HAPPY INTERNATIONAL NACHO DAY!

I must confess - I had no idea that today was International Nacho Day when I read this book! It was a serendipitous coincidence. I love nachos! Some of my favorite nachos are from Joe T. Garcia's in Ft. Worth, Texas. I think they are pretty close to Nacho's Special. But there are so many versions of nachos available today - feel free to celebrate with your own favorite creation.

 

But while you are nibbling - did you know that nachos are named after the man that invented them? - a man named Nacho! In fact, Ignacio (Nacho) Anaya created the tasty snack one afternoon for a favorite customer at the restaurant where he worked. While the book is focused on the creation of nachos, it also highlights Nacho's positive attitude, creativity, and love of food! There is some biographical information but the focus is on the creation of nachos.

I liked that the author added a note at the end of the book that details how there are many versions of the Nacho origin story but that she had done research and conducted interviews that led her to believe that she had found the truest version of the story.

  

TWO NEW PICTURE BOOKS TO CHECK OUT!

I have been on vacation but I came home to two delightful new picture books. I think you will enjoy them also, so check your local library to see if they are on the shelves - though they would both make lovely gifts if you want to purchase them!

 

Negative Cat written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall; published August 31, 2021.  For some kids, learning to read is a true struggle. And reading out loud, in particular, can seem like torture. Parents correct; other kids laugh; teachers just don't have the time....  In many libraries and animal shelters, there are programs where kids can read to a very non-judgmental audience - an animal! We had dogs at my library and it was always so exciting to see kids that struggled with reading gain self-confidence by reading to one of our trained therapy dogs! Which brings me to Negative Cat. Our young protagonist has been begging for a cat FOREVER! His parents finally say, "Yes!" But there are a few conditions - he has to take care of the cat, he has to write to his grandmother, he has to keep his room clean, and he has to read twenty minutes every day. Yes, yes, yes! He will do all those things - even though he really struggles with reading. Off to the shelter to pick out his cat! And there he is - orange striped Max! Picking a new pet is a risky proposition. You never quite know how things are going to turn out. And Max - he causes a few problems. He throws up on the rug. He poops in the hall. He eats the flowers. And he's not very playful. In fact, he spends a lot of his time staring at the wall! The rest of the family wants to give up on Max and mom even calls the animal shelter about taking Max back! But the boy does not give up on his negative cat - he quickly does all of his chores and then sits down and starts to read -- and magically, Max curls up and listens! This inspires visits to the local shelter by the boy's class so everyone can read to the cats - which helps the readers and the cats! And even though Max is still mostly a negative cat, he has found his perfect owner. The author includes a note about her own negative cat and also visiting many local shelters to read to and draw cats. I loved this book! It covers a lot of topics including the responsibility of adopting a pet and also the honest struggles some kids face learning to read. Hopefully it will inspire many people to read to their pets and take the opportunity to find a place where they can read to shelter animals also. 

 

Bear is a Bear by Jonathan Stutzman; illustrated by Dan Santat; published September 14, 2021. This book will give you all the feels! It is the story of a bear who is presented to a young girl. Even though you know that this is a stuffed bear, Dan Santat has drawn it as a real bear throughout most of the book. We follow the young girl as she grows up and how bear is a part of all the things that she does. Inevitably, she outgrows bear but he is too well-loved to part with forever. He is stored in a trunk - "a memory ... covered in dust." But since our bear "is a bear full of love", he is not forgotten and is soon retrieved from his attic hiding place. This is such a sweet story about cherished stuffies and growing up. I loved the lyrical writing and Dan Santat's illustrations are, as always, wonderful. The expressions on Bear's face are delightful. This would make a lovely baby gift! With an appropriate stuffy to go along with it, of course!

PENGUIN KIDS 30 DAY PICTURE BOOK CHALLENGE! 

 

At a loss for which picture book to read next? Penguin has provided this clever 30 day Picture Book Challenge - perfect for the month of September.

I won't be able to post a book for every day because we will be on vacation for a couple of weeks - but I do have one for today!

 

Piglette's Perfect Surprise by Katelyn Aronson; pictures by Eva Byrne

This is a "perfect" book for the Read a Book about Cooking category! You may have already encountered our precocious pig in her first book, Piglette. In this book, Piglette returns to Paris where she simply must create the perfect gift for her mentor, Madame Paradee. She learns how to make lots of different pastries at the local patisserie and when the day of the surprise party arrives, Piglette is ready! But of course, things do not go as planned. Poor Piglette is distraught until Madame Paradee once again provides her with the encouragement she needs, plus some valuable wisdom. 

This book will no doubt inspire some baking adventures in your own kitchen, so be prepared! But it also stresses that practice is important in the kitchen and that it is important to appreciate the simple things in life also. Piglette may want everything to be simply perfect but sometimes, things are best when they are perfectly simple. 

