Kids Reads

The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett.

Brett has taken The Three Bears and moved it to the Arctic where Cinderella is a little Inuit girl named Aloo-ki who has managed to get separated from her sled dogs.  The three polar bears are out for a walk waiting for their porridge to cool when they discover the dogs trapped on an ice floe.  Aloo-ki discovers the bears' igloo where she is drawn in by the smell of porridge, she tastes them all, then moves into the igloo further to try on three different sizes of boots and finally to fall asleep on the perfect sleeping bench.  Meanwhile the bears save the dogs and return home to discover Aloo-ki asleep.

Brett has refreshed this traditional tale by not only moving its location but infusing it with regional details.  I really enjoyed Brett's attention to the smallest details in her illustrations.  The story is carried forward not only by the main illustrations on each page, but also the side panels where the other branch of the story is happening.  The side panels also have whimsical arctic animals dressed for the wintry weather. 

A perfect winter book, this is a good book to share with a few children at a time so that the details of the illustrations can be enjoyed.  Highly recommended for ages 4-7.

Ivan the Terrier by Peter Catalanotto.

As the author tries to tell stories like the Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs, he is constantly being interrupted by Ivan, a small black and white dog.  Ivan bursts into each story, barks loudly and makes a horrible mess.  When finally the author decides to tell a story featuring Ivan himself, Ivan ignores him.

The illustrations of each fairy tale are deep colored and pastoral, but when Ivan arrives, each image has bright white as a background and all pastoral feeling is gone.  It is a dynamic way to make the illustrations burst with noise and surprise as well as the words.  The language of the book uses the same model from calm storytelling to a wild burst of yelling and scolding of Ivan. 

If you are looking for a story to capture the attention of children at the end of a preschool storytime, you have found it.  Recommended for sharing with a group, especially if you are not afraid of really yelling out loud.  This book will have children giggling and demanding a return of Ivan as soon as possible.

Glass slipper, gold sandal: a worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis.

Fleischman has created a picture book that pays tribute to the varied Cinderella stories from around the world.  The storyline of the book follows the Cinderella tale, but touches from each country can be felt.  What could have been a muddled mishmash is a truly amazing experience as readers see the differences and the similarities in Cinderella tales.  A large part of the success is Fleischman's ability to showcase cultures in single lines, small details and wording.  Another part of the book's success are the illustrations which have bright colored frames that allude to other details of the story in that culture.  Each frame offers insight into the differences of that exact story, and the book could be read again and again looking at the various pictures.

This is exactly what is meant by a multicultural story.  It is a celebration of both our kinship and our diversity.  A must-purchase for all public libraries, you will find that older children who have a sense of different countries will enjoy this more than 4-6 year olds.  Highly recommended for folktale units or just for the joy of sharing.

Nobody Notices Minerva by Wednesday Kirwan.

Minerva just can't get noticed by her family!  No matter how very naughty she is, her mother and father just ignore her.   Finally, it is too much to take and Minerva starts to cry.  Her father sits near her and explains that he has noticed her and that she probably wants to be noticed for other things than being naughty.  So Minerva makes up her mind to be noticed for being very good.  And it works!

Minerva is a charming little whirling dervish of a child.  The scowl on her face and the attitude of her body completely encapsulate her attitude.  The illustrations are bright, and vibrantly colored.  The book is well done with just the right amount of information for the reader who will also be worried that Minerva's parents ignore her!  I haven't seen a book before on ignoring unwanted behavior, and this one captures it perfectly.

Recommended as a book to share with preschool groups or with your own child.

The Story of Charles Atlas, Strong Man by Meghan McCarthy.

This is a picture book biography of Charles Atlas, who started life with the name of Angelo Siciliano.  Atlas came to the U.S. from Italy through Ellis Island.  Throughout his boyhood he was the victim of bullies.  When he saw a statue of Hercules at a museum, Atlas was inspired to get himself into shape.  But the first weights he used don't seem to work.  Finally, Atlas created a new fitness routine and his body started to change.  His career after that was all based on his muscles and body.  He sold his fitness course to millions of people and his measurements are on file as the perfect human specimen. 

