Reading level: Ages 4-8
Add this book to your collection: Chloe and the Lion
Video courtesy of DisneyHyperion: A hilarious and whip-smart take on fractured fairy tales, from rising stars Mac Barnett and Adam Rex.
©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.
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By: bookkm,
on 5/5/2012
By: bookkm,
on 4/27/2012
Ever take a nap that makes you want to take a nap every day? That's what happened to me this week. I became enamored with (of?) pillows and fluffy quilts and dreams.
Yesterday, at work, I picked up Cold Cereal by Adam Rex. Since I usually read in bed, and this week, I am sleeping more, I haven't gotten too far into this already wacky fantasy. I mean, the book opens with a little man in a pet carrier - NOT a leprechaun - and the main character's name is Scottish Play Doe. Yep. I do wonder about the workings of some author's brains. Maybe Rex can make more sense of his dreams than I can make of mine.
By: Betsy Bird,
on 4/25/2012
Ain’t he just the sweetest thing? Author/illustrator Aaron Zenz recently wrote just the loveliest ode to his four top favorite children’s literary blogs, and then went and created original art for each. In my case he created this little Fuse guy (or possibly Fuse gal) based on the bright yellow Fuse you see at the beginnings of each of my posts (I put it there in lieu of my face because I can only look at myself so often before going stark raving mad). This, I should point out, is not the first time a little Fuse person has been created for this blog. Katherine Tillotson, an artist of outstanding ability (I’m biased but it also happens to be true) created not one but TWO little Fusemen in the past, both for separate birthdays.
I’m a fan. So thank you Aaron and, once again, thank you Katherine. Fusemen of the world unite!
By: Betsy Bird,
on 12/17/2011
Yep. Your eyes do no deceive you. You are looking at The World Premier of the book trailer for Mac Barnett and Adam Rex’s latest, greatest (yes, greatest) picture book collaboration. For one day and one day only I get to be the first person to show this little vid. Needless to say, I’m thrilled. And I have a copy of Chloe and the Lion, the book in question, here in my hot little fist (which requires me to type with only my left hand and my tongue, but it’s cool). The sole flaw with this book is the fact that when I start plugging away at my 2012 reviews, I don’t like to do the same author too often. And yet already Mac Barnett is doing this book with Hyperion and the fantastic Extra Yarn with illustrator Jon Klassen and Harper Collins. Which to review? These are conundrums I like to face.
The holidays are near upon us and so, to celebrate, Chronicle Books has won the Best Happy Holidays Video of 2011. Seriously, if you know of another publisher that has done better, I’d like to hear about it, because this is . . . well . . . pretty much this is what you’d expect from Chronicle.
So today was a pretty paltry video week for me. Whenever that happens I get down on all fours and crawl on over to a selection of various blogs that I can usually count on to deliver the goods. The best of these, of course, is Mr. Schu’s Watch. Connect. Read. That man knows how to find good videos and this week he featured one that I’d not caught before. It’s Hervé Tullet, the Prince of Preschool Books, conducting a class visit. Or, to put it another way, WARNING: CONTAINS ADORABLE FRENCH CHILDREN.
Of course now that I know how well the man speaks English I want to find a way to lure him to NYC to get him to do a program. *taps fingertips together ala Mr. Burns*
This next video would have been included in one of Mr. James Kennedy’s 90-Second Newbery Film Festivals except that it was turned in a hair too late. Great stuff anyway. In it you can see a bunch of kids at 826CHI predicting the Newbery winners for the next ten years.
Orbit and Random has my vote.
And finally, for our off-topic delight, this goes out to all the authors who have ever received a rejection letter of any sort. Though I don’t know if you’d necessarily want Bernard Black as your spokesperson.
Thanks to Tina Wexler for reminding me about this one.
By: Laura,
on 9/11/2011
Seriously, it is! Back-to-school? They’re back now and we’re looking ahead to holiday book ordering and displays. First up: Halloween! Here are some ideas to help you with your book displays:
PUMPKIN TROUBLE by Jan Thomas
LITTLE GOBLINS TEN by Pamela Jane, illustrated by Jane Manning
PUMPKIN CAT by Anne Mortimer
SCARY SCHOOL by Derek the Ghost, illustrated by Scott M. Fischer
ZOMBIE CHASERS #2: UNDEAD AHEAD by John Kloepfer, illustrated by Steve Wolfhard
JUNIPER BERRY by M.P. Kozlowsky
GUYS READ: THRILLER edited by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Brett Helquist (check out the discussion guide)
FROST by Marianna Baer (and read by Sasha Obama!)
