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Time to feature a few (plus a few more) stories that originate far from our shores but possess buckets of charisma worth sharing with the small people in your lives. Found by Salina Yoon I am fast becoming a fan of Salina Yoon thanks to her beguiling Penguin picture book series. Her latest (if you […]

5 Stars
Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle
Mary Newell DePalma
Eerdmans  Books for Young Readers
978-0-8028-5408-7
No. of Pages: 32    Ages: 3 to 7
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Back Cover: What begins as a playful game of fetch between a     boy and his dog turns into wild goose chase that springs from one       page to the next in this delightful romp of a story.
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A nice summer morning scene unfolds to find a young boy playing catch with his dog.  The boy throws a red ball for the dog to retrieve, the happy little             eye-patched dog runs with glee after every throw, until . . .

“Meow!”

“Growl!”

The chase is on! The dog chases the cat and the boy chases the dog.

“Flutter-Flutter,” a butterfly looks on from above.

The cat jumps a small stream where a frog lives.

“Hip Hop! ribbet-ribbet.” 

“Honk! Honk! Puddle, Paddle, Waddle.  Glide.”

A pair of geese joins the chase, running after the frog, which is running after the boy, who is running after his dog, who is running after the cat

This wild goose chase continues, introducing more animals inthe chase, until . . .

Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle is a charming book for younger children. Each pair of animal sounds rhymes, adding an additional layer of fun. Alliteration is also used. Page to page the chase grows larger. At one point the boy, and all those behind him, get stuck in a bush, and the cat has run up a tree. The dog sits down and wonders where the cat went, and where his friend went, and realizes he is alone. Sadness sets in, and then . . .

Nope, I’m not spoiling this for you by blabbing the ending. I will say it is a great ending. Kids and parents will love the ending. Kids will want to read Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle until they have all the animal noises memorized. This is a great book for a read-along, especially if the reader likes to makes different sounds, inflections, and faces. There is not a pre-scholar around who will not love Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle.

I think this book is adorable, extremely cute, educational, and humorous. Besides learning the noises each animal makes when it speaks, children will learn the value of friendship. The dog is attached to the boy with the boy equally attached to his dog. The cat distracts the dog and he runs after it. Soon, he is by himself and not sure where he is, or the cat, or the boy he loves. When the dog realizes he is lost, the sadness is palpable.

The author is also the illustrator.  Ms. DePalma has done a wonderful job illustrating the chase scenes, adding in each animal skillfully. Children will love pointing to each animal and the words it says. This is cute, adorable, witty, and a treasure all wrapped together waiting for parents and children to open it up. I suggest parents do that pronto—before the cat makes a purrfect getaway, the dog finds the red ball, and the boy remembers the game the two were playing, until so cattily interrupted.

I wish I had a child to read this to every night. Okay, maybe every other night—there are so many great books for the younger kids. Lucky for me, as a reviewer, I get to read all these books even without a kid, and no one thinks it is silly of me.

To read how Ms. DePalma wrote Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle  goHERE!

Bow-Wow, Wiggle-Waggle

Author/Illustrator: May Newell DePalma    FB   website
Publisher: Eerdman's Books for Young Readers website blog
Release Date: August, 2012
ISBN: 978-0802854087
Number of Pages: 32
Ages: 3 to 7
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Howdy ho, gang! The Iron Guy has been busy once again, swimming laps around the Atlantic Ocean and checking out books for all the good people of Charlotte. I've been so busy, in fact, that I didn't think I'd have time to tell you about any more terrific books. But there was no reason to fear--our good friend Michael, (King of Books and Time Travel) has stepped in and written about two really good-sounding reads. Let's hear what he has to say:

The Missing, book 4

Torn

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Jonah and Katherine are trapped in time again. Only this time, they have no contact with JB, no helpful gadgets, and worst of all, no tracers! They've all disappeared! The two are trapped in 1611 aboard Henry Hudson's ship. But after the tracers disappear, things aren't as they seem. Hudson was supposed to be left in a rowvoat at sea, but instead, his ship came back for him! Plus, he's looking for the Northwest Passage, which doesn't exist, but suddenly, it appears out of nowhere! And one of the crew members on board isn't what he appears to be... or, more accurately, he isn't who he appears to be. How are Jonah and Katherine supposed to get time back on track? How can they survive on the ship? And how can they save JB and the rest of their friends who are still trapped in 1611? You can never guess what will happen next in Haddix's new masterpiece, plus, she goes even deeper in exploring new aspects of time. If you haven't read The Missing, you're surely missing out on one of today's greatest classics!

