The Booklover-in-Chief

It seems the man in the White House knows where to go to find the perfect gift.  Check out this article:

http://news.msn.com/politics/obama-visits-bookstore-promotes-small-business-saturday-3/

If more people gave books instead of high-tech gadgets to the youngsters on their list, imagine what the result would be.  Kids would receive a treasure that would stimulate their imaginations, encourage them to think, and become a beloved companion that they just might remember fondly into their adult years–and one day share with little ones of their own.

A few picture book suggestions:

About Birds: a Guide for Children by Catherine P. Sill

Big Al and Big Al and Shrimpy by Andrew Clements

First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Getting to Know Ruben Plotnick by Roz Rosenbluth

The Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban

Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming

Picture Book Month 2012

If it’s November 1, it must be…drum roll, please…PICTURE BOOK MONTH!  The brain child of author and storyteller Diane de Las Casas, this month-long commemoration celebrates this vital literary form.  Check out www.picturebookmonth.com for eye-opening articles, ideas, activities, and more.

While you’re checking things out, take a look at these not-to-be missed picture books!

Don’t let the simple cover of this book fool you.  Inside is a feast for a young child’s imagination.  When the reader follows instructions, remarkable things happen to the dots on the page: they change size, place, and grow in number.  Magic?  Maybe.  Herve Tullet proves that kids don’t need electronic gadgets to have a marvelous interactive experience.

Mouse is mad–hopping mad!  But when Hare shows him the right way to hop, he ends up in a mud puddle–and madder than ever!  Now Mouse is stomping mad; that is, until Bear demonstrates proper stomping, which leaves poor Mouse even muddier and madder.  Watch how Mouse discovers a new way to show his anger, and to control it.

This hot-off-the-press gem is sure to be popular with its intended audience.  Little readers will enjoy pointing out colors and objects in each vibrantly-colored illustration.  Delightful rhymes make this a book that will be read again and again.

More picture books will be featured in future posts.  In the meantime, visit www.http://BookAndAGarden.com for more great reading suggestions for kids of all ages.

Reading and a love of books are things that should be instilled in children before they can decipher the words for themselves.  Once obtained, this gift guarantees success in every field of endeavor throughout a person’s academic career and beyond.

Picture Books and More Picture Books!

Those of you who follow my blog will have to excuse me. I was so enthusiastic about some goodies that I’m adding to my new school library collection that I clicked the “Publish” button before I wrote the post!  Here is the post that I intended to write:

As I work at a frenetic pace to make my new library ready for business, many treasures are coming to my attention.  The urgency to be up and running has not lessened the excitement of preparing these books for sharing with youngsters–and hopefully turning the little tykes into eager readers and library users.

Here are a couple gems that are sure to be kid-pleasers.

Meet Scaredy Squirrel.  True to his name, he is afraid of everything: poison ivy, Martians, and sharks, to name a few.  With such a dangerous world, Scaredy is perfectly content to stay in his nice, safe tree–until the sudden appearance of a bee frightens him and he drops his emergency kit.  When the fearful squirrel leaps out of the tree after it, he discovers an ability he didn’t know he had.  This is the first in a humorous series that is a sensation with kids, whether or not they have phobias of their own.  Scaredy reminds me of Alvin Ho, Lenore Look’s phobia-ridden second-grader who has a series and a PDK (Personal Disaster Kit) of his own (perfect for 8-10-year-olds).

Alphabet books will never be the same!  Barbara Bottner, the genius behind one of my favorites, Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I don’t), works her magic again with this incredibly funny story.  A classroom of kids, beginning with Adelaide,  exhibits less-than-desirable behavior.  What happens when Zelda has had her turn?  You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

More to come…

Fantastic Fantasies

Today I finished reading a novel that I think is so magnificent, I can’t wait until I write a complete review to share it with my readers.

This debut by the talented team of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is a refreshingly clean–no objectionable language or sex–young adult novel that is a fantasy-supernatural-Gothic mix.  Ethan Wate is a 16-year-old living in Gatlin, South Carolina, a town that prides itself on its Southern heritage.  The teen is counting the days until he can leave this backward place.  Then he meets the girl of his (literal) dreams–a 15-year-old named Lena who has been appearing in his nocturnal visions and recently moved in with her recluse uncle.  Why is she so apprehensive about her sixteenth birthday?  As Ethan grows closer to Lena, questions arise: what is really going on here, and what can he do to help her–and protect her from the close-minded community members (and fellow students) who oppose her presence among them?  The excitement doesn’t stop here–there are three more novels in this series and a movie being released this coming winter.  (My favorite character?  The town librarian!)

I’m breaking one of my rules again: talking about a book that I have not yet finished reading!  This novel is that good.

Liesl has been confined to an attic room by her stepmother (for her own protection, she says) since her father passed away.  However, a visit from a ghost named Po (and his pet, Bundle) begins to open the girl’s eyes to reality–and makes her realize there is a very important duty she must perform.  So, with the help of her new friends, Liesl escapes from the attic.  Their adventurous trek brings them into contact with a number of fascinating people, each with their own tale.  How their stories intertwine make this a can’t-put-it-down book kids will enjoy.

August Is…

August is many things.  Summer.  For some, back-to-school-or-college month.  For us, wedding anniversary month.

