My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza

Yes, it was my lucky day today discovering this book. My Lucky Day turns almost every previous fairy tale on its ear when fox meets piglet. This was a fun read aloud book, because all of the children were surprised because the story had a good unexpected ending. I would like to say more about Kasza's story, but I want each of you to have the same first encounter that I and my audience had with it today. The young children at my story corner today were able to appreciate the humor and surprise of the story because of a basic familiarity with common fairy tales. Good for ages 3 and up.

The other books read today:
1. Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott
I wasn't sure how the kids would respond to this book, but they all followed along, and made good predictions as the story progressed.
2. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss
I've linked to my previous review. As I said before I love the humor in this book, but I found when reading this to a younger crowd (most were under 5), I was having to explain a lot of the jokes because they didn't have enough prior knowledge of worms. I am also not sure if the younger groups are able to handle the diary entries (Though I didn't seem to have this problem when I read Diary of a Wombat)
3. Goodnight Lulu by Paulette Bogan
4. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

This is a fantastic book for a read aloud, there is an opportunity for your listeners to participate on almost every page. As much fun as the listeners had participating, I had more fun acting out the part of tantrum throwing pigeon. I am looking for more recommendations of books like this one by Mo Willems.

Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola

Kids love Tomie DePaola's tale of an Italian witch and her bumbling assistant, Big Anthony. This was my first of five books read today. Most of the kids had heard Strega Nona several times, but still insisted that I read it again. It was funny as I read the book I noticed one girl out of the corner of my eye who was mouthing all the words as I read the story. What a good feeling that was for me. One girl in my story corner read the book 10 times this weekend, and wanted me to read it again----I don't think I could give a better endorsement for a book.

The other 4 books that I read today were:

1. The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama
2. The Night the Iguana Left Home by Megan McDonald
3. Papa Get Me The Moon by Eric Carle
4. How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

Poodlena by E B McHenry

Poodlena is the diva of the city and of the dog park. She normally won't play with the other dogs because she doesn't want to wreck her perfect pink hairdo. But one day, the dog park is a muddy mess and Poodlena accidentally is bumped into the mud. She quickly realizes how much fun it is to get dirty and to play with the other dogs.

Fun drawings of the city and its dog, but be warned this book has a whole lot of pink in it. This may be the book for parents who are worried that their girls are too girly--and want them to have a little outdoor fun.

Poodlena website

The Golden Hour by Maiya Williams

Every book that I have reviewed up to this point has been a picture book. I really wanted my first chapter book review to be a good one, but unfortunately it isn't. I say that hesitantly, because I really liked the first third of the book.

The Golden Hour is the story of 13-year old Rowan and his 11-year old sister, Nina. Both of them are attempting to get over the death of their mother, and are sent to strange small town in Maine to spend some time with very unique Aunts. While exploring the town with 2 other children, they discover a hotel that becomes a time machine during that golden hour right before the sunsets each night.

The children end up traveling back to the time of the French Revolution (which I must confess is a time period that has never much interested me---which probably is the main reason why the book lost my interest) to search for Nina. They meet many people on their journey---I think there were too many characters also, making for a messier than necessary story.

If you have an interest and some knowledge of the French Revolution (which I doubt of most 9-12 year olds) than you will probably enjoy this book more than I did. Being that this book does partly take place during the French Revolution the story does have some violent content.

I did Enjoy Maiya Williams' opening chapters describing Rowan and Nina having to visit their aunts in a strange town with supposedly nothing to do. I also liked the way that she worked in some multi-cultural elements into her story without getting preachy, and treating them as problems the children had to solve especially being that they were in a time with very different attitudes.

Zigby Dives In by Brian Paterson

Zigby (a zebra) and his friends Bertie Bird (an African guinea fowl) and McMeer (a meerkat) have several misadventures when they try to go fishing. They lose their fishing net and encounter an octopus while trying to retrieve the net.

This is a simple book, but it has fun, bold, colorful illustrations. My favorite picture is of Zigby swimming with a school of zebra fish.

Children in the 6 and under crowd should enjoy this funny adventure story.

A Zigby website by the author and publisher.

Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin

"But keep an eye on Duck. He's trouble."

This is another book by Doreen Cronin (and illustrated by Betsy Lewin), the creators of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type which I reviewed previously.