Wow! Tremendously great you guys are! I, Yoda Claws, have just received three new reviews from another new friend, Michael:

The Missing: book 1
Found
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
When Jonah Skidmore and his friend Chip find out they're adopted, they and Jinah's sister, Katherine, are caught up in a bizarre series of incidents, leading up to the fact that they and 34 other kids were taken from different places in history by people from the future and put on a time machine disguised as a plane. 13 years later, in a clever scheme brought about by the people from the future, 35 of the kids and Katherine are gathered together and travel through time when Jonah offers to fix time for the people of the future. Now he, Chip, Katherine, and one of the kids on the plane named Alex must do that in the 15th century. I enjoyed this book very much. I love time travel, and this is a must-read book for any and every time travel fan out there!

The Doom Machine
by Mark Teague
When aliens capture some people from Earth, they are in for a surprise. Using a machine that can make holes in time and space, they travel to numerous planets, from Hellebeezia to Arboria, and finally to the ultimate destination of Skreepia.In the end, the people from Earth escape with the help of a friendly skreep (the aliens who live on Skreepia, that is), and with the space-time machine, they return to Earth 10 minutes after they left on a journey that took months. I personally think that this is the best book that I have read in my entire life. I loved the time travel content, and I also enjoy books about aliens. So to me this was the perfect combination.

Left Behind--the Kids, book 26
The Beast Arises
by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim Lahaye with Chris Fabry
After the Rapture occurs, four kids realize their mistakes and believe in God, and they are determined to face the Earth's last days together. Now, in the 25 books later, three of them remain. The Antichrist, Nicolae Carpathia, has been killed by the sword, as predicted in the Bible. As Carpathia's organization, the Global Community, burns downevery believer's house they can find (because they blame the believers for every bad thing that happens), they trace one of the kids and her new friends to her new hideout (they destroyed the old one). As the girl, Vicki, and her friends prepare to take off, they find that their car won't start. Hiding, they must wait for the GC to come and leave, hoping that they won't find them. Meanwhile, in New Bebylon (the city Nicolae created), the other two kids, Judd and Lionel, witness first hand Carpathia raising from the dead and coming back to life. Carpathia is now inhabited by Satan himself. As Nicolae gives his "I Am God" speach (which everyone who's not a Christian believes), the exect halfway point of the 7-year Tribulation is reached, and the kids must now face even worse: The Great Tribulation. I enjoy this series very much. Their are 40 books, and if you're scared of the Rapture, the authors have a bunch of other great Christian books just wairing to be read! An excellent piece!

Thanks, Michael! Come by Imaginon or Matthews or Mint Hill to get your free books! (since you sent 3 reviews, you'll get 3 books!) Look forward to hearing more from you, we are. Other reader guys, check out these books you should. Carl read Found and liked it--you can see his review here. The second book in that series is out now and it's called Sent. (Read that one Carl has not) AND you are now the front runner for our special prize package. Keep up the good work and let's hear from MORE of you reader guy

Hey, again, reader guys, it's Carl with some random cool stuff.


There are some great original Commander X stories on The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli site. Go to their link on the left-hand side of the page or click here. There's one story in a classic Silver Age comic format and two stories that look like they came from old pulp magazines from the '40's or 50's. But, once again, these stories aren't just nostalgia rip-offs; they're exciting stories on their own. Jay Piscopo has created a fascinating and mysterious figure in Commander X and these stories make you want to read more stories to find out more about this man of mystery!


And, as we all know, The Last Olympian comes out on May 5. That's only 22 days!! If you go to the Percy Jackson Book Site on the left-hand side of this page (or click here), you'll see some good trailer videos and have a chance to read the first chapter. The library has ordered 10 copies and we won't get them on May 5 (DRAT!!!) but, as Master Zack pointed out, you can go to the library's catalog page, type in the name, and go to the book's page and reserve a copy. I reserved mine a long time ago, so I hope to get one quickly.


