MotherReader

Before we get going, let me step back a bit to talk about the original ABC Storytime feature. I don’t flatter myself by believing that the concept of arranging storytimes alphabetically is revolutionary. At the same time, I do think it’s helpful to have a reminder of how to do something well and yet simply — especially now, when libraries are needing to do more with less staff. Of course, the storytimes will also work in preschools or homeschools or maybe even elementary schools, with a little tweaking.

ABC Storytimes were done in my library as a weekly program at noon. We’d spread picnic tablecloths on the floor and the kids would bring and eat lunch as we shared the books. The appeal for the staff was having a program that didn’t require a lot of prep work finding specific titles or preparing a time-intensive craft. The parents were glad to have something on the schedule to do with their preschoolers and toddlers. The kids were happy with stories and songs.

In featuring ABC Storytime here, I kept a lot of the same concepts as when doing the program in person. Mix books and songs/fingerplays. Keep the songs and fingerplays basic whenever possible. Have back-up books in case something isn’t working. Look for books that are good read-alouds, but don’t shy away from one that’s a less-than-perfect read-aloud to give the kids and parents an introduction to a great book.

With everyone working harder these days and with more stress than ever, I hope this program offers one small way to make someone’s job just a little bit easier. With the ABC Giveaway, I hope to make someone’s day just a little bit brighter.

Okay, let’s hear about some books! Remember, you can comment on each daily ABC Giveaway post to increase your chances of winning the twenty-five reviewed titles. While you are welcome to comment here, comments on this post won’t be counted in the entries. You can also enter to win a different set of twenty-five picture books by commenting on and/or promoting the contest. Go to the original post for details. Up shortly, the letter A.

I found that I have three wishes. I want to highlight my ABC Storytime feature, which may be particularly useful in these days of librarian cutbacks. I want to make time to review some of the many Cybils books nominated in the category of Fiction Picture Book. And I want to get rid of some of the many, many books I now have in my home as the result of being a Cybils Fiction Book panelist for three years.

It’s like the perfect storm, if the perfect storm were a good thing.

So for the next few weeks, I’m going to highlight a Cybils nominee that serves to update the ABC Storytime. Then at the end of the feature, I’m going to give away the twenty-five books (I’m skipping X) to one lucky winner. PLUS, I’m going to give away another twenty-five books to a winner for helping me spread the word about the ABC Giveaway.

Two Ways to Play:

1. Comment on the daily posting of ABC Giveaway. You can add another picture book that begins with the letter of the day, or name your favorite of the ones listed, or make some other comment. You can comment once on each post — which will give you a better chance of winning. However, after a few days I will close comments on each post. At the end of the feature, I will pick one commenter at random and he or she will win the twenty-five reviewed books. (Remember: skipping X.)
2. Comment on this post to win a different set of ABC Storytime books. They will not be the ones reviewed, but will be from Cybils nominated books from this or past years. You can improve your chances by adding an extra comment to this post when/if you follow my blog, tweet about the contest, or post about it on your blog. Let me break that down, since I never do it this way: Leave a comment for one entry, follow my blog for another entry, tweet about the contest for three entries, and blog about the contest for five entries. At most, you’d leave four comments, but those could count for up to ten contest entries. Again, I will pick one commenter at random and he or she will win a set of twenty-five books from A to Z. (Exception: excellent X.)

Other Rules:

1. You do not have to be a blogger, but I must be able to find your contact information through your comment. You can set up a Google account that leads to your profile OR you can leave your email address when you comment on this post.
   
2. You have supply a U.S. address to receive the books.

Things to Know:

1. The same person cannot win both prizes.
   
2. I will post every day, but will also leave extra time to comment around Thanksgiving and weekends.
   
3. I reserve the right to replace a book that I reviewed with another book if necessary for purposes of Cybils judging or other contingencies.
   
4. The winner will be announced and hopefully the books shipped on December 15th.
   
5. The books were provided by the publishers as review copies for the Cybils awards, and will be shipped media mail by me.
   
6. [Something I am forgetting to clarify that someone will surely point out to me.]

Any questions? Let’s play.

Edited to add: You do not need to have separate comments for tweeting, following, or blogging about the contest, however you do need to mention the tweeting, following or blogging in the comments for me to count it as extra entries. I'm not psychic.

I was all set to break out of my doldrums with an exciting new idea for the blog. I’m going to update my ABC Storytime with reviews of Cybils-nominated picture books and give away the reviewed books to one lucky winner. A mini-ABC Storytime library! Fun!

But then Amazon had to have go and have some Issues. Well, crap. Because while I defend my right to be an Amazon Associate against the argument that Amazon kills Indies, I was having some serious concerns about linking dozens of books to Amazon with all that going on.

And I don’t like arguing. I don’t want to talk any more about whether the book should have been pulled by Amazon or whether that’s censorship. The book was self-published for the Kindle, but was against Amazon’s own policies for digital content. I don’t know how it got through in the first place, but Amazon can certainly remove a digital book — that it is in essence publishing — when that book violates its own standards. That’s not censorship or a threat to free speech. Nor do I believe that action opens up Amazon to removing other content just because a group of people find it objectionable. The book wasn’t removed because a lot of people complained, but because a lot of complaining people brought to Amazon’s attention a horrifying mistake. Certainly, they stalled with their knee-jerk censorship response. But I’m sure after the head honchoes sat down with the lawyers, PR folk, marketers, and probably a psychic or two, they realized their error and took it down. Done. Now, if the government steps in to ban the book, then we can talk about censorship or free speech. Looking forward to it.

But anyway, that put me behind on starting my new feature, and the weekend is always such a wash, so look on Monday for instructions on how to win twenty-five picture books! (Yeah, I’m not doing X.) In the meantime, I updated the links on my 105 Ways to Give a Book if you want to start some early shopping. And now that I can support Amazon again — whew! — I can point out this wonderful list for book-buyers. I’ll be updating it with more ideas and new books after Thanksgiving — as is appropriate.

It’s been a week? Wow. I need to shake off this pity party, both for myself and well... my Party. Some family issues have been bringing me down, and then that election. It wasn’t unexpected, and yet I’m very disappointed. I see another two years of insanity ahead, and it is not a pretty picture.

When I went to the Rally to Restore Sanity, it was to support sane speech. While much of the news commentary expressed disbelief in that very simple premise, some people got it right. (Thanks, Andrew Sullivan.) If you’re wondering what it was like to be there, well, considering we couldn’t see anything and could only hear small parts, I can say that it was still amazing.

