Book: Snippet: The Early Riser
Author: Bethanie Deeney Murguia (@aquapup)
Pages: 40
Age Range: 3-7 

Though it introduces a new set of characters, Bethanie Deeney Murguia's new picture book, Snippet: The Early Riser comes across very much as a companion piece to her earlier book Buglette: The Messy Sleeper. Snippet is an ordinary young snail, drawing on the sidewalk, chewing leaf sculptures, and getting piggyback rides from his parents. Snippet's problem is that he wakes up much earlier than the rest of his family. Desperate to have his family members to play with, Snippet tries everything his friends can think of to wake his family up. He finds, however, that the solution lies in understanding what his family members really love. 

I love Murguia's understated humor. Like this (after Snippet fails several times to rouse his family):

"Hmph. How did I end up with a family of slugs?" wondered Snippet. 

Or this:

"I could stink them out," offered Stinkbug.

"We'll have none of that," declared Caterpillar. And then he turned back to his breakfast.

The text and illustrations together enable the reader to completely inhabit Snippet's snail and insect world. Snippet draws on the sidewalk by making slime trails (though Murguia renders them in white to make them more visible). He makes leaf sculptures by chewing patterns into the leaves. A pill bug gets used as a soccer ball. Murguia does a great job of taking some real attribute and then making it fun and quirky, and completely kid-friendly.

Murguia's distinctive illustration style (Snippet is clearly a book-sibling to Buglette) completely works for this story. The plants and leaves are over-sized and realistic, while the insects and snails are charmingly quirky. Snippet himself wears a patchwork shell. His mother's is flowered. There is plenty of white space in the illustrations, but also enough greens and yellows to make the reader get a sense of the outdoors.  

Snippet is funny, creative, and lacking in didactic messages. I hope that Murguia and Random House add more to this semi-series. I also adore Murguia's Zoe Gets Ready (with a human protagonist), and look forward to the coming sequel, Zoe's Room: No Sisters Allowed. Snippet: The Early Riser is a great choice for preschoolers and up, for home or library use. Recommended! 

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (@RandomHouseKids) 
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage.

Book Lists and Awards

Check out the 2013 Eisner Award Nominees for kids and teens | @tashrow http://ow.ly/klBw5

Stacked rounds up April Debut YA Novels http://ow.ly/kogcF @catagator #yalit

Love lists? Check out Five Useful Book Lists for Children from @momandkiddo http://ow.ly/kjlLY #kidlit

Events

RT @reachoutandread: Get your tickets NOW for our Read to Succeed breakfast in #Boston 5/7! @dennis_lehane keynotes! http://bit.ly/17O0MBo

RT @SPLBuzz: Tonight 25K people across US will give away a favorite book to spread the love of reading @wbnamerica http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/

Help teens gain access to books: It's Time for the Annual Spring Book Fair for Ballou High School Library!!! http://ow.ly/kolYq

From the Boston Airport on a Tuesday morning...,@CHRasco's thoughts on Boston + the latest #literacy roundup http://ow.ly/kqG0S

Growing Bookworms

Learning Letters? 5 Great Resources from @bethanyntt http://ow.ly/kjkwH #literacy

I love this #literacy milestone post from @NoVALibraryMom: Caught in the Act: The Birth of a Writer http://ow.ly/kjfve

Thoughtful post from @CampHalfBlood on Reading Myths and the Myths of Reading http://ow.ly/kjb0N #literacy #kidlit

I agree with @LiteracyLaunch: Books Foster Empathy and Compassion! http://ow.ly/kjaJD #literacy

Literacy Programs and Research

RT @ReadtoaChild: Did you hear? Everybody Wins! USA has become Read to a Child! Read more here. #readtoachild #literacy #readaloud http://fb.me/18CLbEYuY

Interesting post guest @joe_bower by @hadleyjf on what can happen if you stop grading students http://ow.ly/kqEIV

Books and Libraries

PW reports Big Jump for Children's and YA Sales in 2012, Says AAP http://ow.ly/kqYQl via @PWKidsBookshelf

RT @tashrow Jo Knowles – What’s so important about your local library? http://buff.ly/ZuJbul #libraries

Reasonable hypothesis: Why I Think Wonder Didn’t Win a Newbery by @ReadByExample for @NerdyBookClub http://ow.ly/kjmjy

Very cool book-themed library seats from @100scopenotes http://ow.ly/kqEuQ #kidlit

Mo Willems shares secrets to writing a children's hit book @cnnhttp://ow.ly/km6e6 via @PWKidsBookshelf @The_Pigeon

Do classic children's books give us too rosy a view of childhood? asks@gdnchildrensbks http://ow.ly/km5ZN via @PWKidsBookshelf

Kidlitosphere

The latest Fusenews @FuseEight points out something I didn't even realize about my GIANT DANCE PARTY review http://ow.ly/kohh7

RT @LaurelSnyder: Konigsburg stands out for me as a writer of unsupervised children. Her kids didn't need magic. They had the real world to explore, alone.

She will surely be missed. Nice round up of E.L. Konigsburg tributes from @bkshelvesofdoom http://ow.ly/kjg9D

Miscellaneous

Genius. Spiderman window washers at Children's Hospital: Escape Adulthood http://ow.ly/kofRq via @kimandjason

Don't think I'm ready to do it, but I respect it: Life With No TV: Why We Gave Up Television from @momandkiddo http://ow.ly/kqDas

Gender and Society

Shannon Hale keeps the important discussion coming with new post: Let's talk about consent http://ow.ly/kqFgj @haleshannon

I wish all teeens and parents could read this (+ links): The greatest contributor to rape culture by @haleshannon http://ow.ly/kjjGM

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.

Book: Tiger in My Soup
Author: Kashmira Sheth
Illustrator: Jeffrey Ebbeler
Pages: 32
Age Range: 4-8

Tiger in My Soup is a picture book about a boy who is left home in the care of his older sister. He tries again and again to get his sister to read to him, but she is immersed in her own book. Finally, over lunch, he conjures up a tiger rising from the steam of his soup. Eventually, his imaginary adventures break through his sister's self-absorption, and she reads him his book (about tigers, of course). 

I think that this book might be a little confusing for younger kids. The narration and pictures both convey the tiger in the soup and related actions as if they were real, not imaginary. This makes for some rather stunning visuals, but younger readers may well wonder how the sister could avoid noticing the tiger battle just a few feet away. It's definitely a book that's going to require a bit of extra explanation.

But for those who can follow the subtleties of the plot, or who are young enough to just accept the story as-is, Tiger in My Soup offers a breathless narrative. Like this:

"I have to protect myself. I stab at him with my spoon. Some tiger spit lands on my face.

This means war!"

The acrylic illustrations in Tiger in My Soup are gorgeous. The siblings' house is on a rocky island, up a huge, twisty flight of wooden stairs, Ebbeler uses different perspectives (like looking up, and then down the stairs) to maintain visual interest. When the boy is fighting with the tiger, he puts a metal colander on his head, and brandishes a sword and belt. Angles and points of view shift with the battle. The characters (boy, sister, and tiger) are all rendered with an ever so slightly exaggerated realism. The boy is priceless, with his round glasses, spiky hair, and range of expressions. The tiger practically leaps from the page. 

And oh yes, the siblings are African American. This doesn't affect the storyline in any way that I can see, but it's nice to have a picture book that matter-of-factly incorporates non-white characters. 

Of course the thing that I personally love most about this book is that the entire storyline keys off of the love of books. The boy wants his sister to read his book to him. He tries to look at the pictures on his own, but it's just not the same. The reason that the sister won't read to him is that she's lost in a book herself. Delightful. 

Tiger in My Soup, with its seamless mix of reality and imagination, may not work for the very youngest of readers. But for early elementary school kids, especially anyone fascinated by books and/or tigers, Tiger in My Soup is a fun visual treat. The fact that it adds a bit of diversity to the picture book section is a nice bonus. Recommended for home or early elementary school use. 

Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (@PeachtreePub)
Publication Date: April 1, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain: Lunch Lady #9
Author: Jarrett J. Krosoczka (@studiojjk)
Pages: 96
Age Range: 7-10 

Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain is the ninth in Jarrett J. Krosoczka's Lunch Lady series of graphic novels. There is a lot going on in this installment. The main plotline involves Lunch Lady and Betty investigating a rash of technology thefts from around the school (including Hector's X-Station Mobile). This is set against Hector's battle with bully Milmoe in the election for class president. Milmoe has mysteriously deep-pocketed support, and his friends discover that an enemy from a previous book may be involved. Meanwhile, Principal Hernandez is concerned about an upcoming tour of the school by the new, reform-minded superintendent, a tour which turns out not to bode well for our heroic Lunch Lady. The book ends on a cliffhanger regarding Lunch Lady's future. 

In Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain, Krosoczka spends a bit more time on plot, and a bit less time on cafeteria-themed inventions than the previous books in the series. Or so it seemed to me. There is a "Crazy-Straw Earpiece", but the spork phone is missing in action. There are also, instead, various other, more traditional, forms of technology mentioned (many of them missing), like "the latest ePad" and a "stepometer." 

However, the book still has the same feel that young readers will expect. Milmoe is still a bully, surrounded by sycophants. He says things like:

"HA! That twerp? The only thing he can beat is the latest video game of "Nofriendo"!"

There's a funny scene in which Lunch Lady and Betty set up a sting operation, and tumble out of a locker. There is byplay with the grouchy janitor, and a battle with a villain near the end of the book. It's all vintage Lunch Lady, albeit with slightly fewer gadgets, and slightly more continuing plotlines. I think that young fans will enjoy it. I know I did. Recommended!

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (@RandomHouseKids) 
Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: Giant Dance Party
Author: Betsy Bird (@FuseEight)
Illustrator: Brandon Dorman
Pages: 32
Age Range: 4-8 

Of the many books that arrive on my doorstep, few fall into the "sit down and read it immediately" category. The second Hunger Games book comes to mind, and not much else. But when I received an advance copy of Giant Dance Party, written by Betsy Bird and illustrated by Brandon Dorman, I set everything aside and opened it up.

If you don't know why, you haven't been following Betsy's blog, A Fuse #8 Production. Betsy is a tremendous force in the field of children's literature. Her lengthy, in-depth reviews are humorous and insightful. Her Top 100 Picture Books and Top 100 Children's Novels poll results are widely used and highly regarded. She was the primary host for last year's Kidlitosphere conference (and is a regular host for other NYC kidlit events). Giant Dance Party is Betsy's first published picture book. Much attention will be paid.

But let's talk about the book, shall we? Giant Dance Party is about a little girl, Lexy, who loves to dance, but is afraid to perform in front of an audience. Instead of performing herself, Lexy decides to start offering dance lessons. She'll let her students perform, while she basks in the joy of dance from behind the scenes. When the only ones to take Lexy up on her offer are a group of fuzzy blue giants, however, things get a bit more complex. And a lot more fun.

Giant Dance Party features a breezy voice, with short sentences and fun words to read aloud. Like this:

"So she tried hypnotism.

She tried pretending Moore and Caroll and Anne were people.

She practiced for her parents every night while they tried to watch TV.

And every time she was sure her stage fright was gone, along came another recital, and blammo! Ice pop." 

Those who have read Betsy's reviews for years will recognize her voice, particularly in that last paragraph. Giant Dance Party also reveals a surprisingly subtle humor (surprising given the over-the-top nature of the plot). For example, when the giants are waiting for Lexy to agree to teach them, we have:

"They folded their arms, crossed their legs, and sat down. 
They stuck out their lower lips. Birds perched on them."

I love "birds perched on them." I also laughed at:

"When the big night arrived, Lexy felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach. But at least she wouldn't have to dance. Instead, she gave her giants a big smile, patted them on the heels, and said, "You can do it!""

Get it? She patted them on the heels, because they were too tall for her to pat on the head. Just a little gem tossed in there for the alert reader.  

Brandon Dorman's exuberant illustrations add to the humor, and the general bouncy feel, of Giant Dance Party. When Lexy is practising for her parents as they try to watch TV, we see her leaping across the television set, ribbons flying, clearly blocking the parents' view. When she stands there on stage, frozen with stage fright, she looks rather like a wide-eyed, tutu-wearing ice pop, if such a thing is possible.

I think my favorite illustration is a little vignette from when Lexy is trying to interest people in her dance lessons, and blasts "snap-happy mambo music from the porch." Her posture, eyes, and clothing all match up perfectly with "mambo." In general, her huge brown eyes capture her many moods, windows to her trials and tribulations. Dorman also makes nice use of perspective to show Lexy's tiny size relative to that of the blue giants. 

Giant Dance Party is told in a mix of short and long paragraphs, and of small vignettes and full-page illustrations. While there are quite a lot of words in the book overall, there is also plenty of white space, making the book a good, unintimidating fit for individual readers or library storytimes. I do think it's more of a book for the 4 to 8 crowd than for the youngest readers (who won't understand stage fright, and might find the movement conveyed in the illustrations a bit overwhelming). 

Giant Dance Party is eminently read-aloud-able, the perfect mix of the practical (overcoming stage fright, solving problems) and the absurd (umm, furry blue giants dancing). Lexy, as conveyed in both words and pictures, is a delight. I am expecting Giant Dance Party to fly off the shelves. Highly recommended. 

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (@HarperChildrens)
Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Source of Book: Advance review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: The Dark
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Jon Klassen (@burstofbeaden)
Pages: 40
Age Range: 3-6 

The Dark is going to get a lot of attention in the coming weeks. That's because it's written by Lemony Snicket (of A Series of Unfortunate Events fame) and illustrated by Jon Klassen (who just won the Caldecott for This Is Not My Hat). The Dark also fits into a well-established niche in children's books: books to help kids to deal with something. In this case, that something is fear of the dark. I am personally quite suspicious of the "books to help kids deal with something" genre. So many of these stray into didactic territory. Fortunately, I don't think that either Snicket or Klassen could be didactic if he tried. As a result, The Dark is a winner. 

The Dark is about a young boy named Laszlo who is afraid of the dark. He views "the dark" as a vaguely menacing thing that lives in his basement during the day, only spreading throughout the house at night. Laszlo keeps a flashlight nearby at all times. Naturally, he sleeps with a glowing night light. But when his night light burns out one night, Laszlo must face his fear head-on. Well, sort of head-on, anyway. Snicket continues the device of treating "the dark" as an entity, lending a fantasy quality to the story. The suspense of Laszlo's encounter with the dark will keep kids reading. And the mildly cryptic treatment of the means by which Laszlo overcomes his fears will keep them from feeling manipulated.

Klassen's illustrations are, as usual, brilliant. While somewhat spare (hardly any furniture is shown in Laszlo's house, for example), and with a limited color palette, they do a fine job of conveying the size of a big creaky house as perceived by a small, scared person. Klassen shows a lot of old wooden flooring, and angled staircases.

Although this is a book about fear, the only thing that is scary in the images is the presence of the dark, rendered as pure black. Laszlo's night light, however, and his flashlight, stave off the dark admirably. And the scenes in which the night light burns in this room as he curls up beneath a patchwork quilt are coziness personified. 

I especially love the subtlety of the book's final page, in which Laszlo plays with a couple of toys as the sun is setting. This picture mirrors a page early in the book. The only difference is the lack of a flashlight nearby. Laszlo has conquered his fear. 

I recommend The Dark to fans of Snicket or Klassen, and to anyone with kids in the three to six or so age range who are battling with fears of the dark. I haven't tried it on my own daughter yet, but I do plan to. I'm not sure if I would use this as a storytime book or not - I think it might be better suited to home and the comfort of one's own night light. But for home use, The Dark is going to be big. 

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (@LBKids)
Publication Date: April 2, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

This post is the third of a series (here are number one and number two) in which I have been highlighting some of my daughter's favorite reads. She just turned three, and her tastes do not always coincide with mine (as highlighted below). Here are eight books that she has been especially enjoying over the past month:

1. Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! by Kyle Mewburn (ill. Ali Teo & John O'Reilly). Peachtree. Reviewed here. This is a book that I've had for years, ever since reviewing it back in 2008. It pops in and out of favor with Baby Bookworm, but she's been requesting it lately. It's about a little boy who runs away from the sloppy kisses of his Auntie Elsie, but then misses those kisses when Elsie is unable to visit for a while. It's funny, and a bit touching at the end. I think that Baby Bookworm is just at the right age to find the idea of kisses being "yucky" entertaining. 

