a boy named Polaris who’s nickname is Pi; a boy that would become a navigator and eventually earn the full name give by his mother. It’s a story of the stars, of discovery, of family, and loss; of getting lost and finding oneself. As Early reveals Pi’s story, the character’s mission becomes threatened as well as blurred with the two boys’ reality. In an effort to steer Pi back on his destined course, Early and Jack set off on an impossible journey to find a bear that Early believes will remedy Pi’s troubles, prove that he is alive, and not just some character from Early’s imagination.
How insane and awesome, am I right? You can’t say you’ve ever read a book like this before. EVER. While reading Navigating Early, I kept envisioning the Olympic rings symbol. Multiple circles of interconnected stories and characters, a circling that always comes back around. Like the infinity symbol; like the endless number Pi. It’s brilliant.
Claire Vanderpool’s story reminds me that we are all on a similar journey of hope and self-discovery. These struggles and journeys are universal and are never-ending, if you keep them alive within your heart to keep going. It’s a test and it’s always worth it in the end; that some of these voyages are not possible without the strength of a friend and those who believe in the power that lies in the stars and within your own being.
What does this novel not have? The narrative flowed as if watching it on a projector, but watching this story would take away from the utterly beautiful and lyrical way in which it is written. Rich and steady. Navigating Early is destined to be a classic.
Don’t take my word for it: “Navigating Early is mysterious and magical, brimful of surprising characters, and with an ending that’s a sigh of satisfaction.” – review from A Year of Reading
Extras: Learn about Claire Vanderpool’s favorite children’s books via Omivoracious and also be sure to read about author Claire Vanderpool on her website.
Source of book reviewed: From the wonderful people at Random House Children’s Books.
14
Feb
Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Today, L gives her heart to mermaids, fairies, and make believe.
Who or what has captured your heart this Valentine’s Day?
12
Feb
An Awesome Book of Love!
An Awesome Book of Love!
by Dallas Clayton
Find it at: Your Library | Amazon | IndieBound
Published: HarperCollins (December 2012)
Recommended Reading Age: 3 & up
In a nutshell: Love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is near. Pink and red and hearts all over.
Or if you’re Dallas Clayton, the author of An Awesome Book of Love! — Maroon, sapphire blue, and burnt orange. Fuchsia, green, aquamarine, and all the colors in between.
Dallas Clayton is certainly not a stranger on this blog. In fact his first book An Awesome Book, was one of the first books I reviewed. Ever since, I’ve been reading his books with L, recommending them to patrons, and incorporating them into storytime (like here and here). Why am I a Dallas Clayton fan? Because he’s a dreamer. He wants to inspire a generation of dreamers. A generation of givers. Of creators and of lovers. His latest book, An Awesome Book of Love!, is written in the same sing-song rhyming style that makes his books such a fun read aloud experience, paired with electric illustrations. The only thing different is this book’s theme is all about L-O-V-E.
It starts with a dinosaur. And with that, he just won over all children on the first page. Dinosaurs are very powerful creatures, especially when it comes to the hearts of children.
And so impossible instances are presented like Wednesday never meeting Monday or spring never meeting fall; but we aren’t seasons or days of the week, Dallas Clayton explains to the reader. “You’re you and I’m me/And we’re as together as together can be” and he goes into unique and fun declarations of love and what love is all about.
This world of stars illustration reminds me of the book, You Are Stardust. Elin Kelsey would approve.
Love this.
Do you see those little jellybean looking characters that kinda look like Rainbow Brite sprites? In the left hand corner? They appear in all of Dallas Clayton’s books and make my childhood self, who grew up obsessed with Rainbow Brite, swoon. If a “warm and fuzzy” was a physical creature, it would be one of these Awesome Book characters. I want to keep one in my pocket. Here’s another “warm and fuzzy” illustration:
Dallas Clayton has done it again, a sweet and quirky picture book that will warm your heart. Children will love the story and cheerful illustrations, and adults will love the sentiment. If you can’t find the right words to tell someone just how much you love them this Valentine’s Day, whether they’re are 3 or 83, this book is a whimsical and wonderful way to do so.
Preview An Awesome Book of Love! here today!
And if you’ve never read An Awesome Book!, take a minute to click over here and read it online, cover-to-cover.
Don’t take my word for it:” Quirky drawings in rainbow shades have a psychedelic edge (a purple bear with hearts blasting from its chest could have stumbled off of a Grateful Dead album cover), while the verse might have been sampled from indie rock: “Sometimes it’s a whisper/ when you feel you could shout/ or just being around/ when the others have gone/ or about/ letting go/ when you want to hold on.” Peculiar creatures frolic throughout—an elephant parachutes from a plane, a robot embraces a dinosaur—creating a fresh and lightly irreverent backdrop for Clayton’s earnest verse.” – review from Publisher’s Weekly
Video of Dallas Clayton and his Awesome world:
For more information on Dallas Clayton and his very Awesome World click here.
Source of the book reviewed: Purchased while on a date with my husband, browsing books at Barnes and Noble. You could say it was purchased in love.