The illustrations are lovely and Piglette is adorable. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of the book!

 WOOF!

Happy National Dog Day!

What's your favorite dog book? Here are a few of mine!

      

      

      

       

 

PICTURE BOOKS        

Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

A dog named Dog starts off the day with one black spot on his ear, but collects nine other spots on his fur as he goes about his canine business around town

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

Mother dog is very concerned because her pup, George, makes lots of animal noises but no barks. Can the doctor help George find his bark?

RRRALPH by Lois Ehlert

Would you believe that Ralph the dog can talk? Yip, yip, yip--it's true!

BEGINNING READERS 

Big Dog and Little Dog series by Dav Pilkey

Houndsley and Catina series by James Howe

CHAPTER BOOK SERIES

Diary of a Pug series by Kyla May

McTavish series by Meg Rosoff

Bowser and Birdie series by Spencer Quinn

CHAPTER BOOKS 

Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban 

An encounter with a ghost dog changes a girl's life. 

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate 

Bob is a very brave dog who will steal your heart.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Great things happen to Opal after she finds her dog, Winn-Dixie, in a grocery store.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

I love this series! Dog Man is a crime fighter with the head of a police dog and the body of a policeman. 

Pawcasso by Remy Lai

One Saturday, eleven year old Jo follows a grocery shopping dog into town. And thus begins a story of mistaken identities and new friends.

NON-FICTION

Honey, The Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln  by Shari Swanson

When he was a young boy, Abe Lincoln rescued a dog. Soon it would be Honey's turn to repay that favor. 

 

 

   

If You Were an Elephant by Leslie Staub; illustrated by Richard Jones; published July 20, 2021

This book is filled with fascinating facts about elephants! It is written in a lyrical style that is not quite rhyming; instead the author uses words that sound alike or share vowel or consonant sounds so the words almost feel like they rhyme. It was a joy to read out loud!
Staub's book presents facts about elephants - how they behave, bond, and remember. Our next book relates the true story of a herd of elephants that actually do all of the things mentioned in Staub's book.

The Elephant's Come Home: A True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship by Kim Tomsic; illustrated by Hadley Hooper; published May 18, 2021.

I loved this extraordinary story! It is definitely one of my favorites for the year. Lawrence and Francoise (and their dog, Max) live at Thula Thula - a game preserve in Zululand in South Africa. (You can go visit, if you like!) One day, a ranger calls Lawrence and asks if he would take on a small herd of elephants. Lawrence has no experience with elephants but the ranger explains that these elephants are very angry because they have been hunted and that the local village officials are going to kill them because angry elephants are dangerous elephants. So, of course, Lawrence agrees and the elephants come to Thula Thula. Initially the elephants are still angry and break out of their enclosure. Then it is a race to see if Lawrence and his rangers will get to them before the hunters and poachers. With a lot of patience and compassion, Lawrence manages to forge a strong, enduring bond with the elephants.  In addition to the lovely story, Hadley Hooper's illustrations are extraordinary. Her color palette helps accentuate the mood of the story as it progresses.

I really hope this book makes it onto a lot of lists this year! It would be a perfect Bluebonnet nominee. 

 

 

Leslie Staub's book If I Were an Elephant was one of the books Penguin Random House sent me and it was true serendipity that I read it right after Tomsic's book!  These two books go together so well! Thanks Penguin Random House!

     

 

 PICTURE BOOK PALOOZA

I love picture books. And I have read a LOT of picture books over the past few months. But today - I received a box from with forty-two ARCs of picture books!!  So I wanted to publish this post which highlights a few of my recent favorites before I dive into this new batch of books.

Availability note -  Amos McGee Misses the Bus won't be published until November but the rest are available - hopefully at your local library.

Amos McGee Misses the Bus by Philip C. Stead; illustrated by Erin E. Stead; to be published November 2, 2021

I am so happy to see Amos again! And this story is so lovely. Amos has a special outing planned for his zoo friends but - he is so tired! He misses his bus and is afraid his outing will have to be canceled. Unbeknownst to Amos, everyone pitches into help - especially tortoise. Can you guess where they are going on their outing? Erin Stead's illustrations are, as always, amazing and Philip's story heartwarming and humorous. I can't wait to add this to my library! 

A big thank you to Macmillan for making a digital ARC available.

Grandma's Tiny House: A Counting Story! by JaNay Brown-Wood; illustrated by Priscilla Burris August 8th 2017

I loved this book! Maybe because I'm a grandma who loves having people over to eat? Maybe - but also because it's an engaging book that could be used for a Thanksgiving story time. It has lots of yummy food and it reinforces counting. Plus it's a little one that comes up with a solution to the over crowding problem. "I know!" she confidently tells her grandmother. The book could easily be adapted for a lot of different story times - problem-solving, food, and counting - to name a few. Plus the above-mentioned Thanksgiving.

Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover) by Helen Yoon; published January 12th 2021

I loved this! At first you think it's going to be the typical "wolf in sheep's clothing" tale. But our sheep friends are not so easily fooled! And wolf may not be so bad after all. 

Moose, Goose, and Mouse by Mordicai Gerstein and Jeff Mack;published January 12th 2021

A moose, a goose, and a mouse need a new house. One that isn't old and cold - they want a house that is sunny, funny, and comes with a bunny! And so this wild ride of a house-hunting adventure begins! Be sure to read the author's note -- Jeff Mack and Mordicai Gerstein worked on this book together, and sadly Mack had to finish it alone. It's a loving tribute to friendship and creativity!  

 Shy Willow by Cat Min; published February 16th 2021

Willow is a small rabbit that lives in an abandoned mailbox. She would much rather stay insider her mailbox - venturing out is always so worrisome. But one day, a young boy drops a letter into her mailbox - addressed to the moon. And Willow knows that she must deliver the letter to the moon - no matter how many obstacles are thrown in her way.

What a lovely, whimsical book! The illustrations are simply breathtaking and I truly loved Willow's determination to complete her mission. It was so rewarding in unexpected ways.

 Best Day Ever! by Marilyn Singer; illustrations by Leah Nixon; published June 29th 2021

I think we have all had days that start out as a great day but then quickly turn into a bad day - but end up in a good day frame of mind. That's what happens with the dog in this book. And his owner, also. Best Day Ever quickly turns to Worst Day Ever. But it doesn't have to stay that way.

Being a librarian, I know that there just are not that many book out there that have a main character in a wheelchair going through their daily routine. Getting up, getting dressed, going to the park, hanging out in the back yard, giving their dog a bath, and getting upset when the dog is a little too rambunctious. This book will fill a huge hole in both library and classroom collections.

In addition, the author explains that the events in the book were inspired by two of her own dogs. The illustrator, Leah Nixon, had a spinal cord injury which left her partially paralyzed. She uses a wheelchair and has a very helpful pet dog. She was happy she could use both herself and her dog as models for this book!

 

    

 

           

 

"Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag" and go camping!

The only camping I did as a kid was church camp. And that was in a cabin. I was in my early 20s before I actually went tent camping but I have loved it ever since! So this year I requested a tent for my birthday. We will be heading out to our very own back yard in a few weeks to watch the Perseids meteor shower from the comfort of our new tent. (It has a mesh roof.) The next trip is a little more intense - Wind Cave National park in South Dakota after Labor Day.

Since you may have some aspiring campers in your sphere of influence, I thought I would give you a list of ten books about camping for the younger set. Some are about backyard camping and some about summer camp but most are about camping out in the wild! I think almost all of them reference S'mores, though. Speaking of S'mores - have you heard of S'mOreos?  Yep - a S'more with an Oreo instead of a graham cracker. Or you can keep the graham cracker - your choice! YUM!

Bowwow Powwow = bagosenjige-niimi'idim / by Brenda J. Child; translated by Gordon Jourdain; illustrated by James Thunder (picture book)

Windy Girl is blessed with a vivid imagination. From Uncle she gathers stories of long-ago traditions, about dances and sharing and gratitude. Windy can tell such stories herself–about her dog, Itchy Boy, and the way he dances to request a treat and how he wriggles with joy in response to, well, just about everything.
When Uncle and Windy Girl and Itchy Boy attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers in their jingle dresses and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars. Now Uncle's stories inspire other visions in her head: a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a visiting drum group, and traditional dancers, grass dancers, and jingle-dress dancers–all with telltale ears and paws and tails. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow.

This playful story by Brenda Child is accompanied by a companion retelling in Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain and brought to life by Jonathan Thunder's vibrant dreamscapes. 

Camp Tiger by Susan Choi; illustrated by John Rocco. (picture book)
Time for the last camping trip of the summer as the family (mom, dad, two brothers) heads toward their favorite camping spot on Mountain Pond. The younger brother is a bit worried about moving up from Kindergarten to 1st grade. He loved Kindergarten but 1st grade is a big unknown. Plus, mom is making him take more responsibility - and he isn't sure he wants to grow up. These doubts and fears, plus a longing for summer to never end, manifest into a small tiger that visits their campsite and talks to them. Everyone can see and interact with the tiger - it requests its own tent and goes fishing with them when they paddle in their canoe. But the family also seems to know that the tiger is not something to fear - just like changes that happen as you grow older. Camping week over, the family returns home but the young boy retains some of his tiger-ness as he gets ready to head to school the next day. I think kids will grasp this story more easily than some adults. If you like magical realism type stories, then you should enjoy this - just keep an open mind for all those tigers out there waiting to interact. 

