Three New Haunkkah Books

 Hanukkah is coming up on December 10 -18 this year and I've got three great new Hanukkah books for you today. While lots of Hanukkah books give you the formulaic eight-Hanukkah-activities spiel, all three of these picture books go beyond that basic premise for some really fun stories. 

The Eight Knights of Hanukkah by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Galia Bernstein. Ages 4-8. Holiday House, 2020. 

Eight sibling knights must save the holiday for a community whose Hanukkah preparations are being interrupted by a dastardly dragon. As the knights quest to perform acts of "awesome kindness", they replace a scorched dreidel, help peel potatoes, perform mitzvahs, and fry donuts until they have a table piled high with treats, ready for a celebration. And of course the not-so-bad dragon attends as well (very handy for lighting menorahs with flame-breath). This is a sweetly funny story that capitalizes on the wordplay in the title. 

The Hanukkah Magic of Nate Gadol by Arthur A. Levine, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Ages 4-8. Candlewick, 2020. 

With the aim of introducing a new mythological figure to Hanukkah (think about Rudolf or Santa Claus in regards to Christmas), this bright, own-voices picture book presents Nate Gadol, a magical being with the power to make objects stretch. From making one night's worth of lamp oil stretch for 8 nights to stretching out a meager portion of chocolate so there's enough for all the children or stretching much-needed medicine for a neighbor's baby, Nate Gadol is there. The name Nate Gadol is a play on the Hebrew phrase "New Gadol", which means "a great miracle". This is a clever addition to seasonal mythology. 

The Ninth Night of Hanukkah by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Shahar Kober. Ages 4-8. Sterling, 2020. 

When the first night of Hanukkah falls just after their family moves to a new apartment, mom can't find the menorah and they just order pizza instead of making latkes. It's nice, but not quite the same Hanukkah they're used to. As they continue the search for their Hanukkah supplies in the moving boxes, the two children approach their new neighbors and find substitutes - birthday candles instead of Hanukkah candles, chocolate chips instead of gelt. The family's creative in their celebrations and then to thank their neighbors, they invite everyone over the night after the last night of Hanukkah and - miracle! - their lost moving box shows up with all their Hanukkah supplies. 

This is a sweet and clever story that may have special resonance this year as we're all figuring out new ways to have holiday celebrations and mark special events. I love the clever ways these enterprising kids find to replicate their Hanukkah traditions even though they don't have the things they normally would. And it has a wonderful message about helping and thanking those that help us. 

Smug Seagull

Smug Seagull by Maddie Frost. Ages 4-8. Little, Brown, 2020. 40 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Seagull is an expert at swiping snacks on sunny days at the beach. He's the best - no one can beat him! Until a little crab shows up with a delectable french fry and, try as he might, the Smug Seagull is outsmarted at every turn. This delightful, laugh-out-loud picture book would make a really fun read for young beachgoers. The bright, cartoony illustrations make this a sure bet with young readers and they will delight in Seagull's mischievous escapades as he swipes all kinds of food from beachgoers young and old. 

Seagull gives me some serious Pigeon vibes. He's a bird that oozes personality and confidence, delighting in the fact that his "name is in lights" (there's a sign posted asking beachgoers not to feed the seagulls). I think young Mo Willems fans are really going to like meeting Seagull, too. And any family who's visited the beach can probably relate to swarms of seagulls hoping to sneak away with some of the picnic. 

Hand Smug Seagull to families about to head out on vacation or anyone who just needs a bit of a laugh. Although it's tailor-made for a beach or vacation themed display, kids love to giggle anytime. 

Jonas Hanway's Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly Sensational Umbrella

Jonas Hanway's Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly Sensational Umbrella by Josh Crute, illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen. Grades 1-4. Page Street Kids, 2020. 40 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Okay, so did you know that it was once incredibly unfashionable in London to carry and use an umbrella? People just GOT WET. Or they paid for street coaches to drive them everywhere. Because you know something about London? It rains there. A lot. 

