Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings

The art work coupled with the witty poetry by Douglas Florian create a beautiful and fun picture book. The book is a collection of poetry all about space. My favorite of the poems is the poem about the planet Pluto:

 Pluto was a planet.

But now it doesn't pass.

Pluto was a planet.

They say it's lacking mass.

Pluto was a planet.

Pluto was admired.

Pluto was a planet.

Till one day it got fired.' 

The artwork in this book is done in collage style. It is incredibly detailed. The more you look at the pictures the more things you discover about them. There are also little things to be learned from each illustration. Like in the picture of Uranus each of the moons has its name written around it. 

This book would be great a great base for a library program about stargazing. The program would be best in the summer and have to take place at night. A telescope could be set up and participants would be able to use it and view some of the heavenly bodies they have read about in the book. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM CURLED UP WITH A GOOD KID'S BOOK

The poetry informs and entertains beautifully. The first poem, “Skywatch”, promotes and encourages stargazing, with the admonition “Most of all: Have lots of fun!” The remaining poems take a tour the universe, with emphasis on our solar system (the verse about Pluto and its recent demotion is priceless) and ends with an astronomical pun in the last poem, “The Great Beyond.” The short, clever, rhyming verses could easily be memorized by elementary-aged children for a school or library astronomy class or program. For parents and detail-hungry older children, the “Galactic Glossary” at the end of the book provides additional facts and information on each of the cosmic bodies and terminologies represented in the poems. 

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog

"Hank the Cowdog here, Head of Ranch Security..." These words are the words that began every family road trip I went on as a child. The day before we left my mother would head to library to stock up on Hank the Cowdog books on tape. We loved them! They made the trip seem shorter, and we would even sit in the car to listen for a few more minutes even after we arrived. So when I went to the library to get my books for the week I felt like I was reliving a fun memory from my childhood. The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog is the first of a fifty-seven book series. It introduces a Texas panhandle world of memorable characters including the star Hank the cowdog, and his sidekick Drover. The chaos starts when Drover confuses a cow for a monster. Next the duo find a dead chicken that is too tasty for Hank to resist. He eats it, and ends up getting blamed for the chickens death. Hank decides he must leave the ranch in his shame. Hank has a tangle with a group of wild coyotes and some how finds himself engaged to one of them. Hank is saved when a gun goes of and startles the coyotes. He then decides he can reinstate himself as Head of Ranch Security. 

This book is a wonderful way to get children excited about reading chapter books. I think it would be a good idea to have a library raffle where this first book in the Hank the Cowdog series is raffled off to a young reader in the hopes that after reading this book they would be excited to continue the series. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM USA TODAY

Hank is a scruffy, smart-alecky supersleuth with a nose for danger and an eye for the ladies. And as Head of Ranch Security on a West Texas ranch, he's usually up to his ears in all kinds of amusing trouble. Whether he's called upon to bark up the sun, investigate suspicious goings-on, or defend the ranch against marauders, Hank's hilarious, hair-raising adventures will delight readers young and old alike. 

Erickson, J. R. (1983). Hank the Cowdog;The original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog . Texas: Maverick Books.

Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas

Charles Atlas went from being a ninety-seven pound boy who was bullied to becoming the World's Most Perfectly Developed Man. This picture-book biography tells the story of his transformation. Strong Man starts with Atlas a boy immigrant from Italy coming to the United States. The story goes on to explain that bullying inspired Atlas to become stronger. Atlas developed his own method of becoming strong, and spent the rest of his life helping other people become healthy and strong using his method. The colorful simple illustrations in this book perfectly compliment the story. The book ends with a few exercises for readers to try out on their own. 

This book would be excellent to center a fitness program for children around. This program encourage children to stop watching TV, stop playing their computer and video games, and get active. The book can be read then the participants would be asked to go through the exercises in the book, along with others that have been planned before hand. Depending on the length of the program, an entire field day of activity could be planned. Then after the program the participants would be given a chart to record their activities for the next month.

