Picture Books With Sound Effects

Books with sound effects can be really fun to read (and fun for kids to listen to!). I have encountered a couple of them lately that I really enjoyed.

The first is The Seven Sneezes by Olga Cabral. Imitating the sneezes is the most entertaining part, but kids are also amused at the mix-ups the sneezes cause, when barks, meows, ears, shoes, etc. fly off and land on the wrong owners. Kids might not know what a "rag man" is (the book was originally published in the '40s) but a 30 second history lesson at the beginning or the end won't hurt.

The second is Push Button by Aliki. The sound effects from all the button-pushing are so much fun that toddlers and preschoolers will imitate the reader enthusiastically. The illustrations are also really bright and appealing, with great use of color and white space. Aliki really captures the joy and busy activity of toddler play.

Stay tuned for announcements concerning the upcoming luau and summer programs!

Great Baseball Books

There are lots of sports books out there for the elementary school crowd, and recently I've read a couple that stand out. These books would be great for a rainy day when it's impossible to actually be at the ballpark.

The first one is Top of the Order by John Coy. Jackson, the main character, and his friend Gig are on a baseball team that needs another player for second base. When Gig's sister Sydney joins up, she quickly demonstrates how good she is at baseball, but Gig is furious. Jackson's not sure whether he should be supporting his friend or supporting Sydney, which is better for the team. There are enough descriptive baseball sequences in the story to keep ball fanatics interested, and the story moves along well.

Another one I read recently was Dan Gutman's Roberto and Me. This is the latest in his Baseball Card Adventures series, where Stosh, the main character, has the ability to travel through time using old baseball cards. In this one, he tries to go back in time to save Roberto Clemente, the famous baseball player and humanitarian, from dying in a tragic plane crash. There isn't as much action centered around the game of baseball itself, but the idea of traveling through space and time and meeting famous people will appeal to kids who used to be Magic Tree House fans but have grown out of that series.

Spiderwick Chronicles Party

Remember, you have one more week to sign up for our Spiderwick Chronicles party! It will be on Saturday, April 24 at 2:30 p.m., and registration closes on Thursday, April 22. At the party, kids will try Sprite Bowling, make anti-fairy charms and mermaid bracelets, and make their own seeing stones from clay. Snacks will be served and kids will be able to enter a drawing for Spiderwick books. Recommended for kids ages 5+.

Great Audiobooks for Kids

I have become completely addicted to listening to audiobooks in the car. I am enjoying myself so much that sometimes I'll arrive at my destination and just sit there in the car for a few more minutes, to hear what happens next.

The narrators make a huge difference in whether or not I'll like the story. And sometimes, the audiobooks are recorded with a full cast, with different people reading different characters' dialogue and a separate reader doing the narration. At first, I preferred the one-voice technique because that's how the Harry Potter books are done. But after listening to almost all of Kristin Cashore's Graceling, I'm starting to appreciate the full-cast method as well.

So far, in addition to Harry Potter and Graceling, I've listened to The Hunger Games, most of Fudge-A-Mania (scratched discs), and The Golden Compass. All of them are good, but my least favorite was The Hunger Games. I felt that the narrator's voice was too girly for Katniss, and that it probably would have benefited from a full-cast approach.

Thoughts on full-cast vs. single narrator? What are your favorite audiobooks?

This Year's Rebecca Caudill Books

I've been working my way through the 2011 Rebecca Caudill Master list, and so far I can't really say I've been enjoying myself. Does anyone else feel the same way or is it just me? Here's what I've read lately:

The Boy Who Dared. Very sad and tragic WWII story.
The Great Wide Sea. A grieving family sails around the Caribbean. Anger, misery, and tragedy abound.
The Mailbox. The kid's uncle dies at the beginning, and he doesn't want to tell anyone because he's afraid of ending up in an abusive foster home situation... again.
Scarlett. A girl's parents are divorced and she spends most of the novel angry, confused, and lashing out at people who try to help her.
Trouble. A boy's brother is severely injured in a car accident which brings racial tensions in his small town to a head. Tragedy, bigotry, guilt, and loss are the main themes.
Yellow Star. A harrowing story of how one girl survived the Lodz ghetto.

You see? None of these books were badly written; on the contrary, all of the authors are very skilled storytellers. But I have not been enjoying myself at all! I can hardly wait to be done with this batch, and I think I'll have a hard time when kids ask for recommendations from this year's list.