Picture books for fun in the fall

It's time to get back to blogging. Here are a plethora of books to read this fall, some more exciting than others. Be sure to comment on the post and you may be selected to receive a free book!

One Family by George Shannon, Pictures by Blanca Gomez

A counting book with a twist, from a family of one to a family of ten each page focuses on a different number, a different family and a few items to count. “One is five. One bunch of bananas. One hand of cards. One family.” Each family is represents different nationalities, hair color and skin tones, with some families clearly showing interracial and intergenerational groupings. A great concept book for those who are just beginning to develop one to one correspondence.

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay

by Cari Best, Pictures by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Zulay is blind and walks with a cane. She tells her own story from her perspective and never vocalizes that she is blind. This is inferred through the use of the cane and the braille throughout the classroom and training she gets with her walking stick. In order to run in the race on field day, Zulay has to train on the track and feel comfortable moving forward without an adult to guide her. With practice, she succeeds. A few notes: Zulay is African American, her best friends are white, Asian and African American and the classroom where she goes to school is populated with brown, black and white children. While this refreshing to see, it unfortunately does not represent the majority of schools that kids attend in America today. Zulay is good in math, so while she needs help with moving around, she is able to help one of her friends who is not so good in math, a nice model for talking about kids with disabilities. Overall, this book is a great representation of how to write about a child with a disability without becoming overly sentimental or didactic.

Sleepless Knight by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost

Told in the form of a comic book or short graphic novel, the sleepless Knight packs his bags for a camping trip, sure not to forget his favorite “Teddy.” But, after the adventure, setting up camp and gorging on marshmallows, he is unable to find Teddy. His trusty steed is sound asleep and no help at all, but a local rabbit leads him to a bear’s den knowing that the bear inside totally matches the description that the knight has given. Use your imagination to visualize the ending! The crude cartoony drawings would be simple to reproduce and the frontpiece gives simple directions for replicating the horse and the knight. Some jokes will go over the heads of the little ones reading the story, but will keep adults interested to the end.

Special Delivery by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Matthew Cordell

 Sadie is trying to deliver an elephant to her Great-Aunt Josephine “who lives almost completely alone and could really use the company.” Once she realizes it will not be possible to do this through the post office, she decides to try other methods of transportation, including a plane, an alligator, a train and an ice-cream truck. Through it all, the elephant follows blithely along. Cordell’s illustrations are pen and ink sketches with watercolor washes. While they look hastily done, the facial expressions and attention to detail are exquisite. Be sure to check out the elephant’s face as Sadie takes off in the airplane leaving her pilot friend behind! Stead’s work has previously been described as whimsical and this book fits that pattern. Sadie is determined to get the elephant to her Great-Aunt and does fulfill her goal.

Naptime with Theo and Beau by Jessica Shyba

Photos of two-year old Beau and the family’s new puppy Theo in multiple configurations and permutations are the bulk of this book. As Shyba explains in the endnotes, Theo started napping with Beau the day he was brought home from the shelter and has been doing so ever since. Simple text accompanies the pictures that will capture the hearts of young and old.

Orangutanka: A Story in Poems by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Renee Kurilla

A book of Tanka poems about orangutans, as explained in a forward. Tanka is a form of Japanese poetry that  follows a pattern of five lines that are short, long, short, long, long. A great way to introduce poetry to your child and then encourage them to write some Tanka poems. Who doesn’t love orangutans? More information on orangutans is also included in the end notes.

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat

From the island of imaginary friends comes Beekle, the one who is never chosen. So Beekle sets out to find his child, the one who may be imagining him, but doesn’t know it yet. Searching through the streets and byways of New York city, Beekle finally finds Alice and they had many fine adventures together. The winner of the Caldecott Medal for 2015, Santat fills the pages with darkness and light, moving from the monochromatic sea and the inside of a subway car to the frenzied primary colors of an amusement park or maple tree in the fall with bright red leaves with an orb of yellow in the background. He turns the concept of an imaginary friend on its head and leaves us with a child who does the unimaginable.

Tractor Mac Series by Billy Steers

Tractor Mac is a personified bright red tractor with googly eyes in place of headlights. Throughout the series other characters make regular appearances like, Tucker Pickup, Fetch the dog, and Sibley the horse. Farmer Bill and his niece Daisy are the only humans to be given names, but they do not normally play a large part in any of the stories. Tractor Mac stories are written with a message: Even when you don’t win, you are still able to do good for others (You’re a Winner); Your real family consists of those you spend your days with (Family Reunion); Small steps can get a big job done (New Friend). With eight books already in the series and four more to come, these staid stories are appalling appealing to the four year old grandson.

Where has the time gone?

 

Summer reads and back to school reads: a little late to post in October, but operating on the idea that it truly is better late than never, here are a few of the new books for the summer and early fall. Will try to keep more timely in the future!

Back to School Picture books

Not This Bear: A First Day of School Story

By Alyssa Satin Capucilli; Illustrated by Lorna Hussey

 

For Bear’s first day of school, Mama hugs him tight and drops him off at Bear School. While there are many fun things to do at school, Bear is hesitant to participate, repeating the phrase: Not This Bear, whenever the teacher suggests he do something. But, Bear gradually warms up to the school and to the fun activities that he can take part in. By the time Mama comes to get him in the afternoon, he is part of the gang and not at all ready to go home. A cheery introduction to the first day of school and one that gives parents many opportunities to talk about what school is like.

My Humongous Hamster Goes to School by Lorna Freytag

With realistic drawings of children juxtaposed with a hamster ten times their size, Freytag has made the humongous hamster story into a humongous joke! The hamster dresses in a tutu for dance class, eats all the drawings the students produce in art and gets stuck on the slide on the playground. Freytag continues the humor with this as an ending from the narrator: “When Mom picks us up, she asks if I’ve had a nice day. I just say, ‘Nah, it was boring.’ I don’t want to get my hamster in trouble, do I?” For kids who love school and kids who are anxious about school starting up again, this is the perfect back to school book!

Summer Vacation Books

Duck’s Vacation by Gilad Soffer

While Duck enjoys his vacation in a beach chair in front of the soothing ocean, the reader ruins it all by turning the page. With a postmodern twist, Duck addresses the reader and becomes increasingly agitated when the page turns result in a different scenario. Whether you like to vacation at the beach or at the mountains, the idea of a vacation that stays the same with no changes is one that can be explored with this laugh inducing book.

Water is Water: A Book About the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul; Illustrations by Jason Chin

 

A perfect summer read as children explore the nature of water, how it changes from liquid to gas to fog to snow and back to liquid again. The seasons play an important part in this changing world and the content is given in repetitive poetic language. Content material is supplemented with explanations and definitions in the back and additional reading is suggested. This is a book that I would not mind reading over and over!

The Whale in the Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan

 

A little boy goes out to swim and finds a whale blocking his small backyard pool. He tries to negotiate with the whale to no avail, but finally comes up with a solution that works for both of them to enjoy the cooling effects of water on a hot summer’s day. An excellent example of the theater of the absurd that ends up giving us a good life lesson.

Luna & Me by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

 

A fictionalized version of a “true story of a girl who lived in a tree to save a forest,” Kostecki-Shaw tells how Julie “Butterfly” stayed in a redwood tree for over two years to prevent it being cut down. The backstory gives more details and explains how the activism started and why the group was anxious to save the tree they had named Luna. This is an excellent book for exploring ideas of the environment, activism, civil disobedience and the rights of living things, plant or animal. While Luna is presented using personification, the illustrations are none-the-less exquisite and worth the price of the book.

 Let me know if you would like a copy of one of these books by commenting on this post. It could happen!

Books about New York

    

Why are we so fascinated with books set in New York? While eight and a half million people live in this large city, 320 million people live  in the US. When we do the math, we see that almost 311 million Americans live somewhere other than New York. Yet, children's and young adults' books continue to be set in New York more than any other location. (Full disclosure: this is an observation not a fact that I could point to statistics to support. What’s your take on this?)

Two recent books to cross my desk that were set in New York were romance/coming of age novels for middle and early high school girls. Starry Night by Isabel Gilles features 15-year-old Wren, an artist, ADD inflicted rich girl with perfect parents. In fact all of Wren's life is downright perfect from her set of four BFFs to her five-story brownstone home, to her older brother, younger sister, private school, etc. Starry Night tells the tale of Wren's first love, the ups and downs of one short year in her life. And over the course of the book, the reader learns that while Wren's life is close to perfect, there are flaws: her mother's temper, her troubled BFFs, her oh too perfect younger sister. The reader also gets a glimpse of one of the greatest cities in the world: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the subways, taxicabs and Central Park. 

The second book is The Summer Invitation by Charlotte Silver. Franny and her older sister Valentine, pronounced so it rhymes with seen, are invited by an old family friend to spend a summer in New York. Both girls are in high school and relish the idea of doing something different with their summer. Because the family friend is delayed in France the girls spend their summer with, Clover, a young chaperone who teaches them the ropes, again, the Met, the subways, taxicabs, and a bit of Grand Central Station, and vintage clothing stores. Valentine also experiences a romance, and a broken heart. Franny's romance is with the city itself, although she does meet a boy near the end of their time in the city, with hints of a future relationship.

But, the question remains, why is such a disproportionate number of books set in New York, when so many of us cannot relate to the lives of the characters? While romance is universal, elite private schools, nannies and junior year abroad in high school are not experiences that the average high school student can relate to. 

Thinking back on some of my favorite books from when I was younger, also set in New York: The All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor about a family of girls growing up in New York, this Jewish family was part of a much different Manhattan than the more recent books set in New York. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg is another example of book set in New York featuring elite characters, with the Met playing a large role within the story.