As with Click, Clack, Moo this story takes place on Farmer Brown's Farm. Farmer Brown has decided to take a vacation (can you blame him with animals like these?). Farmer Brown's brother Bob has been left in charge of the farm. Unfortunately he is not aware of Duck's writing ability, and Duck's fondness to improve the quality of life for the animals and for making humans miserable.

I think this book may be even funnier and sillier than Click, Clack, Moo. Its a great read aloud that should be enjoyed by a wide range of children, but probably best for the 3-7 year old crowd. Another great introduction to the power of writing for the younger set, and possibly teaching the lesson not to believe everything that you read.

There is a third installment of these books called Duck for President which I plan on reviewing soon.

Confused Animals and Traveling

I really thought I was going to have a small Story Corner today. In fact I thought I might have to cancel it, because the library was holding another kids event at the exact same time as my Story Corner. Instead I ended up with my largest group so far, about 17 attendees. I had read five books already, when I usually stop at four. At this point, one of the young boys who had been sitting quietly the whole time handed me his firefighter book and asked me to read it also. How could I turn him down? It is hard to read a book out loud when you are seeing it for the very first time, but in the end the boy was happy with my reading.

1. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
2. Possum Come A-Knockin' by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by George Booth
3. Too Many Pears by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley
4. Are We There Yet? by Dandi Daley Mackall, illustrated by Shannon McNeill
5. Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burnigham
6. A book about a firefighter that now escapes me.

Boats and Dinosaurs That Go Bump, and A Lazy Lion

My Story Corner had a few more kids today. There seven of them listening at one point, and three of the kids are repeat visitors. My boss said something to cheer me up also...he was impressed that each of the kids was taking home one of the books that I read to the group. He said that proves that I made some sort of connection with the children. He said it is much better to connect with a small group than fail to connect with a large group.

We only read three books today. I have started picking the first book to read to the group and then I let the listeners pick the other books that I will read today.

1. I'm Mighty by Kate and Jim McMullan
2. Bumposaurus by Penny McKinlay, illustrated by Britta Teckentrup
3. The Lazy Lion by Mwenye Hadithi, illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway

I'm Mighty is about the day in the life of a tug boat. It shows how the tug boat moves the much larger ships around the harbor. The book is drawn in a very cartoony way (the tug boat talks)----but there is a lot of difficult vocabulary in the story for the under 5 crowd who are most attracted to the look of this book. I did enjoy reading the book, because it has lots of fun sound effects to make. Be careful when reading the book, because Mighty the Tug Boat "butts" into other boats when moving them. Kids could not stop laughing at the word "butt".

Bumposaurus is the tale of a near-sighted dinosaur and all the trouble that he gets into from the time he is born. A fun read with colorful illustrations. After the "butt" fiasco of I'm Mighty, more mayhem followed when Bumposaurus tried to eat his sister's tail. This is the quote from on of the kids in my audience today..."Yewwww, I wouldn't eat my sister's butt!"

The Lazy Lion is a story that explains why lions don't have homes and are always roaming the plains of Africa. The lion decides he is so important that someone else should build him a home. The lion goes around commanding other animals to build him a home since he is king of the beasts. Each of the animals that he encounters obeys his command and builds him a home just like that particular animal lives in. The lion is never satisfied for what is built for him. This is a good story about the pitfalls of being too bossy. It is an older book, but it still is a good read. Interesting drawings of lots of different African animals and their homes.

Dogs, Bears, Kites, and Goals-----Oh My!

Attendance was sparse at the library today, and especially for my Story Corner. At one point I only had one five year old girl and her mother listening. The girl was very interested and wanted me to keep reading, so I guess I should feel good about that. Since I was reading for the one girl, I let her pick from my larger selection of read aloud books. She picked every book on the list except Spike and Henry and the Kite Dragon.

1. Spike by Paulette Bogan
2. Where's My Teddy by Jez Alborough
3. Henry and the Kite Dragon by Bruce Edward Hall, illustrated by William Low
4. Wonder Goal by Michael Foreman
5. Giant Children by Brad Bagert

Spike is a funny story about a dog who decides he doesn't want to be a dog any more. He tries to become other animals such as a horse, a bird, and a chicken. As you can guess the results are disastrous. He eventually realizes that he does like being a dog, because he likes barking, playing Frisbee, and slurping his owner's face.

