Bok bok bok

I've found that you can pretty much never go wrong with barnyard animals at your storytime. I've already posted about cows, but (as anyone in my department could tell you) I prefer a wacky chicken any day of the week.

One of my all-time favorite chicken books (and an all-time favorite readaloud, period) is Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox. Hattie the hen is the only sharp-eyed bird in the barnyard and when she spies a nose in the bushes, she knows it's trouble. Unfortunately her barnyard pals don't seem too concerned. As the fox slowly sneaks out of the bushes, Hattie tries to warn them, but eventually she flies the coop, leaving her friends to deal with the fox in a most surprising manner. You can do different voices for each of the different animals and kids enjoy finding the fox in the bushes (they'll be yelling out "It's a fox!" long before Hattie guesses what it is...).

A somewhat new favorite of mine is Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman. My library school friends can all attest that when this book came out, I forced everyone I knew to read it because it's so fabulous. On Monday the farmer drops his watch down the well. How is he to get it back? Chickens to the rescue! As we go through the week, the family gets into problem after problem with the chickens saving the day each time. Until Sunday... Hmm... Where are the chickens? Detailed illustrations make this a great book for one-on-one reading. Those crazy chickens are up to all kinds of things and there's always something new to find in the pictures. The chorus of "Chickens to the rescue!" is great for storytime, too. If you're resourceful, you could even act it out...

Of course, we can't forget the incomparable Minerva Louise by Janet Morgan Stoeke. This silly chicken is always mistaking objects for something else. She thinks a flower pot might be a nest, she thinks a garden hose might be a scarf. Kids enjoy correcting her and there are quite a few books about her. Minerva Louise goes to school, meets a new baby, hunts for Easter eggs, and much more. There are also board books about Minerva Louise for our youngest readers.

Chicky Chicky Chook Chook by Cathy MacLennan isn't about wacky chickens, per se, but they sure sound wacky. This book is filled to the brim with interesting sounds that help promote phonological awareness. There's a great rhythm to its chanting nonsense phrases as a group of small chickens and other animals play in the sun and are then drenched by a sudden rainstorm. This is a great readaloud for younger preschoolers and be sure and let the parents know that playing around with sounds will help kids hear that words are made up of smaller sounds.

And I have to end with a book I recently discovered through the Kidlitosphere... Hungry Hen by Richard Warring. I read about this book in the ALSC Blog (in a post that points out some more excellent chicken and duck books... you should definitely check it out). It finally came in for me at the library and I was instantly in love. It starts with a hen, hungrily eating all the grain in sight. As she keeps eating, she keeps growing fatter and fatter. A fox is watching from a distance, stomach rumbling, but just as he's going to run down the hill and get her, he realizes that if he waits until the next day she'll be even bigger. He waits until he absolutely can't stand it... but just as he's about to - finally! - get his dinner... he's met with quite a surprise ending. Fun and funny and just slightly disturbing (which describes some of the very best picture books, in my opinion...).

These are some of my favorite wacky chickens... what are some of yours?

Book Review: Curse Dark as Gold

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. (Grades 7+)

For generations the Stirwaters Mill has been run by members of the Miller family, passing down the line in a weird zig-zag from uncle to nephew to distant cousin. Some say there's a curse on the mill and that's why no Miller son has ever lived long enough to inherit the mill. But Charlotte Miller doesn't believe in curses, even when her beloved father dies young and without a will, the mill passing by default to her. Charlotte and her sister Rosie are the last of the Millers and they are determined to keep the mill going. It employs many of the people in the village and the Stirwaters name still carries some weight.

Charlotte doesn't find it easy to run the mill. First of all, no one outside the little village of Shearing will take her seriously. And secondly, the mill seems to be bent on destroying itself somehow. Repairs never seem to take, machines sometimes refuse to work, and unlocked doors stick shut for no reason at all. A series of misfortunes leaves Charlotte fearing that she might lose Stirwaters... until a mysterious stranger shows up and claims that he can help them... for a price.

Ms. Bunce takes a familiar fairy tale and fleshes it out, turning it into a rich retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, rife with layered characters and a setting that seems to leap right off the page. The people in the village really come to life. The village of Shearing is steeped with superstition and lore, the mill being the center of it all. One of the most interesting things for me was how the mill really became another character in the book. It communicated with Charlotte and she obviously loves it like a member of her family.

This is a book to lose yourself in, a deep story you can really sink your teeth in. There's a bit of romance and a lot of creepy moments. People stick up for each other and people betray each other. Ooh, and best of all... there's an author's note!

Hand this one to fans of rich fantasy stories like The Goose Girl or East or Cynthia Voigt's wonderful Jackaroo (and other Kingdom books).

