A new Christmas favorite!

 

A new Christmas favorite for me...although published several years ago now. This precious true story is about a little girl, Angela, who is so concerned about the welfare of baby Jesus in the manger in a cold church, that she "kidnaps" him to warm him up! The sweetness and kindness is what Christmas is all about. And the adults in the story are touched by a child's innocent point of view. So love this!

I love tutus, too!

 Precious! A counting book that is so cute. The sound "too" is repeated in so many ways. I laughed out loud when a phone call was made to 222-222-2222! 

 

Go, marshmallows!

 

I loved this...the reader can say to him or herself..."yes, the ordinary things marshmallows do, I do, also". The reader can say to him or herself..."yes, the extraordinary things marshmallows do, I can do, also. I can use my imagination, I can stretch myself, I can think creatively". Deceptively simple with a terrific message. You will never look at marshmallows quite the same way again!

The power of music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 November is picture book month! Thanks to

Leslie Kelly-Hanseter

for finding this marvelous book to add to our library. It is a picture book written by Dan Brown…yes, that Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code fame. The lush story line consists of shorts songs about different animals and then has a “lesson” on each page. Example of a lesson: “It’s important to give everything you’ve got! But don’t forget to rest and refill your tank.” The final scene of the book is a four page spread of all the animals playing together in an orchestra. So cool! I am old enough to be astounded by the wonders of technology. You can download an app (or go to a website) so that you can interact with the book and hear the musical piece that matches each animal. (One way to access the music is to hold your camera over the page. Another way is to follow the arrows through the app.) Of course, the grand finale with all the animals playing together is truly magnificent! All of the music is beautiful. There are orchestra halls globally planning to do these pieces as a full length show. I am excited for the day that the WILD SYMPHONY reaches our region!

A world of gratitude to those who take it upon themselves to share BOOKS

This remarkable and uplifting story is about two Joses. One Jose is a garbage collector who finds books on his route and builds a library in his home. The second Jose is a child who cannot wait for Saturday when he can go visit the library and borrow books.

This book celebrates how books improve our quality of life!

The book is based upon a real gentleman (Jose Alberto Gutierrez) who built a library in his home and was a former garbage collector. He went back to school in his fifties and it took him three years to earn his high school diploma.  His current dream is to exchange his garbage truck for a truck full of books and travel the country. (He lives in the city of Bogota, Colombia). I am sure he will do it! Hurray!

Filled it a need in my heart, right now...

This is a gorgeous hands-on book. There is vellum between the pages. You read a page to your right and turn the vellum to read the page to your left. The vellum has detail on it which is part of the picture to the right and cojoins the picture to the left when you turn it. The artist, Beatrice Alemagna, lives in Paris, France and is from Bologna, Italy. You can feel the beauty of Europe when you are reading this book!
She dedicates this book "to the one who thinks that everything falls apart".
The ending of the book states that there is one thing that never goes away. Expressed by a picture of a hug, it is simply referring to LOVE. This actually made me cry. (I am so overtired from the COVID crisis.) Beautiful sentiment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Cleansing

 

I cried my eyes out on Saturday and Sunday of this past weekend and it really did help me to get back on track. The words from the afterword are on target: "Learning to be with ourselves as we experience feelings--understanding how to weather our inner storms--is an invaluable practice, one we can learn and teach our families." Crying is like the rain--refreshing and a re-set. What a good lesson for ALL of us.

Keep our oceans & waterways clean

 This book has gorgeous, inviting illustrations that make you fall in love with Sydney and his generous, helpful heart. *The lesson is clear...humanity's reliance on disposable items is a bad idea for all of nature. :( Included are facts about seals and ideas about how to take better care of the earth. Some small simple changes in our lifestyles can make a world of difference! I like that we learn that our behaviors can have implications that we do not necessarily see or think about. This is a good thing to think about, even as a child!

Sweetness

 

This gorgeous book emphasizes that everyone matters, no matter how small and no matter how different! A library promotional campaign created a poster and bookmarks using the artwork in the book as the theme. Perfect!

A celebration of lap-sit!

I loved how this book showed the joy of sharing a book by sitting on a loved one's lap. It reminded me of a cool catchphrase from a few years back..."There is no app to replace your lap."

A strong picture book about white privilege

A white child's growing awareness of problems of racism (around her) is central to this book. I love that white activist librarian Juliette Hampton Morgan is featured in the book. Also, that the author/illustrator explains that she has been making books by hand her whole life to cope...and that we (the readers) can, too. Finally, I like that listening to Toni Morrison compelled Anastasia to create this book.

The world is colorful!

This is a gorgeous book that introduces the reader to Holi, Day of the Dead, and Chinese New Year. Cultures and places are noted. The message is that colors are significant to all cultures and we personally identify with certain colors. Very nice!

Perfect graduation gift for anyone!

When in doubt, pretend to be Todd Parr!

A most excellent article:
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/28/773550158/when-in-doubt-pretend-to-be-todd-parr

A terrific read aloud!

This is a gorgeous book for spring. It is a great read aloud for young children because it invites them to participate with the words. I saw a review that simply said, "You don't need apps for interactivity". I love this idea!

Learning about sijo from Linda Sue Park

This book was so cool. New to me is this kind of poem called a sijo that is a longstanding Korean tradition. Of course, sijos in English have a sound and style all their own. This would be so fun to do with students! Read these sijos aloud for ideas and then have them compose and read their own.
Or YOU (any age readers & writers out there) can definitely try your own!
In its most common form, a sijo in English has three lines, each with 14 to 16 syllables.
My favorite (probably because of this moment in time) was called IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
What is the important announcement? Spring is here!

Yay for eggs with personality!!!

You cannot control others' behavior, only your own. But sometimes they will miss you when you are not there! You cannot choose family, but you can take a break from them. Big life lessons in a fun picture book!
Happy Easter, 2020.

Happy Easter, 2020! I hope I can use this with children in 2021. They will enjoy looking for the hidden eggs. We met these eggs in THE GOOD EGG by the same author & illustrator. Favorite lines: "But the most fun of all? A chance to frolic with your friends."

It's Easter and we are in a pandemic and I love this!

Everybody needs an adventure and everybody needs a place to roost. Perfect.

Lovely!

This beautiful book describes the ways in which humans can support each other. Text points out that the simplest choices have powerful positive messages. And the pictures convey the same ideas. For example: "When you share with me" is the text and the picture shows one person handing an apple to another. Very lovely! 

 

Julia Donaldson, her works are worth discovering

My friend Daniel shared this poem by Julia Donaldson with me. It is sweet. I told him, she is one of my favorite picture book authors!

Meaningful circles

This beautiful book is all about circles. Seeking the shape of circles is the low level of the book. The high level of the book is recognizing the circles or cycles in nature and life and the world. The protagonist is learning from the wisdom and experience of her grandfather. Precious! It is very exciting that this is the first picture book for the author and illustrator who are friends.