Where's My Teddy is the story of Eddie who loses his Teddy. As you can guess from just that sentence this story has lots and lots of rhyming. It is a very fast read aloud. Best for kids 3 to 6 years old.

Henry and the Kite Dragon is a story based in 1920's in New York City's Chinatown. The Chinese kites like to fly their kites off of their rooftops and scare birds. They end up getting into lots of fights with the neighboring Italian kids from Little Italy because unknowingly they have been scaring their pet birds. Both groups learn a little bit more about each other and learn about each other's traditions. A good read for kids 8 and above.

Wonder Goal is a great book for any aspiring soccer player you may know. A young boy is playing a game with his new team and he makes a "wonder goal"---the type of goal always featured in soccer posters with a diving or leaping goalie. The thoughts of the boy transition into him kicking another "wonder goal" at the World Cup final. The illustrations were wonderful, I especially liked the sketches on the inside front and rear covers of kids playing soccer around the world. I would like to see Michael Foreman incorporate those images into another story. This book would appeal to soccer players and sports fans ages 6 and up.

Giant Children is a collection of funny poems. Today I just read one funny poem about loving chocolate even the adults were laughing as I read this book.

Trains and Giants

My Story Corner was sparsely attended today---only about 5 kids showed up today. I'm really not sure why attendance was so small. I moved past the ocean and diving themes of last week. I thought I would try a train theme---which I'm not sure if it went over that well.

Books
1. Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell, illustrated by Ted Rand
2. Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
3. The Spiffiest Giant by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
4. I Dream of Trains by Angela Johnson, illustrated by Loren Long
5. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French, illustrated by Bruce Whatley (repeated from June 18)

I have about 50 books pre-selected for my Story Corners this summer. I usually spend about 30 minutes looking over my books and trying to pick 4 or 5 books to read for a particular day. I still am not sure what age group I am going to get any particular day. My group ranged in age from about 2 to 8 today...making it very difficult to find the "right" books. But I noticed that I had several books on my shelf related to trains (I consider a roller coaster in the train family).

Mailing May and Roller Coaster I knew would both be received well, but I Dream of Trains I wasn't sure. In fact at one point I put down I Dream of Trains and went right to The Spiffiest Giant. Well the kids were still eager for more stories so I tried I Dream of Trains, well I should have trusted my instincts--the kids weren't into it, I wasn't into it...so we were all bored and depressed by the end. The story is about a young black child picking cotton in the south and dreaming of riding the train with the legendary Casey Jones. Of course it talks about wanting to escape the fields and the death of Casey Jones. I need to read the book again, but on this particular day it just wasn't the right book. This book should probably be saved for children ages 8 and up.

Mailing May is a fun story about a girl being sent as a package to her grandmother in Idaho during the late 1800's. It is a fun story that paints an interesting picture of olden days and adults bending the rules to make something happen. This story can be understood by children 6 and up---but there are a few tricky vocabulary words that will need to be explained to children.

Roller Coaster is a fun and colorful book detailing a girl's first ride on a roller coaster. The book creates the feeling of actually being on a roller coaster as it zips and turns. It talks about fear and overcoming fear. This is a very fun read aloud book. Good for all ages.

The Spiffiest Giant is the story of a giant who is a slob and decides one day he should dress better. He is also a very kind giant who gives all his clothes away to help the various animals in the forest. In the end the giant decides he doesn't need the fancy clothes because he would rather be comfortable. There is lots of rhyming with animal names...makes it easy for children to participate as the story goes on. A fun read aloud especially for kids ages 3 to 7.

After the mistake of trying to close with I Dream of Trains, I brought out the book Diary of a Wombat again. I needed something that would allow all the children to leave on a positive note. The book worked as planned.

Folks Call Me Appleseed John by Andrew Glass

Author and Illustrator: Andrew Glass
Ages: 7 and up

This book tells about when Appleseed John's brother Nathaniel came to live with him while John was still living in western Pennsylvania. John was already used to the wilderness lifestyle, Nathaniel was not ready for it. Though this book tells only about one episode of his life, it really isn't a good introduction to the Johnny Appleseed tales. There is very little mention of his planting of apple trees, or even the importance of apple trees in this book. It also skips over the fact of Johnny's religious beliefs and missionary work. Skipping over Johnny's religious beliefs and the importance of apples gives this character no sense of purpose.

