I adore this book. This young boy goes out one day to explore the smallish pond out front of his house and a whole new world opens up to him. Brilliant with beautiful illustrations. I can’t wait to read it to students!
29 days of book love…
Tag: new picture books
And then it's spring by Julie Fogliano and Erin E. Stead
I’m in the middle of a snowy land right now with more snow predicted over the weekend plus it is bitter cold today. On my drive to work I wanted to stop and take a photo of the trees on the banks of the river as the trees looked frostbitten with ice. They looked beautiful, all white, braced against the bright blue sky but I’m ready to see my trees with little green buds.
So perfect then was And then it’s spring sitting right on my desk with it’s gorgeous detailed cover illustration! It made me feel springy and hopeful! Right now I’m in the land of white but I can trace the book’s journey to springtime and imagine that it is right around the corner, humming.
“and the brown,
still brown,
has a greenish hum
that you can only hear
if you put your ear to the ground
and close your eyes”
I love this illustration and traced each little hole imagining the animals humming about spring. Kids will love tracing each burrow through the dirt. Julie Fogliano has written an imaginative story about the seasons easily giving us hope that spring will come and those little seedling will pop their heads out. Stead’s illustrations match and even make the visual in my head even better. Her little boy is adorable in his striped shirts and his little red wagon. I for one am ready with spade in hand to begin digging in my own garden and this book will make a wonderful read-aloud for springtime activities. Enjoy this matching video for the book.
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Picture Books delight! (quick they're overdue!)
Ollie the purple elephant by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (2011).
The McLaughlin children have always been promised that if they came across a purple elephant they could keep it and one day while strolling in the park they do! “”Well… a promise is a promise,” said Mr. McLaughlin and the children ask Ollie to come home with them. Everyone’s happy except the family cat, Ginger. Ginger hates Ollie and plots with the downstairs neighbor Mr. Puddlebottom to get rid of Ollie. Their plan works and Ollie is sent off to perform with Mr. Puddlebottom’s cousin’s circus! Will the McLaughlin family ever see Ollie again…? The illustrations are lively with bright vivid colors. Watch this short video of Ollie by Random House.
Otto Carrotoo by Chiara Carrer (2000).
Otto muses about his rabbit siblings and their quirky habits. His sister will only wear red shoes and his brother is obsessed with his blue roller skates. Otto isn’t obsessed with anything until he decides one day to eat only carrots; carrots for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, carrot soup, carrot pizza, carrot cake…he eats so many carrots he doesn’t pay attention to his appearance until his brother and sister start munching on his carroty ears. He swears off carrots and switches to spinach! What will Otto look like after too much spinach? Great for sharing food stories with children. Maybe if Otto loves carrots and spinach, picky eaters might give them a try-but just a little. Too much of even a good thing can be bad. The illustrations in this one are funky collage pages that will appeal to children.
I had a whole big beautiful bag of picture books to read and these were the top two favorites. The entire bag was a day (or two) overdue. Yikes. So today took them back and paid my $10.00 fine! How do I so easily let that library date escape my mind? Any tricks to remembering to return books on time…?
Please share.
Super Imaginative Picture Books!
I dropped by the library for mere moments the other day and found a plethora of cute picture books on the “new” shelf.
I’ve read them by bits and pieces all through the week and I have three absolute favorites. All three while different have sort of a connection about imagination and comfort.
Naughty Toes by Ann Bonwill; ill. by Teresa Murfin (2011) Tiger Tales
Chloe narrates this tale about life with her perfect ballerina sister, Belinda. She’s not jealous, which is the first thing I noticed and loved. When their mom takes them to the ballet store to pick out leotards and shoes Belinda picks classic pink and white. Chloe picks a wide array of bright colors. The two sisters head to Madame Mina’s dance class where Belinda has “good toes” and Chloe “naughty toes” while Mr. Tiempo keeps the beat on his bright yellow piano. Before the next class Dad does their hair; Belinda’s hair folds elegantly into a beautiful ballerina bun while Chloe’s pokes and struts refusing to be tamed. This illustration is great, showing Dad with bobby pins peeking out of his frown. Back at class Madame Mina gives directions and Chloe continues to flounder. On the day of the big show Belinda gets a bouquet from Madame Mina and Chloe receives a box from Mr. Tiempo- tap shoes with a note that reads…”follow your feet.” The message is clear and abundant. Every character in the book celebrates their own path. Chloe’s never scolded for marching to the beat of a different drummer. Each parent participates in their own way.
