Snowmen All Year

Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner is another fun book for this time of year. You may be wondering why I think a book about snowmen would be a good book for the last day of spring break....but this is a different snowmen book. In a follow up to Buehner's Snowmen at Night and Snowmen at Christmas, Snowmen All Year let's us imagine what we would do with our snowmen throughout the warmer months if they were able to stay!

“I love to build a snowman. On freezing winter days. But when the sun is bright and warm. My snowman melts away. There's nothing but a puddle. When my snowman disappears. If only he were magic. And could stay with me all year!” 

We see the snowmen swimming, flying a kite, watching fireworks, playing at the beach, and more. This could lead to a fun writing activity on what the students would do with their snowmen this summer.

 

In this lighthearted, funny follow-up to the previous Snowmen bestsellers, our young narrator dreams of a non-melting snowman friend who joins him for all of the year's events. They ride a roller coaster together, dive into a swimming pool in the summer, and watch the Fourth of July fireworks.

Happy Earth Day!!! Celebrate with a Good Book!

Happy Earth Day! We can celebrate and learn about Earth Day at every age! Here are a few books that are worth checking out!

Eco Babies Wear Green by Michelle Sinclair Colman is a perfect book for babies and toddlers. It is never too early to start reading and teaching our children about taking care of our planet! Carson has this book and a few others in this series...Beach Babies Wear Shades, Winter Babies Wear Layers, and Country Babies Wear Plaid. These are fun to read and the illustrations are adorable!

"Eco babies carpool." The illustration shows a babies riding on the back of mommy's bike.

"Eco babies love nature." The illustration shows a baby hugging a tree.

"Eco babies recycle." The illustration shows a baby playing in a box, wearing a newspaper hat.

Arthur Turns Green by Marc Brown is a good book for younger elementary children. Everyone just loves Arthur and his sister D.W. In this story, Arthur comes home from school and begins sneaking around the house, taking notes and talking about a Big Green Machine. D.W. is suspicious of her brother's weird behavior, especially when Arthur shows for dinner with green hands. But it turns out that Arthur is making a poster all about saving energy and going green. This book is printed on recycled paper with soy based ink.

Recycle This Book: 100 Top Children's Book Authors Tell You How to Go Green edited by Dan Gutman is a good choice for older elementary and middle school children. It is a collection of stories and essays on how to help take care of our Earth. Some are silly and some are serious...but they are all helpful. This book is not meant to be read cover to cover. But children will appreciate the ideas and information as well as an insight into the lives of the beloved authors. Some authors included are: Mem Fox, Rick Riordan, Susan Patron, Rosemary Wells, Jack Prelutsky, Jon Scieszka, Eric Kimmel, Jane Yolen and more!

The book is grouped by location: "Your Home," "Your School," "Your Community," etc. and provides Web site suggestions for taking action and more information. This is a great book for the classroom, the library, and home collections where families want to make "going green" a family project.

This Plus That- Life's Little Equations

This Plus That by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is another one you must add to your collection! First off- everyone knows I love Amy because I think we are great friends :) (When my sister and I went to the Caldecott and Newbery Awards Banquet two summers ago in Chicago, we waited in line with Amy for 15 minutes to get a taxi.) But she is one of the best authors today! She has written Little Pea (which is a must for every toddler, kindergarten and first grade student), Yes Day, Duck Rabbit, The Ok Book, and much more. Her new book- This Plus That is sure to be a hit!

What comes after 1 + 1? Just about anything!
In this fanciful collection, Amy Krouse Rosenthal puts together unexpected combinations that always add up to something special. Whether it's "wishes + frosting = birthday" or "birds + buds = spring," each equation is a small delight. This Plus That shows again and again that life's total experience is always greater than the sum of its parts.

***This could be a fun writing lesson or activity in the library. Challenge students to write their own combinations!

Name That Dog- Great For National Poetry Month

Name That Dog: Puppy Names From A to Z by Peggy Archer is a book that will be very popular in your library! Everyone loves dog and puppy books and this poetry book will be no exception. Readers will find 26 short and funny poems about different dogs with names from letters A-Z! It would be a fun class activity to vote for or graph the favorite dog name from the book.