2. A Bedtime for Bear by Bonny Becker (ill. Kady MacDonald Denton). Candlewick. Reviewed here. The grouchy Bear and "small and gray and bright-eyed" Mouse are always popular with Baby Bookworm. Lately she's been requesting A Bedtime for Bear at bedtime. Could be because it's a relatively long picture book, or because she is just starting to appreciate the humor in Bear being scared of the dark. 

3. Nini Lost and Found by Anita Lobel. Random House.Reviewed here. This is a book that I love, despite not being at all a cat person. It's about a housecat who sneaks outside. Nini enjoys exploring the woods until things become a bit scary after dark. She makes it home safely, of course. I think Baby Bookworm likes the fact that this book is scary in the middle, but ends up safe and cozy at the end. 

4. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff (ill. Felicia Bond). HarperCollins. Baby Bookworm was introduced to this series (which starts with If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) by her cousins. She received a boxed set of five small books in the series, and she requests them constantly. In truth, I find them hard to read aloud without falling asleep, due to the repetition. But Baby Bookworm loves them, especially If You Give a Moose a Muffin (she is partial to muffins herself). 

5. The Peace Book by Todd Parr. Little, Brown. This is a book that Baby Bookworm picked up from the library. It lists various definitions of things that are related to "peace" in some way (some of them quite tangential). For instance, wearing different kinds of clothes. The book shows children of various (and unearthly) skin colors. Baby Bookworm quite enjoyed it, but I found it a little too overtly message-y for my taste. 

6. The Dark, by Lemony Snicket (ill. Jon Klassen). Little, Brown. Review coming next week. This book is fabulous, and is a favorite with our whole family. I won't be at all surprised if it turns out to be award-winning. Not only is it a great read, with gorgeous illustrations, but I think it actually has helped Baby Bookworm in coping with fear of the dark. At the very least, it inspired me to buy her a night light. 

7. The Teeny-Tiny Woman by Paul Galdone. Sandpiper. This is another library book that Baby Bookworm became fascinated with. I was a little surprised, frankly, because it's kind of a creepy story. It's about a "teeny-tiny woman" who goes for a walk, finds a bone in a graveyard, brings it home, and is subsequently hounded by a ghost. But it's fun to read aloud. "Teeny-tiny" is repeated almost enough to make it a tongue-twister.  

8. The Three Bears, by Byron Barton. HarperFestival. Another library book, this 1991 edition of the classic story is very straightforward, with uncomplicated illustrations. It was a nice introduction for Baby Bookworm to the three bears (she also has a doll that shows Goldilocks one way and the bears another way, but she hadn't known the story until now). We read it over and over again. Rather than buying her this version, though, I think we'll just try out some others, and see which ones she likes best. 

What books have your children been enjoying lately? Do you find them clamoring for you to buy them copies of favorite library books? We had to do this once lately, after my daughter would not let me return Soup Day by Melissa Iwai. Fortunately, she had a birthday coming up! 

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. Some of these were also shared on my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.

Book Lists

Stacked: Unlikable Female Characters in YA Fiction: A Reading List from @catagator http://ow.ly/k7Mhh #yalit

Book list: Early and First Chapter Books for Kids {Mysteries and Detective Stories} http://ow.ly/k5Eo3 from @momandkiddo

Perfect list for Poetry Month: Top Ten Novels in Verse by Lauren Strohecker | @NerdyBookClub http://ow.ly/k5CbY

Boston

Lovely Boston music mix and tribute from Philip Nel, who grew up in the same town my dad did http://ow.ly/k9X0L

Have you read Carrie Jones' post about the Boston Marathon (she was there). You must: http://ow.ly/k7LN6

eBooks

This is good news. Simon & Schuster Launches Ebook Lending Program With NYC Libraries - @ShiftTheDigital http://ow.ly/k7Mzx

An excellent question: RT @tashrow: Why Do We Keep Making Ebooks Like Paper Books? http://buff.ly/YY1NFX #ebooks

Growing Bookworms

Activities for Children's Book Week, 2013 from @BookChook http://ow.ly/kcQnA #literacy

How to Use Your Child's Interests to Make Reading Fun from @LiteracyLaunch http://ow.ly/k5Bns #literacy

Helpful stuff! How to Read Wordless Picture Books to Kids from @momandkiddo http://ow.ly/kcQaf #literacy

A cautionary tale for parents: Confessions of a Former “Really Good Reader” by @tobeyant | @NerdyBookClub http://ow.ly/k5EMY

Fun post from Bob Staake: 31 Things Parents and Kids Can Do Without a Screen http://ow.ly/ka3Tz  #literacy

Encouraging post from @carriegelson @NerdyBookClub on school-based grade 4-7 book club success: Book Monsters Unite http://ow.ly/k0Rjx

Roundup of some Early #Literacy Outdoor activities from @bookblogmomma http://ow.ly/k0QQi

RT @tashrow: Reading with Babies and Board Books for Babies – Mama Smiles-Joyful Parenting http://buff.ly/XYELQd

Programs and Research

One Million Books Available Now for Schools and Programs in States Affected by Hurricane Sandy @FirstBook http://ow.ly/kcJCH

Learned about a new #literacy nonprofit that gives books to foster kids: The Book Train, via Gail Gauthier http://ow.ly/k5CAm  #litrdup

Guys Lit Wire: It's Time for the Annual Spring Book Fair for Ballou High School Library!!! http://ow.ly/k5F7B  @chasingray #literacy

This is a neat article. Cincinnati pediatrician trades ER for children's bookstore http://ow.ly/k3lbZ  #literacy

Gender and Society

Parents (esp. of daughters) should check out @StaceyLoscalzo post on the evolution of "Skinny Toys" for girls. Sigh. http://ow.ly/k9W6j

I sure hope so. Article asks: Can Building Toys for Girls Improve Math and Tech Skills? - @WSJ http://ow.ly/kahGM

An important post. @haleshannon launches a discussion about "rape culture" (an environment conducive to rape) http://ow.ly/k5DFk

Miscellaneous

RT @bookchook: Great tips for #parents Playground Etiquette http://bit.ly/YxA0ck

Must-read from @thereadingzone "Start treating teachers like professionals" in “You’re Too Smart to be a Teacher!” http://ow.ly/k5B5M

RT @CPPotter: Do you use ARCs? @catagator and @LizB are looking for librarians, teachers and bloggers to answer a short survey.

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.

Today I will be sending out the new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's and young adult books and raising readers. There are 1663 subscribers. Currently I am sending the newsletter out once every two weeks.

Newsletter Update: In this issue I have seven book reviews (four picture books, one early reader, one middle grade novel, and one young adult novel). I also have a children's literacy roundup (more detailed post at The Family Bookshelf), a post introducing Screen Free Week, and a quick post with a literacy milestone for Baby Bookworm. 

Not included in the newsletter this time around I have:

• A post about Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) Day, which was April 12th. 
• Links I shared on Twitter: April 12th
• Links I shared on Twitter: April 5th
• A list of our Favorite Birthday Books (with mini-reviews), posted in honor of Baby Bookworm's third birthday.

Reading Update: In the past 2 weeks, I finished 3 novels for middle grade readers, and 6 novels for young adults. I'm not quite sure how I managed that! I read:  

• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Early Middle Grade. Completed April 17, 2013.
• Ellen Potter: Otis Dooda, Strange But True. Feiwel and Friends. Early Middle Grade. Completed April 13, 2013. Review to come. 
• Kristen Kittscher: The Wig in the Window. HarperCollins. Middle Grade. Completed April 6, 2013. Review to come.
• Dan Wells: Fragments (Partials #2). Balzer + Bray. Young Adult. Completed April 3, on Kindle. While I read this one quickly, and even dreamed about it, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first Partials book. I found the "humans are bad and will eventually destroy the planet" messages both heavy-handed and repetitive. Which is too bad, because Wells has built a compelling dystopian world full of witty characters and interesting ethical challenges. I'll still read the next book, though.
• Maureen Johnson: The Madness Underneath (Shades of London, Book 2). Putnam Juvenile. Completed April 8, 2013, on MP3. Love it, but I don't typically review audiobooks, since I use them as an escape. This book left me very eager for Book 3. 
• Simon Mayo: Itch: The Explosive Adventures of an Element Hunter. Splinter (Sterling Publishing). Young Adult. Completed April 9, 2013. Review to come.
• Amber Kizer: A Matter of Days. Delacorte Press. Young Adult. Completed April 10, 2013. Review to come (this one is fabulous!).
• Sara Zarr: The Lucy Variations. Little Brown. Young Adult. Completed April 12, 2013. My review.
• Cat Patrick: The Originals. Little Brown. Young Adult. Completed April 16, 2013. Review to come.