More recent examples of books set in New York for slightly younger readers include Ann Martin’s Ten Rules for Living with My Sister and the sequel, Ten Good and Bad Things About My Life; and Rebecca Stead’s Newbery medal winning When You Reach Me. In these books, especially in When You Reach Me, the families are not quite as elite as they are in the two books mentioned earlier. In any case, the stories of living in New York City have an edge and portray a romantic vision of what we expect out of life as American teens or pre-teens.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite childhood book set in New York? Do you think we overdo using this setting, or is it just about right, given the iconic importance of New York to the American psyche?

Random books for May

Just a few books for consideration this week. Except for the first one, I was not crazy about any of these books. But, each has some redeeming value. If you have read any of these or have questions, feel free to comment.  And anyone who comments in the next two weeks will be entered in a drawing for a free copy of the book of your choice. 

Power Down, Little Robot by Anna Staniszewski, Illustrated by Tim Zeltner

Little Robot has to go to bed to recharge and get ready for another day. But, he has all the stalling techniques ready to use against Mom Unit. While he gives it his best shot, nothing works. Some moms reading this might wish they had the same capabilities as Mom Unit: scanning the room for rust monsters and playing back film to verify that the cogs were already brushed. A cute bedtime story that will be useful when putting those little robots to bed.

Max’s Math by Kate Banks, pictures by Boris Kulikov

Kate Banks’ Max books are charming and full of fun (Max’s Words, Max’s Dragon and Max’s Castle), but Max’s Math is contrived and confusing. Max and his brothers go off on a search for problems and they find plenty in Shapeville and Counttown. But the action moves erratically from one place to another with the boys following close behind. As usual, the illustrations are very well done, great use of color and pleasing spatial designs. My favorite was the page of socks that had to be sorted in Shapeville. If you love Max, you might want this book to add to your collection, but it’s not my favorite of this series.

How to Pee: Potty Training for Boys by Todd Spector, MD, illustrated by Arree Chung

 

If you have a boy who is ready to be potty trained, then this might be the book for you. It is cute and presents a unique way to potty train. A couple of interesting ideas: encourage him to pee outside? Not sure about that one. I also found the illustrations to be well done and quite clever. A book about potty training with several “action” shots and no penis in sight! The books ends with some tips from Dr. Todd. Just one final question: why couldn’t this have been made more universal, alternating between boys and girls?

A Cat Like That by Wendy Wahman

 

A tale told by a black cat, looking for the perfect friend. Good instructions for how to take care of and love a cat. Each page is drawn with a limited palette of colors, and uncluttered backgrounds. Good for the little one who has a new kitty, the friendly tone and useful directions will help to cement the friendship of a lifetime.

Won Ton and Chopsticks: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

A story told completely in Haiku. A clever version of cat’s place in the home being usurped by a new puppy. My favorite: Master of escape!/ High-flying, dog-defying/acrobatic cat! Pastel illustrations show the developing friendship between the cat and dog as they both learn their places. While the story shows both a boy and a girl naming the new puppy, only the boy is featured later as the two best vie to be his favorite. What’s up with that?

The Glorkian Warrior Eats Adventure Pie by James Kochalka

Another silly adventure with the Glorkian Warrior includes his talking backpack and a baby alien as well as his nemesis Buster Glark. Totally whacko, silly comic with no real storyline and characters who talk to their elbow. Yet, the four year old grandson loves these books and would listen to them over and over. Must be something here!

Guest Blogger Sabriaha Poole

Sabriah joins us this month as a guest blogger. Enjoy reading about these three new books!

 

A Wonderful Year By: Nick Bruel

By the author of the bestselling Bad Kitty books Nick Bruel does an amazing job of taking us through a year and the seasons that come with it in the eyes of an enthusiastic little girl. Bruel gives a feeling of how the different seasons change the weather and landscape outside. As well with our enthusiastic main character Bruel gives the book a twist with the talking animals and tree in this brilliant book of seasons. Overall this book is great for children who are learning about what happens when the seasons change.

Supertruck By: Stephen Savage

Stephen Savage shows readers that little people can do big things .He shows just that in his book called Supertruck .This diverse story of a modern day garbage truck that becomes the city’s hero when it begins to snow .This book would be great for any child learning to read and for a child who is starting to try and do new things.

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay By: Cari Best and Illustrated By: Vanessa Brantley-Newton

This Beautiful and Inspiring story shows exactly what it means to never let something ever bring you down in life. Cari Best proves that point in this story of a little girl named Zulay who is blind but she doesn’t let that stop her. With her friends cheering her on and her teachers right behind her, Zulay proves that she can do anything and with Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s beautiful illustrations you really can see that. I recommend this book to people of all ages not just children .

 Comment on this blog post and you will be entered to win one of these great books!