Got a new puppy and need to find the perfect name? In twenty-six poems, told from A to Z, meet dogs of every type and personality imaginable. Does the puppy love to nap in the flowers? Name her Daisy! Maybe the puppy slips his collar. He’s Houdini! And don’t forget Melody, a dog who howls and croons to any kind of music. For pet owners and dog lovers alike, this funny, rhyming collection will be sure to inspire love and laughs for any puppy personality.

A Verb Story- Bedtime Bunnies

BEDTIME, BUNNIES!

SKIP, SCAMPER, SCURRY, HOP!

The bunnies are getting ready for bed. But these bunnies don't just eat their bedtime carrots-- they chomp, they munch, they gobble, they crunch. They don't just brush their teeth-- squirt, scrub, splutter, spit. Four verbs per spread describe the bunnies nighttime routine. This could lead to a fun writing lesson with children- challenging them to write their own 4 verb stories. This is a good book to add to your school collection or home collection. The toddlers will also enjoy the new, fun and exciting words!

In this book it's bedtime for five little rabbits. They come in from outdoors, have a snack, brush their teeth, take a bath, put on nightclothes, and listen to a story before being tucked in for the night. Outside, we see snowflakes falling. In the bunnies' home, all is warmth and coziness and playfulness and love. Four words per spread narrate the evening routine, and delightfully soft and spirited illustrations take readers into the bunnies' world.

Queen of the Falls

Yeahhh! Chris Van Allsburg is back- and this time it is not a fantasy book but a true story! (Thank you to Ms. Meta for introducing this book to me!) It is the true story of Annie Edson Taylor, a teacher who risked her life to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She was the first person to survive this daring stunt! The illustrations are (of course) beautiful and bring this story to life! Children will love this as they love The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.

She could remember standing in a park near the falls, hypnotized by the sight and sound, and holding her father’s hand as they took a walk that would lead them closer.
That’s what everyone wonders when they see Niagara . . . How close will their courage let them get to it?

At the turn of the nineteenth century, a retired sixty-two-year-old charm school instructor named Annie Edson Taylor, seeking fame and fortune, decided to do something that no one in the world had ever done before—she would go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel.
Come meet the Queen of the Falls and witness with your own eyes her daring ride!

If you like Queen of the Falls, you will also like....

Women Daredevils: Thrills, Chills, and Frills by Julie Cummins
Annie Edson Taylor went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Mabel Stark wrestled with tigers. Sonora Webster Carver plummeted forty feet on horseback into a tank of water. These and the eleven other women profiled in this book performed between 1880 and 1929, when females were expected to stay home and raise families, not entertain crowds with acts of derring-do. Older elementary children will especially love these short stories. This book was also a 2010-2011 SC Children's Book Nominee.

Great interview with Julie Cummins about the book and her inspiration-

http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/mai_cummins_julie_qa.html

Suryia and Roscoe: The True Story of an Unlikely Friendship

This book comes out next Tuesday and it is sure to be a hit...especially in Myrtle Beach! Suryia and Roscoe live and play together on a preserve in Myrtle Beach, SC. Dogs and orangutans rarely meet, and when they do, they are naturally shy around each other. But when Suryia the orangutan first meets Roscoe, a stray dog, they become best friends from the start. Children love true books about animal friends- Owen and Mzee, Tarra and Bella. And they will love Roscoe and Suryia.
Visit their website: http://www.suryiaandroscoe.com/

Set on a preserve for rare animals, The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.) in South Carolina, here is a true story of a remarkable friendship between two unforgettable animals.

Here are the two friends in the news!