Notice I didn’t say entirely pleasant. It was crowded getting there and finding a place to stand in any semblance of comfort. Bill dropped us off closer to the Mall, with a plan as to where we’d meet up. However, there were so many people that we couldn’t get to that location and the cell phone service was hosed, so there was no way to let Bill know where we were. I tried by text, but he never got them. It was only by some logical deduction and blind luck that he was able to find us an hour into the show. The show which we could neither see nor hear, being that the last screens and speakers were two blocks away.

The kids were patient, but clearly bored. I was worried that I wouldn’t find my husband — or our ride home. It was crowded and uncomfortable.

But it was amazing anyway. Because I saw a crowd of more than 200,000 people who showed up, and sometimes showing up is what needs to be done. And what a crowd! It was the strangest, funniest, oddest thing I’ve ever seen. There were a few witches, in reference to Christine O’Donnell. But there were also several Where’s Waldo? costumes, a few superheroes, an occasional stormtrooper, and the crew of Firefly.

And the signs. Oh, the lovely crazy signs. People carried signs asking for less hyperbole, like “The RANT is Too High!” And satires of familiar signs, like “God Hates FIGS.” (With a biblical citation that is real and discussed. Love it.) There were signs about signs, like “Does This Sign Make my Butt Look Fat?” And signs about everything else: “Obama, Bring Back Arrested Development,” “I Like Turtles,” “Anyone for Scrabble Later?” There are collections of them here, here, here, and here.

The Comedy Central show featured Colbert and Stewart doing their thing. They gave awards to real people for great efforts in sanity and/or fear. They bantered back and forth. There was a huge Colbert puppet. There were some great singers and guest appearances. Like their shows, it was played for laughs with a strong current of real issues. At the end, Jon Stewart gave a wonderful speech that defined the day. It was sincere with spots of appropriate humor. He blasted the fear-mongering, saying, “If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.” He chided the constant focus on our differences as a people, noting how “we work together to get things done every damn day. The only place we don’t is here [the Capitol] or on cable TV.” He took issue with extremism across the political spectrum, saying not being able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Partiers or Juan Williams “is an insult. Not only to those people, but to racists themselves, who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate!” If you haven’t seen the speech, please give it a view.


Back on a personal note, it was harder on the kids than I would have wanted, but I’m glad to have been there to make a stand for sanity. With my sadness over this past election, I am more proud than ever of my own sign for the rally. And if nothing else, we have a great family photo for the Christmas newsletter.

I’ve been wondering why I’ve been having trouble writing up my experience at KidlitCon 2010, and I finally realized that I was trying to write about the wrong thing — the conference itself.

Please don’t take that the wrong way. The sessions boasted wonderful speakers featuring interesting presentations with useful applications for blogging. You’ll find helpful recaps from a variety of posts on the KidlitCon blog. The twitter feed alone — pulled together most nicely by Greg Pincus — is an incredible resource.

But though I enjoyed the sessions, the KidlitCon experience for me was the people. Not to devalue the program in any way, but personally I would have gone if it had been a spa weekend — or a cattle round-up, even. What I needed was a chance to recharge my batteries in a comfort zone of friends. While we connect online, obviously, the real-life connection energizes me. I think it energizes everyone who comes to a KidlitCon, and is much of what separates this conference from many others.

As my new best friend Amy tweeted, “Ah… there was a whole VELVETEEN RABBIT feel to the whole #kidlitcon day. Everyone is real at last!”

The truth is in that tweet. And in the sentence including the tweet in which I refer to Amy as “my new best friend.” Because I met Amy after admiring her coat — being one of scads of people to do so — and she offered to get one for me, as they are only available through special retailers. And she had just met me. Like, how sweet is that? I haven’t decided about the coat for myself — though she looks fabulous in hers — but I know this is one person I’ll be keeping up with online and through her blog The Poem Farm. What a great gal!

Later, at Saturday’s dinner, I ended up making a real, life-changing connection with author Janet Fox. I had enjoyed her presentation on blog touring as an author, but I was more eager to talk to her about her earlier book Get Organized Without Losing It. I thought it might be a helpful book for my tween with her ADD issues. So in talking to Janet, I find that she wrote the book because her son struggled with ADHD. As he is now in college, she was able to give me some perspective on what I’m going through at home, and convey a great deal of hope as well. I’ve ordered her book from Amazon, and am grateful to have made this personal connection.

Now you see how unreliable I am. I start this post by saying how I needed the comfort of my old blogging friends, and then talk about two new people I met. But though I met some great people over the weekend — and lectured at least one on meeting that special someone — I wasn’t in a general networking mode. I wansn’t trying to meet everyone this go-’round, but wanted to have a few great conversations. And that I had.

I spent a lot of time with my oldest blogging friends Liz, Jen, Melissa, and Maureen. I was surprised by an appearance from a long-lost friend, Kelly Herold, and met Melissa Wiley — a legend as the coiner of the term kidlitosphere — in person. I chatted over wine with Laura, Alice, Sarah and Charlotte — though not over the same glasses of wine. It was a good Friday night. We talked about book controversies and publishing gossip and blogging blues. We also talked about high school dances and mommy sleep deprivation and air travel and Jon Stewart. The only thing I could have wished for was to be cloned so that I could have spent more time with The Poetry Gang — as you’ll see pictured at Toby Speed’s blog — and talked more about sciency fiction with Jacqueline Houtman.

I came home with new blogging ideas, blogger contacts, and some thoughts for KidlitCon 2011 in Seattle. After a day of recovery, I was refreshed by my time with my friends. And I am most thankful to Brian, Andrew, and Ben for putting on this wonderful conference. See you all at the next one. Right?

Ah, I was almost up to writing the KidlitCon update when I had to take the cat back to the vet, only to find out that she’s not all better yet. Dang. Then a ninety-minute conversation with my mother — which mostly involved complaining — further derailed my writing mojo. Not to mention the weeks of housecleaning, which needs to take place in the next few hours. So no update today.

But Hey, Rabbit! comes to the rescue by featuring the MotherReader favorite picture books. My list is part of a series taken on by blog author — and real author — Sergio Ruzzier. Scroll down the site to see the lists of my fellow bloggers Travis and Julie, plus that of much-admired author/illustrator Emily Jenkins. And then just keep going back for more.

Now, if you’ll excuse me there’s a vacuum cleaner calling my name...

My KidlitCon write-up will be coming soon. I thought I’d be writing it today, but realized that my dad is coming on Thursday and my house is an absolute mess. I need to spend two days of serious cleaning, and hopefully will be working up some of my post in my head at the same time. Because that’s kinda how I work anyway. I can certainly say that KidlitCon was wonderful and that I’m already excited about next year.

By the way, the reason my dad is coming up from Florida on this particular weekend of all weekends? The Rally to Restore Sanity. Which says a lot about my family, huh? Not only are we going with my tween and teen — who are big fans of Colbert and Stewart — but my 67-year-old dad is joining us. There are times I’m just so proud of us.