I'm currently reading Lenny Cyrus, School Virus by Joe Schreiber (ill. Matt Smith) and listening to Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy. And, of course, I'm reading every day with Baby Bookworm. I'll have a post tomorrow highlighting some of her recent favorites.

Lately Baby Bookworm has been highly tuned in to any packages that I receive in the mail (many of which are from publishers). Her eyes light up as she sees me opening something that looks like a book. And if picture books (or early readers, or sometimes even graphic novels) come out, she says, delighted: "For me!". I then have to sneak off with the ones that I intend to read for review. She definitely views our letter carrier and UPS driver as people who bring books to us, lucky child that she is. 

How about you? What have you and your kids been reading and enjoying? Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms. 

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.  You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Welcome to the latest children's literacy and reading news roundup, now available at The Family Bookshelf. The roundups are brought to you twice a month by Carol Rasco from RIF and Quietly, Terry Doherty from The Reading Tub and The Family Bookshelf, and me, here at Jen Robinson's Book Page. For this mid-month roundup, Terry has highlights regarding litercay and reading-related events; literacy programs and research; and suggestions for growing bookworms.

Here are some highlights from Terry's roundup:

"National Poetry Month is still going gangbusters! There are lots of activities.

• One of our favorites is 30 Poets 30 Days at Gottabook, poet Greg Pincus’ blog. 
• TOMORROW is Poem in Your Pocket Day. If you’re looking for a poem, be sure to visit Poets.org. They have “thousands of poems” that you can read and print. PLUS you get to read a bio of the poet."

Like me, Terry was taken with Gail Gauthier’s post about Book Train, "a literacy nonprofit that gives books to foster children. Currently, Book Train distributes books in Colorado and Connecticut, and is looking for social workers in other states to distribute books.” 

This is interesting. "Scientific American recently had an article about changes in our “reading brain ” in this modern age. The Reading Bran in Digital Age: the Science of Paper vs. Screens shares research in how our brain needs “physicality” in reading to help with comprehension, a sense of control, and other sensory development. It is fascinating research."

But do click through to read the full roundup. And here are a few additional tidbits from me:

Screen Free Week is coming April 29th - May 5th. I wrote about Screen Free Week previously (including some things I've observed about screen time in my own daughter). Today I came across a fun article by Bob Staake (one of Random House's ambassadors for Screen Free Week) in the The Huffington Post. Staake (whose picture books I adore) shared a tongue-in-cheek 31 Things Parents and Kids Can Do Without a Screen. Like "Go on a hike -- and ask random woodland creatures to friend you." Fun stuff! (See also this list of 7 great picture books for Screen Free Week from Erica at What Do We Do All Day?)

Earlier this month, Trevor H. Cairney shared a useful post on Getting Boys Into Reading: Ideas, Books & Resources. He lists four fundamental building blocks to get boys reading, and goes on to give some specific ideas for reading with boys, as well as book suggestions. 

Our friend Susan Stephenson shared an important post on letting kids read the books that they want to read, rather than pushing them to read ever-more-difficult titles. Here is her conclusion (but do read the full post):

"Sometimes it seems to me there are forces at work that want to rob our kids of their childhood. By trying to push them into learning they are not ready for, by making everything a competition and comparing our kids to some so-called norm, we are doing them a huge disservice. I believe we must do our best to help our kids love reading. That is the number one priority in my mind. I urge every parent to make it a priority too."

And that's all we have for you today. But Carol will be back towards May 1st with the end of April roundup. And we'll continue to share literacy news as we find it @JensBookPage, Growing Bookworms, @ReadingTub, and @CHRasco. Thanks for reading, and for caring about children's literacy. 

This post © 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Book: The Lucy Variations
Author: Sara Zarr (@sarazarr)
Pages: 320
Age Range: 12 and up

The Lucy Variations is a coming of age story about a 16-year-old music prodigy who, eight months earlier, gave up playing the piano. The Lucy Variations is about Lucy's (often strained) relationships with her family, her adjustment to attending school, and her attempts to figure out (inspired by her brother's new music teacher) whether or music still has a place in her life. In short, she is figuring out who she is and who she wants to be. Whether readers themselves are interested in music or not has little to do with whether or not The Lucy Variations will have relevance for them. Figuring out what you love and how you're going to do it should resonate with all teens (and adults, for that matter). 

Sara Zarr is phenomenal at creating three-dimensional characters. Lucy is talented and imperfect. As a reader, I sympathized with the things she lost out on while practicing and performing throughout her entire childhood. And I envied her the escape the music could provide. I also worried about her constantly, as though she was real. I was on edge for much of the book, because Lucy experiences friendships with / crushes on two different adult men. I kept wanting to tell her, "Stay back! Be careful."  

The other characters are fully realized, too, particularly Lucy's best friend and Lucy's grandfather. Here's a window into Lucy's wealthy, music-obsessed, Type A family:

"Generally, Lucy didn't mind. It would be nice, though, once in a while, to be the kind of family that on a crap day like this would order a pizza and eat it in the kitchen. Maybe even talk about the fact that it was kinda sad and awful that someone who mattered to them had died in their house that afternoon." (Chapter 2) 

Even Lucy's Grandma, who died 8 months earlier, is rendered through by Lucy's reminiscing. Like this:

"It reminded Lucy of Grandma Beck and how she always touched whoever she was talking to. Lightly, and with a calmness. Not clutching or intense. Lucy missed that." (Chapter 6)

Zarr's prose is simply lovely. Like these quotes, both from Chapter 9:

"To the right the Pacific sparkled deep blue, and the midday light cut depth and shadow into the crags of the bluff. Mesmerizingly. Gorgeously." 

"The world was full of beauty. She wanted to grab hold of it and take it all down into her bones. Yet it always seemed beyond her grasp. Sometimes only be a little, like now. The thinnest membrane." 

But The Lucy Variations is filled with down-to-earth details, too. Being late for school. Craving caffeine. The tedium of reading about the Middle Ages. What it's like to live in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

The Lucy Variations is about figuring out who you are (as distinct from your family) and what you love. It's beautifully written, with complex characters and realistic interactions. While the world of competitive piano playing may not be familiar to most readers, nor the trappings of Lucy's well-off family, The Lucy Variations at its heart explores universal truths. It also offers some nice parent/child opportunities for discussion, I think. Recommended for readers 12 and up, particularly girls.  

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (@LBKids)
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Source of Book: Advance review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: I Wish I Had ... 
Author: Giovannna Zoboli
Illustrator: Simona Mulazzani
Pages: 26
Age Range: 3 to 8 

I Wish I Had ... is a picture book that celebrates the physical attributes and talents of animals. Each page spread features a different animal, with pairs of pages linked together into a single sentence. Like this:

"I wish I had the eyes of a blackbird
to see every blade of grass
growing in the meadow...

... and the feather-light steps
of a tiger as it explores the silence.

There's no particular reason, story-wise, to connect the two page spreads like this, but it does help keep the book from being too repetitive when read aloud (as it might be if one had to say "I wish I had" on every page). 

Giovanna Zoboli uses relatively advanced syntax for some of her comparisons, like the lemur swinging through "the maze of branches" and "the forest of thoughts." She doesn't use complex words, but she does use apt ones that are good for kids to see in context, like "nimble" and "contentment". She avoids the more clichéd comparisons, too. There's a soothing, lyrical quality to the text that I think will make I Wish I Had ... a nice read-aloud. 

Simona Mulazzani's illustrations fill every corner of every page with muted colors and textures. Her animals are largely realistic, except for a series of patterns traced onto the whale and the elephant (vaguely reminiscent of Il Sung Na's illustration style). I actually found those two pages a bit jarring, since the other animals were all colored realistically - it was as though Mulazzani couldn't leave the smooth, gray surfaces of elephant and whale untouched.

Apart from that, though, I liked the illustrations. There are other touches of whimsey, like a series of square windows in a tree, and mice drinking juice out of tiny glasses on the kitchen table. 

I Wish I Had ... is set apart from run of the mill animal attribute books by the creative nature of Zoboli's comparisons and the detail and subtle quirkiness of Mulazzani's pictures. It is well worth a look for storytime or home use. I plan to try it with my daughter this evening. 

Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (@eerdmansbooks)
Publication Date: March 1, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: Steam Train, Dream Train
Author: Sherri Duskey Rinker
Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4 - 6

Steam Train, Dream Train is a second collaboration by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld, following their highly successful Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. Steam Train, Dream Train is very similar in composition, with a mix of fact and whimsey centered around something that interests four to six year old boys.

In this case, a steam train stops in the middle of the night to be loaded up. Each type of car is shown, and is loaded differently according to what makes sense for that car type. In Steam Train, Dream Train, cars are loaded with things like toys, ice cream, and a trio of kangaroos. 

Rinker's rhyming text is clearly meant for bedtime reading. Steam Train, Dream Train bears a strong resemblance to The Goodnight Train by June Sobel (perhaps inevitable - there are only so many things that rhyme with the most common train-related words). But Steam Train, Dream Train is a bit longer, and drops in more facts. I personally found the text of Steam Train, Dream Train to drag a bit, though I imagine that the target audience will appreciate it. Here's a snippet:

"The driver signals
to the crew--
each worker knows
just what to do.
Quick!
Before it gets too late,
start to load up
all the freight.

Everything will
soon be stowed,
a train car matched
to every load." 

The above text is accompanied by a picture of a fuzzy bear driving the train, while a green dinosaur, a purple elephant, a giraffe, and several other animals wait to load up the train. As in Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, Tom Lichtenheld's illustrations are a nice mix of soothing and entertaining. Steam Train, Dream Train doesn't have the glowing sunset images of the previous book (which I LOVED), but there is more overt humor. For instance, this page:

"Stacked up on the autorack:
six race cars for a private track!
Rainbow colors, flames, and strips,
shiny engines, chromy pipes.

The autorack
will gently keep
these fast, fast cars...

... all fast asleep.

The autorack contains five colorful racecars. A sixth is being loaded by a two-man crew of ... turtles. Why not, I say. The type of car is always shown in bold text, making clear the educational aspect of the book. But of course it's the gentle humor (a dinosaur reaching for a bone, a giraffe riding with his head out of the caboose, etc.) that will appeal most to young readers. 

While it's again not quite my person cup of tea, I think it's safe to say that Steam Train, Dream Train will be a success. The authors and publisher have taken a formula that worked very well for a book about construction equipment and applied it to trains. If anything, trains are better suited to bedtime stories than construction equipment is. I expect this one to fly off the shelves, and to be a particular hit with four to six year old boys. 

Publisher: Chronicle Books (@ChronicleKids)
Publication Date: April 16, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Today is Drop Everything and Read Day (D.E.A.R. Day), celebrated every year on April 12th in honor of Beverly Cleary's birthday. D.E.A.R. is "a national month-long celebration of reading designed to remind folks of all ages to make reading a priority activity in their lives."

How will you make reading a priority today? You could:

• Spend some time reading aloud with your child after breakfast.
• Play hooky in the afternoon by sitting outside with your own book.
• Read a book instead of reading email and Facebook on your cell phone while you wait for an appointment. 
• Volunteer to read to your child's class.
• Take your child to a bookstore or the library after school.
• Forego television in the evening, so that you'll have more time for reading books. 

Those are just a few thoughts. I'm sure you can come up with others that fit your family's situation. 

Happy Birthday, Beverly Cleary! Thanks for encouraging people to Drop Everything and Read. 

D.E.A.R. sponsors include:

• National Education Association (NEA)
• National Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
• Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association
• Reading Rockets
• General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC)
• Newspaper Association of America Foundation (NAA)
• First Book
• Read Kiddo Read
• Walden Media
• HarperCollins Children’s Books

Here are highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. It was a fairly light week.

Book Awards

Have you read the finalists for the 2013 E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards | via @tashrow http://ow.ly/jSaz2 #kidlit

Congratulations @CherylRainfield | Hunted Has Been Shortlisted for the 2013 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award! http://ow.ly/jWQnW

The 2013 Indies Choice–Picture Book Hall of Fame finalists are all wonderful titles | via @tashrow http://ow.ly/jSath #kidlit

RT @tashrow: 2013 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Shortlist http://t.co/SVlqlbEvlN

Book Lists

3 #Picturebooks in which Picky Eaters Find Out "you are what you eat" from @bethanyntt http://ow.ly/jRO6s #kidlit

7 Perfect Picture Books for Screen-Free Week http://ow.ly/jRNqM from @momandkiddo #kidlit #literacy

RT @alli_librarian: Excellent round-up including Betsy-Tacy, Half Magic + more! Chapter Book Series for Young Girls: http://t.co/4U0OSoAzgv

Literacy Programs and Research

Must-read article in @NYTimes about programs + studies on increasing how much parents talk to babies http://ow.ly/jYsiT #litrdup

RT @tashrow: The Reading Brain in The Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens: Scientific American http://buff.ly/ZjydYA

Love of Reading

This idea for #Literacy Lockers at school is wonderful http://ow.ly/jRKQ1 @yaloveblog via @catagator

Judging by the 97 responses to @donalynbooks on @NerdyBookClub, I'd say we all have reading slumps sometimes http://ow.ly/jRJ5w

Publishing

Welcome to the Mothership: @100scopenotes balanced Take on Amazon/Goodreads @ShiftTheDigital http://ow.ly/jYNgh

Finding Wonderland: An Author's Take on Self-Publishing: Interview with Gail Gauthier http://ow.ly/jTRHa @aquafortis

RT @literaticat: Delighted by the announcement of @lizzieskurnick books - an imprint bringing back Forgotten YA of the past!

Gender

Must read post from @FuseEight | “Are there any girl bears?”: Gender and the 21st Century Picture Book http://ow.ly/jWdPS #kidlit

Where are the normal boys in fiction? | Julia Eccleshare | @GdnChildrensBks http://ow.ly/jUslz via @PWKidsBookshelf

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.

Book: Monsters Love Colors
Author: Mike Austin
Pages: 40
Age Range: 3-6 

Mike Austin's Monsters Love Colors is a humorous introduction to color mixing in picture book format. The storyline is minimal, but the monsters are energetic and engaging. The book starts out with red, yellow, and blue monsters, each representing their own favorite color, and proclaiming reasons that they like that color.  Then a bunch of little gray monsters pop up, asking the first monsters to make new colors, like orange, gree, and purple. The new colors are produced through much scribbling and mixing. At the end, there's even a rainbow. 

The text features a mix of declarative sentences and exclamations. Like this (across two page spreads):

"Monsters love to scribble, scribble, mix, dance, and wiggle!

Mix, mash, and splash! Squish, mish, and squash!
Squish! Squash! Mish! Mash!
Mash! Mish! Squish! Squash!"

The latter paragraph is accompanied by a picture of the yellow monster holding (mixing) two balls of paint, while the blue monster jumps up and down in a puddle composed of red, yellow, and blue. Three smaller gray monsters and a host of colored blots also dot the page. The text is in varied sizes, tilted at different angles, with the words from last two lines above fanning out from the color puddle. The monsters' excitement about color leaps from the page. They have huge grins pretty much all the time. 

There is a bit of rhyming, too. Like this:

"My favorite color is YELLOW!

Yellow is the color of PROWL!
and
HOWL!
and
GROWL! GROWL! GROWL!"

It doesn't make sense exactly (though their are pictures of a moon, flowers, and a lion that make more sense with the color scheme). But it's fun to read aloud, and good practice for rhyming.

I like the color mixing pages best, though. Like this:

"Dribble! Scribble! Mix, dance, and wiggle!

Mixing yellow and blue makes GREEN!"

The letters in "wiggle" wiggle about. The names of the colors are shown in the appropriate color. And the scribble of yellow and blue that is becoming green is messy and enthusiastic, just like something a kid would draw. 

With its crazy scribbles and plethora of exclamation points, Monsters Love Colors is probably not your best choice for bedtime reading. But as a read-aloud, or a book to read before settling in to do some finger painting, Monsters Love Colors shines. Recommended for preschoolers and kindergartners, ages 3 to 6. Monsters Love Colors is also a Baby Bookworm favorite. 

