The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt.  Scholastic Audio Books, 2007
As an author, it must be a tricky thing to listen to the audiobook of your work.  You've labored over the voice, the tone, the dialogue, the...the...ellipses.  To hear another voice reading the story could be so odd. 

Then, what if it all goes horribly off track? What if the bright folks at Corporate Audiobook Inc. get it completely wrong?  What if the narrator doesn't work or is a complete mismatch and they bungle the rhythm and dialogue the author so carefully crafted?

Well, I hope Gary D. Schmidt was happy with Joel Johnstone because, it seems to me that Johnstone understood every word, every syllable and even the spaces BETWEEN the words of this Newbery honor book.  

I listen to a lot of audiobooks.  Some are enjoyable, some are bearable and some are un-listenable.    Scholastic Audio has produced a performance here that seems as close to a perfect melding of story and narrator as I have ever heard.

Oh, to hear Johnstone voice the teacher, Mrs. Baker  as she addresses Holling Hoodhood, with her crystalline:  "Mr. Hoodhood" or to experience Holling's lament of  the placement of the feathers on his costume for The Tempest -- these are moments I will long remember. 

  
I was  a seventh grader during the school year of 1967-68 and could,  totally identify with Holling's "still-too-young-to-fully-appreciate the-times-that-were-a-changing-but-old-enough-to-understand-that-something-was-happening-here"  state of mind.  Author, Gary Schmidt got that part exactly right.

I remember when classrooms had windows that opened, a concept that seem long ago and far away now.  I DO remember when a teacher, like Mrs. Baker,  could cross her arms in such a way that the class WOULD fall silent immediately. 

The Wednesday Wars  is a novel with characters so real  and authentic that I found myself missing them between listens.  This book is a celebration of teaching and learning and what students learn from dedicated teachers and what teachers learn from dedicated students.

While all the Jewish and Roman Catholic kids in his class are at religious instruction on Wednesday afternoon, Holling Hoodhood, a Presbyterian, is the only student left at school.  His teacher, Mrs. Baker must also stay, as a result.  Holling is sure she hates him for it.   As Mrs. Baker and Holling embark on a study of Shakespeare on these Wednesdays,  he finds more connections than he could have ever guessed, between his life and the words of the Bard.   He also gains insight into the life of his teacher whose husband is fighting in Vietnam.  

Gary Schmidt is a very clever writer.   I burst out loud laughing as Holling attempts to navigate seventh grade in spite of accidents, death threats, deadly rats, diagrammed sentences, a flower-child older sister and a distant and opportunistic father. 

Glorious story, brilliant audiobook.

I am not sure how many kids have discovered this book. Classroom windows do not open anymore in my corner of the world, but the humor, the quandaries and vagueries of junior high school life are still spot on.  

Memo to self:  Must booktalk this title. 

Fancy Nancy

Fancy Nancy: Every day is Earth Day by Jane O'Connor, pictures based on the art of Robin Preiss Glasser, interior illustrations by Aleksey Ivanov and Olga Ivanov. Harper, 2010.

This "I Can Read, Beginning Reading" level 1 book is a surprisingly canny look at saving energy and keeping an Earth Day outlook!

Nancy Yancy is helping her family make changes to be more "green."  She reminds her parents to ride a bike when possible, take a tote to the market, wear a sweater to stay warm instead of changing the thermostat and to use less water.  

O'Connor points to another aspect of conservation though.  As in real life, there are downsides to being "green" which Nancy has to face.  Pulling the plug on a computer to save energy, results in the loss of a project that Nancy's mother was working on.  When Nancy saves energy by turning off the light in her little sister's bedroom,  her sister awakens, in a dark room,  which terrifies her.  There are consequences to inflexible green policies.

Common sense tells us we can do a lot by following Nancy's simple rules. I would settle for everyone just picking up their trash at the movies to start.

Nonfiction Monday: Spilling Ink

Spilling Ink: a young writer's handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter, illustrated by Matt Phelan.  Roaring Brook, 2010

Over the years I have purchased many 'how to write' books for my entlings.  Avid readers all, they have all embarked on a writing life in one way or other.  