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

An entertaining introduction to a fitness guru and entrepreneur. Beginning with young Angelo Siciliano's arrival at Ellis Island, the book describes the scrawny Italian immigrant boyhood in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood-and when he was older-the storied seaside encounter with a sand-kicking bully (witnessed by his date). Humiliated and determined  ø change his life, the young man decided to change his body. While at the zoo, he watched a lion stretch and noticed its muscles rippling beneath its skin. "Eureka!" He devised and followed an exercise routine that pitted one muscle against another, gradually becoming "Strong as an ox! The rest of the book covers his new name (for his resemblance to a statue of Atlas), his success as a sideshow strongman and bodybuilder, his famed fitness course, and his emphasis on healthy living. An author's note makes it clear that Atlas's story has been much mythologized and that little is known about his private life. McCarthy cleverly makes the most of this, smoothly weaving facts, quotes, and dialogue balloons into a comic-book-like narrative that perfectly suits its subject. Similarly, the acrylic illustrations feature cartoon characters and appropriately over-the-top humor. One scene shows skinny youth locked in a staring contest with a muscle-bound statue of Hercules, while another shows the pumped-up Atlas, google eyes bulging, straining to pull a train. This colorful book captures both the essence and mystique of an American icon.

McCarthy, M. (2007). The story of Charles Atlas, strong man . New York: A.A. Knopf. 

What if you met a pirate?: an Historical Voyage of Seafaring Speculation

This book was such a fun read! I learned so many things about pirates that I had never known before. Did you know that pirates hardly ever flew the Skull and Crossbones flag, they usually flew the flag of a peaceful country to fool the ships they were attacking? Did you know that Black Beard wove slowly burning fuses into his hair as he went into battle to intimidate his enemies? What if You Met a Pirate was full of fun interesting facts, and dispelled the romantic image pirates have been given through modern media. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM THE DATABASE OF ALL REVIEWS

In this excellent book, many pirate myths and fables are laid to rest but that does not mean that pirates come out looking boring. Far from it. Readers discover that they had a fascinating history, that they lived in interesting times, and that many of their number were very colorful characters indeed. If you have ever wondered how pirates attacked their quarry, how they sailed their ships, what they did all day, and how they lives their lives, then this is the book for you. Packed with facts and filled with colorful annotated illustrations, this book is a must for young pirate fans.

Adkins, J. (2004). What if you met a pirate?: an historical voyage of seafaring speculation. Brookfield, Ct.: Roaring Brook Press.

Heather Has Two Mommies

This book has so much controversial surrounding it, that I was surprised by how tame, and normal the story line was. Then I realized that it just shows that being a family is normal and acceptable, even an untraditional family. Heather Has Two Mommies is the story of a young girl named Heather who is the daughter of a lesbian couple. Heather goes to playgroup and realizes that her family is different than the other children's families who have a mother and a father. Heather eventually realizes that there are many types of families and she is able to accept her own family. 
I am not sure that there are many libraries that could use this book for active programming, because of social constraints. However this would be a good book to have to recommend to children who may need to read it. 
PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM AMAZON.COM
This handsome 10-anniversary edition of a minor classic presents the story of Heather, a preschooler with two moms who discovers that some of her friends have very different sorts of families. Juan, for example, has a mommy and a daddy and a big brother named Carlos. Miriam has a mommy and a baby sister. And Joshua has a mommy, a daddy, and a stepdaddy. Their teacher Molly encourages the children to draw pictures of their families, and reassures them that "each family is special" and that "the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other." In the afterword, the author (whose other children's books include Matzo Ball Moon) explains that although she grew up in a Jewish home, in a Jewish neighborhood, there were no families like hers on the television or in picture books. She came to regard her family as somehow "wrong," since there was no Christmas tree in the living room and no Easter egg hunt. Whatever the religious right may wish to think about nontraditional families, there is no denying that any child enrolled in an American school will encounter friends with single parents, gay parents, stepparents, or adoptive parents. This new, revised version of Heather Has Two Mommies offers an enjoyable, upbeat, age-appropriate introduction to the idea of family diversity. The book is essential for children (ages 2 to 6) with gay parents or family members, and a great addition to a Rainbow Curriculum. --Regina Marler
Newman, L., & Souza, D. (2000). Heather has two mommies (2nd ed., 10th anniversary ed.). Los Angeles: Alyson Wonderland.

The Wednesday Wars

 The main character of The Wednesday Wars is a boy named Holling Hoodhood. Holling is in the seventh grade. Holling is a Protestant in the middle of a community that is half Jewish, and half Catholic. Every Wednesday afternoon the seventh grade class is dismissed to attend catechism school for the Catholics or Hebrew School for the Jews. Holling is the only kid left behind. Holling spends the first part of the book trying to convince the reader that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him for being the child that prevents her from having a free period ever Wednesday. Holling is even more convinced of Mrs. Baker's hatred when she concocts the idea of having him read Shakespeare every Wednesday afternoon. However when Holling begins to enjoy the Shakespeare he is able to develop an unexpected relationship with his teacher. Holling begins to see how Shakespeare can relate to what he is going through in his own life. The Wednesday Wars is set during the turbulent year of 1967. The book shows how the presidential election, the politics of the time, and the Vietnam war touched every aspect of life, and every person, no matter how young. 