This book requires that the reader know something about Johnny Appleseed already---almost everyone (animals included) he encounters in this book responds favorably to Johnny because they already know his stories. A beginning reader is likely to be as familiar with Johnny.

One book, though it is a chapter book instead of a picture book, that I would recommend is The Sun, the Rain, and the Apple Seed: A Novel of Johnny Appleseed's Life by Lynda Durrant. It gives a much more detailed and well rounded account of his life.

Exploring the Deep Dark Sea (non-fiction)

Author & Illustrator: Gail Gibbons
Ages: 4-10

This book is good introduction to modern oceanography for children. It shows the submersibles and other equipment used by oceanographers use to make their discoveries. The book also shows the different ocean zones as the submersible dives deeper and deeper. Gail Gibbon's illustrations show the variety of ocean life that is encountered within each ocean zone.

Gibbons' drawings are basic but they do a good job of showing ocean life. She closes her book with a three page history of diving and ocean facts. Not a bad book, but some of the vocabulary will be difficult for the younger readers.

Impromptu Story Corner

The library doesn't have a Story Corner scheduled on Fridays, because fewer people visit on Friday and we operate on half staff those days. But this Friday a group of 25 kids showed up at the same time all wanting to use the 6 children's computer terminals. I could sense there was about to be trouble so I threw together an impromptu Story Corner. I'm glad it happened also, because the rest of the day had been very. It seemed like a good day for humor so I read two books: Diary of a Wombat and Stinky Smelly Feet: A Love Story.

Diary of a Wombat
Author: Jackie French
Illustrator: Bruce Whatley
Ages: 3 and up

This book has some similarities to Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. Both of them are the diaries of two seemingly dull animals, and both books are wickedly funny. French and Cronin achieve their humor in two different ways. The worm in Cronin's book has very human qualities beyond writing a diary such as dancing, talking, and wearing a baseball hat. French allows her wombat to remain a wombat (other than the fact it is keeping a diary), but the diary is almost written as a series of observations of the wombat's activities---sleeping, scratching, and eating. The comedy in Diary of a Wombat is much more believable, though more subtle than that of Diary of a Worm. Both books are very funny. I think it would be interesting to see both author's try and write a diary for the other animal....I think French would have some interesting and subtle observations to share about the life of a worm that were lost in the more direct comedy of Cronin in her book.

I am going to find some more books that are Diaries of various animals. I think that it would make for a good theme for a future Story Corner. I think both books would make for a good introduction to a diary writing lesson. Diary of a Wombat would be a good book for starting a science lesson about observation.

Stinky, Smelly Feet: A Love Story
Author: Margie Palatini
Illustrator: Ethan Long
Ages: 4 to 10

This is a cute story about two ducks, Douglas and Dolores, that are falling in love. Unfortunately, Douglas has extremely stinky feet. In the end love conquers all, including stinky feet and they live happily ever after. The book, especially its premise, is very funny, but the book probably drags on a little bit longer than necessary. Would I share it again, yes because its funny and every young kid knows someone that has stinky feet.

I'm not sure how I could apply it to a classroom setting, maybe as an introductory reading in a hygiene lesson for health. Palatini does maintain a wonderful web site for herself which contains many activities and study guides for her books.

Stars, Sharks, and Monsters

There was another activity taking place at the same time as my story corner today so I only had 5 children attend. It was good because each of the children attending were very inquisitive, so we had lots of little discussions.


How to Catch a Star
Author & Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
or this link also.
Ages: 4 and up

This wonderful book reminded me of The Little Prince. The ephemeral nature of all that is around us. The importance of friendship. This is my favorite book that I have read this week. Its short and sweet, and it intrigues kids.

Olivia
Author & Illustrator: Ian Falconer
Ages: 3 and up

This is a fun story about a pig who makes mischief all day long. My favorite was her going to the art museum and trying to make sense out of a Jackson Pollock painting and then attempting to recreate it on her bedroom wall.

Surprising Sharks
Author: Nicola Davies
Illustrator: James Croft
Ages 4-10

A non-fiction book of sharks that can be used both with beginning readers and those slightly more advanced. The book mainly points out that there are many different kinds of sharks. Sharks can be dangerous, but not as dangerous as humans are to shark. It works well as a read-aloud selection if one skips the more detailed shark descriptions and concentrates on the narrative.


