Childrens Books

Book: 1, 2, 3 ... By the Sea: A Counting BookAuthor: Dianne MoritzIllustrator: Hazel MitchellPages: 36Age Range: 3-6  1, 2, 3 ... By the Sea is a nice little counting book written by Dianne Moritz and illustrated by Hazel Mitchell. The story is a bit more advanced than that of many counting books, making this more a book for preschoolers and kindergartners than for babies and toddlers.  A boy, his mother, and his dog bike to the beach for the day. As the day progresses, they count things. Like this: "Big waves tumble onto shore...crashing,splashing.We chase FOUR." The "FOUR" is shown spelled out, but partially overlaid with a big number 4.  I also liked: "Surfers surf and do surf tricks...lunging, plunging.We watch SIX." I like when books for young children use strong, descriptive verbs. Mitchell's illustrations bring the oceanside setting to life. They remind me a bit of Marla Frazee's illustrations in All the World (and that is a huge compliment), with a similar color palette and level of detail (though without the poetry of Liz Garton Scanlon's text). Mitchell doesn't convey quite the same diversity in characters that Frazee does, but some of that is due to differences in subject matter. The beach in 1, 2, 3 ... By the Sea evokes small-town, coastal Maine to me, with shingled homes nearby, and a crusty fisherman teasing the boy with a lobster. (Although you'd have to be on a pretty serious peninsula to get a  perfect sunset over the water in Maine.)   If you have a child who loves beaches (and what child doesn't), and is learning to count, 1, 2, 3 ... By the Sea would be an excellent choice. If you can find it, anyway. It's available from the publisher, but otherwise not all that widely distributed. Which is too bad, because this slim paperback would slip quite easily into one's beach bag this summer.   Publisher: Kane/Miller Book PublishersPublication Date: January 2013Source 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. 

Everyone knows that feeling—that overpowering feeling of just…boredom. All the games have been played. All the books have been read. There’s nothing to watch. Every possible activity has been explored. The boredom of it all just weighs on you so much you can barely move. That’s just how Sal and Frankie feel in Tony Fucile’s Let’s Do Nothing! They’ve baked enough cookies to feed a country, painted more pictures in a day than van Gogh did in a lifetime, and played every board game they could find. So now what are they going to do? That’s when inspiration hits Sal: they’re going to do…NOTHING! Just ten seconds of doing nothing. That should be a piece of cake. How do Frankie and Sal go about doing nothing? They just have to pretend to be different immovable things, like statues and redwoods and buildings. What could be easier than that? Turns out that Frankie can’t quite seem to keep a hold on his imagination. Sure, pretending to be a statue should be simple enough. But what happens to statues? PIGEONS! And suddenly Frankie is busy shooing away those imaginary pesky birds—and definitely NOT doing nothing. Fucile has worked as an animator and an art director on iconic movies like The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. That experience clearly shows through in the characters’ fantastic expressions and the excellent pacing of the story. I just got such a kick out of the little details, like Sal’s imperious eyebrows and Frankie’s too-small T-shirt and too-big glasses. So is this book about nothing? Sure, in a way. But all I have to say is that this book is definitely something. Let’s Do Nothing! by Tony Fucile is available in SeeSaw May. Author Bio:Catherine Alexander is a managing editor of online copy at Scholastic Book Clubs. She previously worked at Sesame Workshop. Yes, she has in fact met Big Bird.

    Bernard Waber, author of classic picture books like Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, The House on East 88th Street, and Ira Sleeps Over, has died at age 91.  His 33 books have sold over 1.75 million copies.  Filed under: Authors

BERNARD WABER 1927-2013 Sad news. Bernard Waber, creator of Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, Ira Sleeps Over, and many others has passed away. Click here to read more at School Library Journal. ATTENTION: HIGH SHARE-ABILITY LEVELS The Horn Book has a summer reading list up at their site full of excellent new recommended titles – perfect for sharing with parents and teachers. Click here to see it. NEWBERY WATCH Is it time to stop in on Newbery contender blog For Those About to Mock? Yes! It gets my award wheels turning, it does. Click here to head on over. WORLDBOOK = DORKBOWL As someone who has Worldbook encyclopedias on the shelf, this was sort of mind blowing: Click here (or the image above) to enlarge. (via Jomegat’s Weblog) STUDY: MORE BOOKS USED FOR ART PROJECTS THAN FOR READING This is not an actual study, but what with all the book modification art out there these days, it almost seems like it. This collection from artist Curt Lund is particularly cool. I’m going with the chemistry book as my favorite – it’s like walking into a tiny laboratory. Click here to see Lund’s work. (Thanks to Book Patrol for the link) CALLING ALL GOOD IDEAS Have an idea you want to share? ALSC is accepting program proposals for the 2014 ALA Annual Conference and the 2014 ALSC National Institute. Click here to get submitting. THE SUMMER OF #BOOKADAY Over at The Nerdy Book Club, Donalyn Miller is talking Book-a-Day Challenge. Click here to read.