To Jonas Hanway, that didn't make a whole lot of sense. And after he traveled to some distant lands and saw many people using umbrellas, he got back and said "To heck with fashion! I'm not getting wet anymore!" (He did not actually say that - I'm paraphrasing.) And he started using an umbrella, no matter how much he was stared at and mocked. 

It seems completely ridiculous now - umbrellas are ubiquitous! - but that truly was the case once upon a time in London. Umbrellas were thought of as foreign and only used by poor people who couldn't afford to hire coaches. This is an intriguing and beautifully illustrated nonfiction book that will appeal to kids who enjoy learning weird facts about the world. 

Back matter includes some notes about the issue of umbrellas and additional information about Jonas Hanway - another popular trend he eschewed was using young children as chimney sweeps, a practice that was finally outlawed in 1875. And it includes a timeline with a brief history of umbrellas for even more fun facts. Pull  this one out on your next rainy day and learn all about this handy tool.

I would hand this to kids who enjoyed such books as Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy or Ben Franklin's Big Spash by Barb Rosenstock about fun inventions or interesting moments in history. The book has gorgeous, detailed illustrations with lots of funny little moments in the pictures, so it would make a great gift book for elementary age kids who enjoy trivia and fun facts. 

Let's Go to Taekwondo

Let's Go to Taekwondo: A Story About Persistence, Bravery, and Breaking Boards by Aram Kim. Ages 4-8. Holiday House, 2020. 40 pages. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Yoomi loves learning taekwondo with Master Cho at her dojang with her brothers and friends. She learns about the five tenets of taekwondo: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. And she works hard to improve her skills. But when it comes time to test for her yellow belt, Yoomi must break a board with her hand. Try as she might, she cannot break that board. Soon, Yoomi doesn't want to go to taekwondo anymore. Will Yoomi find a way to persevere or will she give up? 

I love this sweet story about perseverance with it's wonderful intergenerational connection. Yoomi's grandmother is the one to take her to her taekwondo classes and when Yoomi thinks about quitting, her grandmother tells her that's okay. But just at that moment, Grandma feels like giving up on something, too. She's trying to call a friend in Korea over the computer and nothing she tries will work! Readers can see Grandma's growing frustration mirroring Yoomi's as they both try and fail to accomplish their goal. Finally, when Grandma's had enough, Yoomi steps in to encourage her grandmother and realizes that she'd better keep trying, too. This was a really nice, organic moment that teaches a lesson gently so that the story doesn't come across as didactic. 

This would be a great pick for kids who study martial arts or any kids who are struggling with learning or doing something challenging. It's also a story that will appeal to grandparents looking for stories to share with grandchildren. And although characters are loveable anthropomorphic animals here, this is an own-voices story, written and illustrated by a Korean American author/illustrator. This is the second book about Yoomi's family and you can read more about them in No Kimchi for Me (Holiday House, 2017). 

Your Name is a Song

Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Luisa Uribe. Ages 6-10. Innovation Press, 2020. Review copy provided by my local library. 

Frustrated when her teacher can't pronounce her name and kids at her new school make fun of her name, our narrator vents to her mom on their walk home from school. And her mother responds to each complaint with positive language to present her unique name in a different light. "Your name is a song" and your name is one that needs to be said from the heart more than the tongue. Or even, your name might be made up because long ago our original names were stolen from us and we looked to the sky for new names. 

This is a wonderful book for kids and teachers to read about the importance of names. Young readers with names that often get mispronounced will find words to speak back (and teach) about it and anyone who meets new kids and learns their names on a regular basis should read this book. The book uses all kinds of names from many different cultures around the world as examples, and I especially appreciate that all the names in the book (even white normative names like "Bob" or "Ms. Anderson") are given pronunciation guides. This is a must for school and public libraries!

Time for Bed's Story

Time for Bed's Story by Monica Arnaldo. Ages 4-8. Kids Can Press, 2020. Digital review copy provided by publisher. 

