10 best books of 2010

In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite books that were published in 2010:

Franzen, Jonathan. Freedom. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010.

Quindlen, Anna. Every Last One: A Novel. New York: Random House, 2010.

Richards, Keith, and James Fox. Life. New York: Little, Brown and Co, 2010.

Steinberg, Avi. Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2010.

Cole, Henry. A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2010.

Waters, John. Role Models. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010.

Dickens, Charles, Chuck Fischer, and Bruce Foster. A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book. New York: Little Brown, 2010.

(Yes, I know that the original edition was published back in 1843.)

Schwartz, John. Short: Walking Tall When You're Not Tall at All. New York: Rb Flash Point, 2010.

Wood, Maryrose, and J. Klassen. The Mysterious Howling. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2010.

Thomas, Marlo. Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny. New York: Hyperion, 2010.

Have a very happy and healthy New Year's celebration.

Love,
Rebecca

A Christmas Carol

“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!” -Charles Dickens

Here's a great story to read this week:

Dickens, Charles, Chuck Fischer, and Bruce Foster. A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book. New York: Little Brown, 2010. Print.

I highly recommend Chuck Fischer's pop-up edition of A Christmas Carol. Not only is the book visually stunning, but it also contains the entire text of the Dickens classic. Here's a great article about Chuck and his latest creation: palmbeachdailynews.com.

ps. Have a happy Christmas.

The White House

N.C. Wyeth: George Washington and James Hoban. Smithsonian.
(After all his hard work, George Washington was the only president who didn't get to live in the White House.)

In honor of the traveling exhibit James Hoban: Architect of the White House that will be at our library through the end of November, we are having lots of events to make the display more meaningful for children. Every week we host at least 2 school field trips to the exhibit, and this Sunday afternoon we are having an old-fashioned White House tea party for elementary school age children. Thanks to a generous donation from the Charles P. Ferro Foundation, next month the wonderful architect Margi Nothard Glavovic will present a building workshop for kids of all ages.

Tea at the Kennedy's private home in Georgetown, 1960. (Tea parties aren't just for girls.) AP photo/file.

There are lots of fun facts about White House history. President Taft was so big that he had to have a special bathtub installed. It could fit at least 4 normal-sized men. (Oh my!)

Installing the super-size bathtub in 1911. (It looks like there's enough room for the 5th guy.) White House Museum

President Truman ordered an immediate renovation when the leg of his daughter's piano fell through the ceiling. (Nixon and Truman were both excellent pianists.)

Nixon accompanying Pearl Bailey in the East Room. National Archives.

The Secret Service uses code names for the First Family. Amy Carter's name was Dynamo, Jackie Kennedy was Lace, and Ronald Reagan was Rawhide. President Obama is Renegade, Michelle Obama is Renaissance, Malia is Radiance, and Sasha is Rosebud. G.W. Bush had two different code names--Tumbler and Trailblazer.

Radiance takes Bo for a run. AP photo/file.

Horses have played a big role in the history of the White House. In addition to lugging building supplies and providing transportation, they have served as wonderful pets. Theodore Roosevelt's children once sneaked their pony Algonquin upstairs in the elevator.

President Kennedy, John Jr., Caroline, and Macaroni. JFK Presidential Library.

I have enjoyed researching family life in the White House. Here is where I found most of my information:

Non-fiction books:

Roberts, Cokie. Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation. New York: William Morrow, 2004.

Without women, there would be no great presidents.

St, George J, and David Small. So You Want to Be President. New York: Philomel Books, 2000.

This hilarious history book is one of the few non-fiction titles to ever win the Caldecott Medal.

Roosevelt, Curtis. Too Close to the Sun: Growing Up in the Shadow of My Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor. New York: PublicAffairs, 2008.
See last week's post.

Fischer, Chuck. White House Pop-Up Book. New York: Rizzoli, 2004.

Kids go ape over this amazing 3-D book by one of my favorite artists, Chuck Fischer.

Websites:
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum: jfklibrary.org
Library of Congress: loc.gov
The White House Historical Association: whitehousehistory.org
The White House: whitehouse.gov

Here are three fun novels about White House kids:

Cabot, Meg. All-American Girl. Paw Prints Press, 2008.
Teen chick lit at its best.

Freeman, Martha. The Case of the Rock 'n' Roll Dog. New York: Holiday House, 2010
In this story the kids' mom is the president.

DeVillers, Julia, and Paige Pooler. Liberty Porter, First Daughter. New York: Aladdin, 2009.

Nine year old Liberty Porter wants to the be the best First Daughter ever.

'Tis the season

Here are some great books about the winter holidays:

Christmas in New York by Chuck Fischer

Fischer, Chuck. Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2005.