Unfortunately, with the size of my TBR there are simply some books I just can't get to and Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is one that I've had waiting since it came out, but have yet to read. I've heard such wonderful things about it, but it just had to wait. When I read about Beth Hoffman's latest, Looking for Me, I knew I would love it and as soon as it arrived I placed it on the very top of the reading pile. I'm so glad I did! Teddi Overman has loved restoring antique furniture since she was a girl. Her mother always thought it was a huge waste of time, even if Teddi sold every piece she touched almost immediately. After graduating high school, Teddi decides to take a chance and move away to pursue her dream, landing in Charleston working for an antiques dealer. Fast forward a few years and Teddi owns her own successful shop and creates beautiful pieces of art, salvaging broken furniture from yard sales and scrap piles. Even with her success, Teddi is still drawn back to her home in Kentucky when she learns her brother Josh, who disappeared years before, may still be alive. This has got to be one of the best books I've read this year. Teddi was a quirky main character with a fun and unique passion, making for an easy hook in the beginning. There was enough humor to occasionally make me chuckle, despite the heaviness of portions of the story, and Southern culture just dripped from the pages. I wanted to be friends with Teddi about as much as I wanted to buy a piece of her furniture. Though definitely a stand alone story, I almost wish Hoffman would create a series around Teddi's shop, like Marie Bostwick's quilting books or the knitting series by Debbie Macomber. The book was charming and lovable and I want to hand it to everyone I know! Now, I'm off to read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. The lovely people at Penguin have offered up a copy for one of my readers! Trust me, you want to enter this one -- SO GOOD. Just leave your name and a way to contact you in the comment section before Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. and I'll have Random.org select a winner Monday morning. If you'd like a second entry, tweet about the giveaway and leave your Twitter handle in a second comment. No need to follow me (unless you'd like to!), just spread the word. U.S. entries only.

Terra Tempo: Ice Age Cataclysm!, by David Shapiro (illustrated by Christopher Herndon with color by Erica Melville; Craigmore Creations, 2010) is a time travel graphic novel in which three kids use a magical map to travel back to the end of the Ice Age in North America, just in time to watch Glacial Lake Missoula break through its ice dam. It's essentially a science lesson nestled within an adventure story--the intent of the book is to instruct, and indeed it's a clearly presented look at a fascinating moment in time. Twins Jenna and Caleb find the great uncle's mysterious travel journal that seems to contain instructions for time travel, along with a map showing the Missoula flood. Along with a third kid, Ari (keenly interested in Ice Age fauna), they follow the directions....and they work. Now the kids must keep from being eaten by the local fauna, with the help of a friendly Thunderbird, who flies them over the landscape, giving them a chance to see the lake, and its flood, from a wonderfully unique perspective.The illustrations are lovely, and engrossing; the adventures of the kids somewhat less so. However, because the story is punctuated with didactic intrusions, it doesn't flow all that smoothly as fiction. I don't mind learning through fiction, but the balance felt a bit off to me here...It didn't help that the great uncle's journal contained important bits of information conveyed in forced rhyme.At one point, toward the end, the kids see a village from the air, right in the path of the flood, and I was hopeful that some honest to goodness Story would happen (as opposed to sight-seeing and occasionally menacing fauna), but nothing more comes of it.Sort answer--this would be an invaluable tool to use in introducing kids to the end of the Ice Age. It is beautifully illustrated, and the subject is interesting. But it's not one to necessarily offer your kid who loves graphic novels for their stories.That being said, this one might not have worked that well for my particular family because we have watched Mystery of the Megaflood a gazillion times because that's the sort of kid my oldest is...so I think I'll get hold of the second book, The Four Corners of Time. We know a lot less about the Cretaceous Period on the Colorado Plateau, and the good thing about visually appealing graphic novels like this is that they will be read by the aforementioned picky reader kid, even if they are not passionately loved.