Publisher: HarperCollins (@HarperChildrens)
Publication Date: February 5, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: Tiptoe Joe
Author: Ginger Foglesong Gibson
Illustrator: Laura Rankin
Pages: 32
Age Range: 2-5

Tiptoe Joe, written by Ginger Foglesong Gibson and illustrated by Laura Rankin, is a nice read-aloud bedtime book for younger readers. Tiptoe Joe, a red sneaker-wearing bear, runs around gathering all of his animal friends, repeatedly warning them to be quiet. Each animal makes a different sound ("SLAP, SLAP" for the beaver, "THUMP, THUMP" for the rabbit, etc.), but they all try to tiptoe along with Joe as he takes them to his cave to reveal a surprise. The conclusion will hardly be astonishing to adult readers, but it will be satisfying for preschoolers (who, as far as I can tell, pretty much all love babies).

The repetitive structure of Tiptoe Joe makes it a soothing bedtime book. Like this:

"Rabbit, Rabbit, come with me.
I know something you should see.

THUMP, THUMP.

Turkey, Turkey, come with me.
I know something you should see.

FLAP, FLAP." 

The varying sounds of each animal's movement are predictable enough to give kids a chance to participate, but also add to the fun of reading this book aloud. The sounds are repeated several times throughout the book, giving kids plenty of chances to chime in. 

Rankin's watercolor illustrations lend a gentle humor to the book. Each animal is wearing some typically human accessory, from glasses on the moose to a cap on the beaver. The animals are rosy-cheeked and smiling, reminiscent of stuffed animals. Each animal is shown first in its own habitat (woods, field, etc.) and then in more of a closeup, adding a very non-intrusive educational component to the book. The last page is sure to make readers say "Awww!". 

Tiptoe Joe is aimed squarely at younger readers, from the relatively simple, repetitive text to the participatory sounds to the charm of the animals' faces. It could certainly work in a toddler storytime, but I think it is better suited to at-home bedtime read-aloud. I look forward to trying it with my daughter. Recommended.

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (@HarperChildrens)
Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Source of Book: Advance review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Random House Children's Books is strongly promoting this year's Screen Free Week, April 29th - May 5th. They are urging kids and parents everywhere to Unplug and Read. Today they published this video, in which four well-known author-illustrators (Bob Staake, Chris Raschka, Dan Yaccarino, and Tad Hills) call for kids to unplug, and spend their time doing other, more active things. It's well worth a look. 

There are lots of great reasons to get kids to unplug, though of course it's hard to do. More time to read, more time to play, more active play, more use of the imagination.... The list goes on.

Here are a few things I've noticed about screen time and my three year old:

• The more time she gets, the more time she wants. This goes for movies and iPad time, her primary sources of screen time. Screen time is highly addictive.
• When she's absorbed in the iPad, she is oblivious to things going on around her. 
• When she watches movies in the evening, she doesn't sleep as well. She tends to wake up during the night, and wake us up, because she's afraid of something. Presumably, she is having bad dreams.
• When we watch television in the evening, we end up with less time for reading books, mostly because my husband and I get tired, and can't stay awake to read as many as our daughter would like.

This is not to say that we don't derive any benefit from this screen time. Most of the apps that she uses on the iPad are educational in some way. She does puzzles, she learns some vocabulary, she does some concentration-type practice, etc. And when we watch movies as a family, we build a common frame of reference. My husband and I can share movies that we love with her. We now sing songs from The Sound of Music most nights before she goes to sleep. And of course, screen time sometimes provides a break for me, time to read the paper or take a shower in the morning. But I try to keep it to minimum, because of the above behaviors that I've noticed.

So what I plan to try to do during Screen-Free Week is replace my daughter's several mornings per week iPad time with reading together, even if it means I have to find time to shower and finish the paper later in the day. I'll also see what I can do about not watching any television in the evenings. (We don't watch much, but as I said, she gets a bit addicted, and always asks. She doesn't get any screen time during the day as it is.) I'll be interested to see how that affects her sleep. I'll report back.

How about you? What are your plans for Screen-Free Week?

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin Trilogy, Book 2)
Author: Robin LaFevers
Pages: 400
Age Range: 13 and up 

Dark Triumph is the second book in Robin LaFevers' His Fair Assassin Trilogy (after Grave Mercy). Dark Triumph is set in Brittany in 1489, as Anne, Duchess of Brittany, flees to Rennes with her advisors, an impossibly young monarch besieged on all sides. The primary protagonist of Dark Triumph, however, is Sybella, handmaiden to Death (aka Mortain). Trained for three years at the convent of Saint Mer, Sybella is a secret assassin. Her secret mission is to live as a spy within the entourage of her father, Alain D'Albret. Her deepest hope is to be able to kill her father, a man who has caused untold suffering for Sybella and many others. 

Dark Triumph has it all. High-stakes suspense, action, a complex protagonist, truly evil bad guys, and a gentle romance. It doesn't feel all that much like a second book of a trilogy, because it features a different main character (though Grave Mercy's Ismae does make an appearance). There is, as I think of the book in retrospect, perhaps a slight lack of forward movement on Anne's story. But Sybella's story is so fast-paced and utterly compelling that I didn't notice that at all when I was reading. 

Sybella is an intriguing character. She is ruthless, quick-witted, and sharp-tongued. But she is also deeply wounded, vulnerable, and utterly loyal. She is not above using her feminine wiles to accomplish what she needs to accomplish, but she also hates herself for doing so. The family secrets that made Sybella who she is are revealed slowly throughout the book. This adds an additional layer of suspense on top of high-octane current events. 

As you might gather from the title and the cover of the book, Dark Triumph is indeed dark. Terrible things happen to people, particularly Sybella. D'Albret is one of the most loathsome, irredeemable villains I have ever encountered in a novel. Truly evil. There is also quite a lot of fighting and killing (yes, by Sybella - that's what she's been trained to do).

Dark Triumph is also a complex book. There are many characters, and quite a bit of political intrigue. I had to refer back to the Dramatis Personae from time to time, just to make sure I had things straight. 

And yet, I found Dark Triumph to be a fast read. Perhaps this was because I could scarcely bear to put it down. The stakes were always so high for Sybella that I had to keep reading. LaFevers does include some humor, too. And the love story between Sybella and a character who reappears from the first book is believable and lovely, that much more beautiful for being set against difficult times. 

I think that having a different protagonist for this book (but one trained at the same convent) was brilliant. This avoids what I think is my biggest pet peeve in young adult trilogies - the need to artificially keep apart a couple who clearly belong together, just to keep things interesting. Oh, some people do it well. And I get why it's necessary. But it's still tiresome. Here, we get a glimpse at Ismae's happily ever after with her beau, and are simultaneously able to move on and become invested in Sybella's story. Brilliant.

Fans of Grave Mercy will not be disappointed. Dark Triumph is, as I've said, dark. It does require a certain degree of focus to follow everything that's happening. It also requires a tiny willingness to suspend belief regarding the protagonists' fighting abilities (there are mild supernatural elements in effect, after all). But for those who are ready to take on these challenges, Dark Triumph offers great rewards.

Dark Triumph is compelling, well-written, and unforgettable. While it's not strictly necessary to have read Grave Mercy to appreciate Dark Triumph, I do encourage you to read the books in order. Both are highly recommended for teen and adult readers. 

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (@hmhkids)
Publication Date: April 2, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Today I will be sending out the new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's and young adult books and raising readers. There are 1655 subscribers. Currently I am sending the newsletter out once every two weeks.

Newsletter Update: In this issue I have eight book reviews (five picture books, one middle grade novel, and two young adult novels). I also have one post with a recipe for growing bookworms. 

Not included in the newsletter this time around I have:

• A review of an ABC-themed puzzle from Tiger Tales Press.
• Links I shared on Twitter: March 22nd.
• Links I shared on Twitter: March 29th.
• Profiles of two teen finalists for the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
• An invitation (now expired) for my followers to join Riffle (a social networking service based on books). 
• A re-issue of an April Fool's Day-themed picture book review.

One other note about the newsletter is that I am still experimenting with my new template for sending the newsletter (since upgrading to the paid version of FeedBlitz). I welcome your feedback, and thank you for your patience. 

Reading Update: In the past 2 weeks, I finished 1 early chapter book, 3 novels for middle grade readers, and 2 novels for young adults. I read:  

• Delphine Perret: The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation. Early Chapter Book. Sterling Books. Completed March 20, 2013.
• Prudence Breitrose: Mousenet. Middle Grade. Hyperion. Completed March 25, 2013.
• Jennifer Nielsen: The Runaway King (Ascendance Trilogy). Middle Grade. Scholastic. Completed March 27, 2013. My review.
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka: The Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked. Middle Grade. Walden Pond Press. Completed March 29, 2013.
• Beth Revis: Shades of Earth. Young Adult. Razorbill. Completed March 20, 2013, on MP3.
• Robin LaFevers: Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin, Book 2). Young Adult. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. Completed March 30, 2013. My review.