This is a perfect score!
Princess Super Kitty by Antoinette Portis. (2011) Harper.
Simply narrated by a little girl with short cropped dark hair who is pretending to be a kitty. My own children did this often, asking for food on the floor, as they purred and scratched their way around the house. Most memorably my two oldest loved to pretend they were wolves. Oh, those were the days. Such an abundance of imagination! This young girl shifts from kitty to Super Kitty, ready to save the world by rescuing her baby brother. She even delivers his bottle in “zero seconds”. Super Kitty quickly morphs into Princess Super Kitty as she marches around the house for her family to adore. Each new character allows her the freedom to make a new choice about doing something helpful like taking a bath or playing nicely with her brother. From the tone we can easily hear that she is not a demanding or shrill princess character. I adore Portis’ other books, Not a Stick and Not a Box and this is another one to add to my collection.
Goodnight Dragons by Judith L. Roth; ill. Pascal Lemaitre (love his work!). (2012) Hyperion Books.
This is a “boy” book filled with wonderful imaginative play. This little guy wants to tame dragons so he gathers his tools and fills his wagon. He traipses off to the forest with his trusty “horse” dog. The book at this point hadn’t stirred my creative soul just yet but then this line hit me: “With a voice strong as hawksong, I call them to me. Come you heartbreakers. Come, you brokenhearted. Come put your fire with sweet chocolate milk.” he repeats peeking through the treetops. That line is magical to me-this little boy in the trees, offering comfort to the dragons, who come swarming for his call. Instead of sword play he offers them blankets, and a sleepy time treat. Magic. Simply shows how little boys can be nurturing and creative as well.
Sprinkle these extremely peaceful stories into your bedtime routine for lots of hugs and love!
Library Loot; A Quiet Trip to my Local
I ventured out yesterday with a small list of errands to do. I was on my own as Groovy Girl hadn’t even started cleaning her room she lost out on “getting to run errands” with me! One of my errands was to our local dairy for popcorn-yes, popcorn- and bleu cheese and she would have been able to get some farm fresh ice cream had she finished (or even started) cleaning her room. My errands were run solo and my library trip was quiet as I browsed the shelves. Sorry G.G.
Here’s what I found in the midst of all the beautiful library shelves:
1. Dirtall Pete by Eileen Brennen
2. Not All Princesses Dress In Pink by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple
3. Mudkin by Stephen Gammell
4. Hogg, Hogg, & Hog by Margie Palatini
5. Follow the Line To School by Laura Ljungkvist
6. A Garden for Pig by Kathryn K. Thurman
7. The Queen of France by Tim Wadham
8. An Amber Cat by Hilary McKay
9. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
10. A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
11. The Sisters Grimm Number 6 by Michael Buckley
The first seven were from the new picture book shelf-a must stop for both Groovy Girl and I. She opened the bag and read all the picture books right after I returned yesterday.
Numbers 8 and 9 are picks for a fantasy class I am taking through Fresno Pacific. I’m excited about the class but I was a lot disappointed that the syllabus included with my course materials was filled with old (classics) and no new fantasy when there are so many.
Groovy Girl and I finished up number 5 of The Sisters Grimm on Saturday morning and she was desperate to get the next one. This series really has a hold on my little princess girl!
I also found a very helpful young male librarian in the YA section who special ordered Crossed by Allie Condie for me!
Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair.
Hey, It's Franklin…
I just got this great little email announcing Franklin’s debut into the ebook market. I love Franklin just like I love Arthur. I read and show Franklin DVD’s in the library and sadly, many students are unfamiliar with this wonderful character. This video clip shows author, Paulette Bourgeois and illustrator, Brenda Clark talking about their collaboration process.
Franklin, truly a 21st Century learning icon, can now be found on twitter.