Picture book biographies often are dry and uninspiring, but this one will hold the interest of readers.  Even children uninterested in body building will be inspired by the way Atlas refused to give up and persevered in changing his life and build.  There is much more here than muscles, there is a real heart.

Recommended for children who normally won't read picture books, this melding of picture book and true story will perfectly suit some readers.  The book also reads aloud well, and could be used in elementary school as a great example of a biography. 

Orange in January by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Julie Maren.

Reading like a poem, this picture book follows an orange from the blossom to the hands of a child.  The language of the book is beautiful, creating a very mellow and deep view of the world, just the right type of voice for a book about fruit. 

Here is one page, after the boy brings the orange home:

That night,
as ice gleamed on the branches,
he dreamed
of a land that shone
in summer light.

But there are so many pages with that sort of lovely language on them.  And do you see how child-friendly it is, but still emotionally deep and speaking volumes? 

And let's talk about the illustrations.  Maren has created images that echo the depth of the words, filled with rich colors of deep blues, bright oranges, and in the same way the illustrations are child-friendly but somehow deeper and richer than most. 

Highly recommended as a perfect intro to poetry for children.  Share it in storytimes, it reads aloud almost magically and the illustrations are perfect for sharing.  Or it is also a perfect book to curl up and read on a snowy evening, while snacking on an orange of course!

Tis the season for Best of the Year lists!

School Library Journal has posted their favorite titles of the year. Their list includes 63 books. Lots of lovely picture books, great teen reads and wonderful middle grade books. Many of my favorites of the year made their list.

Amazon also has their Best 0f 2007. You'll have to scroll down to find their lists for picture books, middle readers and teens. Each list has a full top ten. And again some of my favorites are there.

How about you?

Fiona Loves the Night by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest, illustrated by Amanda Shepherd.

Fiona is a little girl who falls asleep when the rest of her family does but awakens when the moon is at her window.  So she heads outside because she loves nighttime so much.  She looks at the stars, listens to the sounds, sees night creatures, feels plants, and just engages with the night on many levels.

This is a lovely book.  It offers a child who is not afraid of the dark at all, but revels in it.  The language of the book is rich, evocative and really creates the mood of a summer night.  The addition of the noises of the night on many pages will help children engage with the story even more.  Matching the language in their richness, the illustrations are done with deep color and have a thickness and body that speak to the deepness of night.  There are no murky grays of evening here, just the deep blues and blacks of real night with sudden bursts of color. 

Recommended for bedtime story times though not a great way to settle children for the night.  This book invites exploration of the dark outdoors and you may find yourself outside with flashlights rather than starting to doze. 

The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri.

Follow the busy day of a small squirrel preparing for winter in this charming picture book.  As he gathers food, squirrel rushes past all kinds of other animals, giving children a chance to make all kinds of animal sounds.  The refrain of "He was so busy" carries through the book, inviting toddlers to repeat the phrase again and again. 

This is a lovely autumn book by a wonderful author of picture books.  Tafuri knows how to create a book that will both interest small children and welcome them in.  The illustrations are large, bold and full of action and color.  Each page has just a few lines of text, meaning that the pictures will move by at the speed of a running squirrel.  

With the repetition in the text, animal noises and great art, this book is highly recommended for use in toddler story times or for preschoolers with short attention spans. 

Cowboy & Octopus by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.

This book somehow snuck by me, and I found it on the library shelves.  How could I have missed it!

Cowboy and Octopus meet in the first chapter, play together and start being friends.  The other chapters in the book offer great slapstick comedy, strange bean humor, and knock knock jokes.  How could you go wrong?! 

Once again Scieszka and Smith have created a zany world that children will love to enter.  The illustrations are purposefully stiff and cut-out.  They deepen the humor of the situation, rather than competing with the cleverness of the words. 

Share this with preschoolers, but also with older elementary age children.  They will enjoy the humor more deeply than younger children.  All children will head back to the library seeking their other favorites by this team.