I really enjoyed reading this story. The funny anecdotes mix well with the more serious side of the story. It helps people to realize there is always more than one side of a story, and to see that there is always more to a person than we will know. It also provided a historical look at a family living during the 60's.

The Wednesday Wars could be used for library programming in a number of ways. One way would be to have a day in the life of a seventh grader in the sixties. This would probably be best for a school library because of the narrow age range. There are many things that could be discussed at such a program like hippies, the Vietnam War, politics during the 60's, and so on. It would also need to incorporate some fun events, for example patrons could dress up as the character they most identify with in the book. Another idea is to have the participants practice an atomic bomb drill. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM SCHOLASTIC INK SPOT 26

I highly recommend The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt to anyone going into or already in middle school/junior high. Schmidt does an amazing job of conveying all the obstacles, struggles and complexities you face during seventh grade. From school bullies to crushes to terrible homework assignments and then craziness at home, The Wednesday Warsis a great coming-of-age novel. While reading this book, you will not only enjoy a great story, but you'll also be encouraged to discover who you really are and what you really want to be.

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars

Schmidt, G. D. (2007). The Wednesday wars . New York: Clarion Books.

Cliff-Hanger

This is one of a series of books about National Parks, Mysteries in Our National Parks. I love this series! I have always loved National Parks, and State Parks, and grew up camping in them. I enjoyed the reading Cliff-Hanger and knowing the places the characters were talking about and being able to have a picture in my head. 

Cliff-Hanger is the story of the Landon family, a mom and dad, and a son, Jack,  and a daughter, Ashley, who take in foster children. When this story opens the family is preparing to go to Mesa Verde National Park outside of Durango, Colorado. The family is going because the mom who is a veterinarian has been asked to come to the park and examine a cougar that has been attacking park visitors. The family gets word last minute that there is a girl named Lucky who needs a foster home, so the family decides to take her with them. Ashley begins to notice right away that some of Lucky's actions are not adding up. She is making mysterious phone calls and disappearances. Jack is instantly on Lucky's side because she has shows him special attention, and flirts with him. The rift between Lucky and Ashley begins to tear the family apart. Jack finally begins to believe Ashley as he notices the strangeness in Lucky's behavior. One night Jack and Ashley follow Lucky as she sneaks out and find out that Lucky is planning on sneaking away and meeting up with her father who is a con-man. In the end the park rangers arrest Lucky's father for breaking in, and the family comes together again. 

The Mysteries in the National Parks Series would be an excellent way for a library to promote the National Parks through passive programming. The library could have a poster created for each park that can include interesting facts about each park. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM POWELL'S BOOKS

When a cougar attacks a hiker in Mesa Verde National Park, the Landons have another mystery on their hands. Jack and Ashley are used to visiting parks with their wildlife veterinarian mother and photographer father, but this time their hands are full with a foster child called Lucky Deal. As Lucky and Jack become friends, Ashley becomes suspicious: What did Lucky take from the burn site? Who did she call in the night? In a midnight showdown at Spruce Tree House, Jack realizes there's more to fear than a killer cat. Cliff-Hanger weaves Native American folklore, natural science, and geography into a heart-pounding thriller. The afterword by Will Morris, Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services at Mesa Verde, outlines the dangers of cougar attacks and the need to protect wild animals.

Skurzynski, G., Ferguson, A., & Mehler, C. (20071999). Cliff-hanger: a mystery in Mesa Verde National Park. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

James and the Giant Peach

James and the giant peach is a dark and beautiful children's fantasy. James is an orphan boy who is forced to live with his two evil aunts who make him do all chores all day, beat him,verbally abuse him, and hardly ever feed him. One day James' luck changes when he finds a bag of small magical beans. James accidently lets the magical beans loose and they dig into the soil. The next morning James and his aunts wake to find that there is a magical peach growing in their lawn. The peach continues growing until it is as big as a house and even bigger. The aunts begin to charge admission and people come from all over to see the peach. One night James is so hungry he eats his way into the peach where he finds a group of bugs that are as big as he is. The bugs and James disconnect the peach from the tree, and it becomes their vehicle for adventures. This book is sometimes band for its descriptions of how James is treated by his aunts, and the description of how they are killed by the giant peach. I found it to be a really fun book to read, and I enjoyed the darker parts of the book very much. I thought it added to the depth of the book. 