FAT VAMPIRE by Adam Rex (now in paperback!)
POSSESS by Gretchen McNeil
What are your go-to recommendations for kids looking for scary books? Anything fun that you do for Halloween book displays?
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By: Tara Chang,
on 7/2/2011
By: Betsy Bird,
on 6/15/2011
In brief . . .
Yeah. I thought it was an Onion headline too: Werner Herzog reads potty-mouthed bedtime audiobook. I think that’s overseas, though. Here in the U.S. we got someone else.
That’s a good headline. This one’s not bad either: Children’s author ejected from plane for bad language. Strange thing is, it says the fellow in question (a New Yorker) has a book for kids due out this August. Can’t find any evidence of this on Amazon, though. Hmmmmm. Thanks to Jennifer Schultz for the link.
Eliot Schrefer is a member of my children’s writing group. Right now he’s penning a really impressive YA novel about bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo. So how does one research such a book? Go there! Eliot has a great blog up right now that is currently following him on his trip..jpeg?picon=3300)
By: Kinderscares,
on 10/4/2010
Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire Songs for Monsters is written by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by the talented Gris Grimly. It boasts 18 awesome parodies, including Home of the Strange (Home on the Range), My Delicious Frankenstein (Oh My Darling Clementine), Do Your Guts Hang Low (Do Your Ears Hang Low), and Slither and Stink (that's right, folks...somebody actually successfully grossified 'Skinnamarink' - it's fantastic!). This little volume is so much fun it's earned a place on our 'Absolutely Everybody Should Own This Book' list.
By: Betsy Bird,
on 9/4/2010
I’ve been clutching this video to my chest for months, just waiting, waiting, waiting for September to come around. Children’s literature related? Not unless funky puppets count (that puppet makes me laugh every time). Just consider this something to get your groove on today. September is here (yipes!) and if your weather is anything like New York’s right now then you are dwelling in sweet 62 degree heaven.
Close your eyes. Now think of the best book trailer produced between January 1, 2006 to July 1, 2010. Can you think of it? Fantastic. Now go and read Joyce Valenza’s post about the New Book Video Trailer Awards that are coming up. Not only can you nominate your favorites but you can also vote for the winners in each category.
Teen trailers will not be considered, so this next series of videos wouldn’t quite make the cut. To be honest, I’m not certain how I missed this on the first go-around. I suppose because they’re YA to a certain extent but since (A) Adam Rex usually works in the world of children’s literature and (B) They star Mac Barnett who is CLEARLY picture book and chapter book related, these count.
What’s important here is that you recognize the mad acting skills at work. Ye gods. Here’s where the cool kids are at. The cool kids with oddly slicked back hair.
Can you believe that as of this posting some of these have only gotten 526 views? What the heckedy heck?
Speaking of book trailers with shocking low views on YouTube, 368 right now for what may well be the most movie-like movie trailer I’ve ever seen. And that is saying something. Production value city going on here. Wow.
Thanks to @molly_oneill for the link.
And now, a little catchy boon to English teachers everywhere. Elementary school teachers too, I’d wager.
By: Katie B.,
on 3/19/2010
Kids’ books: This ‘March Madness’ is literally playing by the book
“School Library Journal is sponsoring a “Battle of the Kids’ Books.” Patterned after the wildly popular NCAA March Madness, the “Battle of the Kids’ Books” pits 16 topnotch children’s books against each other and asks popular children’s-book authors to choose a winner.”
10 of the best: heroes from children’s fiction
Don’t miss this photo essay featuring 10 heroes and heroines from children’s fiction including Huckleberry Finn, Anne Shirley and Petrova Fossil.
All-New Shel Silverstein Poetry Collection Due in 2011
This week HarperCollins Children’s Books announced the fall 2011 release of a collection of never-before published Shel Silverstein poems and illustrations.
Alabama youth reading Mark Twain to promote literacy
Throughout Alabama, children, big kids and families are reading or re-reading Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ event The Big Read.
Author Name Pronunciation Guide
Ever wondered how you pronounce tricky authors’ names? This site offers a collection of brief recordings of authors & illustrators saying their names. Check out the recording from Adam Rex, a favorite of First Book staff member and author Erica Perl.