Reviews are forthcoming for everything except Shades of Earth. I did think that it was a satisfying conclusion to the Across the Universe series, but I rarely review audiobooks (since it's too hard to look back, find quotes, etc.). I do recommend the series to fans of straight up YA science fiction (of which there is not enough). I'm currently reading Fragments (Partials #2) by Dan Wells, and listening to The Madness Underneath (Shades of London #2) by Maureen Johnson. 

And, of course, I'm reading every day with Baby Bookworm. She is loving Byron Barton's The Three Bears and The Teeny Tiny Woman by Paul Galdone (both library picks). She is also fascinated by The Dark, from Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen (which I think is brilliant). She will be three later this week, and she is at the stage where she asks lots and lots (and lots) of questions as we read. Last night she asked me why she can't go inside the pictures in All the World. This testifies to the appeal of Marla Frazee's illustrations, I think. 

How about you? What have you and your kids been reading and enjoying? Who are your favorite authors? Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms. 

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.  You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: The Girl from Felony Bay
Author: J. E. Thompson
Pages: 384
Age Range: 9-12 

The Girl from Felony Bay is a middle grade mystery set against a deeply layered South Carolina coast backdrop. Abbey Force has had a bad year. Her father is in a coma after an apparent fall, accused of a crime that Abbey is certain he didn't commit. Abbey's home, Reward Plantation, has been sold to cover remunerations from the crime. Abbey is living with her snake-like Uncle Charlie, and Charlie's downtrodden wife Ruth. As the summer vacation after sixth grade begins, Abbey's number one goal is to prove that her father didn't commit the crime he is accused of. She is helped in her quest by Bee Force, the daughter of Reward's new owner. 

There's a lot to like about The Girl from Felony Bay. The mystery is well-developed, with clues parcelled out gradually, so that young readers can figure things out along with Abbey. I know that I read this quite quickly, eager to understand what was happening. I found the resolution of the mystery satisfying, but was pleased that the author didn't feel the need to fix every single loose end. 

Thompson's characterization is superb. Abbey fairly leaps from the page, and a number of secondary characters are revealed to have unexpected (but plausible) depths. The friendship between Abbey and Bee develops a bit quickly, but Thompson doesn't gloss over the awkward aspects of their relationship. Bee is living in the house that Abbey grew up in, sleeping in her very bedroom. And Abbey and Bee both understand immediately that Bee's family is descended from slaves that Abbey's ancestors owned (it having been common practice for freed slaves to take the last name of their owners as they left the plantations). These uncomfortable realities could have derailed the girls' friendship, but don't. 

Abbey's voice frequently made me smile. She has a wry humor, and a keen wit, with just a hint of the south in her diction. Like this:

"He sipped on his drink and squinted at me with the same face he'd use if he just discovered the meat in his lunch sandwich had gone bad. Uncle Charlie is about six feet two, nearly as tall as Daddy, but no longer thin. He's not exactly fat, either, at least not yet. He reminds me of a candle that's been sitting in the sun too long and is starting to bulge in the wrong places." (Chapter 2)

"She managed to hold back her sorrow when I told her I wouldn't be around for dinner." (Chapter 17, in reference to a neglectful and lazy aunt)

"Rufus was jumping up and down, which is what he did most of the time, since Labrador retrievers are just born happy. The only time they are even happier than usual is when there is a bowl of food nearby." (Chapter 29)

Thompson also does a fine job in portraying the South Carolina coastal region, including its beauties, inconveniences, and dangers. Like this: 

"We could still see the river through the trees off to our left, it's brown water glittering like hot butterscotch. To our right the heavy shrubbery of palmetto trees, live oaks, hanging drapes of Spanish moss, and tangles of honeysuckle and wild oleander and river oats and plants I couldn't begin to name cut off our view after only a few yards." Chapter 7)

"After another couple minutes, the cacophony of the frogs had become almost deafening, so I knew One Arm Pond had to be directly to our right. I couldn't see it through the leaves, not even moonlight reflecting off the surface, but I could smell the musty odor of pluff mud. I was studying every single root, vine, or stick with great intensity now, and that's when I came to a quick stop.

Two feet ahead of me, way to close for comfort, something that looked at first like a thick black root had just crawled from underneath a layer of dead magnolia leaves. It was maybe four feet long and as thick as a beer can in the middle." (Chapter 18)

So there you have it. An absorbing mystery for middle grade readers, with strong characters, and a setting that the reader can practically smell and taste. The fact that The Girl from Felony Bay also matter-of-factly takes on race relations in the south (including a sub-plot regarding heirs' property rights "and how a lot of African American people have gotten cheated out of valuable land over the years") is a nice bonus. 

Although the two main characters are girls (and there's a girl in the title), I think that The Girl from Felony Bay is quite boy-friendly. There are, after all, alligators and poisonous snakes, and hints of pirate treasure. The Girl from Felony Bay is a great choice for anyone looking for a middle grade mystery that has suspense and complexity as well as emotional depth. Highly recommended. 

Publisher: Walden Pond Press (@WaldenPondPress)
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Source of Book: Advance review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Baby Bookworm also had another little literacy milestone this week. She came running in from her playroom, all excited, waving an orange marker. "Mom, I drawed an A." Alas, the A was drawn on the floor, and didn't actually look a whole lot like an A. But she gets that drawing letters is an accomplishment, so that's something to celebrate.

Thank goodness for washable markers. I don't know how any parent manages without them. 

This post © 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Here are some highlights from the links that I shared on Twitter this week @JensBookPage. I also shared a sub-set of these links on my Growing Bookworms Facebook page, and on Google+. However, I try to share everything on Twitter, so that it's all in one place. 

Book Lists and Awards

Thursday Three: Bedtime | 3 standout bedtime books reviewed by @MotherReader http://ow.ly/jKIby #kidlit

One of my favorite genres is featured today by @catagator on Stacked: Get Genrefied: Mysteries (+ Thrillers) http://ow.ly/jI0MH

2013 IBW Book Award Children’s Shortlist | via @tashrow http://ow.ly/jKHM4 #kidlit #awards

Fun list! Favorite Picture Books About Construction Vehicles and Sites | @thepbreview http://ow.ly/jFVku

15 Wonderful Wordless Picture Books suggested by @momandkiddo http://ow.ly/jE3Ph #kidlit

A great selection. Top Ten Wordless Picture Books by Kristen Remenar | @NerdyBookClub http://ow.ly/jDY2L #kidlit

RT @imaginationsoup: books for world autism day -- http://fb.me/14LyfLKSQ

Growing Bookworms

Parents, don't miss this post! Getting Boys Into Reading: Ideas, Books & Resources from @TrevorHCairney http://ow.ly/jKJtF #litrdup

The Peculiar Case of the Reading Dad by @mochadad. Sad that a dad reading to preschool class should be so rare http://ow.ly/jGxdP

Spring into Literacy: #Literacy Lalapalooza w/ ideas and recommendations | Family Bookshelf http://ow.ly/jKIyv @readingtub

Tips for #parents on Sharing Wordless Picture Books | @ReadingRockets http://ow.ly/jIme8 #literacy

This post from @bethanyntt has some great tips on Reading to Babies {10 real-life tips} http://ow.ly/jE1d4

The Book Chook: Visual #Literacy - Investigate and Play with Images http://ow.ly/jE0aO @bookchook

How to Find 20 Minutes to Read to Your Child Today by @TheBookWormMama @bonbonbreak http://ow.ly/jE00m #literacy

The First Thing You Should Do When You Start To Read Aloud is keep it exciting, @ReadAloudDad http://ow.ly/jDXTM

RT @tashrow: 5 Tips For Getting Children Excited About Reading | Edudemic http://bit.ly/X1BMWT #literacy

Kidlitosphere

On the #Cybils blog: Suggestions from @aquafortis for Keeping the Cybils Ball Rolling until nominations open in Oct http://ow.ly/jE1U7

RT @GregPincus: It's Kelly Fineman up today at 30 Poets/30 Days. Where are your shoes? Come find out! - http://bit.ly/Z75Ewv #30p30d #kidlit