Speaking of Percy, I just put up a link in our Links section that I should have included a long time ago. It's Percyquest, a truly cool fan site devoted to all things Percy Jackson. There's a recent post about who got cast as Luke and Mrs. Dodds (the pre-algebra teacher who got vaporized) in the new Lightning Thief movie as well as a video of Mr. Riordan reading from Chapter 1 of the new book. Have I got you interested???

I've just started a new book called The Roar by Emma Clayton and I think I'm going to like it a lot. Eoin Colfer, who wrote the Artemis Foul books, certainly liked it. I'm in good company!


You all have GOT to read Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix! (go to my post of 4-2-09 if you want to read more) GO GO GO get it!!!

Hey, it's Carl again and I just finished two terrific books--really terrific books! Couldn't wait to tell you about them.

The first is Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. She's famous for her Shadow Children series. I haven't read any of them (have you?) but I read a rave review of this new one so I checked it out. Wow! What a thrill ride! It starts with a plane that appears out of nowhere at an airport. When people go in to investigate, they find no pilot and no attendants. In fact, the plane is deserted---except that each seat has a baby in it! Fast forward thirteen years later. Jonah always knew that he was adopted and it was no big deal; he had a good home and great parents. Then he gets a strange letter that says, "You are one of the missing." A few days later he gets another one that says...well, you'll have to read it to find out!! Let me tell you, though, this is one book that won't let you go! You've got people that appear and disappear, government people with secrets, and mysterious people with plans for Jonah and his friends! PLUS, there's a big fight in a library!!!

The second is The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis, the latest 39 Clues book. This one is also a winner. Dan and Amy Cahill are headed to Japan to find the next clue and, right away, their seats are stolen by Ian and Natalie Kabra, separating them from Nellie Gomez, their au pair. Then the action really starts! You've got Amy with her foot caught on a subway rail as the train approaches, chases with yakuza (an ancient order of Japanese gangsters), a new bad guy, and one of the biggest secrets of the Cahill family!! This one was so absorbing that I missed my bus stop on the way home!

We'll anounce the Author Shoot-out Champion tomorrow. Stay tuned!

There's nothing like a day when you can sleep in, especially when you are in a hotel a long way from home and you don't have to take anyone to school or take anyone for a walk. It almost never happens -- normally if I'm in a hotel I have to set alarm clocks. And the whole sleeping in bit is made even better when the day before was long and exhausting, and made better than that by the fact the clocks have gone back an hour so I can really sleep as long as I want to plus an hour...

But the front desk phoned at seven a.m. to let me know I had a driver I didn't want or need or order waiting to take me nowhere at all. And that was that on sleeping in for the morning. So I shall write a slightly sleepy morning blogpost instead.

It's weird. They call these things junkets. It's a word that means either "a sweet dessert", "a party" or "a trip made for pleasure at someone else's expense". And the pleasure trip aspect is certainly there for the journalists, who get flown to somewhere nice by the film company, put up in hotels, see the film and then spend a day or a few hours talking to the people who made it. When I was a journalist, getting on a junket was always considered a good thing -- a small amount of work for a fair amount of pleasure and adventure.

Having done a few of them now on the other side of the press conference tableI think it's worth mentioning that they aren't really junkets for the people organising them or for the people being interviewed.

We assembled yesterday in a hotel back room. A lady did hair and make up for the cameras (which means, in my case, a bit of powder, and then her looking at my hair and asking "Is it meant to be like that?" and me saying, um, yes, sorry. Then into a back room to be led onto the stage for a press conference. Ray Winstone and Crispin Glover had just seen the film and loved it (Crispin: "And mostly I don't like films I'm in,"), John Malkovitch, Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie haven't yet seen it. Bob Zemeckis was there but decided some years ago not to do things like interviews and junkets and press conferences (very wise).

I like Angelina. She's nice, very professional, and has a slightly goofy sense of humour. Last time I met her was November 2005, when she was doing the acting bit of Beowulf. Even then, it had already been reported in the papers that she had closed down production on Beowulf by walking off the set after a fight with Ray Winstone -- two weeks before her first day on set. I realised that where she was concerned the press were happy to simply make up stuff that sounded credible. It didn't need have to have any basis at all in reality.