By: Kelly Fineman,
on 2/27/2010
1. Common Sense Media fails to live up to its name. Adam Rex (you may remember I interviewed Adam here in 2007) has put up a post entitled "Common Sense" about the new Common Sense Media ratings at Barnes & Noble's website. The mere mention of an alcoholic beverage in Smekday scored him a 3 (out of 5) rating on that count - even though the reference is to an adult having an occasional drink, and nobody drinks on-page. The CSM people found NO good points about his book, even though it deals with overcoming prejudice and preconceived notions, friendship and more. Other outrages are enumerated, including that Judy Blume's Are You There, God, It's Me, Margaret, a marvelous book about puberty beloved by generations of readers, is deemed suitable only for POST-pubescent readers.
For another take on this issue, you can read "Are You There God? Margaret's Not OK for Tweens" over at Meg Cabot's blog, where she points out that CSM guidelines list Blume's book as suitable for ages 14 and up, whereas Cabot's own Being Nikki - featuring a 17-yo protagonist who certainly gets up to more shennanigans than Margaret - is rated okay for 12 & up.
2. Whitewashing of covers is not okay. Not that I think any of you think it is. But this post at The Book Smugglers does a great job of pointing out that a) it's nothing new and b) it won't stop unless people in the industry adopt Mad-Eye Moody's principle of CONSTANT VIGILANCE! (*Reference to HP is mine, not theirs.)
I should note that I don't understand the "people don't like covers with non-whites on them" argument. At all. I've bought and/or borrowed from the library plenty of books with non-whites on the covers, ranging from nonfiction (We Are the Ship, Dear Mr. Rosenwald & more) to poetry (Becoming Billie Holliday, A Wreath for Emmett Till & more) to children & YA fiction (Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters - a particular favorite when my girls were little, Project Mulberry, Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time, Mare's War, Sunita Sun, A Girl Named Disaster, Bound & more), to say nothing of adult titles. I like reading about people who are different than I am, and so do my kids.
3. Thoughts about online platform. I have one - you're reading it, in fact - but not every author is comfortable with it. And guess what? That may just be okay. Check out Mary Kole's article on "Online Platform Do’s and Don’ts".
4. Haiti still needs your help. Just because the news isn't all about Haiti anymore doesn't mean they don't need your help. You can still send money to the Red Cross, Medécins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Hope for Haiti and other groups. You can send gently used crutches and canes to Haiti through CrutchestoHaiti.com and other groups (there have been so very many amputations there that these are in high demand). And you can buy music. Not just the Hope for Haiti Now album available from iTunes (or We Are the World, remade, but also this new version of "Put A Spell On You", recorded by Nick Cave, Chri
By: Kinderscares,
on 2/22/2010
By: Alice Pope,
on 3/31/2009
National Poetry Week Goings-On...
If you're looking for ways to get your daily shot of the poetic during April (which, of course, is National Poetry Month) here are two great options:
GottaBook's 30 Poets/30 Days. Poet and blogger Gregory K. Pinkus has put together quite a National Poetry Month celebration. Every day in April on GottaBook he'll be posting a previously unpublished poem by a different children's poet, including Jack Prelutsky, Mary Ann Hoberman, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Douglas Florian, Nikki Grimes, Jane Yolen, Pat Mora, Nikki Giovanni, Adam Rex, Jon Scieszka, and many many more. Click here to read the full list.
By: Tara Chang,
on 10/29/2008
Last year I posted about some of my seasonal picture book pics. While Greg Couch's illustrated Halloween probably remains my all-time favorite, Adam Rex's book: Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich (which is also terrific) has recently come out with a sequel:
You can see it here on Amazon - complete with a cheesy, Adam-Rex-made promotional video.
In fact, Adam Rex (as Irene Gallo so aptly describes "Come to think of it, the reason Adam Rex tickles me so is that for every two parts funny, he’s one part WTF") has all kinds of interesting related things, including blog entries from the Headless Horseman, and lounge-singing, musical videos from the Hulk.
Scary!
By: Laurel Snyder,
on 8/31/2008
Wow, what a weekend… you’ll have to forgive the name droppage, but I will only have my very first week as a children’s author once, and it was pretty exciting, so I cannot help but share!
