The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Twenty-Seven

When I was a little girl, the counting books I used were, to be honest, horribly boring. They were bland, totally uninteresting, and I learned to count as quickly as I could so that I wouldn't have to use them any more. Thankfully, authors and illustrators have since come up with wonderfully creative ways to help children practice their counting. In today's picture book, Marion Dane Bauer gives children a story to enjoy, and she helps them practice their counting skills as well.

One Brown Bunny

Marion Dane Bauer

Illustrated by Ivan Bates

Picture Book

Ages 4 to 6

Scholastic, 2009, 978-0-439-68010-3

   One sunny day, a little brown bunny goes outside to find a friend to play with. He invites two red birds to fly down from their tree to “Come play with me,” but the birds fly away. Next, the little bunny came across three bears who “crunched their lunch.” Bunny asks if he can join them, but the bears growl at him and walk off. Later still, the bunny sees five little mice playing hide-and-seek. The bunny so much wants to join their game, but the mice are not interested in playing with the bunny. Will no one play with a lonely little bunny?

   Little children will immediately sympathize with the little rabbit in this story. They know what it feels like when no one will play with you. Thankfully, this little story has a happy ending. The story has an engaging rhyming text and cunning illustrations, and it also helps children to practice their counting. 

A Book Give Away from Random House - A signed copy of When you reach me

I have a treat for you today. The folks at Random House will give one of my lucky readers a SIGNED copy of When you reach me by Rebbeca Stead. This book won the 2008 Newbery Medal and the Horn Book Award. It  is also a New York Times Notable Book, and a New York Times bestseller. Please email me to be entered in the drawing for this giveaway.  Good Luck!

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Twenty-Six

Every so often a person needs to read something that is outrageously and ridiculously funny. The book I reviewed for today is just such a book. If you have not encountered Steven Kellogg's illustrations before, then you are in for a treat.

Jimmy’s Boa and the Bungee Jump Slam Dunk

Trinka Hakes Noble

Illustrated by Steven Kellogg

Picture Book

Ages 4 to 7

Penguin, 2005, 0-14-240453-5

   Meggie and her rest of her team are supposed to be having basketball practice, but there is a problem; Miss Peachtree has taken over the gym for her dance school, and she plans on teaching the children how to tango. Her plans don’t work out as planned though because Jimmy has brought his pet boa, and the boa is not a very good tangled…er tango partner. To put things simply, all the children end up on the floor tangled up in the boa’s coils. Miss Peachtree is not best pleased. In fact, she is so annoyed that she says something that really upsets Jimmy’s boa, and the large snake takes refuge in the basketball basket.

   Jimmy tries to get his boa to come down by throwing a basketball at the basket, and then a number of very extraordinary things happen. Could it be that Meggie and her team are going to be able to have their practice after all, and could it be that Jimmy’s boa might be an asset to the team?

   Young readers are sure to love this deliciously ridiculous tale, which gets more and more outrageous as the story unfolds. Who knew that a dance lesson could go so horribly wrong, and yet turn out to be so wonderfully right at the same time?

   Throughout the book Steven Kelloggs’ delightful illustrations perfectly compliment Trina Hakes Nobel’s entertaining story. 

Stella and Sam are now on the television

A few years ago I started to review the Stella and Sam books, which are written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay. The series is one of my favorites, and I was delighted to hear that Stella and Sam now have their own television show. Here is some information about the show:

Astral’s Playhouse Disney premiered the new animated series Stella and Sam on Sunday, January 9 at 10:30 a.m. ET. The new series, based on the internationally best-selling Groundwood books by Canadian author and illustrator Marie-Louise Gay, follows the backyard adventures of four-year-old Sam and his older sister Stella.Gay has written and illustrated eight books in the Stella and Sam series to date. They have been translated into fifteen languages and sold more than one million copies worldwide.

Children can now venture further into the world of Stella and Sam with interactive adventures designed for children and their families to explore online at www.playhousedisney.ca. Families can learn more about show's characters, play Stella and Sam games and download printable activities.

New episodes of the show will premiere on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. ET with episodes also airing on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. ET as well as Saturday and Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. ET.

Groundwood will be publishing new paperback editions of Good Morning, Sam and Good Night, Sam in February 2011, followed by When Stella Was Very, Very Small and What Are You Doing, Sam? in the same format this August. All books can be purchased from booksellers nationwide or the Groundwood Books website.