Spilling Ink is by far the best, most easy to read, and helpful "how to think about writing" handbook I have ever encountered for young (and not so young) writers.

Mazer and Potter have created a  book that is chock full of help, advice, and concrete ways to jump start characters, plots, settings, and dialogue. They offer methods for revising and critiquing. Each of the  short chapters is signed "by Ellen" or "by Anne" and concludes with a "I Dare You" challenge that underscores the point of the chapter.  Just perusing the "I Dare You"s will start imaginations spinning.

I DARE YOU:  Think of an event that you wouldn't ordinarily consider suspenseful. It might be waiting or the school bus, walking the dog, or visiting your grandparents. Create a situation in which this every day event suddenly becomes incredibly suspenseful. 

Their suggestions are practical, not abstract.  They share their own struggles with humor and candor.  They interview each other at the end of the book, sharing their early inspirations and adding more background about their writing lives. 


The book's design and organization  is thoughtful and well planned.  There was  not an index in my ARC but the table of contents can be scanned quickly.  Nicely-sized print with easy-on-the-eyes spacing encourages dipping in at any point or reading from the first page straight through to the end. Excellent use of white space and strategic placement of  Matt Phelan's illustrations further enhance the readability.  His boys and girls are of diverse ethnicities so any child can picture themselves as a young writer.  Phelan shows kids writing on computers, in notebooks, at desks and on window sills.

Potter and Mazer's discussion of different literary elements is useful not only to kids trying to write with them,  but for teachers trying to introduce them as a tool for literature interpretation.
Using Mazer's and  Potter's ideas for writing prompts could go a long way towards helping students understand these concepts.  It is easier to recognize a metaphor if you've had the experience of writing one. 

Do buy some copies for your library and then BOOK TALK it so they will know it is there.  Open it up so they see the kid friendly format.   This book could too easily disappear into the  800s of a library collection which would be a waste.  If there are  young'uns in your life who scribble away all day in notebooks, leave a copy of the book where they will find it.  Do tread gently.  Writing kids are fiercely protective of their writing and will brook no interference, no matter how kindly intended. 

When they do pick it up, Mazer and Potter are there with them, in the chair, on their bed, in the windowsill  as the ideas fly, offering assurance, encouragement and help.

Nonfiction Monday: Global Warming

 

 Nonfiction Bummer!

As librarians know, children who enjoy nonfiction often identify their choices as "true" books.

Global Warming by Seymour Simon.  HarperCollins, 2010

Seymour Simon's books are beloved.  I can personally attest to the popularity of Lightning, Tornadoes, Sharks and Storms. The bindings of my library copies were loose and the page edges were softened from many turnings. The imprimatur of the Smithsonian Institution now gives his books additional authority.

Alas, I suspect this title has fallen victim to the Pluto Effect.  When Pluto lost its planet status, libraries had to scramble to update their space/planet collections. In the meantime, did the Pluto books get chucked-out?  It was still a dwarf planet. The information in the books was still accurate in many ways.  It was just the conclusion that Pluto was a planet that was the issue.  Was it enough to put up disclaimers until new material could be acquired?

Similarly, late in 2009, when data gathering problems and accusations of data loss, fabrication and manipulation at the  National Climatic Data Center  and  British University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit,  were revealed, seemingly de facto conclusions about the Earth's climate were called into question.  Even the vaunted IPCC had to apologize  for "misrepresenting" Himalayan glacier-melting data.  

The publishing cycle is long.  The folks at HarperCollins could not have foreseen Climategate.

Global warning

Simon addresses the issue of global warming by presenting the concept and outlining the possible causes.  He writes, "In 2007, a report by 2,500 scientists from 130 countries concluded that humans are responsible for much of the current warming."   