I am bit annoyed with a Washington Post editorial that latched onto a small joke Stewart made, calling it the Million Moderate March. The writer then proceeded to completely miss the point, lamenting the loss of the true political moderate as it was going to be destroyed by this rally. Sigh. Can’t anyone do their research anymore? It seems pretty clear to me that the reference to moderate was less about placement on political spectrum than a concept of how we want to approach discourse without hyperbole. The Rally to Restore Sanity isn’t saying that sanity is in a Democratic platform (even if you might think that it is). It is literally about restoring sanity with the way we approach the conversations and problems of our country, with the idea that perhaps if we talk about it seriously — instead of drawing Hitler mustaches — we might understand each other better. And hey, maybe find solutions for America. What a concept.

Are you going? You can stay with me if you’ll clean my basement — but I don’t think that you’ll find it that good of a deal.

This will be the first time I use Nonfiction Monday to talk about a book that I haven’t read or even seen in person. It may even be a Nonfiction Monday historical first. But I couldn’t resist the opportunity to point people to an Amazon Bargain Book that seems like quite a deal. I bought it unseen, but am eagerly anticipating its arrival.

Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art is published by the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum of Art and is apparently over a hundred pages of artwork and process notes of amazing picture book authors, including such folks as Eric Carle, Ashley Bryan, Tomie dePaola, Jane Dyer, Steven Kellogg, Leo Lionni, Jerry Pinkney, and more. With twelve customer reviews at Amazon it gets 4.9 out of 5 stars. I had heard of this book earlier, but I felt that I needed to see it before laying out thirty bucks. But now, available at the bargain price of $10.99, it’s on its way to mama.

For reviews of nonfiction books where people have actually seen and read the book, look to today’s Nonfiction Monday round-up at Write About Now.

These are the days when libraries get frantic parents looking for Halloween books to read at their children’s schools and finding that all the books are gone. One of these parents may be you. But have no fear — there are some great monster books around that will fill the Halloween gap and that are often overlooked by parents heading only to the shelf with the big pumpkin sign.

Where’s My Mummy?
by Carolyn Crimi, illustrated by John Manders
When Baby Mummy heads outside for a late-night game of “Hide and Shriek,” he ends up searching for Mama Mummy in the deep, dark woods. Different monsters advise the little wrapped guy to go to home, but he trudges on unafraid, until a tiny creature gives him a big scare. But Mummy — or mommy — is there to give him comfort and take him to bed. The wonderful illustrations have just the right comical touch to take the edge off the spooky subject, and the story adds just enough suspense to the fun. Great for preschoolers.

Inside the Slidy Diner
by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Jaime Zollars
Edie is trapped inside the Slidy Diner for stealing a lemon drop, and gives a youngster a tour of the scary restaurant, where patrons eat pigs’ heads and pies are garnished with eyeballs. This is definitely a book for the gross-out crowd, who will delight in the bug-filled flooded restrooms, the huge wall-mounted cockroach, and the most questionable “chocolate milk.” Detailed illustration supports the story with odd-looking patrons and clever visual jokes. Gruesome, creepy, and loads of fun for the school-age set.

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich
Frankenstein Takes the Cake
by Adam Rex
For some reason, people insist on giving these books to their preschoolers and then denouncing them because their precious tots aren’t interested in these poems about various monsters. The smaller ones somehow fail to grasp the cultural and literary references or get the jokes. They aren’t wooed by the detailed and varied artistic styles. So clearly, these parents claim, these books are not all that. HAH! And I say again, HAH! While shaking my head, of course, and noting that just because a book has pictures, it is not necessarily a “picture book.” Sure, read it to your preschoolers if you feel the need, but it’s the bigger kids who are going to appreciate the brilliance, the humor, the artistry of these amazing books. These are the perfect books to share in higher grades when the kids are wanting stories — especially to mark special times like Halloween — but parents don’t think about sharing books in the classroom. I read the first one to my daughter’s fifth grade class and they loved it. It was apparently very popular for the week I left it there, and I heard groans when I picked it up. Don’t miss these fabulous poetry books, but do think about the right age of the reader. By the way — adults fall into that “right age” group.

(Originally posted at PBS Booklights.)

I knew that there was a reason I couldn’t start my blog post today. I was waiting for this announcement to come through my email:

In 2000, a teacher in the Bronx started DonorsChoose with the help of his students. This month marks our 10th anniversary, and we just received a gift that made our decade...

Townsend Press has donated one million (!) dollars to fund all book requests down to just $98 or less — on the condition that folks like you take them across the finish line. As a previous supporter of literacy projects, we thought you’d find this as exciting as we do.

Our birthday wish is that you’ll help bring a local book request to life.

Let’s celebrate 10 years by hooking tens of thousands of students on reading!

Thank you,
The DonorsChoose.org Team

Kidlitosphere, let’s help them out! This great charity offers a unique way of funding smaller projects in specific classrooms. I’ve donated through the 48 Hour Book Challenge and made it our charity for last year’s KidLitCon. My teen made DC schools her community project last year, and donated money that she made to help the project. I’ve received letters from the kids that would melt your heart — for two reasons, really. One, because the kids are sincerely grateful. But also because the writing is remedial, which emphasizes how much these kids need books. And people who care. Be one of them.

Edited to add: I just helped complete the drive to get this classroom in Virginia some beginning reader books. See how easy it is?

Why, yes. I am the Nonfiction Monday host this week. Please leave your links in the comments and I’ll update this post during the day.

For my part, I’ll be talking about The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe, by Loree Griffin Burns. I specifically didn’t use the word “review,” as I don’t think that I can fairly review a book that I’ve followed from the beginning research to book reviews to photo choices to title selection and onward to the publication celebration. I feel like I’ve watched this puppy grow up in front of me, and I’m just so darn proud.

Three years ago, I was vaguely interested in the whole disappearing bee thing, having seen an article or two about it. That curiosity corresponded nicely with the bee research on Loree’s blog. Intrigued, I took her book suggestion and read
Fruitless Fall, which has become one of my favorite nonfiction book recommendations. Since then I’ve been eagerly awaiting The Hive Detectives, wondering how to bring a topic to kids that seems obscure — at least in the standard nonfiction publications on dinosaurs, planets, and Abraham Lincoln. (I know, Lincoln books were sooo last year.)

As it turns out, you take the topic to kids by bringing them along on the research. Letting them meet a beekeeper, inspect a hive, visit an apiary, and autopsy a bee all through the magic of words and photography. And boy, is a photo of a cut-up bee magical. As readers begin to unravel the mysteries within Colony Collapse Disorder, they are gaining a general knowledge about bees, honey, and pollination. They are also learning about scientists and how they do research on difficult topics. It’s like two books in one! At the end of the book, the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder remains unsolved, but the importance of bees — and science — is indisputable.