Raj the bookstore Tiger
by Kathleen T. Pelley
ill. by Paige Keiser
(2011)
Felicity holds up her beautiful new kitty and christens him “Raj” because of his golden coat and his chocolate stripes. Raj patrols Felicity’s bookstore with the ferocity of a real tiger, happy with his life. “Mornings began with a patrol of the storerooms, followed by sun basking in the front window.” and “after a face wash and a snooze, it was time to greet the customers with a leg rub or a hearty meow.” Oh the simple happiness.
And then Snowball comes to town…or at least to the bookstore and quickly dampens Raj’s tiger tendencies. Snowball now struts his stuff while Raj cowers under chairs. The reason for Raj’s sudden sadness…Snowball informs him that he’s “not a real tiger. In fact, you’re just a plain old marmalade kitty-cat with muddy brown splotches that some people might call stripes.” (insert snarky cat tone)
Oh, the indignation and with those words Raj is not the reigning cat of the bookstore.After days of kitty sadness, Felicity reads from William Blake’s The Tiger , perking Raj up just a bit. Then Sanjiv Patel comes for the bookstore’s storytime and shares a video of India. A Bengal tiger roars on screen, scaring Snowball and Raj, except he remembers Blake’s poem and “roars” back.
Words can help or hurt and someone can easily take your gusto away just as it happens to Raj. Reading this to students it could easily be applied to bullying and self esteem. Would you rather cower under a chair or rise up and roar!
Paige Keiser’s illustrations are charming and softly drawn. Kaiser has a wonderful blog…Fox in Socks.
Other thoughts:
Roxanne at Books That Heal Kids and
Successful Teaching review it as well.
Fabulous Little Picture Book; Monkey Truck by Michael Slack
“When there’s trouble in the jungle, Monkey Truck knows what to do. “ and the cute little truck zooms off to save a bug from a very large elephant foot. This book has BIG WORDS, funny expressions (banana gas) and a perfect rhythm paced for little listeners. With words like rev, rev, toot, Vroom, Vroom kids were reading along with me when I shared this with first graders. Michael Slack has done a fabulous job making a silly monkey/truck into an jungle action hero framed against a lush jungle background.
Mr. Stack sent this book to me a few monthes ago after I reviewed The Flim-Flam Fairies , illustrated by him. I took Monkey Truck to school and shared it then brought it home and Groovy Girl and I read it. She laughed and had a great time exploring the illustrations. Then the book sat on my to-review shelf for a few days…days turned into weeks and then one day in January I sat down to write the review but couldn’t locate the book. I couldn’t figure out what happened to it and was sad cuz it had such a beautiful inscription from Mr. Slack, who by the way should win a prize just for coolest last name.
Then one night I came up to tuck Groovy Girl into bed and found her reading to her doll, Jaime. She was reading Yoko by Rosemary Wells. Hmmm. Light Bulb. “Groovy Girl, do you remember Monkey Truck?” “Yeah” and right there it was in a basket of books she’s been reading to Jaime. Ohhhhh. Enough said. Michael-I’m very sorry I didn’t get the book reveiwed faster but just so you know….dolls and girls are loving it too! This is the perfect book for an active PreK-1st grade crowd. This is his first attempt at writing and illustrating together and I hope he is working on more, which he probably will not send me after I lost track of this one.
Check out his fabulous website, Michael Slack, and this awesome video:
Other great thoughts on this book:
BoingBoing
Jen Robinson’s Book Page
Buy it from an IndieBound (I am an associate but have yet to receive a dime)
Friday Feature
How many readers are celebrating Black History Month through February? I’ve had a few question why I bother highlighting Black History and not because they thougth it was a waste of time but because they figured by this time black history and white history should have easily merged. Maybe this is true but sadly, not much history is taught at all at the elementary level. That and I love enlightening students with what our country was like during slavery and the Civil Rights movement.
I think they should know about Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, George Washington Carver (the list goes on), as historical figures so they can go beyond their knowledge of Rosa Parks and Dr. King-great people to know-but there is more to understand. We study it because it is the human history of our country. I want my elementary students heading to middle school with a clear idea of what the Underground Railroad was; a path to freedom not an actual train that runs below ground. Uhh, yes, many think just that. Lord.My 3 featured read-aloud books this week emphasize the Underground Railroad.
1. Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine; illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2007) I loved this book from the moment I laid eyes on it. It is an example of losing those you love and a burning desire for freedom. It begins like this: “Henry Brown wasn’t sure how old he was. Henry was a slave. And slaves weren’t allowed to know their birthdays.” Kids snap to attention when they hear those first words. The idea of not knowing your birthday, no cake, no gifts, no intercom announcement-that and the woeful picture of Nelson’s young Henry sitting on a barrel with no shoes helps students to grasp a tiny piece of this other life. 5 stars
2. Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson; illustrations by Colin Bootman (2003). This title is from a rag doll’s point-of-view. It begins: “I started out no more’n a bunch of rags on a Virginia plantation. Lindy’s mama was my maker. Miz Rachel done a fine job puttin’ me together, takin’ extra time to sew my face on real careful with thread, embroidery they call it. I don’t have no hair. Miz Rachel just made a bandanna from some old cloth and tied it ’round my head like she wore. I used to think about havin’ me some hair, but now it don’t bother me none.” The doll is given to Miz Rachel’s girl, Lindy, who name’s the doll Sally-her new best friend. Lindy, Miz Rachel and Sally escape, heading North, and Sally is lost at one of their secret stops. The doll is eventually found by another young girl traveling to freedom and happy for this new handmade companion. 5 stars
3. Freedom River by Doreen Rappaport; illustrated by Bryan Collier (2000). Plantation owners would go to great lengths to keep slave families from running. This book illustrates the vast difference between Ohio, a free state and Kentucky, a slave state and how the river between facilitates the Underground Railroad. It begins: “Listen. Listen. ‘I heard last night someone helped a slave woman cross the river,’ said one of the workers at John Parker’s foundry. John Parker couldn’t take credit for this escape, but it pleased him enormously to hear about it.” We see how Parker helps one family, terribly afraid of their master, finally get to freedom. Collier’s collage and paint illustrations are beautiful. 5 stars
Three more exceptional choices I’ll use next week:
The Patchwork Path; A Quilt Map to Freedom by Bettye Stroud, illustrated by Erin Susanne Bennett (2005).
Friend on Freedom River by Gloria Whelen, illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuzen (2004).
Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson; illustrated by Hudson Talbott (2005).
What are you reading this week? Does your school celebrate Black History Month?
Check out these other Friday Features:
Valentine’s Day
Exciting New Books
Feature Friday
I have three picture books to feature today because I fell in love with them just this morning! It is the month of love so I give you three books you shouldn’t live without…
1. The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen (2009)
I’m not a fan of the circus-the kind that uses animals to entertain so I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to feel about this book, until I read it of course. It is a delight! It rhymes. When a storm ruins the ship the captain saves the the mean and greedy circus boss, Mr. Paine, who chooses to leave the animals behind to save his own. The animals swim to an island beach, taking refuge with the local people, who are at first scared and then learn to love having the animals around. The circus animals win their freedom from the demanding circus boss through a great hide and seek scene. The illustrations are larger-than-life beautiful and it is loosely based on a real event. 5 stars
2. “I have a Little Problem,” said the bear by Heinz Janisch and Silke Leffler (2007)Bear wanders in to town to get help but noone listens to his problem. The inventor, the tailor, the hatter, the doctor, the street vendor, the eye doctor, the shopkeeper, and the shoe maker all jump to their own conclusions. Noone even listens to what it is until bear meets a curious fly outside of town. In my storytime hour children didn’t get the big picture but I know a little girl at home who will understand and love it. The illustrations are whimsical and kindergarten students loved the repitition. 5 stars
3. the cow loves cookies by karma wilson and marcellus hall. (2010)
I’ve come to expect great things, usually rhyming things, from Mrs. Wilson as she is the author of The Bear Snores on series of books. This one didn’t disappoint. All the other animals on the farm eat what the farmer gives them-the horse loves hay, the chickens; chicken feed, the pigs love their slop but the cow…she gets special treatment. Students loved learning why the cow loves cookies…because she shares her milk with the farmer and he shares his cookies. Milk and cookies go so well together. I wish I had some for my lunch today! 5 stars
What ever you do today, ENJOY!!
If you need a picture book-these 3 will not disappoint.
Peaceful Reader 