The next time you push back when you hear the nightly announcement "It's time for bed!", maybe think again. Maybe take a minute to read bed's side of the story. You'll find it right here. Because as much as you don't want to go to bed.... you're no picnic either. And Bed's here to tell you that they don't appreciate the kicking, the drool all over their pillows, the mysterious smells in your room, or the stickers - endless stickers! - that are constantly stuck all over everything. 

This humorous take on a bedtime story is made super endearing by the expressive bed in the illustrations. Look at those indignant eyes! If you're looking for a book that will send little ones off to bed with a giggle, this is a rollicking good family readaloud. (If you're looking for a gentle bedtime story that might entice kids to actually sleep, you may want to look elsewhere.) This may be an especially appropriate read for families with kids who have trouble with the bedtime routine or who are growing up a little bit and would like to stay up later. Pair it with Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Kraus Rosenthal for another humorous, nighttime role-reversal. 

Six New Picture Books to Celebrate African American History Month

How are you celebrating African American History Month this year? Reading or sharing a book is a great way to celebrate and today I'm highlighting six new picture books that would make great choices for reading with a child or putting on display at your library.

Big Papa and the Time Machine by Daniel Bernstrom, illustrated by Shane W. Evans. Ages 5-8. Harper, 2020. When a little boy is nervous to start school, his grandfather not only tells him to be brave, but takes him back in his time machine to show him moments in his own life where he had to be brave. With whimsical illustrations and stirring words, this is a heartfelt tribute to everyday triumphs and the enduring love of family.

Brave. Black. First.: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World by Cheryl Hudson, illustrated by Erin K. Robinson. Grades 3-7. Crown, 2020. Each spread in this new collective biography features an influential African American woman with a portrait and a brief biography. This book is published in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison. Grades 2-5. Here's another great choice if you're looking for collective biographies. This one features African American men. With cute illustrations, this one skews a bit younger than Hudson's collection above. Harrison has published several similar collective biographies to check out: Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History and Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World. 

Mamie on the Mound: A Woman in Baseball's Negro Leagues by Leah Henderson. Grades 1-4. Capstone, 2020. Finally! A picture book biography of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, African American baseball player who played in the Negro Leagues (yes, with the boys!) for three years in the 1950s. Sprightly text matches a sprightly personality in this biography that's perfect for young sports fans and women's history. Chapter book readers may also be interested in Michelle Y. Green's A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, which was published in 2004 and is a great read.

Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James Ransome. Grades 1-5. A girl and her family make their way north via the "Overground Railroad" as part of the Great Migration in the 1930s. In free verse poem and with striking mixed media illustrations, the Ransomes portray this journey, taken by so many, in a hopeful tone. I love the play on the Underground Railroad in the title; this book would make a great compliment to any book you're reading about the Underground Railroad since it portrays another era of history that is maybe less talked about.

 

Patricia's Vision: The Doctor Who Saved Sight by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Alleana Harris. Grades 1-5. Sterling, 2020. This handsome picture book biography depicts the life and innovation of Dr. Patricia Bath, an opthamologist who invented laser treatment for cataracts. This book not only celebrates an achievement by an African American inventor, it celebrates a successful women in a STEM field. This is a great story to know.

5 Picture Books about Love but Not Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and this is the perfect time to celebrate love! I know holiday books tend to get checked out really quickly at libraries, so if you've waited until the last minute to put out a display or to visit your library to pick out some books, here are some books that celebrate love without being Valentine's specific (so they might still be on the shelves!). Not into Valentine's Day or already got your books picked out? These are perfect to share anytime.

The I Love You Book by Todd Parr. Ages 2-6. Little, Brown, 2009. C'mon, you knew I was going to put a Todd Parr book on here. I super love his affirming messages, bright childlike illustrations, and moments of humor that keep things really fun. If you don't have Todd Parr on your shelves or in your storytime, you need to fix that right away!

Little You by Richard Van Camp, illustrated by Julie Flett. Ages 0-2. Orca, 2013. This tender board book is all about celebrating love for young children. It's a perfect bedtime readaloud and would make a super new baby gift. I love the muted, cut paper illustrations and the essential message about how important children are to their parents. 

Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom by Marilyn Singer. Ages 5-9. Knopf, 2011. This cute, punny book of short poems imagines love poems animals might share with each other. It has funny, cartoony illustrations and is short enough for a bedtime readaloud or could be broken up into lunchbox poems to send along to school. This one will be a hit with animal lovers and pet owners.

 

Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato. Ages 4-8. Balzer + Bray, 2016. When two worms fall in love, they want to get married! But who will wear a dress and who will wear a suit? It turns out it doesn't matter because Worm loves Worm (and because scientifically worms are both male and female). This is a really sweet story celebrating love and a relationship where gender is not a factor and a wonderful way to introduce young children to the rainbow of gender and relationships in our world. Or, y'know, a worm can just be a worm.

 

Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Scott Campbell. Ages 4-8. Atheneum, 2011. This one is a fun readaloud and was a surefire February hit when we'd visit our afterschool groups for storytime. Mortimer is looking for love, but he hasn't met the right lady yet. He goes to the gym, but his arm keeps falling off. He's put up an account on stalemate.com, but no dice. How's a guy supposed to meet a ghoul? This is a perfect choice for young readers who like something a little scary but also funny and for skeptics who think think they're too cool for love stories. And there's a sequel if you like this one: Zombie in Love 2 + 1 (Atheneum, 2014).

I Survived the Library

This was my favorite summer program this year:

I Survived the Library

I know, I know. I'm late to the party. While we still have kids who look for and enjoy Lauren Tarshis's I Survived series, the heyday of its popularity is starting to pass here. But I had some ideas, so I wanted to do this program anyway. And since SURVIVAL is a pretty popular topic ANYWAY, I had great attendance and it was a really fun time.

I aimed this program at kids in grades 3-5, thinking that was the age most likely to be familiar with the series. I ended up with about half the attendees familiar and loving the I Survived series and about half who had only casually read one or two of the books or who hadn't read any of the books. It didn't matter whether kids had previously read any of the books; this program was designed to appeal to everyone!

Here's what I did:

Reading time:

I chose three I Survived books to feature and came up with a related activity for each book. I started the program by reading just the first chapter of each book and booktalking some related titles in between. If you're not familiar with the series, each I Survived book starts with a bang - the first chapter is designed to hook the audience and present the drama of each disaster. That makes the first chapters perfect for booktalking and reading aloud to spark interest.

I read the first chapters of:

• I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
• I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
• I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906

In between each reading, I booktalked related books, featuring a few books about volcanoes, Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, and the two nonfiction I Survived Titles: Five Epic Disasters and Nature Attacks.

Activity Stations:

After our readaloud, I opened the room up for kids to explore our activities. Since I did this as a drop-in program, having mostly self-directed activity stations was a great way to accommodate whatever number of kids I would have. I did have one additional staff member in the program with me to run our volcano station, which worked out really well. This could have easily been a teen volunteer if we didn't have a staff person available. 

Kids could choose between the following activities and spend as much or as little time at each as they wanted: 

• Volcano Blast

This activity came from Amy Koester on the ALSC Blog and I had used it previously at a volcano program several years ago. I purchased play dough from the Dollar Tree (you could also make your own play dough, which might be cheaper) and we used half of toilet paper tubes instead of the prescription bottles because we always seem to have those on hand (and they make for smaller volcanoes and less supplies). 

I had Mr. S run this station just to keep the mess of explosions at a minimum and to make sure our baking soda and vinegar would last through the entire program.

• Titanic Sinks

For this stations, I challenged kids to build a boat that would float while holding a passenger. I provided materials we had around our office: aluminum foil, craft sticks, pipe cleaners, modeling clay. You could use really anything you have on hand for this. I think my "passenger" was a little too light to really make this station challenging, but some kids really experimented a lot, trying out different designs and materials.

• Lego Earthquake Challenge

The idea behind this station is to design a building out of Legos that would stand up to an "earthquake". I used the instructions from Scientific American for their Earthquake-Proof Engineering for Skyscrapers activity because I had all the stuff on hand. You can also try a similar activity with a mini-trampoline if you have one of those (or if a local fitness center or school would lend you one?)