I checked the back for a 'works cited' or 'references' but the citation to this "2007 report" was not included.
Which report?
Who issued it?
I assume he is referring to the IPPC's 2007 report that won them a Nobel prize?  This book is an introduction to the subject.  Could he have not at least included the title of the report?
We teach kids to ALWAYS cite a direct reference. To not do that here is bad modeling.

Simon's writing style is always straight forward and engaging.   He explains the terminology well and presents a good overview of different sources of greenhouse gases and summarizes why scientists believe they are affecting the  climate.

Breathtaking photos of adorable polar bear families are featured inside the book and on the cover.  These animals have certainly become the poster child-animal for all global warming books.   They must have a deal with the WWF that no book on this subject can be published without their faces on the cover. 

The use of photographs is a Seymour Simon trademark.  In this title the photos are used to illustrate "concepts" of flooding, drought, air pollution etc. but slip towards reportage of Simon's speculations.

Simon repeats the much disputed claim that should the Antarctic ice cap melt, sea levels would rise 20 feet.  Although he qualifies it with "...it does not look as if the entire ice cap will melt any time soon..." the statement is illustrated with a photo of people, caught unaware, struggling through dangerous flood waters.  The photo, covering 2/3 of the page,  gives the impression that the flooding from rising sea levels could happen at any moment instead of over a millennia.

The rooftops of homes and red barns barely show above the flood waters  on page 18. The image is more reminiscent of  river flooding in Nashville or the Midwest than the coastal flooding it is supposed to be illustrating.  There are no captions so the reader has no idea where the photo was taken or what caused this flood.  If the goal is an emotional punch, the pictures work, but as photographic evidence of rising sea levels, I think not.

His juxtaposition of two photos of the Grinnell and Salamander Glaciers from 1957 and from 2004 is well done and depicts the retreat of the glaciers. The camera angle appears to be the same. 

He discusses  the threat to coral reefs caused by the El Niño weather pattern and even shares a frightening photo of a dead reef, bleached white.   Is the El Niño/El Niña pattern unnatural and the direct result of  global warming?   Did global warming cause the demise of this particular coral reef? This seems to be the implication.  Is this true?

Simon  admits the Earth's climate is "very complex, and many factors play important roles in determining how the climate changes." (p. 9)  He goes on to list some of the "natural variations" that could play a role.  Unfortunately, none of the "natural variations" are worthy of a photo apparently.  
A picture is worth, how many words?  
 Is it honest to show an industrial smokestack emitting--well, what is that exactly? Particulate? Or is it steam? (no captions) and NOT show the "natural" Mount Pinatubo eruption?


On page 27, Simon concedes, "Our planet may be going through a natural cycle of getting warmer" and acknowledges that there is a debate about what humans can do about it. Readers, without prior knowledge, will not gain any insight into the nature of the debate though.   The photos of cars, industry and city smog suggest the only explanation could be man-made global warming.  His earlier statement that "most scientists agree that something different is happening now."(p. 9) seems to imply the absence of debate which is  disingenuous as  large portions of the scientific community do  NOT agree that global warming is caused by humans. 

He lists the often-repeated things people can do to use less energy.  A photo of a wind turbine and a solar panel illustrate some alternative ways of energy production.   He does not share the environmental hazards posed by the fluorescent light bulbs he suggests nor the potential health risks from living near wind turbines.  The heavy burden on family budgets and nations' economies that higher energy costs will cause are also not addressed.

• The climate needs to be studied. 

• Data needs to be gathered. 

• Scientists need to work, honestly to understand climate pattens and changes.  

• Children benefit from an introduction to these issues but they deserve a balanced, not sensationalized presentation on  the subject.
  They want a "true" book.
  
  To sum up:

1. Good on ya-s for including a good glossary and an index, along with a list of "Read More About It" websites, and for showcasing the case for man-made global warming.  The Seymour Simon book style photos are beautiful and high quality and sourced at the front of the book.


2. Bummers for NO captions, NO list of of sources, and for photos with NO context, as well as questionable and manipulative photo choices and positioning. Bummers for dashing my hopes that the Smithsonian imprimatur would deliver an even-handed, kid friendly look at this issue. 