Elizabeth C. Bunce is a member of the Class of 2k8 and you can find other reviews at Book Nut, The YA YA YAs, bookshelves of doom, Sarah Miller's blog, and Miss Erin.

Book Review: When Is a Planet Not a Planet?

When Is a Planet Not a Planet?: The Story of Pluto by Elaine Scott. (Grades 3-6)

When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.

But did you know that Pluto's not the first planet to be demoted? I had no idea.

Elaine Scott has given us a great look into the history of the discovery of our planets. This book includes much more than the story of Pluto. It starts in Ancient Greece and takes us up through the present day, giving a complete picture of how astronomy developed. The origin of the word "planet", the invention of the telescope, the difference between the small rocky planets and the gas giants... these are all covered in this book and all the information plays into why Pluto was ultimately demoted.

It's written in a clear, concise manner with many photos of actual planets and drawings of what we think space objects might look like. Although the book is definitely written for a child audience, I daresay adults wanting an explanation of the Pluto situation might find this book helpful. It provides enough background information that you really understand what happened and why without going into so much detail that it bogs down the reader.

Scott includes a glossary, a list of books and websites for further reading, and an index. This is a great book for upper elementary kids wondering just what happened to Pluto.

Happy Nonfiction Monday! Be sure and check out all the links over at Picture Book of the Day!

Busy busy week...

You'll have to excuse my lack of posting this week. It's been a busy, busy week with preschool visits to the library, grade school classes visiting the library, going out on outreach visits, and everything else that makes the week busy. I'm also in the middle of three thick books, all of which I am really enjoying.

I've got some new stuff lined up for next week, but for now I'm going to point you to some of the interesting stuff going on in the Kidlitosphere.

Paula Yoo alerted me to the new site Fusion Stories, which is a celebration of Asian-American writing just in time for Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month (May!). Head over there and say hi to Paula, Grace Lin, An Na, Lisa Yee, and others. You'll be sure to find a great book to read!

Ms. Yingling posted about her BLF (Best Literary Friend)... the characters you love so much that you come back to their books just to say hi. I have to say my BLFs are Ramona Quimby, Anastasia Krupnik, and the girls from the Babysitters Club. Whenever I need a comforting read or I'm having reading ADD, I turn to them. Who are your BLFs?

And there have been a couple of reviews of particular interest to me posted lately. The YA YA YAs reviewed Lock and Key, which is one of the books I'm "in the middle of" (if by "in the middle" you mean "started and had to put aside for other books that are due first"). I'm a big fan of Sarah Dessen and I've been looking forward to this one for quite awhile. Jackie over at Interactive Reader has a review of The Host and it sounds like it won't be a disappointment to the hordes of Twilight fans out there (whew).

And I'm out. Have great weekends, everyone. I fully intend to spend mine curled up in my reading chair finishing at least one great book that I can't wait to share with you. Want to know what it is? I'm not telling... but I'll give you a hint... The author is a member of the Class of 2k8.

Book Review: Princess Ben

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. (Grades 6-10.)

If Princess Benevolence had accompanied her parents that day, everything would have been different. But, laid out with a cold, Ben stayed home and received news that night that her parents had been attacked by unknown assassins. The King and her mother were killed, her father and their head of defense are missing. The kingdom's in an uproar, suspecting the neighboring country of the attack, and Ben is thrust into a life she never wanted. Since the queen never bore a child, Ben is the heir to the throne. Without any consideration for the fact that she's mourning her parents, Ben is expected to pick up the role of lady-in-training. The queen is horrible to her, practically starving her and insisting that she prepare for her inevitable marriage (probably coming much too soon for Ben's liking).

But Princess Ben's not taking all this lying down. She's fiesty, thinking up ways to get back at her teachers and the abominable queen. And then she discovers the magic...

Catherine Gilbert Murdock's brought us a treat. Princess Ben is a real step away from Dairy Queen and The Off Season, but I'm pleased to report that it's awesome. Ben's a spunky heroine who undergoes some real changes as the book progresses. She uses her brain and disdains those who would judge her on her beauty. Ben can do whatever she puts her mind to, whether it's torturing her dance teacher or saving the kingdom from certain doom.

Murdock's created an intriguing fantasy world with a unique magic system. I won't go into it too much so that you can delight in discovering it for yourself, but it made me want to know more. Her world-building reminded me of Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl and Princess Academy (two books I also really loved).

Another delightful aspect of this fantasy novel are the bits of fairy tales hidden within. Murdock includes cameos of many familiar stories and it was such fun to discover them all.

Hand this one to fans of Gail Carson Levine (particularly Ella Enchanted and Fairest) and Shannon Hale. They won't be disappointed!

Peruse other reviews at Teen Book Review, Educating Alice, Sarah Miller's blog, and The Compulsive Reader.