The Wonder Book by Rosenthal

The Wonder Book- This is a fun book with a little bit of everything! It is written by one of my FAVORITE authors, Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She is the author of Little Pea, Duck Rabbit, Yes Day, One Smart Cookie, Bedtime for Mommy, and more! This is a perfect book to share in the library and in classrooms. It could also lead to fun (and funny) writing lessons. Children could write their own funny thoughts or wonders. Here are a few examples from the book.
I wonder if a dog breaks a mirror, if it has 49 years of bad luck?
I wonder if laughing hyenas ever cry?
Did Miss Mary Mack have friends who liked other colors?
Could everything important about the world be summarized in a poem that rhymes?
How do Moms always know when you're about to sneak a cookie? 

This book is intended to be read in bits and pieces. Children will love this book and will laugh out loud!

Inside you will find stories, short poems, lists, palindromes, visual treats, and random observations. Some parts are happy, some sad-ish, some silly, some serious, some crunchy, some with a soft center.
You can open the book up anywhere and read. So the beginning could be the end, and the end could be the beginning. But I guess the middle is always the middle. . .

Here is my photo of Amy Krouse Rosenthal (right) at the American Library Association Conference in Chicago. She signed a bunch of her book for Carson. We just love her!!!!

Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester

This is not a new book but I just found it for the first time last week. It is a new favorite now! Hooway for Wodney Wat is a story about a rat who has trouble saying his R's. His classmates tease him about his speech which makes Rodney very shy and quiet. However, when a big mean Capybara comes to Rodney's school and bullies everyone..it is Rodney who has the voice to stand up to her! This is a sweet story with an important lesson. But it is also very funny and has some surprises along the way!

Poor Rodney Rat can't pronounce his R's and the other rodents tease him mercilessly. But when Camilla Capybara joins Rodney's class and announces that she is bigger, meaner, and smarter than any of the other rodents, everyone is afraid. It seems she really is bigger, meaner, and smarter than all of the rest of them. Until our unwitting hero, Wodney Wat, catches Camilla out in a game of Simon Says. Children will delight as shy Rodney Rat triumphs over all and his tiny voice decides the day, R's or no R's.

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll

This is such a fun book!!! Unlike most stories we know- where the child is afraid of the monster under their bed- Ethan LOVES his monster friend. In fact, Ethan cannot go to sleep without him. So when his monster, Gabe, goes on vacation- Ethan auditions other monsters to substitute while he in gone. We meet some very interesting and silly monster along the way and we soon find that no one can do the job like Gabe!

A unique monster-under-the-bed story with the perfect balance of giggles and shivers! I read this to my kindergarten and first grade classes and they LOVED it!!!

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown

Lucy, a young brown bear in a pink skirt, meets a little boy in the forest one day. She takes him home, excitedly shows him to her mother, and begs, "Can I keep him, PLEASE?" But her mother warns her that children make terrible pets. And soon, Lucy finds out that her mother is right! This will be a great read aloud for school or at home! Children will laugh out loud at Lucy and her new pet Squeaker!

Through a series of hilarious and surprising scenes, readers can join Lucy and Squeaker on their day of fun and decide for themselves whether or not children really do make terrible pets.

Here is my photo of the author, Peter Brown. I met him a few summers ago at the American Library Association conference in Washington, DC.

If Carson Had to Pick a Favorite...

Carson, my 1 1/2 year old, LOVES books....almost as much as I do :)
She has a lot of favorites that we read over and over again! What I have found with her is that she loves the same books read to her and sometimes resists hearing new books- until I make them exciting and fun!
If I had to put together a top ten list of Carson's favorite books for this month (because they change every month)- here it is. Check these out at your library or book store!

10. What's Your Sound Hound the Hound by Mo Willems (This is part of the Cat the Cat series...we love all four in the series but especially this one!)
9. Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton (All of the animals in this book are named Bob. Carson called me Bob for a few days after I introduced her to this book.)
8. The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
7. If You're Happy and You Know It (Jungle Edition)
6. Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox
5. Whose Baby Am I? by John Butler (She has loved this board book since she was a tiny baby.)
4. Higher Higher by Leslie Patricelli (She can almost read this whole books. The words are just Higher and Hi Five. She loves to point to all of the objects she sees in the background and say them- plane, balloon, baby, dog, etc.)
3. Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
2. Too Purpley by Jean Reidy (This is the first book that made her laugh. She has loved this since she was 9 months. It is a perfect book to hold a baby/toddler's attention. Short and easy to read but fun. A little girl cannot decide what she wants to wear and dislikes everything her mom picks out. Too purpley, too tickly, too puckery, too prickly! For boys, there is Too Pickley about a boy who does not like any food. These are soon coming out in board books too!)

1. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. 
(I am lucky because this is one of my favorites too! She just loves to keep telling the Pigeon "NO" every time he asked us if he can drive the bus! This is a funny interactive book and you will quickly see that all children just LOVE that Pigeon. This is a hit with all elementary children too.)

***Did you know the Pigeon has his own website: http://www.pigeonpresents.com/. This is great for children, parents, and teachers!

Did you know that April is also School Library Month?

School Library Month is the American Association of School Librarians' celebration of school librarians and their programs. In April, school librarians are encouraged to create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that school library programs play in a student's educational career.

In honor of School Library Month, I had to post Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don't) by Barbara Bottner. This is such a cute book that all children will love. (It is also a 2011-2012 SC Picture Book Nominee.)

With the help of Miss Brooks, Missy’s classmates all find books they love in the library—books about fairies and dogs and trains and cowboys. But Missy dismisses them all—“Too flowery, too furry, too clickety, too yippity.” Still, Miss Brooks is determined to show Missy that she just needs to keep looking and she too will find that special book to love!

One reason I like this book so much is because Miss Brooks reminds me a little bit of me! You can tell she LOVES her job so much and helping the children find a love of reading. (She will also go to great lengths with her themes and costumes! :) Finally, Miss Brooks loves books and she wants to show her students how fun and exciting reading can be!

Perfect for Poetry Month and Earth Day

We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow. (Illustrated by the great Bob Staake!) This is a WONDERFUL book for Earth Day this month...a perfect read aloud for all elementary children. This book starts with a family in Brooklyn planting a tree in their backyard; turn the page and a Kenyan family is planting a tree on the African savannah. Throughout the book more trees are planted and they continue to grow and provide many things for the earth- food, shade, etc. This book will lead to many good discussions on how our Earth takes care of us and how we can take care of our Earth.

We planted a tree and it grew up,

While it reached for the sky and the sun. . . .
In this simple poem, two families in two very different parts of the world plant a tree. As the trees flourish, so do the families . . . while trees all over the world help clean the air, enrich the soil, and give fruit and shade. Perfect for young readers!

Poetry Books That Celebrate Reading

Yet another great book of poems for National Poetry Month!
I Am The Book is a collection of 13 poems about books and reading by 13 well-known children's poets. The poems are fun and easy to read and children will love the illustrations. Poem titles include: A Poem Is, Wonder Through the Pages, and Don't Need a Window Seat.
One of my favorites is Poetry Time by Lee Bennett Hopkins.

It's poem o'clock.
Time for a rhyme-
tick-tock
ding-dong
bing-bong
or
chime.

Poems are
wistful
wish-filled
sublimed-

Come.
Unlock a minute
for
poetry time.

This also reminds me of the book Please Bury Me in the Library by J. Patrick Lewis. This is a collection of 16 poems that celebrate reading, books, words, and (my favorite) libraries!

Spot the Plot- A Riddle Book of Book Riddles

Another GREAT book for Poetry Month! This is one of my favorites. It is actually an interactive poetry and riddle book all rolled into one. I would read this to classes grade 2-5 and they all LOVED it! Thirteen poems pose riddles that challenge the readers to "Name That Book." The clues in the poems, as well as the illustrations, help lead the readers to the solutions. From Goodnight Moon to Click Clack Moo...from The Polar Express to Where's Waldo, children will delight in recognizing their most cherished stories.

I would also pull all of the books mentioned in the poems and have them ready for the students to check out...and they would ALL be checked out that very day!!!!

*The author is J. Patrick Lewis from Westerville, OH  :)