Bloggers, join The Chocolate War read & blog along, organized by @LizB @bkshelvesofdoom + @catagator http://ow.ly/jDYqP

Just in time for @The_Pigeon 10 year anniversary, an interview with Mo Willems @playbythebook http://ow.ly/jDOi0 #kidlit

Publishing and e-Books

Calming thoughts: Dan Blank: Amazon Buys Goodreads: What Does It Mean for Authors and Readers? http://ow.ly/jE42j via @FuseEight

The Simple Reason Why Goodreads Is So Valuable to Amazon - @JHWeissmann - The Atlantic http://ow.ly/jL8ac 

Chronicle Books Named Best Children’s Publisher of the Year - @GalleyCat http://ow.ly/jyFlk via @tashrow @ChronicleKids

Programs and Research

This is cool. Kids can call the Indianapolis Public Library's 24 hour Call-A-Story line to hear Pacers read #kidlit http://ow.ly/jE2L0

Welcome to Mission Read, a new grassroots #literacy promotion campaign, by Beth Panageotou @bonbonbreak http://ow.ly/jFS7i @pagescorner

Food for thought, no clear answers: What Does a Tablet Do to the Child’s Mind? @NYTimes http://ow.ly/jGwOV via @PWKidsBookshelf

I think this is true. RT @tashrow: BBC News – Children should be allowed to get bored, expert says http://buff.ly/11rFaZI

Good article about how dyslexia forced several successful people to get creative to Get Ahead - @WSJ http://ow.ly/jGooH

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.

Today is my daughter's third birthday (can you believe it?). I suppose that I'll have to stop calling her "Baby" Bookworm eventually. But not quite yet! In honor of her birthday, I'd like to share some of our favorite birthday books. 

Birthday Monsters by Sandra Boynton. Workman. Board Book. This has been one of our family's favorite read-aloud books since Baby Bookworm was tiny. My husband especially enjoys it (and he tends to be very hard to please when it comes to children's books). We've read this one so much that is has entered into our family vocabulary. Like if it happens to be 6:08 someone might say "It's 6:08." Then someone else would respond, "Your present-opening can't wait." Birthday Monsters is a book that truly lends itself to reading aloud, and showcases Boynton's genius. 

Happy Birthday, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton. Robin Corey Books. Board Book. This has been another longtime household favorite. Baby Bookworm especially loves it when Pookie is so excited to start his birthday that he wakes his parents up at the crack of dawn (they later need a nap). Hmmm. Perhaps we shouldn't be reading this one around Baby Bookworm's birthday after all. This book inspired us to acquire all of the other Pookie books, but I think this is the best of them. 

Scaredy Squirrel Has A Birthday Party by Melanie Watt. Kids Can Press. Picture Book. Reviewed here. In truth Baby Bookworm is still a little young to appreciate the humor of this one. But it is one that all Scaredy Squirrel fans should own. Basically, Scaredy tries to plan his own, completely safe, birthday party. But when his friend dog becomes involved, things change (becoming less safe, but more fun). There are tons of tiny details in this book to entertain adults or older children. But Scaredy's cuteness will appeal to younger readers, too. 

Happy Birthday, Hamster by Cynthia Lord (ill. Derek Anderson). Scholastic. Picture Book. We are big Hamster fans in our house. See my review of Hot Rod Hamster. Not sure why I never reviewed Happy Birthday, Hamster, but I can tell you that we read it all the time. It's taken Baby Bookworm a while to completely appreciate what's going on in the story (Hamster's friends pretend that they have forgotten his birthday, only to surprise him at the end). But she loves all of the birthday trappings (cake, presents, balloons, etc.), and the participatory nature of the story (the text asks, frequently "Which would you choose?").

A Birthday for Bear by Bonny Becker (ill. Kady MacDonald Denton). Candlewick. Early Reader. Bear and Mouse are also popular in our household year-round (see my reviews of A Visitor for Bear and A Bedtime for Bear). Baby Bookworm gave a little gasp of joy when she spotted this book in the Early Reader section of the library. She enjoyed it so much that the Easter Bunny put a copy in her Easter basket this year. Although technically an Early Reader, A Birthday for Bear reads much like the other books in the series. Baby Bookworm especially enjoys pointing out Mouse in this one, even as he disguises himself as a mailman, and even as Santa. 

The Cake that Mack Ate by Rose Robart (ill. Maryann Kovalski). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Picture Book. This one is only loosely a birthday book. It's about the entire food chain that's required to produce a birthday cake, a cake that is, sadly, eaten by Mack the dog. We have a paperback edition of this book, and it's one that we frequently take on trips with us. It has a nice cadence for reading aloud, and never gets old. 

And finally, two books that aren't birthday books but that end with birthday parties (and with which we always sing Happy Birthday).

Bear's Busy Family by Stella Blackstone (ill. Debbie Harter). Barefoot Books. Board Book. This was more a favorite when Baby Bookworm was a bit younger, and I still know it by heart. It celebrates the different things that various family members do ("Smell the bread my Grandma bakes", etc.). At the end, all of the family members and their contributions come together for a feast for Baby's birthday. 

Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers (ill. Marla Frazee). HMH Books. Various Editions (we have the lap-size board book). Reviewed here. This book remains one of our all-time favorites. Each page spread features a different aspect of the life of babies. For example, "Every day, everywhere, babies are fed." Then rhyming text, and pictoral vignettes, give more specific examples (in this case, of what babies eat). Frazee's illustrations include multicultural babies, and families of all types. But Baby Bookworm just likes seeing so many pictures of babies. At the end of the book, a baby celebrates her first birthday.

We have other books floating around the involve birthdays, but these are our favorites. What are your family's favorite birthday books? 

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

Book: The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation
Author: Delphine Perret
Pages: 64
Age Range: 4 and up 

I'm not quite sure what to make of The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation, but it is definitely entertaining. It's sort of a cross between an early chapter book and a coffee table book, if you can imagine such a thing. Written by Delphine Perret, this book is a sequel to The Big Bad Wolf and Me, published in 2006. In the first book (which I haven't read), the Big Bad Wolf, named Bernard, moves in with a boy and is kept a secret from the boy's family.

In this sequel, Bernard helps the boy, Louis, with his homework and eats a lot of cookies. Bernard also begs to go along on a road trip to the beach with Louis and his grandfather. Disguised, sort of, as a dog, the Big Bad Wolf, Louis, and a tolerant grandpa, do typical road trip things (stopping for lunch, sticking their heads out of the window, pushing cows out of the road, etc.). This is all conveyed via a series of small panels on each page, with a mix of dialog and chapter titles (Chapter 9: Every five minutes, Bernard asked, "Are we THERE yet?") telling the story. 

There are running gags about Bernard's sensitivity. He doesn't like being mistaken for a dog, or being seen as not scary, even if he doesn't eat children anymore. But when he successfully chases away a yappy poodle, he is the picture of satisfaction. 

The grandfather is delightful, taking everything in stride, with only the slightest bit of teasing. At the end, when Bernard and Louis are both acting too mature to run into the ocean, the grandpa shows them how it's done.

As for Louis, he reminds me quite a lot of Willy from I MUST Have Bobo! He is drawn in a similar minimalist sketch style, with a big smiling mouth and a hint of touseled hair.  The wolf, on the other hand, is shown dark brown, with a big, toothy mouth and no visible eyes. He's a bit like a shadow. I wasn't sure at first whether or not Bernard was supposed to be imaginary. But the grandpa, and even a woman working the drive-thru, seem to see him. So I think Perret is playing this straight up. 

There's a Calvin and Hobbes feel to the panel-style illustrations, and to the quirky humor. When Bernard tells the grandpa that he's the Big Bad Wolf, grandpa responds that he is the queen of England. Or maybe King Kong. The toll ticket ends up being used as a gum wrapper. Bernard goes foraging in the woods, and comes back with ... chocolate chip cookies from a nearby vending machine. 

The Big Bad Wolf Goes on Vacation has 11 brief chapters across 64 pages, with comic-strip style illustrations. It's not quite an early reader, not quite a graphic novel. But it is funny and visually appealing. I still think it could work as a coffee table book. But it's also one that might draw in reluctant new readers (especially boys). It's definitely worth a look. Fans of the first book will certainly not want to miss it. 

Publisher: Sterling Children's Books (@SterlingKids)
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

FTC Required Disclosure:

This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.