New Picture Books

 I was totally charmed by a new picture book that recently arrived at the library called The Goldilocks Variations by Allan Ahlberg. It's simultaneously kid-friendly and grownup-friendly, with rich language, a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and lots of interactive pull tabs and similar items to offset the long length of the book. I absolutely loved reading it and I think this is a book that kindergarteners and first graders will ask for over and over.



We also got this year's Geisel Award winner for the best book for beginning readers. It is Ethan Long's book Up! Tall! And High! I really enjoyed reading this simple book as well. The vocabulary is tailored for kids who are just starting out, with most of the story told using sight words. The illustrations are exemplary, bursting with life and humor. It's on par with Mo Willems's work, and for me that is high praise.



I also found a new book to read during storytimes, called Dog In Charge by K.L. Going. It made me laugh out loud right from the first page, and it presents a problem that will be familiar to kids: will Dog get blamed for the cats' mischief? The text begs to be read aloud, as it features lots of sound effects, familiar refrains, and an easy, natural-sounding rhythm. I can't wait to try it out.

More Notable Books

Last week I neglected to mention the Siebert Medal winner Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. That's because I had just started reading it at the time, but now that I've finished it I have to let everyone know about my TOTAL ENTHUSIASM for this book.

Here's my Goodreads review: This is an amazing book for teens about the Manhattan Project. The author did a fantastic job of picking out the most interesting and humanizing stories surrounding the development of the atomic bomb. The science and politics were all very complex, but Sheinkin made them accessible enough for young teens to understand. And it's all woven together really well - the book reads like a novel, and I was even more amazed and impressed with it every time I reminded myself that this all REALLY HAPPENED! Recommended for anyone with any kind of interest in history.
  
Also, last week I neglected to mention in my post that the 2014 Rebecca Caudill list is out! Take a look here. I was very pleased to see that three nonfiction books made it on the list! I've only read one of them so far, Blizzard of Glass, but if that is any indication of the quality of the others I think I'll have a wonderful time discovering the other two. I also really, really liked both Wonder and Okay for Now. There are 13 books on the list that I haven't read yet though, so I guess I better get busy!

Award Winners!

I was so excited on Monday morning when I heard about this year's ALA Youth Book & Media Awards! Lots of amazing books won awards and honors, including (to my absolute delight) The One and Only Ivan by Katharine Applegate, which won the Newbery. Jon Klassen's picture book This Is Not My Hat won the Caldecott for its illustrations (which I also thought were very clever and well-executed).

I had been really hoping that John Green's amazing book The Fault In Our Stars would win the Printz, or at least a Printz Honor, but it didn't... although, the audio version did snag an Odyssey Award, so I'll be listening to that as soon as I'm done with Locked in Time by Lois Duncan.

As usual, there were several books that won honors or awards that I'm not yet familiar with, so I'll be looking forward to reading this year's Printz winner, In Darkness by Nick Lake, as well as the Newbery honor book Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage.

Did you follow the awards? What did you think of the books that were chosen?

Library Program Fun

Alice B. McGinty's visit was fantastic! We had a great turnout and everyone enjoyed themselves. We sang, we acted, we did a craft, and we fed Cookie the (very happy) guinea pig. Thanks to Alice and to the Monticello Rotary Club for making the whole event possible.

A great program like that makes me really energized, so we're jumping right into the next one, coming up on February 16. It'll be a Disney party, at 11 a.m. for kids ages 3+. At the party, kids will be able to assemble a prototype for Phineas & Ferb's next invention, race Cars, make princess jewelry with beads, and draw pictures like Rapunzel. There will also be snacks & drinks. Those who are interested should sign up by Feb. 14, because I would much rather have too many princess beads than NOT ENOUGH princess beads. :-P

Reminder: Meet Alice B. McGinty!

She's coming here this Saturday, Jan. 19 at 11 a.m. She's going to have a fabulous program for kids in grades K-5, featuring interactive reading, a craft, and Cookie the real live guinea pig and star of Alice's book Eliza's Kindergarten Pet! You'll also have a chance to buy signed books. Please register if you're interested!

That's all for now - my desk is a huge disaster area and I'd like to get it cleaned up before I leave tonight. :)

Starting My Year Right

2013 is only 10 days old and already I've read three fantastic children's/teen books! I'm making an effort to read more children's and teen's nonfiction, so I recently picked up Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery. It's a great biography for young teens about Temple, who overcame her early difficulties stemming from autism and grew up to make a huge difference in the lives of millions of animals by changing the way ranches and factory farms work. The author makes Temple's life very engaging even for people who might not think they're interested in autism or animals.


I also finally read Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and, although I felt like the story got off to a slow start, I ended up really liking it. It contains some great characters and worldbuilding; her portrayal of dragons is really unique. The plot is complex and interesting as well. People who like Tamora Pierce's work should really give Seraphina a try.

And finally, today I just finished Grace Lin's book Starry River of the Sky, which is a companion novel to her Newbery Honor-winning Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Mountain was also a Rebecca Caudill book in 2012). Starry River of the Sky is also completely Newbery-worthy and left me reeling with very powerful emotions at the end - but in a good way, I promise! Her writing is absolutely gorgeous with its use of imagery and metaphor, and I love how she ties Chinese mythology to her books. This is a must-read for anyone who likes middle-grade fantasy.

Best of 2012 (My Humble Opinion)

I have 12 children's/teen books that can go on record as my favorites to be published in 2012! Those are, in order from most to least recently published:

• Ask the Passengers by A.S. King 
• Ungifted by Gordon Korman 
• Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead 
• About Average by Andrew Clements 
• Fake Mustache by Tom Angleberger 
• Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick 
• Partials by Dan Wells
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
• The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

 These books made it to my "favorites" list based on how much I personally enjoyed reading them, not necessarily on the basis of literary merit. However, based on what other teachers and children's librarians are saying, many of them do have strong literary merit as well and are likely being considered for the Newbery or Printz prizes.

What did you think of this year's crop of books? Do you agree or disagree with any on my list?