But before the author stuff even began, there was festivity– in the form of a BAR MITZVAH! On Friday morning I flew to West Palm, for the single largest gathering of Snyders I have ever attended, my cousin David’s Bar Mitzvah (Yasher Koach, David!). I took Lew, and he was a doll, though a plane ride with a wiggle-worm is never a vacation. But it didn’t matter a bit. It was wonderful to see everyone, and there is always something astounding about circle-dancing and kosher wine.
30 hours later I flew back home, to attend the Saturday night party at the Decatur Book Festival. Man, what a night! I got to see Sarah Prineas, and ZZ Packer (it had been a decade, and we mostly swapped baby pictures) and the DBF guys, and Jamie Allen. I met fabulous folks like Rob Scotton and his lovely wife Liz (Scotton? Not sure…) and Adam Rex and Cheryl Klein .
I drank in moderation, but should have eaten more.
In any case I was tipsy enough to rant (like I do), and tipsy enough that when ZZ and Amber Dermont walked over to the Brick Store, I joined them, and so ended up ranting further, with/at some McSweeney’s guys. I stayed out way too late and ate a soft pretzel, and it all felt very summery very free, and…
very tired this morning.
But that wore off when I got to have brunch with Da Chen, and Julie Bloemeke and other members of the Atlanta Writers’ Club, at Sage. YUMMMMMMM! Da did a lovely calligraphy inscription in my very own copy of Scratchy Mountains. He wrote, “Gold Pen.” I will keep it FOREVER. It was really a delight, and the members of the club were all so smart and interesting. I need to get more involved!
After that I was off to my panel with Brandon Sanderson and Adam Rex, who are both old pros, funny and witty and comfortable on stage. Then I stammered at Deborah Wiles, signed some books, and ate a big gyro, before I came home on Marta.
After that I I fell asleep on the couch until Lew hit me in the face with a toy car. But even that was okay. Because I’m so so so so so satisfied right now, with everything. I’m on a little desert island of happy.
Please don’t come and rescue me.
By: Alice Pope,
on 8/7/2008
The End of the Conference: Autograph Party Photos...
After half a chocolate cupcake and half a yellow cupcake, I got some shots of the autograph party (which I didn't have to participate in because the 2009 CWIM didn't make it to the bookstore which in a way was OK because I feel a little silly signing books).
Susan Patron, Sara Pennypacker, and Ann Whitford Paul look happy about autographing.
Washingtonians Holly Cupala (who is holding one of the roses from the gorgeous bouquet her husband sent in celebration of her very recent two-book deal!) with RA Jolie Stekly and her stack of books.
The awesome Paula Yoo listens to a conference-goer as she prepares to sign her first novel, Good Enough.
Authors Katherine Applegate and Jay Asher--both of whom I interviewed for Insider Reports in the 2009 CWIM.
Rachel Cohn happily passes one of her novels off to a conference goer (note the red "Reading Is Power" bracelet) while Bruce Coville concentrates on signing.
Marla Frazee and her line of autograph seekers. (I wonder if her hand got tired.)
SCBWI RAs/authors Esther Hershenhorn (Illinois) and Ellen Hopkins (Nevada).
Down the row: Linda Zuckerman, Paula Yoo, Lisa Yee, Mark Teague, and Adam Rex (who you can sort of see).
By: Eva M.,
on 8/4/2008
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By: Lori Calabrese,
on 5/21/2008
Tree-Ring Circus
Ages Baby- Preschool
This is a fun, quirky, rhyming story that begins with a tree, and ends with a 'Tree Ring Circus.' The tree grows and becomes home to sparrows, chipmunks, and a runaway clown. The pictures are humorous and if you're a fan of the greatest show on earth, you'll want to grab some popcorn and cotton candy for this one!
By: Sylvia Vardell,
on 4/19/2008
I’m still riding the high of my Poetry Round Up at the Texas Library Association conference this week! Five fabulous poets, John Frank, Juanita Havill, Alan Katz, Linda Sue Park, and Adam Rex, worked their magic on an audience of nearly 200 participants. It was fantastic! John Frank read from How to Catch a Fish and his new collection, Keepers, in his deep and steady voice. Juanita shared excerpts from her new novel in verse, Grow, that brought several audience members to tears. Alan Katz had us in stitches laughing over poems from his new book, Oops, and his upcoming follow up, Uh-Oh. What fun to feature Linda Sue Park as a POET as she read her sijo poems from Tap Dancing on the Roof, plus a brand new sijo on explaining baseball to an alien. And Adam Rex wrapped it up for us with his deadpan delivery accompanied by slides from his hysterical collection, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, as well as the upcoming sequel, Frankenstein Bakes a Cake. (Thank you ALL for coming and sharing!) [Unfortunately, poet Tracie Vaughn Zimmer was not able to come due to an illness, but we hope she is well soon and will join us for the Round Up next year!]