Simon's books have a long shelf life.  Hopefully, the next edition will  better documented and reflect new research.  I know page real estate is precious in a child's nonfiction but they should have squeezed in a list of sources for their speculations.  I hope they did more research than just watch one  movie.

That would be...inconvenient.

Young Pelé: soccer's first star

In honor of the start of The World Cup and all the fans in my family who will be watching: This review originally appeared as a NonFiction Monday post in March 2008. Schwartz& Wade reminded me of this title in their FaceBook update today.


Young Pelé: soccer's first star by Lesa Cline-Ransome, paintings by James E. Ransome; Schwartz&Wade Books, 2007

James Ransome's illustrations shine in this picture book biography of Edson do Nascimento, who would be known to the world as Pelé. Using the greens, yellows and blues of the Brazilian flag Ransome paints luminous scenes of Edson's school, family and soccer life.

Edson struggled in school and his first soccer ball was "a sock stuffed with rags, rolled up and tied with string." His inability to focus in class resulted in reprimands and punishments but soccer was always foremost in his mind. His team, the Shoeless Ones, became a force in the city's soccer leagues. His nickname, Pelé, was bestowed at this young age.

The author describes the work ethic of the team; they sold peanuts and shined shoes to earn money for uniforms. The reader is reminded that talent also requires practice, drills, coaching and teamwork to suceed.

There is much here for the young soccer enthusiast to enjoy. Pelé traps, heads, dribbles and boots the ball across the pages. The creators of this biography, score, indeed.

Book 7: A Good Horse

A Good Horse by Jane Smiley.  Knopf, 2010.

This is a WONDERFUL  horse story.  I loved every part of it.  I have not read The Georges and the Jewels but I am going to find it  ASAP. 

Abby Lovitt is a natural rider. She works hard on her family's California ranch where her parents train and trade horses.  Abby knows that most of the horses are not there forever but she loves them, especially Jack a beautiful gelding which she is is training herself.  

Jack's origins are called into question when the Lovitts receive a letter from a private investigator,  who is tracing the whereabouts of four mares that were stolen from a ranch in Texas. As the PI shares more and more information, the family realizes they may own a foal sired by the champion Jaipur.

Meanwhile, Abby is training a jumper Black George, another of the Lovitt horses.

This book is a horse lover's dream. There are detailed descriptions of the techniques of jumping and training horses in general.  Smiley deftly weaves in rich background on equine conformation, equipment, jodhpurs, riding boots, ranch life and horse care.

I must also make mention of the exquisite pen and ink drawings by Elaine Clayton that begin each chapter.  She as created detailed illustrations of equestrian equipment, tools, and apparel. There are precise renderings of different jumps, saddles, stirrups, boot hooks and hoof picks. 

Abby balances her school life and social life with her responsibilities at home.   Her family belongs to a Christian church that meets for many hours on Sunday  Her parents tithe and do not work on the Sabbath.  We learn that they do not own a television or attend movies.  Some  authors present parents with deep Christian beliefs like this as narrow minded, judgmental and unfair.  It is so easy to fall back on  the "rebellious teen vs  holy rollers" plot device but Smiley does not go there in this book.  There are issues in the family as a rift with Abby's brother has clearly developed because of her parents' beliefs but I have not read her earlier book about the family. 

I appreciated though, that Smiley does not mock these parents.  They are trying to balance their beliefs and Abby's needs.  Many teens participate in worship services and have a deep faith.  It is encouraging to find a  book where this is not depicted as something aberrant or sinister.

Interesting, now that I ponder it, that faith is an element in three of the books I finished during this challenge:  Bamboo People, Taken and A Good Horse

My copy of A Good Horse is an arc I picked up at TLA

Reading time for this book:  4 hrs

Pages: 246

Blogging/reviewing time:  1 hr.

Book 6: Audiobooking Hurricane Gold

I may have mentioned before how much I esteem the narration powers of British actor Nathaniel Parker.  His performance of the Artemis Fowl books is up there with Jim Dale's Harry Potter tour de force. 