Here is a little video about the series, with an interview with Marie-Louise Gay

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Twenty-Five

Every so often I encounter a situation that makes me wish I was someone or something else. As I try to cajole my body to open up for my yoga practice, I wish I was one of those yoga teachers who look as if every limb and joint is made of rubber. As I try to do everything that needs to be done, I wish I was the cat who can sleep the day away in the sun. Today's picture book is about some children who wish "just for one day" that they could be something else.

For just one Day

Laura Leuck

Illustrations by Marc Boutavant

Picture Book

Ages 4 to 7

Chronicle Books, 2009, 978-0-8118-5610-2

   Most of us have those moments when we wish we were someone or something else. As we try to look over tall grass in a field we wish we were a giraffe, as we puff and pant our way along during a race we wish we were a cheetah. In this book, we meet some children who dream, “just for one day,” that they could be something else.

   As she draws a picture of a flower, a little girl wishes she could be a bee, and as he waits to cross a road on a wet day, a little boy wishes he could be a crocodile that has “the sharpest, snapping smile.” As she struggles with her snarled hair, a girl wishes she could be a porcupine. How much better a “coat of needles” would be, than a head of hair. Then there is a boy whose brother is laughing at him. He would like to be a big bear who’d “give my brother quite a scare.”

   Young children will have no problem connecting with the children in this book. They know exactly what it is like to wish one was a bear, or a whale, a chimpanzee, or a snake. They will be especially delighted when they come to the surprise ending. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Twenty-Four

Several years ago I started reading and reviewing the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer, and in no time I was hooked. Just like so many other readers from around the world, I eagerly waited for the next title in the series to come out. I am delighted to tell you that Hyperion is now publishing graphic novel versions of the books. Here is the first Artemis Fowl story in graphic novel form.

Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel

Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin

Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano and Pailo Lamanna

Graphic Novel

Ages 10 and up

Hyperion, 2007, 07884881-2

   There can be no doubt that Artemis Fowl, though only twelve years old, is a force to be reckoned with. Brilliant, ruthless, and the heir to a criminal empire, Artemis has decided that the family coffers are in need of a healthy influx of gold. Does Artemis try to rob a bank or break into Fort Knox? Indeed he does not, for Artemis is above such mundane crimes. Instead Artemis is going to separate the People from their gold. That’s right, Artemis is going to steal from the fairy folk.

   Artemis has been doing a lot of research about these magical creatures, and when he manages to acquire the Book, the fairy bible if you will, he is fully equipped to deal with anything that the fairies throw at him. With the help of his bodyguard and aide, Butler, Artemis kidnaps Captain Holly Short, a fairy who is an officer in Recon, an elite fairy police force. If the fairies want Captain Short back, they are going to have to relinquish a sizeable amount of their gold reserves.

   Of course, the Book does not prepare Artemis for the determination of the Recon commander, Commander Root, nor does it warn him about Mulch Diggums, a kleptomaniac dwarf who can dig himself in and out of almost anywhere. With Mulch’s help, Commander Root sets about trying to free Captain Holly. Who is going to prevail in this battle of wills and wits? Will Artemis’ actions bring humans and the People to the point of war?

   This fascinating and gripping graphic novel, will give older readers a very unique look at the fairy world. The fairies in this graphic novel are not ethereal delicate-winged creatures who sip from spring flowers. These are tough, well-armed characters who are centuries ahead of humans when it comes to technology, and who have no patience for us humans. Readers will be interested to see how the characters change as the adventure unfolds. They will find that Artemis Fowl has a soft side to his character, and there is even some hope that he might not be as evil as he believes himself to be.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Twenty-Three

When I was a child, I was very much like the little boy in today's picture book. Just like silly Billy I was a chronic worrier, and I spent many hours lying in bed worrying about all kinds of things. Children who are like Billy and I, will find this book very comforting indeed.

Silly Billy

Anthony Browne

Picture Book

Ages 4 to 6

Candlewick Press, 2006, 0-7636-3124-8

   Billy is a little boy who is a chronic worrier. As he lies in bed he worries about hats, shoes, clouds, rain, and giant birds. He imagines that a huge bird might carry him out of his bedroom window, or that a rainstorm could flood his bedroom. His fertile imagination imagines all kinds of calamities. Not even the reassuring words of his loving parents helps.

   One night Billy spends the night at his grandma’s house, and he lies in bed worrying. He cannot help worrying “about staying at other people’s houses,” even though he knows that his worries are “silly.” Unable to sleep at all, Billy goes to tell his grandma about his problem, and he finds out that she has a solution for his predicament. The most amazing thing of it all is that her solution works, at least for a while.

