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Did you know that the library is a treasure chest? It’s a treasure chest filled with gems. My favorite gems are the picture books, of course. 

The library is also a garden filled with beautiful, sweet-scented flowers. My favorite flowers are, you guessed it, the picture books.

But did you also know that if you don’t check the picture books out from the library, they will be weeded from the collection?! It’s not enough to just go and sit in the children’s room, pick a bunch of books off the shelf, and then sit down and read them (though that’s very nice). If you want your favorite book to remain part of your library’s collection, then you must check it out. If you want all your beloved titles to be on the library’s shelves for years to come, available to countless children, check them out, check them out often.

Because the library where I work has limited space, books (and other items) are weeded out often to make room for new books. Recently, many wonderful picture books were pulled and put in the large book sale we had over the weekend. It breaks my heart to see them go. My only consolation is that most of them sold and so will have a second life, so to speak.

I’d love the books to remain a part of our collection. And if we had more room, we could keep them longer. But circulation stats count, meaning if they don’t circulate (get checked out), they get pulled.

So if you have a favorite picture book at your library: Check It Out!

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A Crown of Swords. Robert Jordan. 1996. Tor. 896 pages.

I enjoyed A Crown of Swords more than Lord of Chaos. (Though Lord of Chaos had a few GREAT scenes in it.) I took my time with A Crown of Swords knowing that if I forced myself to stick to a certain pace, I wouldn't enjoy it as much. I wanted to want to keep reading this one--not out of obligation, not out of a need to get to the next book, but for the enjoyment of taking it one book at a time, one story at a time, one character at a time.

One of the reasons I didn't feel connected to Lord of Chaos were the ever changing perspectives. A Crown of Swords visits many characters, provides many points of views, follows dozens of stories. But the changes from one to the other flowed much better in my opinion. We'd spend several chapters with Rand, then spend several chapters with Mat, etc. I feel we got to spend at least a  little time with (almost) all the characters. We did get to spend more time with Mat and Min in this book. Min being friendly with Rand. Mat keeping an eye on some of the Aes Sedai (Nynaeve, Elayne, etc.) I still don't feel we get to spend enough time with all the characters. There are some favorites of mine which I'd love to follow more closely.

Several things happen in this one, though, I admit things happen very slowly except for when they don't. Some changes happen quickly, others seem to take several books to give the appearance of budging.

This book isn't as satisfying perhaps as earlier books in the series, but, I still was happy to spend time reading it. 

Read A Crown of Swords

• If you enjoy LONG fantasy series that move at their own leisurely speed
• If you love world-building in fantasy novels
• If you've enjoyed previous books in this series. This is #7.

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Chloe and the Lion. Mac Barnett. Pictures by Adam Rex. 2012. Hyperion. 48 pages.

This is me, Mac. I'm the author of this book. This is my friend, Adam. He's the illustrator of this book. And this is Chloe. She's the main character of this book. Wherever Chloe went, she looked for loose change. 

Poor Chloe, she's really not the star of this book. What is this book really about? Well, it's about the tug-of-war between the creative spirit of the author and the creative spirit of the illustrator. This adventure starts off okay, they agree that Chloe is a fun-loving girl who saves up all her coins, her money, so she can ride the merry-go-round in the park every Saturday. The fight starts with what happens one Saturday on Chloe's way back home....

The author feels that Chloe should meet a LION. The illustrator thinks it would be cooler if Chloe met a DRAGON. The two cannot settle their differences, so the author writes the illustrator out of the book....but is that the end of this story?

Chloe and the Lion is a very quirky book. It celebrates writing, drawing, storytelling, and teamwork. While I didn't personally love it, I do think it's a very unique book.

Extra Yarn. Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. 2012. HarperCollins. 40 pages. 

On a cold afternoon, in a cold little town, where everywhere you looked was either the white of snow or the black of soot from chimneys, Annabelle found a box filled yarn of every color. So she went home and knit herself a sweater. And when Annabelle was done, she had some extra yarn. So she knit a sweater for Mars, too. But there was still extra yarn. And when Annabelle and Mars went for a walk, Nate pointed and laughed and said, "You two look ridiculous." "You're just jealous," said Annabelle. "No, I'm not," said Nate. But it turned out he was. And even after she'd made a sweater for Nate and his dog, and for herself and for Mars, she still had extra yarn. 

Annabelle LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to knit. And since her supply of yarn seems to be never ending,  there's a good chance that her whole town will soon be covered in sweaters, scarves, and hats. But while many people welcome Annabelle and appreciate her special gift, there is one person who is very, very jealous...and he's willing to go to great lengths to get what he wants....

Extra Yarn is very quirky; it's definitely unique! For example, readers meet Mr. Crabtree.