Similarly, his Young James Bond readings are so well done that I only listen to the books.   His patrician tones are a perfect match for the Eton College educated Bond and his facility with voice characterizations works with the different characters brilliantly.

Needless to say, I have been awaiting the USA release of the Hurricane Gold audiobook rather anxiously.  As happens sometimes, there is a weird time lag between the time the book was released in the UK and over here but all is forgiven, I've downloaded the audiobook and WHAT????

These are not the dulcet tones of Nathaniel Parker!! This is Gerard Doyle who I enjoyed very VERY much reading Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy but this is James Bond!! 

C'MON!  

Parker did record Hurricane Gold and the next book, By Royal Command and according to their website, I can still buy his version for a packet of $$ from BBC Audiobooks.  Apparently, Blackstone is now the distributer for the audiobooks here in the USA.  The first three were available through Random House Listening Library. The change must have been because of the money. I always tell my entlings, "follow the money."

My attempts at ILL the Nathaniel Parker version, through World Cat, from Australia were unsuccessful.   Drat and Blast. 

OK, so, for the challenge, I've been trying to give this new version a chance.   

No. Sorry.  

Doyle's attempt at an American  Southern accent sounds demented--as bad as, say, Dick Van Dyke attempting a Cockney accent.  

This is very sad for me.  Young James Bond Fail.

Audiobook listening time: 1 hr. 06  min.

Blogging time:  45 min.

Book 5: Taken

Taken by Edward Bloor.   Knopf, 2007

Bloor never disappoints me.  His subjects are always original. Taken is no exception. This story is set in a future where kidnapping protocols, victim behavior and survival techniques,  are taught as part of the school curriculum in the same way "fire safety" and "dental hygiene" are taught now.

The new year has just turned over to  2036 when Charity is taken.  As she lies strapped to a gurney, watching the clock, she prays that her father is paying the ransom and that she will soon be released unharmed. 

In order to quell her rising panic, she relives the weeks prior to the kidnapping in detail, trying to keep her mind preoccupied and off the looming threat. 

The book was originally published in 2007.  Charity refers to her research paper on  the issue of "The World Credit Crash" that has forced people to horde and hide their hard currency.  Given the troubles in the world economies today, that was pretty forward looking, I must say. 

Interesting to see the two covers for the book. The original shows a close-up of a chess board with the pieces in play.  The paperback edition is a scene from the book depicting Charity being taken from the compound in Florida where she lives.

Interesting book.  Glad I read it.  Semi-odd ending.  Trying to think if that was the best resolution.  Maybe so.

My copy was an ARC picked up at TLA a few years ago.  So good to be catching up, somewhat.

Reading time:  3 hours 45 min.

Pages read: 247 

Blogging/review writing:  30 min.

The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez

The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez by René Colato Laínez, illustrated by Tom Lintern. Tricycle Press, 2010.

René Colato Laínez shares the story that inspired this book on his website.  In his native El Salvador, when a child loses a tooth, "El Ratón Pérez, the Hispanic tooth collector" takes the tooth and leaves a small present in exchange.

So what would happen if El Ratón Pérez ran into the Tooth Fairy while both were about to lay claim to a little boy's first lost tooth?  El Ratón Pérez declares, "I collected his papá's, mamá's and his abuielito's." Miguelito, sleeps, unawares, while the two  struggle over his tooth.  When their arguing causes the tooth to almost be lost forever,  they decide to form an alliance to retrieve it.

I have known the Tooth Fairy all my life and never suspected there was another character in the tooth collecting canon. The legend of a a mouse in the biz is extends beyond Central and South America to Europe according to the notes at the end. A list of Spanish terms is also included to aid English speakers with some of the Spanish expressions and terms.

Tom Lintern's El Ratón Pérez is a robust rodent sporting a gaucho look while the Tooth Fairy hovers in a delicate pink frock.  Lintern uses a dreamy color palette and includes nice details like English and Spanish language books on Miguelito's bookshelf.  The boy's tooth goes missing on that bookshelf, next to the book Tooth Fairy Lore. 