Now for your Nonfiction Monday Round-up:

Early Morning Edition:

• Nonfiction author Connie Goldsmith returns as Guest Blogger at Word Playground to share some of her writing experiences, as well as a mosquito bite or two that will prompt you into active writing!
• Look for a bunch of puberty books for boys over at Pink Me.
• Read about Pelé, King of Soccer, by Monica Brown over at A Wrung Sponge.
• They Called Themselves the K.K.K. is reviewed over at Bookish Blather.
• Rasco from RIF re-read an older alphabet book that is a favorite of hers and of the children with whom she has shared it: The Accidental Zucchini, An Unexpected Alphabet, by Max Grover.
• Take Just One Bite over at The Well-Read Child.

Noon Edition:

• Visit Simply Science for You Can’t Wear These Genes, by Shirley Duke — her first nofiction book!
• Looking for an exciting book for reports or pleasure reading? Check out the review of Captain Mac: The Life of Donald Baxter MacMillan, Arctic Explorer, by Mary Morton Cowan, at The Fourth Musketeer.
• Fall is the perfect time for Zero is the Leaves on the Tree. Read about it at over at A Novel Idea.
• Abby the Librarian is taking us Inside Tornadoes, by Mary Kay Carson.
• Check out What Holds Us to Earth? A Look at Gravity, by Jennifer Boothroyd, at
  Wild About Nature
• Get ready for the season of spooks and ghosts with The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun, by Wendie Old, at All About the Books with Janet Squires
• And just so cool, the author of the book above has a review of her own of Orangutans are Ticklish with fun facts from an animal photographer at Wendie’s Wanderings.
• Apparently Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian have the text from these rhyming food group books stuck in their heads now. Curious?
• Ah, science fair season. Perfect time to check out these books from the Science Fair Winners series from National Geographic at Wrapped in Foil.

Teatime Edition:

• Bookends has two books to share: Blue Everywhere and Does an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away?
• Looking at They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group at SLJ’s blog Practically Paradise.
• It’s all about Disasters! over at Biblio File.
• And Charlotte’s Library goes Supernatural.

Nightcap Edition:

• With Halloween just around the corner, it's a perfect time for Steve Jenkins' book, Bones as reviewed at Books Together.

Another PBS Booklights transfer to my own Thursday Three archives. Love these bedtime books.

Sleepyhead,
by Karma Wilson, illustrated by John Segal
In this simple story, a grown-up cat tries to get the little bear to go to sleep, but the little bear wants to delay bedtime just a little bit longer. Surprise, surprise. The sing-song feel of the text isn’t a straight rhyme scheme, but uses rhyming words and a gentle rhythm. The beautiful watercolors are dreamy. One thing I particularly like about the book is the characters: a cat and bear, both of indeterminate gender. It could be a mother and son, father and daughter, aunt and niece, etc. The two characters from different species also leaves it open as an adoption story, perhaps of a child of a different race. In any case, it’s a lovely bedtime book to be shared with a special little bear of one’s own.

No More Yawning!
by Paeony Lewis, illlustrated by Brita Granström
Generally I’m not a big fan of bedtime books where the child keeps getting out of bed or otherwise disrupting bedtime. They tend to make me feel more like the child needs more limits and parental authority. But this book includes yawning, and having yawning in a bedtime book is pure genius, because as the parent reads the book with the yawns, the child starts yawning and is soon ready for bed. In fact, it makes it a little confusing that the mother keeps telling the little girl, “No more yawning,” even though it is paired with all the other instructions like “No more kissing” or “No more singing” or “No more stories.” Yawn away, I say. Cute book and nice, soft watercolor illlustrations. Oh and good tips on falling asleep are included in the back.

Once Upon a Time, The End (asleep in 60 seconds)
by Geoffrey Kloske, illustrated by Barry Blitt
In this tale, the father is putting his kid to bed, but just wants to get through the bedtime stories as quickly as possible. The stories are all the classics of childhood like Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and nursery rhymes, but shorter. Much, much shorter. With attitude. And generally with a theme of going to sleep at the end of each one. A great book for parents who have so totally been there. Oh, and for kids too, but particularly ones that are old enough to get the references to the classic stories and the overarching tongue-in-cheek theme that “enough already, bedtime is NOW.”

...would be as irresponsible a headline as Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children — and about as accurate.

Suppose I wanted to write an article about the decline of air travel in September. I could elaborate on what is meant by “decline” by looking at whether there were periods of higher air travel due to fare wars or other circumstances. I could write about the continuing poor economy affecting the number of flights. I could discuss cycles of travel where there is downturn after the summer months. I could even investigate travel in general, looking at statistics of train or automobile trips for comparison.

Or I could decide that bedbugs are a hot issue and look to link them with air travel declines. After all, there are people that think about germs on planes and from germs it’s a short leap to vermin on planes and after talking to someone for thirty minutes or so and maybe mentioning bedbugs specifically I could get a quote like, “I won’t be getting on a plane with bedbugs!” And if the rest of that person’s thought was along the lines of, “Boy, am I glad that’s not a problem,” well, so be it.

It is certainly possible and even likely that publication and purchasing for picture books is down. But first of all, down from what? Is this a market correction of what was a picture book boom? Is the poor economy in general making parents buy cheaper paperbacks? Are we in a market cycle where publishers are putting more investment into a hot YA market? Are people turning to other sources for picture books, including libraries and yard sales? Should we look at library circulation statistics? And if parents are pushing chapter books, is it a new trend? Is it quantifiable?

Or is it easier to cast this as a hot topic like pushy parenting and imply an end to picture books?

I haven’t done the in-depth research to answer the questions I’m posing. But then again, neither did The New York Times. The difference is that I don’t have the power to make people anxious about the literacy progression of our children or cause concern about the state of the picture book or affect the industry with my write-up.

Because that would be irresponsible.

The worry of the day is the New York Times article that tells us the picture book market is fading as parents push their kids into chapter books. Now the kidlit folks will all go crazy defending picture books and deriding parental pressure.

But people, we are forgetting one important thing here: This is The New York Times. And in terms of children’s and young adult literature, this is what they do. Some writer comes up with a topic in this field, within which they know very little. They “research” that topic with a few interviews, an observation or two, and a quote from Man on the Street. Or in this case, Parent in the Bookstore.¹

They’ve done this with the topic of Young Adult literature being too dark. They’ve done this with summer reading lists being too light. They’ve done this with The Catcher in the Rye being useless for today’s teens. And with Twilight as the defining book for our generation. Or profiling a family that blogs about children’s books as being this amazingly unique concept.