A good way to use this book in a library setting could be to center it around a program about bugs. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM www.acsu.buffalo.edu 

James and the Giant Peach is a fantastical and otherworldly journey into the imagination of Roald Dahl. The book is a classic read for late-elementary aged readers, a tale of adventure and friendship and a child hero beating the odds to find the life he always wanted. I loved this book as a child, and the world of Roald Dahl continues to feed my inner-child! The story of James is classic Dahl, in that he is a child mistreated and overlooked by the rest of society, whose heart of gold still survives the neglect and disrespect he receives at the hands of adults. This misfit quality is often the starting point for Dahl characters (think of Matilda Wormwood and Charlie Buckett in addition to James), and it would seem that because the rest of the world does not believe in their potential, the magical spirit that Dahl threads through his stories takes hold of these children and throws them into extraordinary circumstances that will reveal the child as ultimate hero in the end.

Dahl, R., & Smith, L. (1996).James and the giant peach: a children's story. New York, N.Y.: Penguin Group.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things

This book is the first in a series about Alvin Ho. After reading a barrage of books about bad parents, suicide, evil friends, and teachers who are out to get students this book was like coming up for air. The main character, Avin Ho is a very anxious, and frightened of everything, especially talking in class. He is so anxious is almost unable to function. Alvin's father gives him advice on how to become and gentleman, and with the support of his family Alvin begins to have less anxiety. In the end Alvin is able to make a friend, even though she is a girl.

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY

"Alvin Ho, a Chinese-American second-grader with 'so-so performance anxiety disorder,' is afraid of just about everything: elevators, tunnels, kimchi, wasabi. But one thing is especially frightening: 'I have never spoken a word in school,' Alvin says, and he's mystified, 'since I come from a long line of farmer-warriors who haven't had a scaredy bone in their bodies since 714 AD.' By the end of the story, his fears are pretty much intact — but he's found a friend, made progress on his 'How to Be a Gentleman' list and learned that joining a 'gang' is for the birds. Look's (the Ruby Lu series) intuitive grasp of children's emotions is rivaled only by her flair for comic exaggeration, as in Alvin's description of his elderly piano teacher: 'She bent like a question mark... and looked exactly like her pictures in The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, Deluxe Edition.' It's perfection that Alvin's friend turns out to be his once-despised desk buddy, Flea, a one-eyed girl with one leg longer than the other, 'like a peg leg'; she prides herself on her understanding of him, and he enthusiastically thinks her eyepatch and legs make her look like a pirate. Ahoy! Ages 6 — 10.

Look, L., & Pham, L. (2008).Alvin Ho: allergic to girls, school, and other scary things. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books.

The Adventures of Fanboy Vs. Gothgirl

The Adventures of Fanboy vs Gothgirl of two high school outcasts, Donnie and Kyra who find each other and bond over the comic book that Donnie is writing. Donnie is in his sophomore year of high school. He feels like he is being bullied at school, and treated unfairly at home. Nothing is working out for him, but he can put up with anything because he is about to blow this bad life and become famous when his graphic novel is published. 
Kyra comes into Donnie's life and starts to shake everything up. Kyra becomes obsessed with Donnie's graphic novel, and takes things too far for Donnie's comfort. The novel shows Kyra and Donnie both struggling through their high school years trying to find out what is important, and who they can depend on. 
A library could run a very effective passive programming campaign centered around this book. There are many issues that this book talks about including suicide, violence, bullying, relationships, and family issues. The library could create a series of posters that centered around this book that offer help with these issues including phone numbers for help lines.
PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM TEENREADS.COM
THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY AND GOTH GIRL is an impressive first novel with heart and raw emotion that tackles serious problems real teens face today. The characters are so alive that they jump off the page and will stick in the reader's mind for days after putting the book down. Fanboy's voice is strong, sarcastic and often hilarious. He also has so much depth and heart that the reader can't help but root for him every step of his tumultuous journey.

   --- Reviewed by Kristi Olson
Lyga, B. (2006). The astonishing adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl . Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin.

