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A murder mystery for the kids! It should come as no surprise that the diabolical Lemony Snicket is involved. The Composer Is Dead, but the inspector is on the case, interrogating the entire orchestra to get to the bottom of this hideous crime. For all its wicked humor (the composer is "decomposing"), this book has a lot to teach children about the workings of the orchestra. It comes with a wonderful narrated symphony recording of the story with music by Nathaniel Stookey. The old-timey illustrations by Carson Ellis are pitch-perfect as always (Carson Ellis is responsible for so much of the amazing artwork for The Decemberists).
It would be a crime not to share this with your kids.
For more on the book and to hear some of the music, check out the video below:
There's not much to say about these board books. They are exactly what you would think. And they are hilarious. From those lovable, daffy folks at McSweeney's. Personally, I would love to see McSweeney's seriously explore its preschool tendencies. They could do some brilliant kids publishing if they set their mind to it.
2009 Caldecott Medal
It should come as no surprise that I think librarians totally rock. I mean, did you see the FOOT show at the Windsor Terrace library? And I'm happy to see that folks like the
New York Times are finally taking
notice.
Anyway, this week's picture book suggestions come courtesy of the librarians. The ALA announced the 2009 Caldecott winners. You won't need any further recommendation from me. The House in the Dark, a beautiful book, took top honors, but congratulations to all! Shiny stickers all around.
My good friends at Whole World of Widgets developed this really cool animated video of Robot Garden, one of the Posterband picture books.
Whole World of Widgets is doing some really creative educational kids programming and they have a very interesting blog that covers kids media issues. Check out their site at
www.WWWandME.tv. And you should totally be their friend on
Facebook.
Thanks for checking it out.
Just in time for that post-holiday toy hangover, David Shannon returns with a fantastic new book. Perhaps only an artist of David Shannon's freakish talent is up to the challenge of cataloguing the dizzying abundance of a modern kid's toy box. To look into that roiling cauldron of consumerism and not despair utterly, takes a brave, brave heart and a sense of humor born of peerless compassion. Which is to say, I'm feeling a little guilty about all the toys under the tree this year. But this book was one of best gifts. And Mr. Shannon deserves a special thank you note.
Maybe you have some toys to donate to a good cause?
Throughout grade school and high school, all I wanted to be when I grew up was a cartoonist for the funny papers. I assumed there could be no greater glory than to have your art lining the bottom of birdcages or used as birthday wrapping. Which is to say, Berkeley Breathed was my idol. Years ago I came to my senses. About my career, not Mr. Breathed, who remains a hero. And I'm so happy he's making picture books for the little ones these days, because I want my kid to have the chance to know (and love) his cracked point of view.
Pete & Pickles is a charmer, though not without a few dark notes to give it an edge. Starring a widower pig (Pete) and an adventurous escaped circus elephant (Pickles), the book is filled with the antic exuberance and skidding non-sequiters that made Bloom County and its characters so memorable. And the art is super-plush and totally weird, racing through a catalog of famous artists and styles.
Check it out, and don't forget that Mars Needs Moms!
Oh, and it's almost Christmas. Opus & Bill make for a wacky noel in this great picture book and the animated TV special from back in the day.
Ack. Thpppt.
Ghosts in the House! is a terrific treat this Halloween for your little boys and ghouls. A very resourceful witch domesticates the ghosts haunting her house, using them as tablecloths, curtains and comfy blankets for a cool October night. The stylish artwork is as charming as a candy corn.
Boo!
This Is A Poem That Heals Fish is a rare little miracle of a book. It manages the brilliant trick of explaining the abstract concept of a "poem" to a child through the simple but effective art of demonstration. The book itself is a perfectly constructed poem. I say this as someone with some experience with poetry as an editor and screening judge for the National Poetry Series for nearly a decade. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a poet crash and burn attempting to define a poem with a poem. Too often it results in a disappointing tautology (there's a word for the little ones!). A poem is by nature slippery (like a fish), but this book succeeds with its perfect little slipknot metaphors that manage to delight and define at the same time. Perhaps it's best to leave it to the baker to explain: "[a poem] is hot like fresh bread. When you eat it a little is always left over."
The book is painted in a beautiful palette with a bold brushwork and delicate penciled details, alternating between folksy domestic scenes and lovely surreal dreamscapes. It's a great looking book.
This Is A Poem That Heals Fish by Jean-Pierre Simeon and illustrated by Olivier Tallec was originally published in France. This translation was published by Enchanted Lion Books. Enchanted Lion Books (of Brooklyn!) has been bringing some excellent European and Asian picture books to the U.S. in translation in recent years. You can expect to see some more posts on Posterband soon from this exciting publisher.
Check out This is a Poem That Will Heal Fish (a.k.a This is a Book Your Child Will Love).