She made sweaters for everyone, except Mr. Crabtree, who never wore sweaters or even long pants, and who would stand in his shorts with the snow up to his knees. "No sweater for me, thanks," said Mr. Crabtree. So she made Mr. Crabtee a hat. And even then Annabelle still had extra yarn. 

The characters, the story itself, the illustrations--there's just something very unique, very distinctive, very quirky about this one. Jon Klassen is the illustrator, and readers may notice that the animals from Klassen's I Want My Hat Back make an appearance in this one.

Oh no! (Or How My Science Project Destroyed The World). Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Dan Santat. 2010. Hyperion. 40 pages.

Oh no...
Oh man...
I knew it. 
I never should have built a robot for the science fair. 
Everything was going so well...
Until the rampage started, that is. 

Our narrator is a young girl who was a little TOO excited, a little TOO ambitious with her science fair project. Can she find a solution to the problem? Can she use her smarts to save the day?

This one was funny, in my opinion. The story was a little over-the-top, but in a good way. The text is simple, which gives the illustrations plenty of room. The illustrations do steal the show, perhaps. But the text is brilliant in its simplicity. "I probably shouldn't have given it a superclaw, or a laser eye, or the power to control dogs' minds" and "I should have given it ears. I should have taught it how to read."

Oh No! Not Again! (Or How I Built A Time Machine To Save History) (Or At Least My History Grade). Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Dan Santat. 2012. Hyperion. 40 pages.

Oh no. Not again. What a disaster. This is even worse than that time I built a gigantic rampaging robot. I didn't get a perfect score on my history test. I can't believe I missed the first question. Luckily, there's a simple solution. I just need to build a time machine and change history so I am right. Let's get this show on the road.

She's back. And this time the subject is history. When she misses the first question on her history test: "In what modern country do we find the oldest prehistoric cave paintings?" inspiration strikes again. She'll just build a time machine to make sure that Belgium has cave paintings that predates those in France. The problem? Well, you might guess that changing the past isn't that simple and definitely has dozens of consequences. I won't spoil this one for you, I really think you should read this one for yourself, but let's just say it's good...and she'd have been better off being happy with her A.

Read Mac Barnett

• If you're looking for quirky, fun, funny, humorous, unique, distinctive picture books on a wide range of subjects.
• If you're looking for books that celebrate creativity, art, and problem-solving.
• If you're looking for books that celebrate storytelling.

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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And Then It's Spring. Julie Fogliano. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. 2012. Roaring Brook Press. 32 pages.

First you have brown, all around you have brown 
then there are seeds 
and a wish for rain,
and then it rains
and it is still brown,
but a hopeful, very possible sort of brown,

A little boy is waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for spring. He's waiting patiently--for the most part--for the seeds he planted to sprout. He's waiting for the world to change from brown to green...

This one is a nice read. I enjoyed the story, really enjoyed some of the writing. And the illustrations are nice. Some of the details are quite nice! For example, following the various animals from spread to spread--the dog, the rabbit, the turtle, etc. And I appreciated how spring came when he wasn't looking for it--looking for it so anxiously that is.

Read And It's Spring

• If you're looking for a picture books about spring, about the changing of the seasons
• If you're looking for picture books about gardening, planting seeds, nature, etc.
• If you're looking for books about patience

Baby Bear Sees Blue. Ashley Wolff. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 40 pages.

Deep down in the den, 
Baby Bear wakes up.
He yawns and blinks
and stretches his stubby legs.
In the den's dark wall,
an opening slowly fills with light.
A glow creeps in.
"Who is warming me, Mama?"
asks Baby Bear.
"That is the sun," Mama says.
Baby Bear sees yellow.
At the mouth of the den,
leaves dance on a twig.
"Who is waving to me, Mama?"
asks Baby Bear.
"That is the oak," Mama says.
Baby Bear sees green.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Ashley Wolff's Baby Bear Sees Blue!!!! It may just be one of my favorite, favorite books of the year. Readers meet Mama Bear and Baby Bear. Readers share in the experience as Baby Bear experiences the wonder of the world for the very first time. It's a book that celebrates life, celebrates nature, celebrates beauty, and, of course, showcases COLORS.  (I believe it also does a good job with the five senses.) Baby Bear is very, very curious. He asks his Mama lots of questions; there's a pattern in this one, a use of repetition, which I definitely appreciate. I think children will be able to anticipate and participate in this one--especially after they hear it a time or two.

Loved the writing and the illustrations!!! This is one I'd definitely recommend.

Read Baby Bear Sees Blue

• If you're looking for picture books about spring, about changing of seasons,
• If you're looking for picture books that celebrate nature, beauty of creation/nature
• If you're looking for a concept book about colors
• If you're looking for picture books that celebrate curiosity and the asking of questions
• If you like books about bears

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews