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:

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.

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-

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.

 

 

2013 Pura Belpré Award

Each year delegates from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the
National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA) present the Pura Pura Belpré Award to an author and illustrator "whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth."

Benjamin Alire Sáenz was presented the author award for the coming of age novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. This groundbreaking title also won the Stonewall Book Award and the Michael L. Printz Award.





David Diaz won the illustrator award for the picture book biography, Martín de Porres: The Rose in the Desert.

I really loved both books. 

G is for Goat

 

 Photo by Jonathan Segel. Buy his music here.

Here are three of my favorite goat books:

 Polacco, Patricia, and Patricia L. Gauch. G Is for Goat. New York, N.Y: Philomel Books, 2003. Print. 

Genre: Picture Book

Subgenre: Alphabet Book 

Goodness gracious . . . it's an all-goat alphabet book by the author of Pink and Say!

Block, Francesca L. Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. Print. 

Genre: Young Adult Literature

Subgenre: Magical Realism for Teens

Cherokee Bat and Witch Baby start a psychedelic rock band called The Goat Guys. This is the third book in Francesca Lia Block's critically acclaimed Dangerous Angels series. 

Galdone, Paul, and Peter C. Asbjr̈nsen. The Three Billy Goats Gruff. New York: Clarion Press, 1973. Print. 

 Genre: Folklore
Subgenre: Eat Me When I'm Fatter Story

"Once upon a time there were three Billy Goats. They lived in a valley and the names of all three Billy Goats was ‘Gruff." Read more about this classic tale in Anita Silvey's Children's Book-A-Day Almanac.

Baker, Keith. Big Fat Hen. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1994. Print. 
Genre: Picture Book
Subgenre: Eat Me When I'm Fatter Story

It doesn't have anything to do with goats, but Big Fat Hen is my favorite "eat me when I'm fatter" story. It's quite suspenseful and always gets a big laugh at storytime.

ps. "Eat Me When I'm Fatter" is an official subgenre of folk literature: pitt.edu. 

Children's Books about the History of American Music

Here are just a few of the books we are going to share with children this week at the library:

Rockwell, Anne F, and Colin Bootman. Hey, Charleston!: The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band. Minneapolis:Carolrhoda Books, 2013. Print.

Parker, Robert A. Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008. Print.

Ryan, Pam M, and Brian Selznick. When Marian Sang. New York: Scholastic, 2002. Print.

Stamaty, Mark A. Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis  Shook Up Music, Me, and Mom. New York: Knopf, 2010. Print.

Golio, Gary, and Javaka Steptoe. Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow : a Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix. Boston: Clarion Books, 2010. Print.

Raschka, Christopher. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. New York: Orchard Books, 1992. Print.

Back from Seattle #alamw

This year's ALA Midwinter Meeting was one of the best conferences I've ever attended. We got back from Seattle late last night. I'm too tired to write much now, so I'll be lazy and just post some links.

Here are a couple of posts I wrote for the ALSC blog:

Random House and Rock & Roll

Early Morning Meetings

Hungry in Seattle

The ALA Youth Media Awards are the Academy Awards of children's literature. Here's a link to this year's winners:

American Library Association announces 2013 Youth Media Award winners


Two books from my Best Books of 2012 list won awards. Since my list includes mostly adult books, this isn't a bad average.

Caldecott Honor recipient Extra Yarn

 

Alex award recipient

New Camper Van Beethoven!

I'm so excited. Look what came in the mail yesterday . . .

It's the new Camper Van Beethoven CD, La Costa Perdida! I pre-ordered it a couple of weeks ago from Newbury Comics and it was well worth the wait. If you like The Beach Boys, The B 52's, Beck, and the Beatles' White Album, you will love La Costa Perdida. Check out the first single:



I highly recommend buying a hard copy in addition to an mp3. Why?

Because the CD features beautiful artwork by renowned children's book illustrator, Michael Wertz!