Go Away, Big Green Monster
Author & Illustrator: Ed Emberly
Ages 3-7

A simple picture book that allows the child to encounter a Big Green Monster and then conquer their fear of the monster part by part. The artwork is imaginative and colorful. The book would also work well with children who are learning their basic colors or learning parts of the face.

I am not doing another Story Corner until Monday so I will try to write some reviews of some other books that I have read lately. Hopefully I will get some books up for the older kids soon.

Rainy Days, Bad Moods, and other books

This is going to be a really short post, because I am dead tired tonight.

We covered five books in the Story Corner today.

Raindrops Plop
Author: Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Illustrator: Pam Paparone
Ages: 5 and under
Summary: Fun rhymes about a rainy day and good 1-10 counting practice (forward and backward).

Orson Blasts Off!
Author & Illustrator: Raul Colon
Ages 7-11
Summary: Bored because his computer is broken, Orson is taught to use his imagination by his Jack-in-the-box, Weasel. Orson and Weasel have all sorts of different adventures at the North Pole, at sea, and in outer space. I wasn't completely crazy about the book's writing, which is confusing and lacking in spots.

Clever Crow
Author: Cynthia DeFelice
Illustrator: S.D. Schindler
Ages: 4-10
Summary: A tricky crow plays lots of tricks on Emma and her family in order to capture various shiny things. Emma decides to trick the crow to save the day. The book has lots of rhymes and lots of opportunities for audience participation.

Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day
Author: Jamie Lee Curtis
Illustrator: Laura Cornell
Ages 4 and up
Summary: This is a fun book about the wide range of emotions that all of us feel day to day. It builds self-esteem by letting us know that each of these wildly changing emotions are necessary and valid. Not to mention the book and its rhymes are just plain funny to read.

Splash
Author & Illustrator: Ann Jonas
Ages 6 and under
Summary: A good book for introducing addition and subtraction as various animals take turns jumping in and out of a pond. The book has lots of action and could also be used for a ecology lesson for the very young.

An abundance of positive reviews?

I don't have patience with books I don't like. So if I don't like a book it is hard for me to put the effort into it that reviewing would entail.

At this point I am reviewing mainly books that I am using for my read alouds at the library---so I don't want to pick a stinker. I am also getting lots of great advice from other people in the library about good books to pick. I suspect that as I get further and further into this project that eventually I will read some books that will go on a stinker list, but for the near future don't be suprised if you are seeing lots of positive reviews.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Author: Doreen Cronin
Illustrator: Betsy Lewin

Today was my first read aloud at the library. I read four books today: Fish Wish , The Day I Became A Pirate, The Old Man and The Flea, and Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type.

I previously reviewed both Fish Wish and The Day I Became A Pirate. Both books were well received, especially the pirate book. Probably better received because it is fun to talk like a pirate---there were lots of spots that I was able to have the kids act like pirates. I will talk about The Old Man and the Flea in a future review.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is fantastic because it is funny and mildly subversive at the same time. Even though most kids in attendance had heard the book (and most multiple times) they were clamoring to hear the story once again. A brief summary of the story is that the cows have somehow obtained an old typewriter, and they have been using it to write letters and make demands of their boss Farmer Brown. As you can guess Farmer Brown doesn't like to be told what to do by his cows, or any of his other animals for that matter. Problems escalate and before you know it the cows are on strike.

This book has fun artwork, fun word pacing (just practice saying "Click, Clack, Moo" to yourself several times and you will see what I mean), and a fun plot. I loved it, and more importantly the kids loved it.

Doreen Cronin has also written two other related books: Giggle, Giggle, Quack and Duck for President. She also wrote another favorite of mine, which I reviewed previously: Diary of a Worm.

I look forward to reading more of Cronin's future work. I certainly hope she keeps up her subversive streak.

Secret Seahorse

Author: Stella Blackstone
Illustrator: Clare Beaton

Ages: 2 to 5

Secret Seahorse has similar collage artwork to that as Fish Wish which I reviewed recently. Both are simple books aimed at the younger crowd, but the text in Secret Seahorse is written as a rhyming poem. Each page also has a seahorse for the reader to find.