Legos are always super popular and kids enjoyed building their creations and testing them out on the earthquake simulator. It wasn't very easy to actually stick the Lego buildings onto the base while it was attached to the simulator. If I tried it again I might take the base out for each new building, especially if I had staff or a volunteer to specifically man this station.

I was surprised at how many kids stayed for the entire program and spent a lot of time visiting the stations. Of course, I had a couple who blitzed through the activities and then left and I had some kids arriving halfway through the program, but since the stations were all self-directed that was fine.

And of course I put out a huge book display with lots of I Survived titles and other survival books that kids were encouraged to check out.

Of course, I am far from the only librarian to do an I Survived program. For more ideas and inspiration, check out these other great programs: 

• Bryce Don't Play - Shark Week - I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
• Kelly Librarian's Pinterest Board "I Survived" Program
• Tween You & Me - I Survived Program

Ten More Great School Age Readalouds

We visit the YMCA Afterschool groups at each of our nine public elementary schools once a month during the school year, so I am always on the lookout for great readalouds for K-4th. This year, I was really trying to include some more diverse titles and I did succeed in taking more than I did last year (which isn't saying a lot!!), although I would still love more suggestions! Here are ten of my very favorites that I took to my groups this year.

Epossumondas by Colleen Salley, illustrated by Janet Stevens (Houghton, 2002). This is one of my very favorite readalouds and makes for great oral storytelling, too. It's a version of a Jack Tale called Lazy Jack in which the silly possum Epossumonas keeps getting gifts from his auntie with no idea how to carry them home, starting with the piece of cake that he squishes up in his paw. It's a silly tale and one that's great to do fun voices with.

Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Jean Jullien (Candlewick, 2015). Hoot Owl tries using disguises to help him catch his dinner... with varying success. One of my staffers reads this in a Batman voice and it is hilarious.

The Long-Nosed Pig by Keith Faulkner, illustrated by Jonathan Lambert (Dial, 1998). We don't circulate pop-up books, but this is a fun one that we have in our programming collection and it makes a great readaloud. Way back when pigs had long noses instead of short snouts, one pig couldn't stop bragging about his gorgeous, long nose.

Nino Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales (Roaring Brook Press, 2013). Whether or not you have kids that are into lucha libre, read this with your best wrestling-announcer voice and it WILL be a hit. I promise. (Practice the Spanish words first if you are unfamiliar with them!)

Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony (Scholastic, 2014). Kids are entranced by 1) yummy-looking donuts and 2) this grumpy panda who refuses to share his donuts with anyone who cannot ask for them politely.

The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton (Arthur A. Levine, 2015). Farting pony. Need I say more? I do? Okay, kick-butt warrior princess, how about that?

Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt (Corgi, 2000). I am so, so sad that this book is out of print, but it's worth an ILL if you can. Timothy Pope loves to look through his telescope and he thiiinks he sees a shark at the park. Have the kids make their own "telescopes" with their hands and look up, down, left, right, and all around with you on the chorus.

Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon (Atheneum, 2013). How is a baseball game the same and different in the US and Japan? This book was a great one to inspire discussion about cultural differences.

Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman (Abrams, 2015). I love this one so much that I accidentally brought it to one group two months in a row. It was okay, they loved it, too! This is just what the title suggests: cute and funny vegetables in underwear.

The Whale in My Swimming Pool by Joyce Wan (Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux, 2015). What to do when a whale is taking up your entire swimming pool? This kawaii picture book is filled with creative attempts to get rid of the whale and makes for a fun read.

There are ten of my favorite school-age picture book readalouds that I took to my groups this year. Need more suggestions? Check out Ten Great School-Age Readalouds to see what my hits were last year. What were your favorite school-age readalouds this year??

Science Playground at the @alscblog

Today, I'm over at the ALSC Blog with a post about our recent Science Playground. Please click through and check out this easy, cheap, well-attended fall break program!