THREE RECOMMENDED BOOKS!

            

 

 

Greetings from very gray, rainy and cold McKinney! An apropos end to 2020, methinks. Listening to The Planets by Holst and thinking about the books I read yesterday!

The Fabled Stables is a new series by Jonathan Auxier. The fabled stables are on a small island at the top of the world. An eight-year old boy, Auggie, is assigned to take care of all of the creatures that live in the stables.  He is a bit lonely, though. He has Fen, his Stick-in-the-Mud, which can transform into any tool that is needed but Fen doesn't really want to play.... Auggie has finished feeding all of the creatures when there is a big BOOM - and a portal opens in the stables for Auggie to go and rescue a creature that is in trouble. Should he go? How will he get back? And what kind of creature is it? 

This is what I would call a Stepping Stone book. It has short chapters with large-ish print and lots of illustrations. It is similar in length and format to the Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo. It's perfect for kids that have outgrown Readers but are not quite ready for a two or three hundred page book filled with lots of text and few or no illustrations. It would also make a great read-aloud! If you enjoy Willa the Wisp, you can look forward to the second book in the series which will be published in May!

Cozy is Jan Brett's latest book! I love anything by Jan Brett and found this book to be delightful! It's about a young musk ox named Cozy that is separated from his family during a winter storm. He's not too worried because he has his cozy coat to keep him warm. Gradually a few other critters discover Cozy and his warm coat. First is a freezing family of lemmings. Next is an arctic hare. Then a snowy owl and arctic fox... Some ground rules must be laid, of course, with this diverse gathering of animals. Not too much chatter, only a little thumping, no claws and no biting! More creatures gather under Cozy's protective coat but eventually spring arrives and Cozy finds her herd again. Some have compared this to The Mitten and while I can see similarities, I find this to be a completely different kind of story. It's not really a folk tale as much as it is an informational book - introducing children to animals that live in the Arctic and highlighting some of their differences. The illustrations, of course, are marvelous. And I have a soft spot for musk oxen, anyway. I got to see a few of them when I visited Alaska plus they were the favorite animal of Alex Trebek. If you would like to visit a musk ox farm with Jan and see her read the story, here is a link to a YouTube video!

Last is The Language of the Universe: A Visual Exploration of Mathematics by Colin Stuart. This is a book that belongs in every classroom. Or home if you homeschool! So much accessible information is packed into 80 pages! But this is not really a small book - it is oversized - a little over 13 inches tall! - and filled with interesting tidbits about different inventors, different types of math, different formulas... just enough to whet your appetite to learn more. Or to reinforce theories or ideas that you may have already heard a little bit about. 

I was intrigued by the story of Tycho Brahe. He was so passionate about math he lost the tip of his nose arguing over a mathematical formula. With a cousin! Plus Tycho's detailed observations were essential to Kepler discovering his laws about the ways planets orbit the sun.
Plus the Perisan poet Ferdowsi's study of exponential growth in the year 1000.  

Background knowledge is really important for kids. It provides them with hooks to hang other information on to -  and this book provides a wealth of that type of information. 

 

Happy end of 2020! Here's to brighter days in 2021!

HAPPY TICK TOCK DAY!

Did you know that December 29th was National Tick Tock Day? (Not Tic Toc.) Apparently Tick Tock Day was created to remind us to complete any unfinished business that might need addressing before the end of the year. 

I think it's a good day to talk about two books I read this past week.  And one that I started. 

          

Unstoppable by Adam Rex, illustrated by Laura Park is a totally silly book.  Crab has always wanted to fly; Bird has always wanted to tweak noses with claws. Both are being stalked by a cat. They join forces to fly in and tweak Cat's nose. Mission accomplished! Then along comes Turtle and CrabTurd is formed. What kid won't love Crabturd?  

Next our friends are joined by a Bear - an angry bear. He is angry because developers are going to destroy their beautiful lakefront and build a shopping mall. What?! No way! There's only one thing to do -- fly to Washington, DC and kidnap Madame President. She will be able to figure out how to stop that nonsense. And she does, sort of. With a little help. Completely silly. Utterly delightful. And adults will sigh and say, "If only it were that simple..."

 

 

Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex. As is clearly evident these days, a lot of people do not know the difference between a fact and an opinion. Actually, I am sure it has been that way for a long time but this past year, that distinction has seemed more pronounced. A lot of people think their opinion is fact. Tain't so. Never has been. And we have a team of robots that can help explain the difference. A fact is how many eyes a certain robot has. Or the color of the robot. An opinion is which robot would make the best friend or which ice cream flavor is the best (peppermint!). The book explains how it just does not make sense to argue over opinions. I like peppermint. Other people like vanilla. Or pistachio. And that's OK. There is a lot a parent, caregiver, and/or teacher could do with this book. It's a great introduction to discerning facts from opinions. It belongs in every classroom. Buy a copy. Donate it to your local school or library after you are done reading it. (And once libraries and schools start taking donations again...)