The prose and the artwork are both very playful. More detailed information about coral reefs and its creatures are found on the final pages of the book. If choosing between Secret Seahorse and Fish Wish---I would probably pick Secret Seahorse just because the book works on multiple levels for multiple readings.

The Monster at the End of This Book

Author: Jon Stone

The Monster at the End of This Book had drifted from my memory until I bumped into this morning while shelving books. Just seeing the cover brought an instant smile to my face. My smile continued to grow as I opened the book and Grover began to plead with me to avoid the monster at the end of the story. He pleads, he blocks, and does everything in his power to stop me from reaching the end.

The book is a big self-esteem booster because Grover recognizes the readers strength, determination, and courage as he or she moves closer to the end and the monster. I won't say more about the book just in case the book has slipped your mind also so that you can have the same happiness that I experienced this morning.

What better praise can I give for a book other than the fact that it has been 14 hours since I read it, and thinking about it still makes me smile. Thank you Grover!!

Fish Wish

Author-Artist: Bob Barner

Ages: 2-6

Fish Wish is the story of a boy imagining to be a clownfish living in a coral reef. He tells of the clownfish seeing dolphins, turtles, jellyfish, seahorses, shrimps, crabs, an octopus, and a squid.

The text is very simple and short. This book is about the wonderful collages that Barner has created to show the beauty of the coral reef. The book contains a picture glossary so that the child and reader can identify the various creatures seen in the story. The last page of the book contains more details children, parents, or teachers wishing to learn more about coral reefs.

Fish Wish is a great book, with whimsical artwork, for the youngest children who enjoy fish, ocean life, aquariums, or Finding Nemo.

One Small Place in a Tree

Author: Barbara Brenner
Illustrator: Tom Leonard

Ages 4-8

One Small Place in a Tree is a very interesting book in that it explores a forest by examining a single hole in a oak tree. Leonard's colorful pictures bring us into this forest so that we can watch what is happening. Brenner simply and precisely explains to us what we are watching as if she was taking us on a field trip to this actual tree.

We witness a bear scratching a tree, bugs digging small holes into those scratches, birds pecking deeper holes into the bug holes, various animals using the ever expanding hole as a home or a nest, to the eventual fall and further decay of the oak tree. Even after the tree has fallen she shows us how this tree continues to be important to the forest.

I would recommend this book for young children interested in nature and animals. One Small Place in a Tree would make an excellent read aloud book to introduce a science lesson about animal habitats or plant life cycles.

Home & Window

Author-Artist: Jeannie Baker

Ages: 5 and up

Home and Window are both similar wordless picture books by author-artist, Jeannie Baker. Both books are similar in that the picture is the changing view out of a single window over approximately 25 years.

In the book, Home, Baker shows the changes that occur to a girl and her urban neighborhood. In the book, Window, Baker shows the changes that occur with a boy as his rural home becomes enveloped by a growing suburban community.

The window pictures in both books are stunning collages created by the artist. Each time I look at her work I discover new details that had to the story. Children who are fans of Eye Spy books should get a kick out of her work trying to find changes and similarities as time progresses.

Without the use of a written story (there are words scattered throughout the pictures), Baker is able to make important points about the interactions humans have with their environment. She recognizes that these interactions can be both positive and negative. Both books also show the importance of family in the development of children.

I can't say it enough, but I love Jeannie Baker's work. If you decide to experience her books give them the time that they truly deserve. I can't wait to see more of her work.

Because of the detail of her collages I could not see using this book in a group setting. The pictures need to be studied in detailed. But I would easily recommend this book to students. It would be interesting to use for an art class to show the possibilities of collages. It would be an excellent book to use with a social studies class studying communities. An interesting project that would work with all age levels is to have children write the story that should go along with these pictures.

I can't stress it enough, these are fantastic books.

Storytime topics

I will be running one of the story hours at the local library branch this summer. I am trying to put together some good ideas for books to read. At this point these are the themes I am thinking about. I will be having kids age 3-10 taking part. So each day I am hoping to read one younger book and one older book.

I welcome any suggestions for books that would be appropriate for the themes. I will be reading Monday - Thursday---so I need approximately 8-12 books for each theme.