What fun! What variety! The different voices, styles, and approaches helped the audience see the tremendous range of poetry available for young people today. PLUS, the experience of HEARING poetry was moving and exhilarating. People stopped me throughout the rest of the conference to tell me how much they had enjoyed the session. One woman said, and I’m paraphrasing, “I loved just soaking up the words of the poets, sitting back and taking it all in. But I also realized that I was getting ideas about how to share the poems with kids, how to connect the poems with various activities, and get kids involved.” EXACTLY! We spend so much time at conferences attending informational sessions, learning new strategies, networking, etc. But so little time just reveling in literature, hearing the lyrical language of literature, remembering what motivates us all to work as librarians and teachers—sharing our love of literature with kids and hoping they’ll love it too. And in my experience, nothing captures that quite so well as experiencing the literature firsthand through reading and listening—especially to literature read by the creator. It’s primal!
I’m proud to say we’ve brought 26 poets to Texas over the last four years including: John Frank, Juanita Havill, Alan Katz, Linda Sue Park, Adam Rex, Jaime Adoff, Tony Crunk, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Charise Mericle Harper, Heidi Zingerline Mordhorst, Eileen Spinelli, Marilyn Singer, Calef Brown, Felipe Herrera, Kathi Appelt, Nikki Grimes, Stephanie Hemphill, Carole Boston Weatherford, Walter Dean Myers, Joyce Sidman, Quincy Troupe, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Janet Wong, Kurt Cyrus, Pat Mora, Susan Pearson. What an embarrassment of riches! Each voice has been a delight. I encourage you all to seek out poets and poetry and share them OUT LOUD with kids you care about. There’s nothing quite like it. It’s like a rock concert experience, a night at the theater, or meeting the President (any president!).
Some of the most interesting literature for children today can be found in poetry-- from humorous rhymes to verse novels. How do we create a welcoming environment for poetry? Poet and teacher Georgia Heard put it this way, “Kids need to become friends with poetry…. They need to know that poems can comfort them, make them laugh, help them remember, nurture them to know and understand themselves more completely” (1999, p.20). This session helped participants become familiar with some of the best poets writing for young people today with a panel of acclaimed poets sharing favorites from their own work through reading aloud or performance. Modeled after the “Poetry Blast” session first sponsored by ALSC at the 2004 ALA convention, this session reminds us all of the pleasures to be found in the spoken word. Look for it again next year at TLA in Houston—and in Anaheim at the ALSC Poetry Blast on Monday, June 30. See you there!
Picture credit: www.rccsd.org
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By: Chris Rettstatt,
on 2/15/2008
After a marathon reading session, the judges for the 2007 Cybils in the Fantasy / Science Fiction category have selected their winners. And I’m happy to say, both were at the top of my personal lists.
Elementary/Middle Grade:
The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Hyperion
Nothing has been the same since the Boov invaded Earth and re- named it Smekland. But things get even weirder when twelve-year-old Gratuity Tucci embarks on a journey to find her missing mother–accompanied by her cat (named Pig), a fugitive Boov (named J.Lo) and a slightly illegal hovercar–and realizes that there’s more at stake than just her mother’s whereabouts. A terrific satire with a touching ending and spot-on illustrations by the author, the novel is heartwarming and hilarious at the same time. Gratuity’s narrative voice as she struggles to define “the true meaning of Smekday” will draw readers in.
Nominated by jennifer, aka literaticat.
Young Adult:
Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
On her first day as a Lady’s Maid, Dashti finds herself locked in a tower for seven years with her Lady, who is being punished for refusing to marry the Lord of a neighboring land. Thus begins a life-and-death battle against evil and time. Lyrically written and set in ancient central Asia, this novel retells a little-known Brother’s Grimm fairy tale with desperate, heart-wrenching emotion. Readers will be drawn in by the beautiful language and fighting spirit of Dashti, whose faith, spunk and ingenuity affect not only the darkness of her tower, but also the hearts and futures of kings.
Nominated by Sarah Miller.