People, people, people, we need to realize that it doesn’t matter.

I’ll be the biggest defender of picture books. I’m the organizer of the Cybils Fiction Picture Book category, for goodness’ sake. I have an article about the value of that literature for kids. I can attest personally to the growth I’ve seen in the quality of books of the picture variety.

But am I surprised if it turns out to be true that, in a down economy, people are buying fewer picture books than they were before? Um, no. Guess what? People are buying a lot less of everything in a down economy. And while I’ll protest forever the parents who chastise their kid for choosing a picture book in the library as being too babyish, I can understand the mindset of an economizing parent who, when purchasing a book, wants to find one that will last a little bit longer. Hey, we do it with shoes and it works.

Sure, we can lose our collective shit for the next week addressing this article. But I’d rather keep talking about children’s and young adult literature based on what we know, understand, and research with far more authority than one reporter in one big paper with one little story.

Though if you feel like you must write something, perhaps try a piece on the terrible state of newspaper reporting based on, say, the article in the New York Times. At least it will be payback for all the crap they’ve given us.

Another move to the Thursday Three archives from PBS Booklights. While I haven’t started on this year’s nominees for the Cybils — over a hundred and fifty so far in Fiction Picture Books — this post refers to three books nominated last year that made me smile.

It’s hard to pick funny picture books, because the age of the reader makes such a big difference. Even a year in development can completely change the nature of the book. For instance, my go-to book for reading in classrooms was Sweet Tooth, by Margie Palatini, because doing a cranky voice for the named tooth is... well, so sweeeeet. When I tried this book with kindergartners, though, they didn’t really get it or laugh. However, first and second graders loved it. So, what I’ve shared today is a progression of funny books, starting from a lightly amusing book for a preschooler and moving up in age. Enjoy.

Mouse Was Mad
by Linda Urban, illustrated by Henry Cole
Mouse is definitely mad, but as he expresses himself by hopping, stomping, screaming and more, other animals take the starch out of his tantrum by showing him how expertly hopping, stomping, screaming and more can be done. Finally mouse finds something he does better than anyone, and it calms him down. While there is certainly a lesson to be learned here about taming a tantrum, it is amusing to see the other animals take his actions at face value and challenge his technique. Great story, with Henry Cole’s always friendly illustrations.

Dinosaur Woods: Can Seven Clever Critters Save Their Forest Home?
by George McClements
Coming construction is going to chase a bunch of animals out of their wooded home, and though they try to talk to the people, no one will listen. They come up with a plan to build a dinosaur, knowing that people won’t tear down the woods with a dinosaur. They all try to work together but Something Goes Wrong. However, when the animals are exposed they turn out to be endangered and the woods are preserved after all — along with their friendship. Lots of amusing asides and touches throughout the book keep it funny. Look for the specially named “Crabby-Faced Punching Rabbits” or the great facial expressions on the collage illustrations. Environmentally safe and seriously fun.

The Hermit Crab
by Carter Goodrich
A shy hermit crab stumbles into being a hero when he dons an unusual “shell” — the discarded, broken top half of an action figure. When a crab trap lands in an unfortunate place — “Hey, where’s the flounder? Has anyone seen the flounder?” — everyone sees the hero near the trap and assumes that he’s responsible for moving it and saving the day. But the best part is in the unexpected result. The hermit crab draws into the shell, doesn’t take credit, doesn’t change, and leaves the “hero” shell as soon as he can. I love the idea that it’s okay to stay out of the limelight. It’s okay to be shy. Funny pictures add to the joy of this quirky book.

I’m a bit swamped lately — which, coming off of my summer funk, is really hurting my blogging game. But I’ve got a treat for you today with a TeenReader review. This is a book that we both liked very much. It surprised me as being very different from what I expected, but in a good way. Sometimes it’s a very good thing not to read too many reviews. That said, don’t miss this one...

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TeenReader in the hizzy, reviewing books until I’m dizzy, spittin’ rhymes like Eminizzy, and I’m funny, yes, fo’shizzy. And for all you old people out there, yes, that is how we youngsters talk nowadays. Why not go rap at your bingo night? It’ll be a hoot.

Where were we? Oh! Book reviews! Today I’m going to review a fun book that I thoroughly enjoyed:
Smells Like Dog, by Suzanne Selfors. I could say at lot, but this pretty much says it all:

Because the Pudding family always ate breakfast together at the kitchen table, it was the perfect place to share news and ask questions like, Whatcha gonna do at school today? or Who’s gonna take a bath tonight? or Why is that dead squirrel lying on the table?

That’s an example of the funny dialogue sprinkled all throughout the book, which itself was a compelling read. It’s the story of a farm boy, Homer Pudding, who has a love for treasure hunting that comes from his adventurous uncle. So when said uncle is mysteriously killed, Homer is left with his uncle’s dog, a strange coin, and an amazing adventure.

I thought this book was a good balance of an easy, basic plot to follow with a perfect amount of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Just as things were getting clear, the rug was pulled out and we were left in the dark again. The characters and cliches were a bit overexaggerated at times — much of it adding nicely to the fantasy, but at times going a little too far over the top. No worries though, because overall a great book and a fun read. Fo’shizzle.

Whoa, Nelly! The nominations for Cybils awards began at midnight, and they are rolling on in! I’ve glanced at some of the categories to see some of my favorite books of the year making early appearances on the lists. I’ve spent more time on my own category, where we have thirty-five nominations so far in Fiction Picture Books. I think having the nominator recognized with the winning books is getting people excited to submit the books that they truly believe could win. I can’t wait to see what comes in during the day today. Such fun!

As for what happens next, I — as organizer for my category — will look over the titles to make sure that they are indeed eligible. I’ll check the publication date and also make sure that they are nominated in the correct category. It’s most likely that I will need to send a few titles to the Poetry and Nonfiction Picture Book categories, and them to me. As soon as the titles are approved, then the panelists can start looking for the books in their libraries on their own bookshelves. A handy database helps us and the Cybils administrators keep track of what we own, what we’ve read, and what we need. And with a large number of nominations expected in this category, this database will become a huge organizational tool for the next two months.

So, take a look at the lists so far, and nominate a book that you love. You can nominate one book in each category — and by “you” I mean anyone. You don’t have to be a blogger to submit a title. Here are the rules and here is the form. Now go!

I haven’t talked about Kidlit Con 2010 because I really, really want to go. That statement may seem nonsensical — unless you consider my luck lately, whereby I seem to have offended the universe. To proclaim my intentions to attend the coolest conference of the year seems to tempt fate.

But tempt I must, as the date is closing in. October 23rd, to be precise. My hesitation was not due to my everyday superstition, but the real possibility of my mother’s health care needs conflicting with the conference dates. At this point though, I’ve committed to speaking, sent my registration, arranged for a roommate (Hey, Maureen!), and booked my flight. It’s happening, people.