My tentative theme list:

Week 1: Under the Sea
Week 2: Around the World in a Week
Week 3: Something Old, Something New (Caldecott Classics and Recent Arrivals)
Week 4: The United States
Week 5: Creativity
Week 6: Real People and True Stories
Week 7: Funny Books
Week 8: Ohio Writers

Other possible topics

Boys only/Girls only, Poetry, Families, Chapter Book Beginnings, Nature

Well the new job starts tomorrow so time for me to get some sleep.

How I Became a Pirate

Author: Melinda Long
Illustrator: David Shannon

Ages: 4 and up

I loved this book. What kid (or adult for that matter) wouldn't love the idea of becoming a pirate. No rules to follow! Buried Treasure! And of course getting to say "AAARGH!"

This book tells of Jeremy Jacob's day at the beach when he is invited to come along with the pirate Braid Beard and his crew. Jeremy is picked at the beach because of his excellent digging skills.

Jeremy has a great time being a pirate until he learns about some of the other things that pirates don't do----such as tucking him in at night or reading bedtime stories. Jeremy must now find a way to get the pirates to take him home.

This is a great read-aloud story. Melinda Long's writing is fantastic. The pirate dialouge is as much fun to hear as it is to read. David Shannon (the author and illustrator of No, David!, and many other books) has created fantastic whimsical and very detailed pictures for this story.

I can think of several opportunities to use this book during a school year. I might use it at the beginning of a school year to show the need for rules, procedures, and schedules. I might use it in Social Studies to introduce map making and map reading. I might even think about using it for health class to discuss the reason for proper nutrition. It would be fun to use for a writing class to show the use of exclamations and of dialogue.

I give How I Became a Pirate a big thumbs up.

My Teacher Likes to Say

Author: Denise Brennan-Nelson
Illustrator: Jane Monroe Donovan

Ages: 7 and up

My Teacher Liks to Say is a good introduction to the strange way adults sometimes use language. It tries to explain various expressions we often use without thinking, such as "I'm as hungry as a bear". It explains the expressions in two main ways, a silly illustration of the phrase and a more in depth explanation of the origins of a particular phrase or saying. Donovan's illustrations are fantastic and really make kids form an image of these various expressions.

The book is written in verse making it silly in a corny sort of way, I would still think about using this book as a read-aloud with writing and reading classes to expose them to various ways of using language. I would think this book would be especially helpful for using with English as a 2nd Language students (at all age levels).

I give My Teacher Likes to Say a guarded thumbs up, but only if you are looking for a book to introduce idioms to your class.

If you are interested there is a similar book by Brennan-Nelson and Donovan called My Momma Likes to Say.

Diary of a Worm

Author: Doreen Cronin
Illustrator: Harry Bliss

Ages: 4 to 8

Diary of a Worm was a hilarious book. The book is exactly what the title says, it is the diary of the worm. The worm tells about its daily adventures. Worm's diary entries contain advice from his mother (Never bother Daddy when he's eating the newspaper), his friendship and adventures with a spider, avoiding humans, and interacting with others in his neighborhood. He also shares his dreams and nightmares.

Harry Bliss's illustrations really add to this story. The words and pictures work so well together, almost like a comic book. His illustration showing the fear caused by girls playing hopscotch was one of my favorites.

I give this book a big thumbs up, it would be a great book for kids to read by themselves or as a read-aloud.

I would use this book for a class that was starting to do journaling, in order to give them ideas about talking about their life. It would also be a good book to use when talking about calendars, but I wish it covered more months than March to August (maybe that means a sequel is on the way). I would also use this book as a fun introduction to a science class on worms or ecology.

Books for Kids

I am a big fan of children's literature. I've been working as a teacher since 2000. I have taught 4th graders for 2 years, and grades K-8 as a substitute teacher. This summer I will be working as a Summer Reading Assistant for the Columbus Metropolitan Library. I will be reading lots of new books this summer for my job and this will be primarily used by me to keep track of what I read, what I like, and what I don't like. I will also be listing some ideas about how I might incorporate this into future lesson plans.

Feel free to use this as a source for finding good books for kids. I am not going to concentrate on any particular grade level. There will be picture books read for the younger (and the older) kids. Lots of chapter books will be read also aimed at beginning readers to young adult.

These are some books that I currently list among my favorites:

The Tale of Despereaux (being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread) by Kate DiCamillo.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald

The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Holes by Louis Sachar

The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater

The Old Man and the Flea by Mary Elizabeth Hanson ; illustrated by David Webber Merrell