Book Review: Close to Shore

Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 by Michael Capuzzo. (Grades 6-10)

Da dum.

Daaa dum.

Da dum da dum dadum dadum dadumdadumdadumdadum.

Have you see the movie Jaws?

Read about the shark attacks that inspired Peter Benchley to write the book that was turned into the movie that made you want to stay AWAY from the shore.

It was summer 1916. People flocked to the beaches of New Jersey, anxious to escape the heat by taking a nice, cool dip in the ocean. Ocean swimming was becoming more and more popular. And man-eating sea creatures? Pah. They didn't exist.

Science was the new rage with new scientific discoveries happening all the time. The "myths" of man-eating sea creatures were happily dismissed as people congregated in the cool, ocean waves.

Until...

A lone shark, possibly ill or injured, began appearing on the Jersey shore. It attacked one. People said that maybe it was a killer whale, a swordfish, or a tuna, surely not a shark. Sure not one of those big fish that scientists said would not harm a human... But then it attacked more... And soon the shark hysteria was making its way up and down the coast. The people of New Jersey demanded help. Hotels remained empty, the beaches were desolate. Small towns were dependent on the money that summer tourists brought it, only now people were afraid to come. Something had to be done... but what?

Capuzzo's penned a captivating true story of a man-eating beast and how it changed the public and scientific view of sharks. Humans thought the ocean was their playground, that they had nothing to fear. But all that changed in 1916 on the Jersey shore. Adapted from his adult book (Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in an Age of Innocence), this book provides an interesting glimpse into life in a different time and it also provides a glimpse into the psyche of a shark. Capuzzo alternates chapters about the human reactions with chapters told from the (possible) point of view of the shark. It's perfect for young marine biologists and shark enthusiasts. Pair it with Peter Benchley's Shark Life: True Stories About Sharks & the Sea, another great book about unraveling the mysteries of great fish in the deep.

Happy Nonfiction Monday! Check out the roundup at Picture Book of the Day!

(ETA 4/22/08): PS: Check out this awesome booktalk for Close to Shore and another shark-related book, Soul Surfer, over at Bookwink!

Audiobook Roundup: Bob Barner

I often get requests from preschool teachers for "book and tapes" - kits that include a picture book and an audio recording (a tape or, with newer recordings, a CD). Teachers tell me the kids love to listen to them because they include sound effects and music that really bring the stories to life. I must admit that, even though I order the audiobooks for my department, I haven't listened to a lot of the picture book audio recordings. This is something that's going to change.

I love listening to audiobooks, but I do so most often in the car. As my commute to work is very short (typically about 15 minutes), that makes listening to a longer audiobook difficult because it stretches it out over weeks and it means I have to listen to it in 15-minute spurts. Checking out some picture book recordings is a great solution! Most of them are between 5 and 20 minutes long, making them perfect for short car trips. One caveat is that, obviously, you are meant to look at the artwork in picture books (which is tricky when you are driving... ;).

That said, here are some recent picture book audio recordings I've been listening to (and look for more reviews like this in the future!).

Dem Bones by Bob Barner. (Ages 4-7) Audio produced by Weston Woods, narrated by Chris Thomas King.

The leg bone's connected to the knee bone in this book about the bones in the human body. Music accompanies the song "Dem Bones" and after singing about each connection, information is given about that bone. I found myself moving my body as I listened to the narrator tell me that without ankle bones I wouldn't be able to walk or dance and that the shoulder bones fit together so that you can move your arms. This would be a great contribution to a classroom lesson on the skeleton or the human body. The first two tracks provide the text with and without page signals. The third track is just the song "Dem Bones".

Stars! Stars! Stars! by Bob Barner. (Ages 3-7) Audio produced by Weston Woods, narrated by Gavin Bozza.

My favorite thing about this book is that it has a very simple rhyming text and more information about space and the planets is included at the end. This book makes a great readaloud for preschoolers but it contains enough additional information at the end to be useful to curious older kids as well. Majestic music accompanies the simple text and it made me feel like I was at the planetarium. One thing to be aware of is that this book includes Pluto as the ninth (and smallest) planet. It's a great recording and would work well for a space-themed storytime or a preschool class doing a space theme.

Bob Barner is a popular author of nonfiction for preschoolers. I've often had preschool teachers specifically request his books and I'm beginning to see why. He's able to combine a simple text with facts and information so you can adjust the story to fit your audience. I'll definitely be looking for more of his books! Make sure you check out his awesome website where you can get a glimpse inside his studio and watch video clips of some of his books!