Michael illustrated the critically acclaimed children's books A Dazzling Display of Dogs and A Curious Collection of Cats. I think his next book should be A Hilarious Herd of Horses. What do you think?



Rocarra, Princess, and Ned said they'd love to model for Michael.

 

ps. I think Ned has a crush on the cover girl.

 

pps. Read the Wertzateria blog to learn more about Michael and his Camper Van Artwork.

ppps. Rocarra is also a big Sparklehorse fan.

 

When a loved one is incarcerated

Last week I wrote a post for the ALSC blog about how libraries can serve children whose parents are incarcerated. I'm kind of proud of it, so please give it a read. Here's the link: alsc.ala.org/blog

As you can imagine, it is very stressful to have a family member in jail or prison. Many people feel ashamed and are too embarrassed to talk about the situation with new acquaintances. There are financial problems. It can be heartbreaking to be separated from a loved one. Children miss their parents and worry about their safety.

Here are three picture books that might help children in this situation feel a little less alone:

 Woodson, Jacqueline, and James Ransome.  

Visiting Day. New York: Scholastic Press, 2002. Print.

Higgins, Melissa, and Wednesday Kirwan. The Night Dad Went to Jail: What to Expect When Someone You Love Goes to Jail. Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, 2012. Print. 

 Brisson, Pat, and Laurie A. Caple. Mama Loves Me from Away. Honesdale, Pa: Boyds Mills Press, 2004. Print.

Best Books of 2012

Here are my picks for the 12 best books of 2012, listed in alphabetical order:

1. Buddy: How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man by Brian McGrory. Memoir.

McGrory, Brian. Buddy: How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man. New York: Crown Publishers, 2012. Print. 

Columnist Brian McGrory seemed to have the perfect life. He lived in a big, sunny brownstone within walking distance to Newbury Street, Fenway Park, and his dream job at The Boston Globe. He had a beach house in Kennebunkport where he would escape for weekends with his beloved dog Harry. When Harry passes away, however, Brian's life changes drastically. He falls in love with a beautiful veterinarian named Pam, and moves to the suburbs to start a new life with her and her daughters, dogs, rabbits, and a territorial rooster named Buddy.

If you liked Marley & Me you will love Buddy. This book will make a great gift for your favorite uncle, co-worker, or stepdad. 


2. Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen. Picture Book

Barnett, Mac, and J Klassen. Extra Yarn. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2012. Print.

3. In One Person by John Irving. Adult Novel.

 Irving, John. In One Person: A Novel. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print. 

4. The Letter Q: Queer Writers' Notes to their Younger Selves edited by Sarah Moon. Young Adult Nonfiction.

Moon, Sarah. The Letter Q: Queer Writers' Notes to Their Younger Selves. New YorkY: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2012. Print. 

5. Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead. Middle Grade Novel.

 Stead, Rebecca. Liar and Spy. Random House Children's Books, 2012. Print.


6. The Lost Thing by Cynthia Linville. Poetry.

 Linville, Cynthia. The Lost Thing: Poems. Cold River Press, 2012. Print.

7. Sharp by David Fitzpatrick. Memoir.


Fitzpatrick, David. Sharp: A Memoir. New York: William Morrow & Co, 2012. Print.

8. Survive by Alex Morel. Young Adult Fiction.

 

 Morel, Alex. Survive. New York: Razorbill, 2012. Print. 

The Bell Jar meets Hatchet meets Into the Wild.

9. Unspoken by Henry Cole. Picture Book.


Cole, Henry. Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad. New York: Scholastic, 2012. Print.

10. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. Adult Novel.   

 Semple, Maria. Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2012. Print.

If you like the TV show Portlandia, you will love this funny book about a mother who absolutely hates Seattle. The New York Times calls it "comedy heaven."

11. Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Middle Grade Fiction.

Palacio, R J. Wonder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Print.

12.  Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners by Henry Alford. Adult Nonfiction

Alford, Henry. Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That?: A Modern Guide to Manners. New York: Twelve, 2012. Print.