TANYA'S OLD T-SHIRT I live in a bucket shoved under a stair.They call me a dust rag!I don't think it's fair. I'm still the same size as when I was new.I didn't shrink--it was Tanya who GREW.Alice Schertle is a veteran author whose way with a rhyme have lightened up many a folktale re-telling and fractured fairy tale. Here she turns her skills to versatile verses which explore the relationship between clothing and those who wear it. No garb, from footwear to headgear escapes her scrutiny.We are the jammies that Joshua wears,not jammies for elephants going upstairs.Hippopotamus can't get us over his head.We're JOSHUA'S jammies. We're going to bed.Swimsuits, bike helmets, hats, galoshes, Halloween disguises--all get Schertle's discriminating attention, the article of costume often reflecting the personality of the wearer, as in this little show-off, proud of her big-girl underwear, in "Emily's Undies."We're Emily's undies,with laces and bows,Emily shows uswherever she goes.Likewise, in "Bertie's Shoelaces," the laid-back Bertie's lack of up-tight (or even tied) sneakers are reflected by his shoelaces, who lazily say as they drag along the ground...We're hang loose laces and we don't do bows!Suitingly illustrated with Petra Mathers' artwork that fits the text like a glove, Schertle's updated Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013) is all dressed up in a spiffy new paperback edition, and is a real bargain, all-star glad-rags for the reviewers and readers, as cozy and welcome as the subject of her poem "Hand-me-down Sweatshirt."I'm a hand-me-down sweatshirtwith a zipper and hood.I'm everyone's favoriteand still looking good.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Announces 2013 Carle Honors Honorees   Eighth annual awards fête the individuals and organizations that provide creative vision and long-term dedication to the world of picture books   (Amherst, MA –May 20, 2013) The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is pleased to announce the 2013 Carle Honors honorees to be celebrated at Guastavino’s in New York City on Thursday, September 26, 2013. The eighth annual benefit will pay tribute to the talented people who have made the picture book such a vibrant and impactful art form in America. This year, the Carle Honors will honor the following selection of distinguished luminaries in four categories:   Artist: Chris Van Allsburg In the Artist category, The Carle will recognize Chris Van Allsburg, the groundbreaking artist and author and winner of two Caldecott Medals for Jumanji and The Polar Express.   Angel: Lynda Johnson Robb and Carol Rasco In the Angel category, The Carle will recognize Lynda Johnson Robb and Carol Rasco for their tireless advocacy for children’s literacy. Robb is Reading Is Fundamental’s Founding Board Member and Chairman Emeritus, and Rasco its President & CEO.   Mentor: Phyllis Fogelman Baker In the Mentor category, The Carle will recognize Phyllis Fogelman Baker, an influential editor and publisher dedicated to bringing fresh voices and exceptional books to children.   Bridge: Barbara Bader In the Bridge category, The Carle will recognize Barbara Bader, author of the seminal scholarly book, American Picturebooks from Noah’s Ark to The Beast Within. The Carle Honors celebrates individuals and organizations that bring creative vision and long-term dedication to picture books and the many ways they open children’s minds to art and literacy. The awards are selected each year by a committee chaired by children’s literature historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus, who was central to the founding of the Honors. The committee recognizes four distinct awards: Artist, for lifelong innovation in the field; Angel, whose generous financial support is crucial to making picture book art exhibitions, education programs, and related projects a reality; Mentor, editors, designers, and educators who champion the art form; and Bridge, individuals who have found inspired ways to bring the art of the picture book to larger audiences through work in other fields. The Carle Honors is a critical fundraiser for the The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, helping to support the Museum’s mission of inspiring of love of art and reading through picture books. For ticket and sponsorship information, including the ability to sponsor an educator to attend the gala, please contact Rebecca Miller Goggins, Director of Development at 413-658-1118 or rebeccag@carlemuseum.org.   About The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art: The mission for The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, a non-profit organization in Amherst, MA, is to inspire a love of art and reading. The only full-scale museum of its kind in the United States, The Carle collects, preserves, presents, and celebrates picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world. In addition to underscoring the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of picture books and their art form, The Carle offers educational programs that provide a foundation for arts integration and literacy. Eric and Barbara Carle founded the Museum in November 2002. Eric Carle is the renowned author and illustrator of more than 70 books, including the 1969 classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Since opening, the 40,000-foot facility has served more than half a million visitors, including 30,000 schoolchildren. Its extensive resources include a collection of more than 10,000 picture book illustrations, three art galleries, an art studio, a theater, picture book and scholarly libraries, and educational programs for families, scholars, educators, and schoolchildren. Educational offerings incl