It was obvious during the press conference that a large contingent of the press just wanted to talk to her and talk about her private life, something she declined to do and handled with grace and aplomb. Overall, the press conference went well (I think my favourite bit was the way Ray Winstone, answering questions, refers to me and Roger Avary as "The Boys", as if we're a couple of writing hardcaseswho will come over to your house and beat you up with our typewriters.)

And then on to interviews. Round tables: a dozen journalists in each room, and Roger and I go in, talk for half an hour and are then moved to the next room, where another dozen journalists are waiting to ask the same questions, while Anthony Hopkins, always one room behind, is moved into the room we were in.

And then it was individual interviews, and telephone interviews with journalists in Kansas and suchlike places. And then, brain dead, we were done.

The reaction to the film from the journalists and interviewers, who had seen it the previous night, seemed overwhelmingly positive, which was a relief.

It's nice that people have started to see the film, and are now actually talking about the thing they've seen. (I got a bit tired of reading online "reviews" of the film, which were always mash-ups of what people thought they'd seen in the trailers with what they imagined we were doing to the story, along with complaints about visuals they hadn't properly seen yet, which then normally concluded with the loud and proud announcement that as they knew they wouldn't like it, they wouldn't be seeing it, and it certainly wouldn't be Beowulf. Several of them were written by people who should, I thought, know better. I've never minded getting bad reviews, but in the past they've always come from people who had at least read or seen the thing they were complaining about.)

Anyway, now we've started screening it, real reactions are coming in.

Here's a letter Jeff Wells that he put up at his blog in advance of his review appearing, which he's posted I think partly because he was embarrassed by having said nasty things about Beowulf last week before seeing it http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/2007/11/beowulf_2.php
Here's someone who saw a preview screening at UCLA - http://strstruckdreamr9.blogspot.com/2007/11/beowulf.html
and another early screening blog http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=43263288&blogID=325323587
Moriarty review it over at aintitcool -- http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34678 -- and I'm sure that lots of other reviews are going to start surfacing now that people are seeing it. (It's not that we were playing the completed film close to our chest. It's just that it wasn't completed -- the film, in its final form, was only emitted from the computers this week. And the Imax 3D print people started seeing on Friday afternoon was only completed on Friday morning.)

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Dear Neil,

About two or three months ago I was found a book in the New Release section by you and Micheal Reaves. Being a fan of yours, I bought the book, presuming it would be good. It was good.

However, it didn't seem to be your style exactly so I checked the release date: 2007.

I was surprised that I hadn't heard anything about this book on your blog since I have been reading it for about a year, maybe more.

I thought that maybe, albeit doubtfully, there was someone else in the world named Neil Gaiman.

Nope. Under OTHER NOVELS FOR YOUNG READERS BY NEIL GAIMAN, was Coraline.

The book is called Interworld.

Just asking why you havent mentioned it at all on your blog.

-Camille

I'm posting this to remind people that there is a SEARCH function on the www.neilgaiman.com pages. They take you to http://www.neilgaiman.com/search_form/. If you typed in Interworld it would give you about 15 hits from the website, first among them http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/labels/Interworld.html which is all the times I've labelled a blog entry Interworld since I've been doing labelling on this blog (basically this year). And which would answer all your questions...

Hello, Neil!

Sorry if this is old news, but your journal has been nominated for Best Literature Blog on the 2007 Weblog Awards.

http://2007.weblogawards.org/polls/best-literature-blog-1.php

The voting closes November 8 and you're currently in the lead!

Best of luck,

Leanne

Thank you! What fun. (Which left me suddenly wondering what happened to the "Bloggers Choice" awards -- looks like they get handed out next week in Las Vegas.)


...

Lots of people asking what's happening in the Philippines in a couple of weeks. I'm talking to an ad congress -- I don't think the event is open to the public -- and doing something with Fully Booked (I googled but only found http://www.fullybookedonline.com/adsdetail.php?id=53).

Anyway. Maddy is here -- I've told her she has to blog the Premiere please -- and I am going off to be a dad now. (In the interests of fairness, I should add that an apologetic fruit basket has just arrived from the people who sent the 7.00 am car and driver, putting me in mind of the Elvis Costello bit on the old Larry Sanders Show. And that Maddy has been eating the gummi bears out of it.)