With all the conferences, seminars, and events out there in children’s and young adult literature, you may wonder why Kidlit Con 2010 is top on my priority list. Well, you might wonder that if you haven’t been to one of our four other conferences.

While I love getting the books from BookExpo America, and I love meeting the authors at the American Library Association’s Convention, at Kidlit Con I get to connect with the people that are my blogging best friends. They are my people. We talk about books and blogging, for sure. But we also talk about movies and shoes and politics and families and vacations and writing and... everything. It’s so easy to interact because we all know each other from our blogs, and being able to visit in person is just fun.

I hope you’ll join us this year. Take a look at the website for information about the weekend, and of course, registration itself. I’ll be arriving on Friday afternoon, and would love to meet my peeps for coffee, cupcakes, or whatever afternoon food/drink fits the Minneapolis scene. See you there?

In June I talked at PBS Booklights about the anticipation surrounding the latest in the adventures of one special, stuffed bunny. As the book drops today, I’ll share that post here.

Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion
by Mo Willems
Certainly if I went to the Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical with my tween daughter, then I must have a fond spot for the books. (Okay, and Mo — no secret there.) The plot of the picture books is simple: girl has bunny, girl loses bunny, girl finds bunny again. But it’s not about the plot. In the first book, the subtext is the frustration of a toddler in not being understood (“Aggle Flaggle!”) and the helplessness of the parent in not understanding. The reward at the end is Trixie’s first word — and by extension the family moves to the next level of communication. In the second book, the loss of the bunny is surrounded by a conflict with a peer and ends with a discovery of real friendship. The parent conflict contained within is that of mothers and fathers struggling with encouraging strength and independence, yet wanting to save our dear children from any hardship. The third book sees Trixie on a trip to Holland to see her grandparents, and losing Knuffle Bunny this time exposes the whole family to the idea of When Hope May Be Lost. And then what it means to grow up — both for the child and for the parent watching the transition. A lovely, bittersweet conclusion to the series — and dare I hope, to an extended, full-length Knuffle Bunny musical.

Another installment of a repost from PBS Booklights, one that ties over to a fuller discussion of the last book on the list.

Because I want to leave the reading experience to the potential reader — whether child or adult — I don’t tend to reveal spoilers in my reviews, even in picture books. But today I’m bending that rule to talk about three surprise endings that gave me pause.

The Grasshopper Hopped!
by Elizabeth Alexander, illustrated by Joung Un Kim
The grasshopper does indeed hop from different settings with the help of pull tabs and a cute, quick storyline. The art is sweet, the text is slight, and the tabs are workable. The grasshopper does seem make some questionable hopping choices, including into a refrigerator and the ocean, but that’s part of the fun. At the end of the book though, he hops into a frog’s mouth. GULP! Wow, I thought to myself on the first read, that seems kind of dark. But the page turn reveals a safe grasshopper and a smiling frog and the assurance of “Just kidding.” I think the surprise ending works here because the age of the intended reader, who isn’t likely to be thrown by the idea that yeah, the frog would eat the grasshopper. And the surprise stayed with me, though I don’t think that it’s a real issue.

Barry, the Fish with Fingers
by Sue Hendra
It’s a boring life under the sea, until Barry the fish shows up with fingers stuck on his fins. He explains to all the other fish how many things he can do with these new fingers, and soon everyone wants them. The question of supply and demand is answered with a timely drop of a box that falls to the bottom of the ocean and allows all the fish to enjoy this new discovery. The box also reveals to the reader that the fish fingers are fish sticks — which is funny and clever, but at the same time a little disturbing. Which, of course, is what makes the reveal funny and clever. I liked the book and the art, but the ending kept coming back to me. Should I explain to my four-year-old niece that the ending is funny because the fish are wearing fingers made of other fish — dead, cut-up fish made into sticks for kids’ dinner? See when I write it out like that, it feels kind of wrong. But yet, I don’t know that it’s so wrong.

It’s a Book
by Lane Smith
At the very beginning of this book, we are introduced to the characters — a monkey, a mouse, and a jackass. That’s the tip-off. The rest of the story involves a lack of understanding of what a book is, does, and requires — i.e., not hardware, not tweeting, and not charging — as the monkey keeps up the refrain that “It’s a book.” The book trailer that portrays this part of the story got a lot of rave reviews for the cleverness of the concept, perhaps tweaked with the irony of this ode to the non-technical being on a video or presented through the Internet. The official press and media reviews of the book itself were very positive. But here’s the thing: The book ends with the line, “It’s a book, jackass.” Okay, I get the joke in that the donkey clearly is being a fool in not understanding what a book is and the monkey is clearly tired of explaining it and yes, we all know that jackass is both another word for a donkey and a expression for a dummy, so it’s allowed to be in a picture book. Right? I don’t know. I’m having some trouble with this, and it’s not just me. I did notice that the Amazon reviews are very divided, with many parents uncomfortable with the ending. And I wonder if all the positive reviews are looking at this in that higher level of literature as Art, as opposed to actually reading this book to a preschooler. Or a classroom of kids. Or having to explain it to a parent at the front desk of the library. Or is this book really for older kids, even if the marketing and text might indicate differently? I asked this question early in the summer on MotherReader with some great replies in the comments. Check it out and let me know what you think, here or there.

The announcement of all of the judges and panelists for the Cybils started on Friday, and today my own category of Fiction Picture Books is featured. Congratulations to all the folks selected throughout the Cybils, and a special shout-out to my crew. I’m looking forward to working with you, and here’s a bit about me.

I did want to take a moment to paraphrase what Anne Levy, Cybils founders and administrator, said about selecting the judges: It was really hard. We had about twice as many candidates as positions. All of the organizers take it very seriously, trying to place people in their first- or second-choice categories, while trying to get a balanced group in a variety of ways. When we can’t place someone in our group that we had in last year’s, we’re often recommending them to another category. But that’s still tough, because it is pretty likely the other group also has more volunteers than they need and they are doing the same thing.

While we look at a number of things — including blog, occupation, experience, credentials, and more — I’d advise potential candidates to think of their email request to the Cybils as a résumé. Follow the instructions given on the site. Tell us a bit about yourself. If you want consideration for a category that isn’t represented on your blog, tell us why. Show some enthusiasm if you feel it — and if you don’t feel it, you probably shouldn’t apply. Highlight your credentials — which can be as simple as being a parent of preschoolers. That certainly matters to me. Do this even if you think we know you, because if the person who does know you well has to pass for some reason, than the other organizers need to get a little flavor of who you are.