Tree Ring Circus
Written and illustrated by Adam Rex
Harcourt, 2006
Let’s start with the cover, shall we? The title is illustrated like a Barnum and Bailey circus billboard. But then one begins to notice all of the strange things up in the bare tree on the front cover. The title page is made to look like an advertisement for the circus, complete with teasers for the author’s performance: “Written and illustrated by Adam Rex as he was bound and suspended one hundred feet above the Earth over a pit of flaming tigers.” This page alone will make the over 8 crowd take a look at this book.
The story begins with a seed in the ground and a tree that grows with only a handful of leaves on it. At first a few birds, a big bee, and a squirrel end up in the tree. Not so unusual (except for the big bee). Then a clown shows up because he has escaped from the circus. The circus shows up, looking for the clown, and in the meantime, all of the other animals escape too. Now the tree is holding a lion, a polar bear, a monkey, a tiger, and more!
You could enjoy this book on pictures alone, but much of the text looks like the announcements for the circus, proclaiming the next amazing thing you will see.
The tree is okay until an elephant climbs up too. Then the tree falls down. The plot is very predictable which makes it a gem for young readers because they can anticipate what is about to happen. But the humor and details Rex adds in makes this book appealing to older readers as well.
Perfect pacing, wonderful illustrating, a laugh-out-loud funny book!
The True Meaning of Smekday
By Adam Rex
Adam Rex has posted over at his blog that Google now recognizes the word Smekday. You know, it no longer wonders if he spelled it right. I think that's because so many bloggers are reviewing and linking, etc, etc. I've been holding on to my review about The True Meaning of Smekday in order to do a whole Adam Rex week, but I think I'll post it tonight in honor of Smekday officially becoming a word (according to Google).
By: brettdl,
on 1/1/2008
Pssst!
by Adam Rex
Harcourt Children's Books
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Pssst! is a funny, light-hearted fantasy that uses snappy text and surreal post-modern oil-and-acrylic illustrations to tell the tale of a girl who visits a zoo with crafty animals who all want something from her. This results in a surprise ending and one of the year's most unforgettable illustrated double-page spreads.
--Cheryl Rainfield
Go to Bed, Monster!
written by Natasha Wing; illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
Harcourt Children's Books
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
A sleepless girl creates a playful monster to keep her company one evening with surprising results. Kantorovitz's oil paint and pastel illustrations, made to look like crayon drawings, capture the immediacy and creative range of a child's imagination.
--Annie Teich, Crazy for Kids' Books
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County
written by Janice N. Harrington; illustrated by Shelley Jackson
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
A sassy, young farm girl, living with her Big Mama, transforms herself from chicken-chaser extraordinaire to fender-of-the-fowl in this spirited read-aloud, whose energetic mixed-media collage illustrations provide much for observant eyes to take in.
--Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Leaves
by David Ezra Stein
Putnam Juvenile
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
In this engaging poem of a picture book with spare text and shimmering earth-tone paintings, David Ezra Stein captures the wonder of the changing seasons as seen through the perspective of a wide-eyed bear.
--Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Four Feet, Two Sandals
written by Karen Lynn William & Khadra Mohammad; illustrated by Doug Chayka
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Two girls in a refugee camp in Pakistan share a pair of sandals that begins a friendship in this poignant story of courage. When hope of a better life comes for one girl, they must both find a way to still share their sandals and their hearts.
--Marcie Flinchum Atkins, World of Words
Knuffle Bunny Too
by Mo Willems
Hyperion
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
In this sequel to Knuffle Bunny, the photography, the cartooning, and the drama is all kicked up a notch as Trixie and her dad have to set things right in the early morning hours. Fantastic in its capture of subtleties of expression, the dynamics of families, and the
mind of a child.
--Pamela Coughlan, MotherReader
The Incredible Book-Eating Boy
by Oliver Jeffers
Philomel
Buy From Amazon | Buy from BookSense
Oliver Jeffers has crafted a visually-stunning, humorous story about a young boy who loves books so much he eats them -- until he discovers that the greatest power comes from reading them. Jeffers' innovative illustrations, cleverly superimposed on pages from various books, merge with an inviting storyline that continues right into the book's back cover.
--Cheryl Rainfield
You're hangin' with some top people!I'd love to hear Gurney. Well, I'd probably love to hear all of those people!
Glad you had a happy and productive time
That's part of the big appeal. The instructors are *awesome* - and so accessible and personable. Fabulous experience!
Ha Tara...your reports put mine to shame. "drolly hilarious"? Where DO you come up with these adjectives?