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

This is wonderfully irreverent collection of mixed up nursery rhymes. This book takes traditional nursery rhymes the Gingerbread Man becomes the Stinky Cheese Man, and the Ugly Duckling does not grow into a beautiful swan, but an Ugly Duck instead. I really love the dark humor that Scieszka and Smith use to season this collection of stories.

I would incorporate this book into a library program by reading it aloud. The library would have a selection of five short nursery rhymes written out of papers. Then have each participant in the program select their own rhyme to fracture.    

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Grade-school irreverence abounds in this compendium of (extremely brief) fractured fairy tales, which might well be subtitled "All Things Gross and Giddy." With a relentless application of the sarcasm that tickled readers of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs , Scieszka and Smith skewer a host of juvenile favorites: Little Red Running Shorts beats the wolf to grandmother's house; the Really Ugly Duckling matures into a Really Ugly Duck; Cinderumpelstiltskin is "a girl who really blew it." Text and art work together for maximum comic impact--varying styles and sizes of type add to the illustrations' chaos, as when Chicken Licken discovers that the Table of Contents, and not the sky, is falling. Smith's art, in fact, expands upon his previous waggery to include increased interplay between characters, and even more of his intricate detail work. The collaborators' hijinks are evident in every aspect of the book, from endpapers to copyright notice. However, the zaniness and deadpan delivery that have distinguished their previous work may strike some as overdone here. This book's tone is often frenzied; its rather specialized humor, delivered with the rapid-fire pacing of a string of one-liners, at times seems almost mean-spirited. Ages 5-up. 

Scieszka, J., & Smith, L. (1992). The Stinky Cheese Man and other fairly stupid tales . New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Viking.

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson,  was the winner of the Coretta Scott King Award in 2010. The book tells the life of the unsung hero, Bass Reeves. Reeves was a Deputy U. S. Marshall in the American Indian Territory. Reeves was known for his bravery and honesty. The book tells of the many techniques he employed to catch outlaws, included using disguises. The book is very effective in creating a biography that is interesting and accessible to children. The illustrations in this book are very wonderful. The style really seems to capture the essence of the days of Bass Reeves and the Wild West. 

Bad News for Outlaws would be a good book to incorporate into a library's celebration of Black History Month. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM LERNER PUBLISHING GROUP

“Vaunda Micheaux Nelson’s intensely researched text and R. Gregory Christie’s vibrant artwork pair perfectly to portray the life of a fearless African American hero of the Old West,” 

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux, and R. Gregory Christie. Bad news for outlaws: the remarkable life of Bass Reeves, deputy U.S. marshal. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 2009.

American Born Chinese

I have recently been swept up in the graphic novel craze with books like Persepolis and Maus. So I was very excited to read the book American Born Chinese, and I was not disappointed. American Born Chinese was awarded the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature for ages 12 - 18. The book is a graphic novel with three stories that are intertwined and all come together at the end of the story. A boy of Chinese origin who was born in the United States named Jin Wang. Jin Wang spends his life trying to live down the Chinese stereotypes, and deny his origins, until he finally manages to completely transform himself. The only thing that is left of Jin Wang's heritage is a yearly visit from his mysterious cousin who seems to embody every stereotype associated with Chinese people, both the negative ones and the positives. Mean while there is another story of the Monkey King who is trying to prove he is human so he will be accepted as a deity, and respected by the other immortals. In the end both Jin Wang and the Monkey King realize that the only way to make it through life is to embrace who you are as an individual and be that person.

Libraries could use this book to promote a diversity appreciation program. It would be a good opportunity for the library to bring in an outside presenter. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Graphic novels that focus on nonwhite characters are exceedingly rare in American comics. Enter American Born Chinese, a well-crafted work that aptly explores issues of self-image, cultural identity, transformation, and self-acceptance. In a series of three linked tales, the central characters are introduced: Jin Wang, a teen who meets with ridicule and social isolation when his family moves from San Francisco's Chinatown to an exclusively white suburb; Danny, a popular blond, blue-eyed high school jock whose social status is jeopardized when his goofy, embarrassing Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, enrolls at his high school; and the Monkey King who, unsatisfied with his current sovereign, desperately longs to be elevated to the status of a god. Their stories converge into a satisfying coming-of-age novel that aptly blends traditional Chinese fables and legends with bathroom humor, action figures, and playground politics. Yang's crisp line drawings, linear panel arrangement, and muted colors provide a strong visual complement to the textual narrative. Like Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Laurence Yep's Dragonwings, this novel explores the impact of the American dream on those outside the dominant culture in a finely wrought story that is an effective combination of humor and drama. 