I would have loved to take everyone who wanted to work in Fiction Picture Books, but I had to narrow my choices down. Even so, I expanded my panelists from five to seven in order to accommodate a few more bloggers. And here they are:

Panelists (Round I Judges):

• Emily Beeson, Homespun Light
  
• Pam Coughlan, MotherReader
  
• Travis Jonker, 100 Scope Notes
  
• Natasha Maw, Maw Books
  
• Dawn Mooney, Five Minutes for Books
  
• Kiera Parrott, Library Voice
  
• Jennifer Warton, Jean Little Library

Judges (Round II):

• Becky Bilby, In the Pages
  
• Katie Davis, Brain Burps about Books
  
• Tess Goldwater, Kid’s Book Blog
  
• Melanie Hope Greenberg, Mermaids on Parade
  
• Danielle Smith, There’s a Book

Congratulations!

I have talked about my mom’s stroke and the subsequent finding of a large, benign tumor in her brain. She is recovering from the stroke quite nicely, although when she is anxious or tired, her symptoms of confusion and impaired cognitive functioning become more pronounced. The problem now is a large tumor that is encasing one of her optic nerves and pressing on the other. Along with being in a pretty inaccessible section of the brain, this is a situation that requires extreme specialization.

Like the kind you’d find at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Where we were yesterday.

At the time of the shooting.

If I’m counting my blessings, I will say that the standoff occurred in the hospital, not the outpatient center we were visiting. I will also express relief that the doctor who was shot is likely to recover from his injuries.

But for me, personally? Oh, come on! Is all of this not hard enough for me and my mom? We haven’t had one visit to Johns Hopkins that’s gone smoothly. All of our drives there have taken twice as long as they should — by which I mean over two hours instead of one — which has been exhausting. The first day we were late, but they were able to see us. But the doctor was also late, so we ended up spending all day in the office. Leaving us with perfect timing to encounter a huge storm on the Beltway, giving us a three hour drive home. Totals were seven hours spent for a forty-minute appointment.

The next visit we stayed in a hotel overnight in Baltimore to be sure to be at the early appointment, but there was a mix-up with the hotel calling our cab, so we made it there just on time. Following protocol we had been chastised about before, we took a number and didn’t check in until they called our number. That’s when they told us that the time we arrived was the time scheduled for the MRI, and so by waiting to be called, my mom had missed her slot. They thought they might be able to fit us in late afternoon. I almost cried. There was a bit of luck when another appointment was suddenly canceled as we sat there, but it was too late for my anxiety level, which was already through the roof. We had another terribly long drive home.

So for this visit, we did everything right. We left super early, counting on a two-hour drive. We double-checked the appointment and the map. We arrived at the outpatient center at 11:25 a.m., where I dropped off my mom to wait inside while I parked the car. By the time I walked back at 11:30 a.m., they were putting the Center on lockdown and wouldn’t let me in. I finally was able to convince a guard to walk me in to find my mother, but they wouldn’t let us proceed to the fifth floor for her appointments. No, we had to go outside and wait for ninety minutes where we heard reports of the situation from the other patients and visitors. The police helicopters overheard also clued us in to something really big going down.

The office called me to reschedule, but I told them that we were outside, my mom had come from Virginia Beach for this appointment, and if that building opened before 5:00 p.m., we were coming in. With the specter of keeping my mom with me for another week to wait for another set of Thursday appointments, I pretty much would have scaled the walls with my mom on my back to get us in to see those doctors.

Once we did get in, we had a pretty easy time of the scheduling as they had told most of their afternoon patients not to come. However, we did not get the information we needed to start on our treatment plan, because our main doctor didn’t compare the old MRI with the new one before we came, and then didn’t have the right files by the time he saw us at 4:00 p.m. And he was kind of cranky about it, too. So, after all of that, we left with little more information than we had coming in. Oh, and since we stayed in the hospital for a quick dinner — Baja Fresh! — before driving home, our total time in the parking garage went thirty minutes over six hours, for which our fee went from $6.00 to $11.00. Just a final indignity to the visit.

But not that final, because we also had a two-and-a-half-hour drive home, as we seemed to be hitting rush hour traffic still at 8:00 p.m.

Clearly I have in some way offended the Universe, and would like to make amends. If anyone has suggestions on how to do so, I’m open to them.

For now, I’m taking the rest of the day off after this vent. And then taking my mom back to Virginia Beach tomorrow — along with my ninth grade Girl Scout troop — because I don’t do anything the easy way. God, give me strength.

Yeah, I know. I say I’m back to blogging, and then am just as scattered as I’ve always been. I may have made that announcement a little prematurely, as my mother has been staying with me for the past ten days, and it has really thrown off my mojo. Anyway, here’s another repost from PBS Booklights, on reading aloud in the classroom setting:

With school starting, parents may find themselves presented with the opportunity to share books in the classroom as guest readers. It is something I’ve done in my kids’ classrooms from preschool through fifth grade, and have always enjoyed. While parents are usually aware of reading with expression and showing the book to the students, there are other tips that can help you shine as a guest reader:

1. Try it out
Before reading a book aloud to a class, try it on your own child. As you read, notice factors of the book that are relevant reading it aloud to a group. Is it appropriate in length and topic for the age group? Is it is keeping your child’s interest? Are there any words or concepts that need explanation? Are there key parts where you might pause the story for impact or to ask questions? Are the illustrations big enough that they could be shown to a group? Are you comfortable reading it? Some of these questions seem obvious, and yet I’ve seen a teacher grab a book from a shelf to read it to the class with apparently no knowledge that it was about the death of a family pet. Oops! I’ve also had parents come into the library looking for a book to read to the class that same day, so I know that these are mistakes that people make. But you don’t need to make them. Go in prepared and you’ll feel better.

2. Plan the order
If you are reading multiple books, keep in mind the order in which you’ll present them. Read longer books first while the kids are at their maximum attention. If you have a funny book, save it for last. If you are reading on a theme — like seasons or apples or ocean life — start with the more informational book, and progress to a more storylike title. Also, if the book is not working well, allow some abridgment. You can also allow for a break where the kids can talk about their favorite part, share a connection, or ask a question. Remember that kindergartners and first graders tend to be unclear about what constitutes a question, but will take any chance to raise their hands to share something.

3. Bring a back-up
You may arrive with your carefully chosen selection to find that the librarian has read that book the previous day — which the kids will be delighted to tell you. Always have an extra book that you can use instead or can toss in the mix if you have more time than you think. If you don’t have enough books on the particular topic of the day, have a seasonal or a school story. I’m particular to A Fine, Fine School, because it’s a lightly funny book that translates to a variety of ages, but there are many other books that would work.

Most of all, have fun!

