Things aren't what they seem

The Little Bit Scary People by Emily Jenkins



Back in the late 80's and early 90's, Michael Thaler hinted at the fact that you can't judge a person by their appearance in books like The Librarian from the Black Lagoon and The Teacher from the Black Lagoon. Carmen Deedy tried as well with her book The Library Dragon which showed that all librarians aren't as mean and rigid as some are made out to believe.


BUT to my knowledge, no one has yet captured a child's true thoughts about people who are "a little bit scary" until Emily Jenkins. Children have lots of fears, but a big one, right up there with "the dark", is strangers or people who are different than themselves. The Little Bit Scary People tackles that topic head one with sometimes rather humorous results.

Rethinking the awards

I have not been able to get the House in the Night out of my head since the Caldecott announcement was made yesterday morning. Not, mind you, because it was a fantastic book with illustrations that just swept me away, but rather because I do not see how the book won the top honors! To me, a better choice would have been In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck, if they really wanted a bedtime book to win.

This isn't the first time I have felt this way, so I am beginning to think that perhaps my mind just doesn't work the way an able-to-give-top-honors judge's mind works. Or maybe there is something else going on.

I'm just not a fan of awards - shows, books or otherwise. Yes, I am cynical. I believe most awards can be bought. I've also known a few people who have participated on top award committees and know that they have "agendas" - books they want to win. Well, don't we all have our favorites?! But if you get on a committee with like minded individuals, there just might be a lot of wonderful items neglected.


Two titles that come to mind are Old Bear by Kevin Henkes and The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger. Both are timeless tales with illustrations that really speak for the text and stick with you.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball is yet another title that has strong images, not to mention a text that is both enjoyable and interesting to read, illustrating how Kadir Nelson's storytelling ability just draws in the reader as much as his beautiful images do.

Books are rather personal, and each title that is drawn up into a person's hands is interpreted differently by those who seek to absorb the message inside. Maybe the Caldecott people were right and The House in the Night is the absolute best picture book to come out of 2008, or maybe there are many others out there worthy of your attention too.

Book awards announced today

The Caldecott and Newberry award winners were announced today at ALA in Denver, Colorado. The winners, as well as the honor books, are:

Caldecott
The house in the night
by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes

Honor books:
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever
How I Learned Geography
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

Newberry
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman

Honor books:
The Underneath
The Surrender Tree Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom
Savy
After Tupac and D Foster

Many other awards for childrens and young adult fiction and non-fiction have also been announced. Be sure to check out ALA's youth awards page for a list of those titles! http://www.ala.org/yma

If you think you know The Wolf

There's a Wolf at the Door by Zoe Alley


rating: 4 of 5 stars
I admit it, I usually want the underdog (or 'wolf' in this case) to win! I suppose having a wolf "win" wouldn't exactly make an appropriate children's book, but it would be nice if he was able to eat something!



In any case, There's a Wolf at the Door is a fun read consisting of cleverly put together familiar fairy tales all linked by the wolf. The story is presented in an oversized, graphic novel format including lively pen and ink drawings by R. W. Alley that expound upon the already humorously written text.



The only draw back I see is the extra large format which may cause potential readers to shy away from it thinking that it's a book for "little kids". If you're with your child at the library though and come across the title, encourage him to take a peek inside!


View all my reviews.

Look out for cats!

There Are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ok, I have a new favorite cat book! Reminicent of The Monster at the end of this book , the cats in Viviane Schwarz's book talk to the reader encourging him/her to throw them yarn, open a box or turn the page so that they can get fish. The bold illustrations are fun and make you smile even before you read the text. Pair this with If you give a cat a cupcake for a purrfectly meowvelous storytime.


View all my reviews.

Jimmie Jams!!!

Alright, I started this blog wanting to write about my favorite books, but this post isn't about one particular title. It's actually about a pajama site. Why, you ask? Well, you know how things work on the net... I was searching online for tips on hosting a "Party with the Pigeon" program (books by Mo Willems) at my library. One link lead to another and before I knew it, I was on a pajama site.

Books to Bed is a company that makes pjs with favorite book characters printed all over them. Now you don't have to just read Don't let the pigeon drive the bus! to your child before bed, you can also dress him/her in nifty pj's featuring their favorite feathered friend!

Other books featured on pjs include:

Guess How Much I Love You
Pinkalicious
Corduroy
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night
Good Boy Fergus
Ella the Elegant Elephant
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Bt the way, I also got some great ideas for hosting my program : )