Yang, Gene, and Lark Pien.American born Chinese [pbk] . New York: First Second, 2006. Print.

The Westing Game

The Westing Game begins when a mysterious new apartment building, Sunset Towers is opened and the tenants are specially selected for reasons unknown. Sunset Towers is owned by by the Westing Estate. As the mystery plays out Westing Senior dies. As the tenants are gathered to hear the reading of the will it is revealed that Westing was murdered, and not only murdered, but murdered by one of the people in the room. Each of the people in the room is assigned to a two person team to attempt to solve the mystery. The team that wins will become the heir of the Westing Estate. Each pair is given a clue and $10,000. The groups must decide if it is better to work together and share clues, or keep their clues secret and figure it out on their own. 
Each group must work through their personal struggles, and learn how to work together.  They work through a series of bombs, hard feelings, and being snowed in to find the murderer.
A good way to use this book for a library program would be to have a scavenger hunt event. The participants would be asked to read the Westing Game before coming to the program. Then at the program the participants would be given clues to find certain objects hidden around the library and the library grounds. The first person to finish the scavenger hunt would be awarded a copy of the Westing Game for themselves. 

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FROM THE HORN BOOK
"A fascinating medley of word games, disguises, multiple aliases, and subterfuge -- a demanding but rewarding book." 


Raskin, E. (1992). The Westing Game . New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Puffin Books.

The Twenty-One Balloons

The Twenty-One Balloons is a Newbery Award winning book written by William Pene Du Bios. The book is the story of Professor William Waterman Sherman's epic adventure in his hot air balloon. Sherman plans on taking a round the world journey, but finds himself shipwrecked on an unknown island full of amazing inventions, inventors, and treasures. Sherman uses a combination of his balloon and other inventions on the island to create a contraption made up of twenty-one balloons to save the island's inhabitants from the erupting volcano. 
I loved this book, I enjoyed reading it very much. I think it is a wonderfully written adventure story. As a librarian I would have no reservations about recommending it to readers, child or adult.  
One library programming idea is to have a young readers book club where children would read the book over a period of a month or so, and have weekly meetings about it. The theme of the month could be traveling, or dream vacations. Throughout the month the readers would be asked to put themselves in the position of Sherman and make plans for their own trip. At the very last meeting each member could give a short presentation about their trip. 


PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
"An absurd and fantastic tale... Truth and fiction are cleverly mingled. 


Bois, W. P. (20051947). The Twenty-One Balloons (Puffin Modern Classics ed.). New York, N.Y.: Puffin Books. 

The Little House

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton is a very touching story about the life of a little house. The house is built by a farmer way out in the country. The house is beautiful and happy, and the farmer and his family are pleased with it. They promise that they will never sell the house for any amount of money. The house enjoys the changing seasons, and the years go by and the house begins to wonder what the city lights are and how it would be to live underneath them. Then changes begin to happen in the house's quiet little country. There is a road built and the lights of the city begin to get closer and closer to the house, until one day the house finds itself in the middle of the city. Buildings are built up around the house, and it cannot see the stars, or the changing seasons. The house becomes obsolete and no one takes care of the house for many years. The house becomes very sad and run down. One day the grand daughter of the man who built the house walks by it in the busy city, and recognizes the house. She has the house moved back out into the country and restores the house. The house is happy, and never again wonders about city life. The house is content to live in the country.


A library could incorporate The Little House into their programming with a program about the joys of farming or country life. I think this would be a good opportunity to have a guest speaker involved in the program. The library could find someone who is either a farmer, or a historian that works with old farm equipment. Things that could be discussed are what is grown on a farm, farm animals, how the seasons effect farming, and canning.  


PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FROM BOOKLIST


“This engaging picture book cleverly presents a wealth of information-the changing seasons in the country, the advancement in architecture and transportation, growth in population, and the accelerating tempo of city life.”


Burton, V. L. (1942). The Little House; . Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co..