In 2001 at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Peter Pronovost did a little experiment. You see, a number of patients would get infections from central lines put in to, you know, help them get better. But the infections would, of course, make the patients worse. So he came up with a five-step checklist for putting in a central line with basic directives, which were as simple as washing hands with antibiotic soap.

Pronovost then asked nurses to observe doctors for a month and record how often they carried out each step. In more than a third of patients, they skipped at least one. After recording that explosive bit of data, for the next year the hospital asked and authorized the nurses to stop the doctors if they saw them skipping a step on the checklist.

The results were so dramatic that they weren’t sure whether to believe them: the ten-day line-infection went from 11 percent to zero... So they followed patients for fifteen more months. Only two line infections occurred in that entire period.

This remarkable story is from the book The Checkist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by Atul Gawande. The author’s theory is that many jobs — especially in the medical profession — have become so complicated that training and intelligence aren’t enough to achieve the best results. He offers a solution in the humble checklist.

The main comparisons he explores are two professions that have incredible amounts of potential scenarios, along with incredible consequences for failure — physicians and pilots. What he finds in his research is a huge difference in how each profession handles the problem, with implications for change in many industries. While doctors tend to bristle at being followed with a checklist — it’s why the nurses had to be authorized to stop the doctors in the above example — pilots embrace their checklists, which are standard to the airlines. In fact, pilots are taught not to go with their instinct as problems arise but to turn to the checklist first. That doesn’t mean that instincts, training, and quick thinking aren’t valued for the pilots. Instead, the idea is to take the guesswork out of basic steps and protocols so that the pilots can do their jobs with more focus.

The author shares another story from the airline industry, about a plane that suffered a complete engine shut-down in January 2008. Luckily, the plane landed safely enough that the passengers were fine, but the industry was puzzled as to the cause. The possibilities were researched, a theory was proposed, and new guidelines were established for particular flights. A new checklist was distributed and within a month of the recommendations, pilots had it in hand and were using it. How do we know? Because in November 2008, the same situation presented itself and the pilots were able to use the new checklist to recover the engines.

While new procedures can take years to establish themselves in medicine, compare that to this scenario of identifying a problem, recommending a solution, and distributing the information within a year. The author also shows uses for the checklist in financial and legal industries, but all have shied away from the solution as being too simple.

Will this next generation of thinkers be able to get beyond that mindset? I hope so, and that’s why I would recommend this book to high schoolers in hopes that they can change the way we approach problems in a society only growing in complexity.

Nonfiction Monday is hosted today at Rasco from RIF

Since Booklights is closing down due to funding issues, I am going to be moving my past posts (starting with this one) over here for archival purposes. So the good news is that you’ll see a steady flow of reviews from my Thursday Three segment. The bad news is that you may have already seen them. But repetition is the strongest form of flattery... or something like that.

Kindergarten Cat
by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Alice Busby
The kindergarteners come to school to find that their room has its own cat — and what a smart kitty she is! She may not know her colors or numbers, but she listens to the teacher’s lessons and responds. And boy, is she cute. While many books approach kindergarten with a list of all the things kids do, this slight story allows the reader to see what happens in a more natural way. The illustrations are engaging with a childlike feel, rich colors, and a diverse class. The rhyming couplets seem a bit strained, but it’s unlikely to bother the target audience, who will be thrilled with the idea of a cat in a classroom as even a remote possibility.

The Exceptionally, Extraordinarily, Ordinary, First Day of School
by Albert Lorenz
As the new student, John, describes his old school to his new librarian, everyone gets the idea that it may not have been the least bit ordinary. Particularly the readers, who are treated to the pictures that accompany John’s often ordinary descriptions. For instance, while he simply talks about his school being really old, we can see that it is a bizarre castle with talking ravens and hungry stone lions. There is also a sidebar with definitions and facts and related notes about items in the pictures. The oddities, facts, and little jokes in the illustrations make this a fun book for older kids heading to school.

Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School
by Barbara Park
While the Junie B. Jones books begin with her as a kindergartener, everyone knows that books titled just Junie B. indicate that she is in first grade — and so we find in this book of school tips. Fans of the series will enjoy the usual banter and antics of Junie B. (though superfans may miss the artwork of Denise Brunkus). The advice isn’t all that vital, tending more toward, “Do NOT NOT NOT pour chocolate milk from your thermos on the head of the person in front of you!” But actually, that chapter summary of riding the bus is right on target: “Sit Still, Behave Yourself, And Be Glad You’re Not Walking!” At the end of each chapter is a section for the reader to add his or her own thoughts or drawings on the topic — like favorite clothes to wear or funny ways to get to school. Overall, the book isn’t — despite the title — an essential Junie B. purchase, but is a fun way to approach back-to-school with a light touch and a bit of learning. (Because the little parent secret of Junie B. is to see what NOT to do so as to learn and discuss what one SHOULD do.)

For more back-to-school books, look at this earlier Booklights post.

I didn’t announce a summer blog break, though I pretty much took one. It’s actually just one in a series of “I didn’t” statements for the summer. A series that is weighing me down, and holding back my return to blogging.

I didn’t review the summer books I intended to cover. I didn’t really read many books, for that matter. I didn’t talk about my week in New York, even though it was wonderful. I didn’t talk about the end of PBS Booklights, even though it was terrible. I didn’t use the time to format my strategy for this blog or KidLitosphere Central. I didn’t work to get my picture book manuscript published. I didn’t announce the call for Cybils judges, even though I’m the organizer again for Fiction Picture Books. I didn’t promote KidLit Con 2010, even though I plan to go and hopefully to speak. I didn’t answer many emails or participate in many discussions. I didn’t read Mockingjay until yesterday.

I didn’t get my house in order — literally or figuratively. And to be honest, I didn’t do all that much for my mom over these months. I mean, I talked to her a lot on the phone. Visited a few times. Arranged a few medical appointments, five of which are in the next ten days at Johns Hopkins Hospital. But it’s not like I was on dedicated family medical leave.

Knowing “I didn’t” has made it harder to get back to blogging. Maybe in the same way an ice cream binge ruins a dieter’s progress or an injury derails a newbie’s exercise program. But the longer I break from writing, the harder it is to start again. And I don’t feel better for not blogging, but less tethered to the commitment of it.

As it turns out, I’m not at my best untethered. So I’ll do as the dieters, exercisers, and rehabbers do and take it one day at a time. One post at a time. As my teen and tween head back to the work of the school year, I’m getting back to the work of blogging. Because the truth for all of us is that the work is easily countered by the time hanging out with friends — whether at recess, in the halls, or online. As they headed back to school today, groaning about waking up early and anticipated homework, they also put on their coolest clothes and talked about friends. I’m doing the same with my coolest clothes (have you seen my newish template?) and talking about you, my friends. Back to blogging we go.