And Your Cat Can Sing: Ground Control to Major Tom Cat

Here are a few picture books for people who like singing cats:

 Barrett, Ron. Cats Got Talent. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2014. Print.

 Donaldson, Julia, and Axel Scheffler. Tabby McTat, the Musical Cat. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2012. Print.

Jaunn, Adele. Caruso's Song to the Moon. South Melbourne, Vic: Lothian Books, 2004. Print.

Litwin, Eric, and James Dean. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. New York, NY: Harper, 2012. Print.

My cat is a pretty good singer. He got lost once, and the folks who found him named him Piper because of his musical abilities. His real name is Kitty.

Here's a short clip of Kitty singing David Bowie's Space Oddity with me. (If you don't see the video box below, click here or go to http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/watchandlisten/play/be8d7dfc1
to view.)


"Ground Control to Major Tom Cat."

ps. I highly recommend buying David Bowie's music at my friend Al's record store, Exile on Main Street in Branford, Connecticut. You can even shop online:exileonmain.com.

pps. Back in the 80's, Al was my boss at Cutler's Records in New Haven. The Cutlers were really nice. They had a cat named Sheba who lived in the store.

ppps. The song Space Oddity is covered by two of my favorite actors in two of my favorite movies. Adam Sandler covers the song in Mr. Deeds, and Kristin Wiig sings it in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. 

pppps. Whoa! Here's a coincidence that never occurred to me before typing the previous sentence . . . James Thurber's short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty takes place in New Milford, Connecticut, and some of the scenes of Mr. Deeds were filmed in New Milford, Connecticut! I'll have to ask my cousin Allen Covert if he ever noticed the connection. 

ppppps. The last time I saw Allen was Christmas Day in 2000, so he might not remember me. 

pppppps. Here is a video clip of Adam Sandler singing Space Oddity in Mr. Deeds, and here is a clip of Kristen Wiig singing along with the David Bowie recording.

More books to match your costume

My post on finding a book to match your costume is featured in this morning's ALSC blog. Here are a few more ideas:

National Library Week 2014

Happy National Library Week! To celebrate, I asked some of my music friends how libraries have influenced their lives.

I couldn't afford sheet music in high school. The public library was the source of probably 75% of the music I learned to play during those years.
 --Jessica Auck

Jessica Auck

Literature is the single biggest influence in my life. There really is such a thing as a time machine. It's called a book. Our band has incorporated famous literary quotes and classic poetry into all our albums. One of our most popular songs is "I'm in Love with a Librarian."

 --Doug Fredericksen

Doug Fredericksen

I used to go to the University of Oregon library and copy old folk songs out of a few books they had there. Old English ballads and whatnot.
--Joel Swensen

Joel Swensen, my brother

I started playing guitar after I became a teacher some 25 years ago. I soon realized how many poems and stories I could bring to life through song. I had a parent that suggested I play for a story night at our public library. I did and it became a regular thing. It lead to a radio show on public radio and a band I play in plays annually for the library's Fall Festival. The library is a wonderful place for community and the written, and spoken word. I love the way stories cater to all ages.

--Kevin Barry

Kevin Barry

I know a lot about the history of Rock & Roll through reading, and it helps on my radio show. Go to WMFO.ORG Saturdays 1pm to 4pm.

--Brian Young

Brian Young

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance . . . It changed me.

--Jason Ohiyesa Crossman

Hooked on Phonics changed my life!
--BigDave

Gigglejuice.com

Telling Tales

Brown, Marcia, and Robert L. Egolf. Stone Soup: An Old Tale. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947.

A couple of weeks ago I read and told folktales to a group of visiting kindergartners. The children really surprised me with their reactions. I started with one of my childhood favorites Stone Soup about three hungry French soldiers who visit a town in search of a bite to eat. I asked the kids how they could tell it was an old story. I was expecting them to mention that the villagers didn't keep their food in a refrigerator, or that the streets were made of stones instead of cement, or that they cooked over a fire instead of an oven. Instead, one of the children shouted out "because there were Nazis!" Next I told the class a story from Ghana about Anansi the Spider, and they thought I had said "Nazi the Spider."

Kimmel, Eric A, and Janet Stevens. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock. New York: Holiday House, 1988.

It turned out that the children (kindergartners!) had recently learned about the Holocaust. I decided to switch my lesson plans around a bit and told the story of The Three Little Pigs. Afterward, we discussed who was meaner--Anansi the trickster or the Big Bad Wolf. (I left Hitler out of it.)

Galdone, Paul. The Three Little Pigs: A Folk Tale Classic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

Business and Leadership Books

My friend Vicki recently asked me to post a list of "10 things you might not know about me" on Facebook. This is the only entry that surprised my friends:

"I like to read pop business and leadership books. Right now I'm reading Garrett Miller's Hire on a WHIM: Four Qualities That Make for Great Employees. It's a fast read and offers great practical advice."