Flotsam

Flotsam is a wonderful story that is told entirely with pictures! The story starts with a young boy at the beach who finds a camera. After trying to find the camera's owner the boy has the film in the camera developed. The pictures on the roll of film are fantastical images of magical underwater worlds. There are mermaids, mechanical red snappers, and octopuses in a living room. Towards the end of the roll of film there is a picture of another child holding a picture. The boy gets out his microscope too look closer at the picture and realizes that in each child is holding a picture of another child. Through the children's dress and the style of photograph you can see that this camera has been around since about the 1920's or 30's. Then you realize that each child has taken a picture of themselves holding the picture of the other children, then thrown the camera back into the water where the sea creatures take amazing pictures for other children to find. 


I thought this story was very beautiful. I feel like the lack of words helps the story to transcend age, language, and time so that anyone who appreciates beautiful illustrations would love this book.  One thing that I felt like could limit the story's life is that the camera uses film. This is crucial to the story, however it is a technology that is becoming obsolete, so children in the future may have a hard time realizing what is going on.


An idea for a library program that incorporates Flotsam could be a photography program. It would work especially well if it was a two part program, maybe during a summer reading program. Each child could be giving a disposable camera to take pictures of things that they feel are beautiful. They should be instructed to try and take pictures that will tell a story, like in Flotsam. Then after the pictures are developed they can use the pictures they took and arrange them in a scrap book to tell a story. 


PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FROM ONEMINUTEBOOKREVIEWS.WORDPRESS.COM

By Janice Harayda

David Wiesner won the 2007 Caldecott Medal today for an eloquent, wordless picture book that encourages children to find the magic in everyday life. Flotsam tells the story of a boy who finds an underwater camera that washes up on a beach at the New Jersey shore, where the artist spent summers as a child. (The book doesn’t name the location but shows a beach tag reading “LBI” that, along with other visual references, situates the story clearly on Long Beach Island.) Wiesner’s young hero rushes to have the film developed and finds that it reveals a fantasy world of remarkable images, beautifully rendered in lush watercolors — a red wind-up fish, an undersea flying saucer full of miniature aliens, a starfish carrying a mountain Atlas-like on its back. The boy also sees photos of children from other countries and times, including one that appears to show the Jersey shore at the turn-of-the-century (a tribute to the artist’s great-grandparents?).

After taking a photo of himself, Wiesner’s hero throws the camera back into the ocean, where it takes another fantastic journey before being found on the last page by a young girl in a tropical realm where nobody needs a beach tag. As in his wordless picture book Tuesday, Wiesner invites children (and their elders) to make up their stories to go with his images. And he provides material rich enough to captivate a variety of ages. Toddlers and younger preschoolers may enjoy simply looking at the vibrant images and pointing to creatures they recognize while adults fill in the story. Older preschoolers and young school-age children may want to make up their own tales to explain, for example, how an octopus came to be sitting on underwater armchair. (They get help from clues such as an overturned “Moving and Storage” van also resting on the bottom of the sea.) Throughout Flotsam, shifting perspectives encourage children to see the world from many angles and, above all, to find the extraordinary in ordinary life.

Wiesner, D. (2006). Flotsam . New York: Clarion Books.

Frog and Toad are Friends

Frog and Toad are Friends is an easy reader book about a pair of devoted friends who spend their spring and summer together. Frog wakes up from hibernation and hurries over to wake up toad so they can see how spring has changed the world. Toad does not wish to wake up so tells to Frog to wait for one more month then wake him up again, and he will get up. The rest of the book is about the different adventures Toad and Frog have, the go swimming, hunt for a missing button, and wait for a letter to come. 


I think this is an excellent book to build young readers confidence. It is an easy to read book, but it is a chapter book. This would be a great first chapter book for a budding reader. The book seems very relatable to young children. The adventures Frog and Toad have are simple, but are told in an epic way. I also really enjoyed how the Frog and Toad took care of each other and cared about each other. I feel like this is an important lesson for children to learn. A friend is someone you can go to for help and for encouragement. Someone that will love and take care of you. I feel like I see friends breaking down each other instead of building each other up too often, it is cool to be mean to a friend instead of to show that you care. Frog and Toad are Friends provides a good model of friendships for children. 


A library could use frog and toad in a variety of ways. It could be used as the backdrop for a program about the similarities and differences between frogs and toads. It could also be used as the basis for a program about true friendship. 


PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FROM GOODREADS.COM


There's nothing like a best friend! Whether they are telling stories, taking walks, or writing letters, Frog and Toad always help each other out, as best friends should. Here are five irresistible stories about their adventures together.


Lobel, A. (2006). Frog and toad are friends . New York: Barnes & Noble.