B-I-N-G-O

On Monday I helped a coworker with her Picture Book Bingo program for preschoolers. It was quite fun for all involved and I think it's definitely something I would do again. We're so lucky that we have a marvelous graphic artist who helped us create the Bingo cards. Here's what we did:

We chose three books and scanned in pictures from each of the three books. Some of the pictures were a whole page from the book, some were only part of the page. We used pictures from each of the three books to make up the cards, but each card had only one "Bingo" (three pictures from the same book that were in a row). Our cards were three by three, so it only took three pictures to make a "Bingo".

We planned it so that some of the cards would get a Bingo on the first book we read, some on the second, and some on the third. Each participant got a packet of three Bingo cards and we had numbered them so that we could spread out the number of winners on each book and so we could make sure that everyone would win once. We chose three books that we had in big book format so that the pictures would be easy to see. Then we read each book, making sure to go slowly and point out the pictures on each page. As the kids and grownups saw the pictures on their card, they crossed them off with a crayon.

We told them to raise their hand when they got a "Bingo" and that at the end of the story we'd check their cards. We gave them a sticker once we had checked their cards and at the end everyone could choose a prize (we used leftover prizes from past Summer Reading Clubs).

Our program was for preschoolers (ages 3-5 with an adult) and I think it worked well, but I think it would also work for an early elementary audience. Those kids would be able to follow along and mark off their cards without an adult's help. If you do this program it's important to go through the books slowly and point out pictures that might be on their cards. It took some kids awhile to realize that they had seen one of the pictures and to cross it off. To this end, it's probably wise not to pick pictures that are on pages one after the other. Space them out a little. Also, we had some confusion with pictures that were from different books but were of the same animal. For example, we had a giraffe from Goodnight Gorilla and there was a giraffe in Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing. Some kids were confused because they saw a giraffe, so they crossed off a giraffe. Just make sure to pick books that have different animals or are about completely different subjects.

Since the program was for a potentially wiggly age, we structured it like a storytime. We sang "Shake Your Sillies Out" at the beginning and read two of the books. Then we stood up and did "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes" before we continued with the last book. This gave the kids a chance to move around a little bit.

We worried that there might be problems with some kids getting a Bingo on the first card and others not getting it until the second or third cards, but we didn't have any upset kids. We assured everyone at the beginning that everyone would win and if someone thought they won but hadn't actually won, we just reassured them that maybe next time they would win. We numbered the cards so that we could make sure everyone would win once.

All in all, it was a fun program and I'd love to try it again for an older age group (or for this age group again). It's a little bit labor intensive with creating the cards, but once you have a template it's not difficult to swap in pictures from other books. Not only was it a fun preschool program, but it gave us an opportunity to use some of those leftover prizes.

Book Review: Tennyson

Tennyson by Lesley M.M. Blume. (Grades 4-8)

Tennyson's mother Sadie is gone. Sadie's a high-strung artist, destined to be a famous author, and now she's run off, saying that her family is holding her back. Tennyson's father goes off in search of her and brings Tennyson and her sister Hattie to Aigredoux.

Aigredoux. The name means "bittersweet" in French. And Aigredoux is bittersweet. Once an imposing, glamorous mansion, Aigredoux is now falling apart at the seams. Marble once covered all the floors and stairs, but it's slowly being sold off to make ends meet. The house is being torn apart, crumbling before their very eyes.

But that won't stop Aunt Henrietta from trying to save it. Life under Aunt Henrietta's roof is much different from the life Tennyson and Hattie had at their old home. They sleep on a scratchy moss-filled bed underneath mosquito netting to prevent ceiling plaster from coating them as it falls during the night. They're expected to learn how to behave like ladies, how to interact with potential suitors... because Henrietta knows that Tennyson and Hattie are her last hopes. They're children now, but one day they might marry rich men who could save Aigredoux and the Fontaine family.

When Tennyson starts having dreams that tell her the true story of Aigredoux's past, she gets her own idea about what might help. She knows she has to bring her mother back, she has to get her family back together. But will her idea work? And what secrets about Aigredoux's tainted past will be revealed in her dreams?

This is an unusual story about an unusual family. It's very gothic and the house and characters are suitably creepy. The mechanism of Tennyson's dreaming about Aigredoux works for the story because Aigredoux is almost like another character. It makes sense that it would communicate with Tennyson about its history. The book is set in 1932 and Tennyson's dreams take her back to the Civil War, but the house seems almost frozen in time. People from the same family still live there, using many of the same objects.

My one criticism is that the ending really snuck up on me and I felt that it was very abrupt. Prepare yourself for that and I think you'll really enjoy this creepy, romantic tale of the American South.

You can find more reviews by Little Willow and Sarah Miller. And yes, Lesley M.M. Blume is the author of 2009 Caudill nominee Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters and The Rising Star of Rusty Nail (which I quite liked but didn't review for some reason...).