For the past 20 years or so, I have been reading business and leadership books. These books offer great advice for people in all fields of work, even children's librarianship. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Hired Right Out of College by Garrett Miller.

 Miller, Garrett, Marilyn Gasior, and Victor B. Miller. Hired 'right' Out of College: From Classes to Career : a Step-by-Step Guide to Discovering the Career You Were Born to Pursue. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing, 2012. Print. ISN: 9781457511363.

This career advice book is the next What Color is Your Parachute. Miller offers practical information in a concise and well-organized manner. Miller writes: "You can't be anything that you want to be, but you should be what you have been gifted to be." Miller's advice is  down-to-earth and inspirational at the same time. 

2. Hire on a WHIM by Garrett Miller.

 Miller, Garrett, Jim Thrasher, and Adele M. Annesi. Hire on a Whim: The Four Qualities That Make for Great Employees. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Pub, 2010. Print. ISN: 9781608445417.

There is more to hiring than just picking the candidate with the most charming personality. This  book is a must-read for anyone serving on a hiring committee. It can also be used as a manual for acing your next job interview. 

3. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg.

Sandberg, Sheryl. Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Print. ISN: 9780385349949.

"Sandberg’s advice to young women to be more ambitious, which can sound like a finger-wagging admonishment when taken out of context, is framed here in more encouraging terms — 'What would you do if you weren’t afraid?'— addressing the self-doubt that still holds many women back." 

--Anne-Marie Slaughter, The New York Times.

4. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson.

 Blanchard, Kenneth H, and Spencer Johnson. The One Minute Manager. New York: Morrow, 1982. Print. 

The One Minute Manager is included in the Time Magazine's list of "25 Most Influential Business Management Books." It is included in my top 5 because it offers simple steps to becoming a fair and productive leader. This is a fast read, of course.

5. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale.

Peale, Norman V. The Power of Positive Thinking. New York: Fireside/Simon & Schuster, 1952. Print. ISN: 9780743234801.

"The name of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale will forever be associated with the wondrously American values of optimism and service. Dr. Peale was an optimist who believed that, whatever the antagonisms and complexities of modern life brought us, anyone could prevail by approaching life with a simple sense of faith." --President Bill Clinton.

6. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Carnegie, Dale. How to Win Friends & Influence People. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1937. Print. ISN: 9780671027032.

"The book, a paean to integrity, good humor and warmth in the name of amicable capitalism, is as wholesome as a Norman Rockwell painting." --Dwight Garner, The New York Times.

Top Ten Books of 2013

Here are my picks for 2013:

1. We Are Water by Wally Lamb

Lamb, Wally. We Are Water. HarperCollins, 2013. Print. 

“We are water: ‘fluid, flexible when we have to be. But strong and destructive, too.’ That’s evident in this emotionally involving new novel from the author of She’s Come Undone…clear and sweetly flowing; highly recommended.” --Library Journal, starred review.

2. Stuck in the Middle with You by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Boylan, Jennifer F. Stuck in the Middle with You: Parenthood in Three Genders a Memoir. New York: Crown Publishers, 2013. Print. 

Like Wally Lamb, Jennifer Finney Boylan names her books after great song titles. Also like Wally Lamb, Jennifer Finney Boylan is an outstanding writer/teacher/social activist. If you like funny, honest, unique memoirs, you will love Stuck in the Middle with You.

3. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Sedaris, David. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. New York: Little, Brown, 2013. Print.

"Deeply satisfying.... Sedaris can bring to mind Anthony Trollope, P.G. Wodehouse, Alice Munro, and Woody Allen, sometimes in the same paragraph." --David Carr, New York Times Book Review.

4. The Wonder Bread Summer by Jessica Anya Blau

Blau, Jessica A. The Wonder Bread Summer: A Novel. New York: Harper Perennial, 2013. Print. 

“Raunchy, poignant, and triumphant in turn--and sometimes manages to be all three at the same time.” --Booklist

5.  Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

 Fielding, Helen. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Print. 

“Mad About the Boy is not only sharp and humorous, despite its heroine’s aged circumstances, but also snappily written, observationally astute and at times genuinely moving." --Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review.

6. Tapestry of Fortune by Elizabeth Berg

Berg, Elizabeth. Tapestry of Fortunes: A Novel. New York: Random House, 2013. Print. 

"Berg strips her writing down to what is essential and takes an unflinching look at lifelong regrets. The characters are so completely realized, even the bit players will settle in your heart." 

--Diane Holcomb, Booklist (starred review).

7. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

 Quick, Matthew. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock: A Novel. Little, Brown, 2013. Print. 

"...the novel presents a host of compelling, well-drawn, realistic characters-all of whom want Leonard to make it through the day safe and sound." --Kirkus.

8. Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill with Lisa Pulitzer

Hill, Jenna M, and Lisa Pulitzer. Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape. HarperCollins, 2013. Print. 

"Hill’s candid memories of growing up inside the Church of Scientology are notable not just for their detail but for the light they shed on an environment that fosters isolation, powerlessness, and privacy loss." --Publisher's Weekly.

9.The Invisible Girls by Sarah Thebarge

Thebarge, Sarah. The Invisible Girls: A Memoir. New York: Jericho Books, 2013. Print. 

"Thebarge's writing style is clear and breezy. From the beginning, there are compelling questions on the table." --The Oregonian

10. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Simsion, Graeme. The Rosie Project. Simon & Schuster, 2013. Print. 

"If you're looking for sparkling entertainment along the lines of Where'd You Go Bernadette and When Harry Met Sally, The Rosie Project is this season's fix." --Heller Mcalpin, NPR Books.

A Few Good Fox Books

Thanks to the viral video What Does the Fox Say, fox books are more popular than ever. Here are a few favorites:

Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox

 Blackaby, Susan, and Carmen Segovia. Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox. 

New York: Sterling, 2011. Print. 

Come Back, Moon

,

Kherdian, David, and Nonny Hogrogian. Come Back, Moon. , 2013. Print. 

 Ferdinand Fox's First Summer

 Holland, Mary. Ferdinand Fox's First Summer. Mt. Pleasant, SC: Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2013. Print.

 One Fine Day

 Hogrogian, Nonny, and Nonny Hogrogian. One Fine Day. New York: Macmillan Co, 1971. Print. 

 Hungry Hen

 Waring, Richard, and Caroline Church. Hungry Hen. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. Print. 

ps. To find out what the fox really says, read this excellent article from Popular Science magazine: 

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-09/what-sound-does-

Leonard Peacock and The Silver Linings Playbook

"The confluence of beauty and terror– that’s how my high school art history teacher described the sublime. A sublime painting or poem would spark fear or awe through natural beauty, grandeur, or infinity. Not long into Matthew Quick’s Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, I realized I was experiencing sublimity firsthand." -- Katie W. Beim-Esche, The Christian Science Monitor

"We should be grateful for a book that gets kids, and the leaders they’ll become, thinking about the problem now." --Nathan Heller, The New York Times.

Quick, Matthew. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock: A Novel. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2013. Print. 
 

Leonard Peacock plans to celebrate his 18th birthday by killing himself and his ex-best friend. Somehow Matthew Quick is able to take this dark subject matter and turn it into a hopeful, and sometimes funny, parable. It is the best YA book I've read so far this fall.

 

Quick, Matthew. The Silver Linings Playbook. New York: Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. Print.

I liked Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock even better than the author's most famous book, The Silver Linings Playbook. I shouldn't admit it, but this is one of the rare occasions that I preferred the movie to the book. It's a good book, but it's an amazing movie.
It has a great soundtrack, too, with songs by Dave Brubeck, Danny Elfman, Stevie Wonder, and White Stripes. You should buy it at my friend Al's record store, Exile on Main Street.

 

Silver Linings Playbook: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. New York: Sony Classical, 2012. Sound recording.

Chick lit subgenres

Gruen, Sara. Riding Lessons. New York, N.Y: HarperTorch, 2004. Print. 

 Middle-aged chick lit for horsey divorcées. Loved it!

 

 Blau, Jessica A. The Wonder Bread Summer: A Novel. New York: Harper Perennial, 2013. Print. 
 Bad girl chick lit for Billy Idol fans. Loved it!

Hopeful books

I read two great books this week. Both are about new beginnings.

Thebarge, Sarah. The Invisible Girls: A Memoir. New York: Jericho Books, 2013. Print.

A heartbroken young cancer survivor leaves New Haven, Connecticut and moves to Portland, Oregon to escape her problems. By chance, she meets a family of refugees from Somalia  on a commuter train and they form an instant bond as they navigate their new lives.

"Intertwining her own excruciating story of loss and rejection with the stirring story of a family of Somali refugees, The Invisible Girls is a testament to unwavering tenacity, resilient faith, and ineffable grace." --Karen Spears Zacharias, author of The Silence of Mockingbirds: The Memoir of a Murder.

 

Applegate, Katherine, and Patricia Castelao. The One and Only Ivan. New York: Harper, 2012. Print.

Ivan the Gorilla tolerates his life as a highway circus attraction. He is content to spend his days watching TV and eating and drawing pictures of bananas. When an orphaned  baby elephant is added to the act, however, he comes up with a plan for a better life.

If you liked Charlotte's Web, you will love this year's Newbery Medal winner, The One and Only Ivan.

"A beautifully written, intelligent and brave book. You will never look at the relationship of humans and animals in the same way again. Quite simply, this story is life changing." --Patricia MacLachlan, author of Sarah, Plain and Tall.