Blueberries for Sal

This week one of my favorite books I read was Blueberries for Sal. I did enjoy the story, but the thing that really made me fall in love with this book were the illustrations.
The book tells the story of a little girl named Sal who goes to pick blueberries with her mother on Blueberry Hill. While they were picking the blueberries there was also a little bear cub and her mother picking blueberries on the same hill. Both the little bear cub and the Sal grew too tired to keep up with their mothers and set down to rest and eat blueberries. They lost their mothers and when they got up to find them they both found the wrong mothers, Sal ended up with the mother bear, and the cub ended up with the human mother. The mother bear became scared when she realized that she was in the presence of a human, and the human mother became scared when she realized she was in the presence of a bear. Both mothers ran away and found their own child. 


The illustrations in this book are all in blue ink that looks like blueberry juice. They are really beautiful line drawings that look a little bit like a wood cut. To me the illustrations really transport you to the hot summer day on Blueberry Hill. Even though I am reading it in the middle of winter I can look at these pictures and smell the greenery, hear the buzzing of the insects, feel the hot sun on my skin, and feel the sticky blueberry juice on my fingers. 
While the story seems to be pretty simple and straight forward I do think it is interesting that the children do not feel like they are in danger like the adults do when they realize they are with a bear and a human. The huge bear is afraid of a little human child, and the grown women is fearful of the little bear cub.


I think a perfect way to incorporate Blueberries for Sal into your library programming is to have a summer nature walk, and picnic, or just the picnic depending on the availability of a place for the walk. This may be difficult for libraries in big cities, however there is space that can be found. Maybe it could be hosted at a city park. If need be it could even be in the library, and it could be decorated as if it was an outdoor picnic. The picnic could feature blueberries in all different forms. Blueberry muffins, blueberry jam, fresh blueberries, and whatever else you can think of. The book can be read while everyone is enjoying their blueberry refreshments. 


PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM COMMONSENSEMEDIA.ORG

This humorous, entertaining book for preschoolers is an easygoing tale with just enough suspense to make it interesting. Robert McCloskey's text and illustrations blend perfectly with the mix of characters to tell a story that tickles the imagination. The full-page illustrations make it easy for children to understand the emotions of the characters.

The idea of a little girl and a bear cub each following the wrong mother appeals to preschoolers' sense of humor. But beyond the entertainment value, the story provides some lessons for children. Subtly showing the kinship of humans and animals, McCloskey closely parallels the stories of Little Bear and Sal. This is an excellent read-aloud.

McCloskey, R. (19761948).Blueberries for Sal . New York: Viking Press.

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is a one of the classic children's books that I always assumed I have read at some point, especially because I love Shel Silverstien's poetry and his illustrations. Today as I was doing my readings for class I decided to revisit the book for my own enjoyment and I realized I have never read it before. I sat down in the Starbucks at Barnes and Nobles and read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstien for the first time and cried.

The Giving Tree is a story of friendship between a boy and a tree. The tree loves the boy so much and loves playing with the boy. The boy spends all of his time with the tree and loves the tree back. As the boy grows up he appreciates the tree less and less and the tree gives the boy everything it has to make the boy happy, but the boy takes everything the tree has to offer and is still not happy. At the end of the story the little boy has grown into an old man and the tree is only a stump. The tree apologizes that she no longer has anything to give to the boy, but the boy realizes all he needs is a comfortable place to sit and the tree stump is the perfect place, so the tree and the boy are happy together again.

As I think about the story I have a hard time putting into words what about it made me tear up. When I think about it the story seems really simple, but the love the tree has for the boy is really tangible while you are reading the story. The book is a story of unconditional love. The tree is there for the boy and always will be, there is nothing the boy can do to change that. The tree was not alway happy, but the tree never stopped loving the boy. I think this really touches people because in our inner most hearts everyone wants to be loved like this whether it is by a parent, God, a spouse, a pet, or a best friend.   


One way to incorporate The Giving Tree into library activities is to have a Shel Silverstein day. This could even be on his birthday, September 25, if the timing worked out for your specific library. Children could be encouraged to model a poem or a short story after Silverstein's work including The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and others. The children would illustrate what they wrote with a fun drawing like the line drawings that Silverstein does! 

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FROM THE SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL TOP 100 PICTURE BOOKS

. . . . this book should be mandatory reading for all parents, kids, and politicians. – Simone

Silverstein, S. (1964). The giving tree . New York: Harper & Row.