 And last night, I started The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein.  She wrote Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire.  This is set in the same world - Britain during World War 2. Wein writes excellent historical fiction. If you have read her other books, then you won't want to miss this one! Code breaking that will give the British the edge they need to win the war.

 

OK - back to finishing up any unfinished business for 2020. Like putting a dent in your TBR pile. Or reading a few picture books or graphic novels to reach your Goodreads goal. That's not cheating. Everyone should read picture books on a regular basis. And graphic novels.   

MONDAYS ARE FOR MAVERICKS

    What, you may ask, do Mavericks have to do with books?  Well, the Texas Library Association (TLA) calls their recommended reading lists of graphic novels for elementary, middle school and high school lists "Little Mavericks" and "Mavericks".  Little Mavericks are for grades K-5; Mavericks for grades 6 - 12. I'm not sure where the name maverick originated for these lists. Possibly because a maverick is someone who demonstrates independence in thought and action?  That certainly defines graphic novels -- they do break out of the traditional book mold. And graphic novels are also quite wonderful! And real books, too. Just in case you needed to hear that.

    Unfamiliar with graphic novels? The TLA lists might be a good jumping in point for you. Though I will be the first to admit that the lists can be a little confusing.  And long.  Graphic novels are one of the most popular reading formats for school-aged kids right now. But let us explore the lists and see what we come up with! If a GN is on one of these lists, it stands out from the crowd a bit.

    The Little Maverick list is broken up into age groups and also unanimous vs. non-unanimous selection to the list.  Age groups for Little Mavs include K-5th; K-2nd; and 3rd-5th. That makes a list of over eighty different graphic novels. Even if you only include the unanimous titles, there are still forty six titles. On a more positive note - many GNs are quicker to read than a regular, text filled book.  

    The Mavericks list is not quite as long - around sixty five titles. The age groups are 6th - 8th; 6th - 12th; and adult graphic novels for young adults. There are only seventeen titles with a unanimous vote and there is some overlap with Little Mavericks.   

    If you would like to peruse the lists, I provided links above. If not, that's OK. 

    All of this to say -- Mondays will be devoted to graphic novels.   

    Today I am going to highlight two of my favorite books that you might find in a graphic novel collection. Or you might find them in a picture book collection.  

 

Lift by Minh Le; illustrated by Dan Santat.  This is my review from Goodreads  -"Profoundly imaginative, this book should resonate with anyone - I walked into my garage after I read this and, for just a split second, wished that when I opened the door I would step into a different world. A truly magical read."  It is a book that explores the jealousy that sometimes arises among siblings but also celebrates the love between those same siblings.

 

 

Again - my Goodreads review of ¡Vamos! Let's Go to the Market written and illustrated by Raúl the Third - "I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I have very basic Spanish vocabulary skills so was happy that I understood a lot of what was going on without having to reference the extensive vocabulary provided at the back of the book. I hope that we get to have more adventures with Little Lobo and Bernabé soon."  

 

Fortunately, my wish was granted because soon another Little Lobo book was published!

 

¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat was also written and illustrated by Raúl the Third with coloring by Elaine Bay. On Goodreads I said, " Learn about food trucks and all sorts of yummy foods as Little Lobo, Bernabè, and Kooky help feed a group of hungry luchadores - plus get to sample some of their own favorite foods. I love these books and all of the different types of animals (and food!) Raúl the Third incorporates into his work. Can you find the scorpion standing in line to see El Toro?" I think I liked the second book even more than the first - I'm a fan of luchadores.  But be forewarned - reading this book might make you hungry!

 

 

    So there you have it!  Three picture books that also fit into graphic novels. For the record - Lift made the Little Mavs list for this year; ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat did not. See you next Monday!

 BLUEBONNETS!

 

January 4th will be the first day of voting for the twenty books nominated for the 2020 Texas Library Association Bluebonnet Award.  While the twenty nominees are selected by a committee of librarians, students in 3rd - 6th grade are the ones that vote to choose the one book out of the twenty to receive the Award.  

Voting will end on February 15th. Normally it ends on January 31st but to ensure that kids have access to the books, voting is extended two weeks. Quarantine has impacted book availability. Each voter should read at least five books from the list before they vote.  And without further ado - these are the nominees for 2020-2021!

 

 

I have read sixteen of the twenty and plan to discuss them over the next six weeks. I think New Kid has a good chance of winning.  But time will tell. The twenty books for next year have already been selected and announced so after the 2020 book is announced, I will talk about the new round of books.

Have you read any of these? Did you have a favorite?