   In this special picture book, we meet a little boy who really needs some help. Thankfully, someone who loves him knows just what to do. Children will be thrilled to hear that something can be done to alleviate those last-thing-at-night worries, and they will be interested to learn that Grandma’s solution is one that people all over the world really use. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Twenty-Two

Many children have a fondness for monsters, and in this book they will meet a very lovable and musical blue monster who is always game for a new adventure. This is the companion title to Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie

Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie on the road

Joel Stewart

Picture book

Ages 4 to 7

Holiday House, 2010, 978-0-8234-2292-0

   One night, Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie are standing on a roof hooting a horn and a bagpipe. Even when the neighbors tell them to be “Quiet up there!” the two friends cannot help hooting as hard as they can. So, they get thrown out of town and they find themselves in a “deep dark forest” where they can hoot their horn and bagpipes to their heart’s content.

   In the forest, Dexter and the Big Blue Beastie meet a young man called Sir Percy Pecket who needs their help. His “beloved” is asleep in a tower near by, and he wants the two friends to wake her up, which they do very well, to the delight of everybody.

   Sir Percy now wants to marry his princess (yes she is a princess), but he hasn’t slain the “frightful dragon” yet. Apparently, this is a requirement before you can marry a princess.

   In this delightful companion to Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie, Joel Stewart takes the little boy and his monsterish friend on another wonderfully peculiar adventure. Children are sure to enjoy the surprising ending. Throughout the book, colorful cartoon style art with speech bubbles fill the pages.

   

Poetry Friday - A review of City I love by Lee Bennett Hopkins

If you love cities to live in or to visit, then I have the perfect book for you. In this very special collection of poems, Lee Bennett Hopkins explores several cities around the world using a variety of poetry forms to do so.
City I love

Lee Bennett Hopkins

Illustrated by Marcellus Hall

Poetry

For ages 4 to 8

Abrams, 2009, 978-0-8109-8327-4

   Some of us like the quiet of country life, with expanses of green trees and grass, and meadows full of flowers. We like to hear the sound of bird song, and the smell the fresh air.

   Then there are those people who thrive in a big city where the “subway roars and rumbles,” and where “A hydrant is my swimming pool.” They love to be in a place where tall skyscrapers are built by workers who “balance on beams / dangle on derricks.” Here the sounds of sirens, horns, and traffic fill the air. Here too you can travel on a subway that is full of people who come in every possible color, age, shape, and size. People are “always on the go.”

   For this unique picture book, Lee Bennett Hopkins has created eighteen poems about cities that take the reader around the world, beginning in New York and then going on to Paris, Moscow, Cairo, Rio, Delhi, and many other cities. In each city, a little dog wearing a backpack accompanies us, sharing in the joys (and sometimes the woes) of city life. With many different poetry forms, the author paints a picture of cities that throb with life, that excite, and that delight the eye.

   Marcellus Hall’s wonderful illustrations perfectly compliment the poems, capturing the energy of the cities that are described in the poems.

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Twenty-One

Every Friday, I got to my daughter's school and I read books to some children who need a little help with their reading. Just before Christmas, my two little girls chose exactly the same book to read. Both of them shrieked with laughter as I read to them, and then both of them wanted to take the book home with them. This is the book that was so popular on that reading day.

The Hiccupotamus

Aaron Zenz

Picture Book

Ages 4 to 7

Marshall Cavendish, 2005, 978-0-7614-5622-3

   When you get the hiccups, you are often inclined to laugh at them. At first. Then they become rather annoying, and you do everything you can to get rid of them. Imagine what it would be like if you were a hippo who had the hiccups. In this story, you will meet one who is not only prone to hiccups, but his hiccups are also very violent. Every time this poor hippopotamus gets the hiccups, he ends up falling “upon his bottomus.”

   Unfortunately, his hiccups are not only a trial for him, but they are also a real nuisance for all the other animals. When he tries to say hello to the yellow elephant, the hippo’s hiccup startles her so much that she drops the cakes she is holding. Needless to say, she gets very angry, and she starts to chase the hippo.

   With the elephant in hot pursuit, the hippo comes across a centipede “pouring new cementipede.” One hic “by accidentipede,” and the elephant and the centipede end up face first in the cement.

   With its hilarious illustrations and its deliciously ridiculous rhyming text, this picture book will have young readers in floods of giggles. Be warned, this book is addictive and it may become necessary to hide it for a while.