 

The loss of a tooth is an important milestone in a child's life and Colato Laínez and Lintern honor the cultures that celebrate it. 

This book will be an outstanding addition to a any school library and librarians at bilingual schools should definitely consider this title for their collections.

René Colato Laínez's website

www.renecolatolainez.com

Tom Lintern's website
www.tomlintern.com

Stoneheart Trilogy

I am late to the table discovering  this series.   

Stoneheart (Hyperion, 2007) by Charlie Fletcher is a page-turner with an intriguing focus for a fantasy novel.

George , 12 years old, breaks off the head of a dragon carving from the wall of the museum during a class field trip.  Uh-oh.  This action opens the way into an unseen dimension of London where all the statues of the city are good (the spits) and trying to help him or bad (the taints) and trying to kill him. He meets a girl named Edie who has the unwanted ability to see past events. 

For this Anglophile, the most delightful aspect to these books (I am in the middle of the second volume, Ironhand) is identifying the REAL statues and public art in London that are characters in the story.   

 

The cover art for Stoneheart IS the  Temple Bar Griffin or Dragon.

Locating the statues and memorials in the story has turned into a kind of obsession right now.  Some of the ones that I have identified include Boadicea and her daughters, Peter Pan, the Royal Artillery monument,  the Black Friar Pub and more

The audio books are read by the wondrous, Jim Dale. He is so firmly the voice of Harry Potter for me that I do not always enjoy his readings of other books, but this series is OUTSTANDING.  The storyline, characters and locales play to all his strengths as a narrator.  

Fletcher is improving as a writer.  Ironhand is stronger than the first volume. (Must identify the statue on the cover now.)  The final volume Silvertongue should be a cracking read.


Update:  Found the statue on the cover of Ironhand.  It is  the Cnihtengild, Devonshire Square.

More statues:

Terra-dactyl from Natural History Museum (Stoneheart, Silvertongue)

Arial (Ironhand)
Hodge (Silvertongue) 
Wellington Arch (Silvertongue)
Dictionary aka Dr. Johnson 
The London Stone (Silvertongue)
WWI Memorial - the old soldier and the (grand, bloody, panjandrum of the painfully bleeding obvious) young soldier   (outside the Royal Exchange) (Silvertongue)
The Duke with no stirrups outside the Royal Exchange  (Silvertongue)
The Firefighters Memorial (Silvertongue)
Anteros from the Shaftesbury Memorial in Piccadilly Circus (Silvertongue)
Cleopatras Needle Sphinxes- Victoria Embankment - another view and another (Stoneheart, Silvertongue)
Merchant Navy Memorial - Jack Tar (Silvertongue)
Richard the Lionheart and a close-up (Silvertongue)
Queen of Time at Selfridges
Shackleton aka Shack @ Royal Geographical Society
Queen of America and "Bill" the buffalo from Albert Memorial
Is Railway Man Isambard Kingdom Brunel?
The Knight of Wood @ Southwark Cathedral

Renaissance Man holding a feather quill @ Southwark Cathedral

The Admiral
Bulldog
Boy with a Dolphin

Discovering London Statues and Monuments
 By Margaret Baker

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, Amulet, 2010

Study hall and lunch periods are where the social lines are drawn and alliances are made in that odd world that is junior high school. Author, Tom Angleberger gets it just right with whimsy and humor. He has an ear for middle schoolers and a ton of empathy for them too.

A sixth grader named Tommy has asked his classmates to comment and describe their experiences with another 6th grader named Dwight and their opinion of the counsel dispensed by his odd little origami Yoda finger puppet. In different first person narratives, they share their stories.

The question is, does the puppet possess the insight and power of the Force (à la Star Wars) to advise junior high school students or is Dwight just weird? There is no doubt that Dwight is one of the oddest and most eccentric characters they interact with. His behavior puts him outside the pale, even for a sixth grader. Amazingly though, his Yoda finger puppet seems able to impart wisdom and advice that pays off for the kids who follow it. Dwight voices the puppet but swears he has no control over Yoda's pronouncements.