Normanday #77: Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Write for three minutes about… …the weirdest place you ever fell asleep. Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day May 26 (put “Norman Never Snores” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry. Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes about… …the zoo. Tren Rewy Steb My favorite part about going to the zoo wasn’t the polar bears, monkeys, or even the seals. It was the underground tunnel we had to go through from the parking lot to the zoo. It ran under the highway. Even with the baby strollers and toddlers all around, being in the tunnel felt like an adventure. Because there was no traffic, I was allowed to run ahead of my parents. It was like being in a cave. The sound of my feet hitting the smooth floor echoed against the walls. The tunnel seemed to go on for miles. After looking at all the animals, we got to go through the tunnel again, on the way back to the car. I ran, freer than the caged tigers.

  I know it's a losing battle, keeping the place in some kind of tidy shape, and it's certainly not all the fault of my kids. The books, lord the books. But sometimes I am just in a GET IT ALL OUT OF HERE mood, and such is the mood that descended tonight. I haven't had the time to read hardly anything lately, so as we picked up books and shelved them or put them in the Back to the Library bag, I got Milo (11) and Ezra (nearly 10) to talk about the books they've read.     Ezra: Battle Bunny is the result of a ten year old who just watched a whole lot of apocalypse movies making his mark on a cute little Birthday Bunny tale. It's terrifically funny - there's a picture on Battle Bunny's wall that shows a bunny mama leaning over a bunny baby and the ten-year-old added the words "Drink your poison." NB: The overstimulated ten-year-olds actually responsible for Battle Bunny are Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett, with illustrations by Matthew Myers...    Mac and Jon attempting to read Battle Bunny as a duet at the Gaithersburg Book Festival this weekend.   I will have a WHOLE LOT to say about Battle Bunny as its publication date approaches. It is... sharp. Daring. Extendable. It is either going to spawn a whole new product line/curriculum/dessert topping or it is going to be denied! Castigated! Denounced, even. Capsized, defenestrated, castrated! (That's not going to happen. Everybody loves Jon and Mac too much. Even if people do not approve of the formal mechanism that makes this book SO FRICKIN GREAT, nobody's going to get castrated.)   Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen, illustrations by the great and mighty Faith Erin Hicks Milo: This graphic novel is ok. The cheerleaders are trying to get new uniforms and the robotics team are trying to get to the national robotics competition. Since they're competing for the same funds, the student council has to decide. So they both field a candidate for student council, and come up with all kinds of crazy campaign strategies. After neither gets the funding, they team up to get the money they both need by winning the Robot Rumble - a fight to the death between robots.     The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths, illustrations by Terry Denton Ezra: An author and an illustrator who have great senses of humor, an epic treehouse with 13 stories, a marshmallow machine, a lemonade fountain, and a whole bunch of faulty sea monkeys make up a really awesome book. Terry and Andy (which are also the names of the author and the illustrator) are two kids who live in this fantastic treehouse, and then they have adventures with like a giant gorilla and a sea monster pretending to be a mermaid and a cat that gets painted yellow. So, like, supernatural, but not like werewolves supernatural. NB: Attention must be paid, as my friend Anna points out, to the intricate, marvelous drawing of the treehouse on this book's endpapers. I fully expect kids to be inspired to start drawing their dream treehouses - as Anna did when she was a kid and as I and my friends did when we were, uh, about 27.     Milo: On the Day I Died by Candace Fleming is several different stories from Beyond the Grave. Most of the stories aren't scary at all, but one of them would give you nightmares, and the last few are a little bit scary. Every single one of the stories is about a teen who died, and it's told by the kid who died. Some of the stories are kind of stereotype stories, like 'this is a monster story,' 'this is about an insane asylum.' Others are very fun - not funny, but fun.   Some books that were in these piles are old favorites. My kids read kind of a lot of new books, but they do not neglect that middle-grade trait of reading the same five books over and over again. Ezra has been re-reading Bone and Runaways and I