Buy this beautifully crafted pop-up book for your favorite New Yorker.

Rosen, Michael J., and Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson.
Elijah's Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas.
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992.

Elijah's Angel is about the friendship between a young Jewish boy and an elderly African-American folk artist. Considering the subject matter, the story is surprisingly sap-free and believable.

Demi. The Legend of Saint Nicholas. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2003.

I love that Demi doesn't worry about being politically correct. The author writes freely about religion and manages not to come across as preachy. This book is probably best suited for older readers as it includes some gory details about how St. Nicholas brought three children back to life after they had been murdered and marinated.

Demi. Mary. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2006.

This book is gentler than Demi's Saint Nicholas, but the writing style is a bit lofty for young readers. No matter. As with most of Demi's works, the pictures are what really counts.


And on the lighter side . . .

Seuss. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. New York: Random House, 1957.

Who doesn't love this Seuss classic? My favorite part is when the Grinch tries to disguise his dog as a reindeer.

Soto, Gary, and Ed Martinez. Too Many Tamales. New York: Putnam, 1992.

Personally, I don't think there's any such thing as too many tamales. I even like the frozen Goya ones.

Katz, Karen. My First Kwanzaa. New York: H. Holt, 2003.

This simple picture book is perfect for a preschool storytime program.

Kimmel, Eric A., and Trina Schart Hyman. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.
New York: Holiday House, 1989.

I love a good Hershel story. (There are also some good ones in Shari Lewis's One-Minute Jewish Stories.)

More Milk and Honey

Yolen, Jane, Louise August, and Adam Stemple. Milk and Honey: A Year of Jewish Holidays. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1996.

As I mentioned the other day, the title of Cracker's new CD, Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey, is a reference to the Old Testament verse:

"And I have come down to rescue them from the clutches of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that country, to a country rich and broad, to a country flowing with milk and honey . . ."
--Exodus 3:8.

One of my favorite collections of Jewish folklore is also named after this verse--Jane Yolen's Milk and Honey: A Year of Jewish Holidays (Putnam's Sons, 1996). I'm Catholic, but I'm fascinated by Jewish traditions and I learned a couple of new things from this book. For instance, the reason lots of fried dishes are served during Chanukah is to celebrate the miracle oil that kept the temple menorah alight for eight days.

Lewis, Shari, and Roberta Collier-Morales. One-Minute Jewish Stories. New York: Doubleday, 1989.

Another great collection of Jewish folklore is One-Minute Jewish Stories by Shari Lewis (Doubleday, 1989). You know Shari Lewis as the mother of Lamb Chop the sheep puppet. She brings humor to the Old Testament with stories like "How Moses Became a Stutterer" and "King David and the Spider's Web."

And speaking of the Old Testament . . .

Fischer, Chuck. In the Beginning: The Art of Genesis : a Pop-Up Book. New York: Little, Brown, 2008.

You have got to check out my friend Chuck Fischer's latest pop-up book: In the Beginning: The Art of Genesis (Little, Brown, 2008). The attention to detail in this art book is amazing. In addition to the intricate 3D paper art structures, there are little lift-the-flap style booklets with information about the Bible stories depicted on each page.



Chuck is an AMAZING artist. Visit his studio at chuckfischer.com. In addition to illustrating books, he is a master muralist and he also designs china patterns for Lenox.

ps. Pre-order your copy of Cracker's newest CD at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and iTunes.

More city stories

Here are a few more great books about life in the Big City:

Christmas in New York by Chuck Fischer

Fischer, Chuck. Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2005.

City Chicken by Arthur Dorros and Henry Cole

Dorros, Arthur, and Henry Cole. City Chicken. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Blume, Judy, and Roy Doty. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. New York: Dutton, 1972.

Chicken and Cat by Sara Varon

Varon, Sara. Chicken and Cat. New York: Scholastic Press, 2006.

Abuela by Arthur Dorros and Elisa Kleven

Dorros, Arthur, Elisa Kleven, and Sandra Marulanda Dorros. Abuela. New York: Puffin Unicorn, 1997.

And speaking of big cities . . .

Bemelmans, Ludwig. Madeline. New York: Viking Press, 1967.

Free Man in Paris is one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs. Check out this video:

Joni's got Jaco Pastorius*, Pat Metheny, and Lyle Mays up there with her. Talk about an all-star band!

Mitchell, Joni. Shadows and Light. Los Angeles, Calif: Asylum, 2003.

Here's the original, studio version from Court and Spark:

Mitchell, Joni. Court and Spark. [Los Angeles, Calif.]: Asylum, 1980.

*Did you know that Jaco Pastorius was from Broward County? Next time you're in Florida, be sure to visit Jaco Pastorius Memorial Park in Oakland Park.