The "empathy" credit line from elementary school, for kids who are different, taps out quickly as the insecurities of adolescence kick in. Teens who are out of step with the herd can pay a heavy price, socially. Dwight has found a way to cope or has he? Is Yoda real?

Angleberger leaves many questions unresolved (clever lad) but provides a completely satisfying ending that left me smiling.

The book was designed by Melissa Arnst. The elegant origami Yoda on the cover will compel young (and old) readers to reach for the book. The stories are presented as typed case files on well-worn and somewhat crumpled pages. "Hand written" notations and doodles illustrate the margins and add to the story line and humor. The book ranks highly on the "BookMoot page turnability scale" which factors in line spacing, margin size, background page color/texture and story pacing on the page. I should have sensed the presence of Jedi art director master Chad W. Beckerman earlier here.

Charmed by this story I was. Yes, hmmm.

Directions for folding Origami Yoda are included as well as credits to other paper folding origami Yoda masters.

www.origamiyoda.com

Nonfiction Monday: Girl in the Know

Dewey: 613









Girl in the Know: Your Inside-and-Out guide to Growing Up, written by Ann Katz, R.N., PhD., illustrated by Monka Melnychuk, KidsCan Press, 2010


Growing up is personal. I cannot imagine a better source to have at hand than this informative, interesting and completely helpful little book.

Katz gets to the "The Body" facts right away. She reviews a girl's anatomy and describes the changes that will occur along with puberty. Melnychuk's drawings illustrate clearly without threatening a parent's tender sensibilities.

There is so much more to growing up though and Katz addresses the changes in family relationships, friends, nutrition, hygiene, exercise, sleep patterns and academic challenges that can occur. She succinctly reviews the issue of physical and sexual abuse and harassment as well as sexual attraction. Readers are urged to discuss their feelings on these issues with a parent or trusted adult.

The text is very engaging and the overall design of the book is excellent. Melnychuk draws young women from diverse ethnic backgrounds, underscoring that puberty affects all girls. The book is nicely sized at just under 21 cm., just right to fit on a nightstand, in a purse or a backpack.

This is a terrific resource. I hope it also makes its way into pediatricians' offices so doctors can recommend it to the families they serve.

Nonfiction Monday: What Can you Do with an Old Red Shoe

Dewey: 745.5








What Can you Do with an Old Red Shoe: a green activity book about reuse by Anna Alter, Henry Holt, 2009

The stereotype about folks who lived through the Great Depression is that they never throw anything away; they reuse foil and twine. They patch and mend clothes instead of throwing them away and harvest fabric from old clothing for quilt patches.

This book suggests many ways to reuse and recycle including ways to use old wrapping paper, t-shirts, crayons, shower curtains, and flip flops in craft projects. It suggests where to share toys that have been out grown and participation in recycling efforts in the community.

Even if you do not turn an old shoe into a planter, the book should cause the reader to pause and reflect on our disposable, throw-away society.

The Great Depression is never far from my own thoughts as the economy continues to sink below the surface. These projects may come in very handy indeed in the not so distant future.

In fact, I think I will go wash and smooth some foil and maybe start a rubber band ball now.

Today's NonFiction Monday Roundup is at The Art of Irreverence.

Nonfiction Monday: Hairy Tarantulas

Dewey: 595.4








Hairy Tarantulas by Kathryn Camisa, Bearport, 2009

I am becoming such a fan of Bearport's nonfiction series books. This volume is part of the No Backbone!: the World of Invertebrates series. The format of the book is very well designed and well laid out for young readers. A nicely sized and very readable typeface is used through out. It has several elements, the table of contents, index, a list of additional resources, that are very useful for teaching information skills. The index terms are highlighted in boldface.

Full color photographs of very, very hairy tarantulas are clearly labeled with word balloons and spiderweb shaped text blocks. The information and facts are organized and easy to find.