A Campfire Tail by Sarah Glenn Marsh; illustrated by Ana Gómez ISBN -
9781454919933 (picture book)

Dragons should be great at camping - but this is dragon's first day at camp. And he's a little nervous. Fortunately, he finds a buddy to show him the ropes but -- things don't go so well during swimming. Or the puppet show... Will dragon ever get the hang of camping? Maybe - and he might even save the day!

I liked the play on words in the title Campfire TAIL but my library has it cataloged as Campfire TALE instead. So you might want to search for this one under the author or ISBN. 

Camping: A Mr. and Mrs. Green Adventure by Keith Baker (Beginning Reader - 24 pages)

Mr. and Mrs. Green want to go camping but Mr. Green is a bit anxious about being far away from home. So they camp in their own back yard! I enjoy all of the Mr. and Mrs. Green books - stories about an alligator couple.  The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann  (graphic novel - 56 pages)

Ernestine (or E) has never been camping but she KNOWS she will love it. And she does - though there are some things that initially are not so great. For one thing - she misses her dad. And there are FISH in the lake where they are supposed to swim! EEK! But E learns a lot and by the end of the book, she can't wait to go camping again! This is a good introduction to graphic novels AND camping! A win-win for sure!

 

The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann (graphic novel - 56 pages) 

 

Ernestine (or E) has never been camping but she KNOWS she will love it. And she does - though there are some things that initially are not so great. For one thing - she misses her dad. And there are FISH in the lake where they are supposed to swim! But E learns a lot and by the end of the book, she can't wait to go camping again! This is a nice introduction to what you might expect on a camping trip. And also a nice introduction to graphic novels. A win-win for sure.

 

Egg Marks the Spot (Skunk & Badger #2) by Amy Timberlake; illustrated by Jon Klassen - to be published on September 15, 2021. (chapter book - 160 pages)

Badger has a very special rock - an agate - that was stolen from him by a nasty, mean cousin when he was a much younger badger. Nostalgia for his purloined agate is interrupting Badger's Important Rock Work so - Skunk proposes a camping trip to find a replacement rock. Skunk has never been camping and his preparations are... a bit over the top. But camping does indeed happen. Along with adventures that include a cave, a dinosaur egg, the mean cousin, a few rats and some chickens. And maybe even a bear! Just as in the first story, important lessons are learned by both Skunk and Badger. I love these books and hope that Amy and Jon create many more in the series.

Fatima's Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq; illustrated by Stevie Lewis. (picture book)

Fatima Khazi is excited for the weekend. Her family is headed to a local state park for their first camping trip! The school week might not have gone as planned, but outdoors, Fatima can achieve anything. She sets up a tent with her father, builds a fire with her mother, and survives an eight-legged mutant spider (a daddy longlegs with an impressive shadow) with her sister. At the end of an adventurous day, the family snuggles inside one big tent, serenaded by the sounds of the forest. The thought of leaving the magic of the outdoors tugs at Fatima's heart, but her sister reminds her that they can keep the memory alive through stories--and they can always daydream about what their next camping trip will look like.
Ambreen Tariq's picture book debut, with cheerful illustrations by Stevie Lewis, is a rollicking family adventure, a love letter to the outdoors, and a reminder that public land belongs to all of us

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Melanie Watt (picture book but has a graphic novel feel to it)

Scaredy Squirrel is - unsurprisingly - afraid of camping. So he decides to play it safe and watch a television show about camping instead.  However, he quickly realizes will need electricity for this adventure to work - and the nearest outlet is in the local campground. Hmmm. Scaredy hatches a plan to quickly brave the great outdoors just long enough to plug in his television. Of course, things don't go quite the way he planned. And being outside isn't so bad after all! 

Summer Camp Critter Jitters by Jory John; illustrated by Liz Climo (picture book) 

The Critters are going to Summer Camp! They are - for the most party - nervous about what to expect. Will there be scary stories? (Skunk is not a fan.) Will they have to swim? (Duck never learned how!) And Rabbit has so much energy - how will he calm down at night?! Our friends arrive and discover they are all in the same cabin! Hooray! And their kitty cat counselor is stuck up in a tree! Oh no! But they work together to help their counselor. They have a great first day at camp but their first campfire has a few surprises. 

Tiny T. Rex and the Very Dark Dark by Jonathan Stutzman; illustrated by Jay Fleck. (Picture book)

Tiny T. Rex and his friend Pointy are a little worried about camping in the back yard. It is so dark! And there are so many noises! As Tiny says, "It is hard to be brave when you are scared of the Crawly-creeps." Not to mention the Grumbles and Nom-bies. But there is always light - you just have to look for it.