25
Dec
Merry Christmas
Warm wishes to you and Merry Christmas!
Love, Rebecca
image: How Six Found Christmas by Tina Schart Hyman
21
Dec
Seeing Things
Evergreen forests,
and sleigh bell parades.
21
Dec
Cold Snap
Cold Snap
By Eileen Spinelli, Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
Find it at: Your library | Amazon | Indiebound
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Kids (October 9, 2012)
Recommended age level: 4 & up
In a nutshell: Ever since I read Cold Snap for the first time a month ago, I decided it would be the perfect way to kick-off the winter solstice. So, here we are… Officially on day one of winter and the windowpanes are frosted, snow is on the ground (at least here in Kansas), and I have a warm mug of coffee next to my laptop as I share with you this one-of-a-kind, wintery picture book.
In the small town of Toby Mills the citizens are feeling quite the chill of winter, but that doesn’t stop them from finding ways to stay entertained. Sledding, bubbling-hot soup at the Sullivan Diner, and BYOB (bring-your-own-blankets) at the town’s movie theater are all activities the town partake in to keep their mind off the cold. Yet, it keeps getting colder and colder in Toby Mills. Finally, the thermometer drops down to zero and the whole town has had just about enough of it. Luckily, the mayor’s wife finds a way to warm the town’s spirits.
Small towns are timeless. They have their own way and pace about them, which is something Cold Snap captures perfectly. While it does focus on the cold winter weather, it also focuses on the individual characters of Toby Mills and the lifestyle living in a small town brings. And, like all small towns that have their quirks, Toby Mills has General Toby, the town monument. As the temperature gets colder the townspeople measure it’s climate according to General Toby’s nose and the growing icicle that hangs from it. General Toby is the thread that carries the town through colder and “warmer” weather.
And I dare not forget to mention the illustrations! Marjorie Priceman’s illustrations in Cold Snap remind me of the classic appeal of Little Golden Book illustrations, but with a slightly modern take. Her pictures all have an element of movement and boldness that works for the busy town in this story. They masterfully depict the whole town, but pay close attention to details of the individual characters which make the town so special.
The town of Toby Mills will surely warm it’s readers’ hearts even on the coldest of winter days.
Perfect for: Kids of all ages as a way to welcome or celebrate the winter season.
Don’t take my word for it: NY Times, Kirkus Review
19
Dec
Hilda and the Midnight Giant
Hilda and the Midnight Giant
by Luke Pearson
Published: Nobrow Press (April 17, 2012)
Recommended age level: 10 & up
In a nutshell: I’ve seen a lot of wonderful feedback regarding this graphic novel. Last night at the library, I saw it was available, and untouched in the children’s room graphic novel section. Zero checkouts? How can that be? I took Hilda home that night…
Hilda and her mother live in the quiet countryside with her pet fox, Twig. Well, it’s quiet except for the times when their house is under the attack of “Hidden Elves”, invisible to the human eye, threatening them to leave their home at once. One of the elves befriends Hilda and helps her answer the questions of why they continue to threaten eviction and how she can stop it, and so an adventure ensues to find a way to stay in her much-loved home. At the same time a mysterious giant continually shows up in the dark of the night and then vanishes.
I fell for this magical world within the first few pages. Hilda and the Midnight Giant lives up to the hype. It’s humorous, thought-provoking, and all around clever. The illustrations are exceptional and compliment Hilda and her quirky, supernatural world. I’m smitten.
Please don’t let me find this book on the library shelf again. It deserves to be read and shared.
Perfect for: Fans of fantasy graphic novels like Moomin or if you happen to be up for a different kind of fairy tale.
Don’t take my word for it: Selected as one of 100 Scope Notes and Watch. Connect. Read’s Top 20 Books of 2012
image source: Art Wednesday
17
Dec
Snowman Storytime
In light of the upcoming winter season, all the wonderful snowman stories our library houses, and my own daughter’s recent obsession with “Frosty the Snowman”, the last storytime theme of the year was “Snowman Storytime”. We read a few popular snowman picture books and then made melt-proof snowmen/women/pets inspired by Lois Elhert’s collage art in Snowballs.
Snowman Storytime Line-up:
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
The inspiration for the storytime craft and my personal favorite of the storytime book line-up. A story about children creating a snow family and what happens when the sun comes out.
The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming
A clever story about the first day of winter and each day atfer a child adding snowman accessories. I sang this book (if you can even call it that) to the classic holiday carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.
“The Snow is Falling Down” Flannel Board
I found this flannel board idea featured Miss Courtney Meets Bobo via Pinterest and thought it would be a excellent addition to Snowman Storytime. This little tune that builds up to making a snowman would also work well with hand signals. Here’s how it goes…
The Snow is Falling Down
Sung to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”
(Add one snowflake for each line) The snow is falling down, The snow is falling down, It’s like a blanket on the ground The snow is falling down. (Add a snowballs to make snowman.) We roll it in a ball, We roll it in a ball, We make a great big circle When we roll it in a ball. (Add snowman’s face during this next verse.) W make a smiley face We make a smiley face, We add eyes, nose, and a mouth To make a smiley face. What did we make? A snowman!
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner
It makes you wonder when a snowman looks a little different than the day before. This book explores the activities of snowmen at night.
Frosty the Snowman by Steve Nelson, Jack Rollins, illustrated by Richard Cowdrey
Good ol’ Frosty! We ended storytime with a sing-a-long of everyone’s favorite snowman, “Frosty the Snowman”.
Paper Plate Snowman Craft
I’ve seen a few paper plate snowmen crafts floating around the internet (like this one from Kaboose), all with the same concept of connecting paper plates to make a snowman. Fun and simple! Using that simple idea I also scrounged around the library’s basement and my own home to find collage supplies inspired by similar odds and ends used by Lois Ehlert for her snowpeople in Snowballs.
Materials used: Paper plates, hole punch, glue (white school glue or tacky glue), scissors, pipe cleaners, pom pom balls, glitter stones, popcorn kernels, buttons, ribbon, paper, felt, and fabric.
Other ideas: Noodles, yarn, dried beans, raisins, popped popcorn, shells, nuts, old gift tags, popsicle sticks, leaves; anything and everything is game.
Before storytime, to make things easier on the younger kids, I connected all the plates beforehand. I did this by punching holes in the paper plates like so.
Cutting 2-3 inch pieces of white pipe cleaners.
And twisting the white pipe cleaners to connect the paper plates together. I made various sizes of snowmen with whatever paper plates I had on hand from previous crafts. I also pre-cut a few top hats, boots, and carrots out of construction paper.
After storytime, the kids chose a snowman and decorated him or her any way they wanted to. Before I read Snowballs, I told the kids to pay extra close attention to the illustrations to get ideas for their own snowpeople.
I also left out a few hole-punchers for kids to use if they wanted to attach pipe cleaner arms.
Or if they wanted to make a hook on the top of their snowman’s head.
Each and every one turned out so well. There were snowmen, snow women, snow kids, and snow animals.
Here’s L’s snowman. His name is “Frosty”. Rightfully so.
If you’d like to see the snowmen/women/kids/cats the library kids made at yesterday’s storytime, be sure to check out the Lawrence Public Library’s Snowpeople Album on Facebook.
Happy Winter!