This series group includes Crafty Garden Spriders, Deadly Black Widow, Jumping Spiders, Spooky Wolf Spiders, and Tricky Trapdoor Spiders.

I would highly recommend this series for Big 6 or Super 3 research projects and for kids who just love reading about spiders.

Nonfiction Monday Roundup is at Great Kid Books.

Peter and the Wolf

Peter and the Wolf: based upon the original work by Sergei Prokofiev of Peter and the Wolf, retold by Chris Raschka, Atheneum, 2008 (review copy provided by book retailer)

There is always music in Chris Raschaka's work.

Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf is often the first introduction children have to symphonic music. Raschka recreates the rhythms and melody lines of the music with his text.

Recall the iconic opening of the symphony that represents Peter. It goes like this: 'de dum dum de dum de dum de dum de dum de dum de dum de dumdum de dumdum de dumdumdum.' Rashka echoes this theme with his words as Peter introduces himself

Look at me
Run around and climb around and skip around
in this lovely, large, lovely
Field of green.

Listen to the music as you read this book. The menacing wolf theme is voiced as:

BAaAaAaAH!
Gimme, gimme, gimme
Me, meat to eat
NOW!

Raschka zigs and zags the words and characters across the page as the music moves the story along. Crescendos and rhythms are depicted with upper and lower case letters, as well as, different sized fonts. The reader can hear the oboe and the bird flutter of the flute.

Some scenes are framed in a proscenium theater "made of four squares of heavy paper, cut and painted in water color then glued together to make a three-dimensional illustration." The Caldecott medalist's signature style is a good match for Prokovfiev's music.

I wish this had come with a CD but the melodies are familiar and easily found if your children do not know them already. Without knowledge of the symphony, this book is not accessible as a straight forward retelling but if you know the music, this is splendid.

Fat Cat

Fat Cat by Robin Brande, Listening Library, 2009 // Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2009

Dear Fat Cat,
You are a delight from page one to the last punctuation mark on the last page!
There is so much to love in your story.

While listening to Kirsten Potter narrate your audiobook version, I had to curb the impulse to snap "Look, I can't talk right now," when I answered the phone.

I had to restrain myself from holding up my hand with an exasperated, "SHUSH!" when people spoke to me.

I was so enthralled in your storytelling that I practically lived with my earphones until the end.

I have now finished it.
It was SPLENDID.

Thank you so much.

BookMoot
Cat is an extremely bright, focused, hard working and academically gifted high schooler. She is also is overweight and candy bar dependent. She wants to win the science fair with every fiber of her being, in large part, so she can beat Matt McKinney, the guy that broke her heart in junior high school.

Her project, to live, as much as possible, like a hominid woman means Cat is walking everywhere instead of riding in a car. It means no computers, no telephone, and eating an approximation of a hominid diet. Before too much time passes, Cat is noting weight loss and improved fitness in her science journal. Her slim and toned figure begins to attract the kind attention from guys that she has never experienced before.

Author, Robin Brande does not stumble nor hit one false note in this story. I loved Cat's family who embraces her project. She has the kind of best friend that everyone yearns for and the project brings her closer to her younger brother. Brande does not quantify the amount of weight that Cat is losing. The focus is on the achievment NOT a specific number of pounds.

I was very intrigued and inspired by the vegetarian blueprint that is offered. Cat begins her new lifestyle under the supervision of a dietitian. She loves to cook and the healthy food she prepares is mouth-watering and savory and delicious. I could almost taste it. I did laugh as her supportive family gives a thumbs down to the tofu turkey at Thanksgiving.

Fat Cat is funny, honest and a sweet romance. This book celebrates families, healthy eating, exercise, friendship, hard work, home cooking, demanding teachers, teenage hormones and first love.

I am telling librarians, friends, relatives who are emailing me for suggestions for gift ideas, even strangers in doctor's waiting rooms about this book and I have it poised for homecoming college kids.

It is simply grand.