This is a great story for this time of year as your kids are heading back to school. Whether your kids are "too absolutely" eager or "too absolutely" nervous about the first day of school, the brother and sister in this book capture each point of view perfectly. Be sure to remind your child to save a seat for their invisible friend at school.
And if you're looking to fill your kid's new book bag, I would recommend just about any book in this series. With Charlie and Lola, Lauren Child has created characters with personalities that are quirky but feel genuine. Charlie and Lola are just really cool kids. And they're certainly sporting some stylish threads on these pages. Apparently before she designed children's books, Lauren designed home interiors and home accessories, and you can see it reflected in the textiles and wallpaper patterns she mixes with her illustrations. Her books just look fantastic and very hip.
You can check out Charlie and Lola (with their little British accents) on TV weekdays on Disney at 10:30am.
Experts agree: you should read to your child for twenty minutes every day. Less commonly understood is the importance of scatting with your child. How else are they going to develop any rhythm, people? Allow me to suggest two fine resources in this area: Chris Raschka's Yo! Yes? and Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. Raschka is a special talent with jazzy brushwork that perfectly complements the snapping rhythms of his text. Each story sounds amazing to hear out loud (regardless of your own scatting skills). The funky sounds never fail to delight the little ones who can't help but join in the fun with some funky sounds of their own.
But beyond the rewarding musicality of the text and the art, there are some important life lessons to be gained as well. Despite its simple text, Yo! Yes? is actually one of the most profound books on friendship you'll likely find for your child. And Charlie Parker offers an effective primer on how to be super, super COOL.
This book actually rhymes with ROCKS! It is eye-popping. Beware those little eyes. But kids will get it. New socks. New sneakers. Whatever. It's all new to them. Basic, but brilliant.
Buy this book: New Socks
A picture book courtesy of the Takashi Murakami corporation. The story is by Yujin Kitagawa, a Japanese pop artist. Murakami contributes his trademark (literally) illustrations. KebaKeba (Gaudy Tawdry) is a weird balloon-like creature inflated with color (he resembles Elmer the patchwork elephant). KebaKeba is weird and has no friends, but gives of his many colors to help others in need. He gives the sun red and the sky blue. He gives away the last of his colors to the flowers. In the end, a deflated KebaKeba becomes a happy white ghost cloud and sails away keeping watch over his new friends. It's cool. It's collectable.
Hint: It's a little difficult to get your hands on a copy in the states, but they have copies now at the Brooklyn Museum gift shop as part of the Murakami show.
Check out Paul Waelchli’s article in the January 2008 issue of C&RL News in which he expands on his blog posts about information literacy and fantasy football.
Librarians’ Sport of Choice: Teaching Information Literacy through Fantasy Football
“Librarians want students to effectively identify and evaluate information and make decisions based upon what they discover. These are just some of the skills that an information literate student successfully applies. These are the same skills that more than 19 million people use on a daily or weekly basis playing fantasy sports.1 As the NFL football season comes to a close, millions of Americans, some as young as 12 years old, have spent the past few months connected to information literacy. They just don’t know it.
The challenge for librarians is to connect fantasy sports skills to information literacy and create building blocks for academic applications of the same concepts. One library, University of Dubuque, did just this by teaching fantasy football research to incoming student athletes. Through the lesson, students engaged in discussions of creditability, validity, timeliness, and search strategies to find and evaluate fantasy football information….
The high level of player investment creates educational opportunities for librarians. According to a 2006 study by the Fantasy Sports Association, a large number of college students play fantasy sports. Librarians can build upon the information literacy skills that students are already unconsciously using through fantasy sports play. The successful fantasy sport player consistently applies four of the five ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards (2000)….
At the end of the sessions, the students completed a short evaluation that assessed both criteria for evaluating sources and library perceptions. More than 80 percent of students were able to describe two of three appropriate source evaluation criteria and more than 60 percent provided all three. The students were asked to describe what research meant to them before the session and responses included, ‘headaches,’ ‘work I didn’t want to do,’ and ’school work.’ The responses to the same question after the sessions showed a dramatic change in perspective and included, ‘making sure one is getting accurate information,’ ‘comparing and knowing where I’m getting my information,” and “fun work.” While the ‘fun work’ might be a stretch when homework is involved, it does show a change in perspective and awareness about research. One student first said that before the session, research meant ’school,’ but afterwards he responded, ‘everything.’
In addition to the change in perception of research, the student athletes were asked about their perception of librarians. Prior to the fantasy football orientation session, the students had a 66 percent ‘very positive’ impression of librarians. After the session, the students “very positive” perception was more than 90 percent. While these results are not scientific and large enough to generalize, they show a distinct change in students’ impressions of libraries and their own abilities. One student stated, ‘I made the fantasy football connection to looking up school stuff quick, it worked well.’ “
And if you haven’t seen it, Paul’s chart illustrating which of the ACRL Information Literacy Standard are involved in playing Final Fantasy, Halo, and Madden (football) is also well worth your time.
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