Yet August is known for a few other notable days.  The whole month is designated as Family Fun Month.  The third week is Friendship Week.  Some important days include:

August 9: BOOK LOVER’S DAY!

August 11: Play in the Sand Day

August 18: International Homeless Animals Day

August 21: Senior Citizens Day

And, naturally, there are some wonderful books on the themes of these commemorations.  Thanks to my friends at Flashlight Press for suggesting a few of the following incomparable gems.  (No, I am not paid for this endorsement.  I just love their books!)

Ernestine’s parents want their daughter to live life to the fullest, so every spare minute is crammed with a different activity–and she has a nanny to make sure she makes it to all her lessons.  But one day, Ernestine decides she’s had enough.  Perfect for Family Fun Month.

David is excited when popular, fun-loving Ruben Plotnick wants to come over to his house, but he’s also worried.  How will Ruben react when he sees David’s grandma, who is forgetful and sometimes does and says strange things?  A marvelous story about friendship and understanding.

Victricia is a member of a piratical family, but this buccaneering stuff is simply not for her.  Will the book-loving lass ever find her place?

When a little boy builds a sand castle, an unusual creature takes up residence.  But nobody, not his father, his mother, or his know-it-all sister, believe him.

That’s what Dad says when Mom brings home a stray cat, and gives a list of (good?) reasons.  However, he  (temporarily, he thinks) relents, only to have the scene repeat itself again and again.  This book is great fun.

When little Lucy asks her grandfather why he has so many “crinkles” on his face, he gives her a special reason for each one.  A beautiful story to share with a grandchild in your life.

Read.  Enjoy.  Be inspired.  Share.

Thank You, Mr. Tolkien

The incomparable author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy had his head in the right place.  It seems that in 1938 a German publishing company was interested in translating the first novel for readers in their country.  However, the publishers had a question concerning Mr. Tolkien’s Aryan descent.  Incensed, the author wrote two responses: a milder one, and a letter in which he made his displeasure known.  (As you will read, it is not known which response was actually sent.)  Take a look:

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/03/i-have-no-ancestors-of-that-gifted.html

Ray Bradbury, Booklover Extraordinaire

Ray Bradbury
1920-2012

We’ve lost another giant.  Ray Bradbury, science fiction writer extraordinaire, has passed away at the age of 91.  But I’m not doing him justice.  Even though sci-fi and futuristic writings were (and are) his hallmark, out of his pen flowed the heartwarming, semi-autobiographical Dandelion Wine, not to mention dramatic works, poetry, essays, television and movie scripts…

However, there is another side to the great writer that bibliophiles like myself appreciate most.  For Ray Bradbury was one of us.  (Anyone who has read Fahrenheit 451 knows this.)  He was an outspoken advocate of reading and libraries, and often protested the budget-induced cutbacks and closings many faced.  The best way I can think of to describe Mr. Bradbury’s stance is to let him speak for himself:

Without libraries what have we?  We have no past and no future.

You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture.  Just get people to stop reading them.

I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it’s better than college.  People should educate themselves – you can get a complete education for no money.  At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library and I’d written a thousand stories.

Teachers are to inspire.  Librarians are to fulfill.

I don’t try to describe the future.  I try to prevent it.

And one future Ray Bradbury wanted to prevent was one without books and the treasure-houses of libraries.  Now the torch has been passed to us.

If you have not yet had the experience of reading a Bradbury novel or story, now is a good time to begin.  Enjoy.

One more quote: If you enjoy living, it is not difficult to keep the sense of wonder.

Visit http://bookandagarden.com for reading gems to share with those you love.

Patricia MacLachlan’s Done It Again

The other day I opened, with a sense of anticipation, a new book by Patricia MacLachlan.  This novel has been waiting its turn for a number of weeks–so, when I completed two of the numerous books I’ve been reading simultaneously, I decided to treat myself.  Everything this author writes is sheer magic.  Suffice it to say that, despite all the other duties clamoring for my attention, I completed it today–and felt a little teary-eyed as I read the last pages.  (One would think it’s the first story I’ve read that tugs at the heartstrings!)  The tale of Jake, his grandfather, and a special dog named Lucy is one worthy of a great author.  Go out and read it for yourself.  Then give it to a kid in your life.

Eclipse

Many of you had the fortune to be in the path of Sunday’s magnificent annular eclipse.  While this blogger was not able to view the awesome sight, I, like many, marveled at images taken by those who enjoyed the privilege.

Three days after the event, I picked up at random a newly arrived title and began to read.  Imagine my reaction when I discovered that the characters are–to greater or lesser degrees–anticipating a total solar eclipse that will be visible in a very limited area.  As they await the celestial event, everyone learns something about each other–and themselves.  The novel?  Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass.  Like her other stories that I have had the pleasure of reading, this promises to be a treasure.

Thank You, Jean Craighead George!

I join the literary world in mourning the loss of a giant.  Yet Jean Craighead George, talented author that she was, was so much more than a writer.  She was an advocate for what is good and beautiful about this wonderful planet of ours: its wildlife, its natural beauty, how everything fits together into a harmonious whole.  Every book–every word–that emerged from her magic pen is a testimonial to this.  Whether the setting is Alaska or the Everglades, whether the main character is a rebellious teen or a baby wolf, whether the topic is pet care or the seasons of the year, Mrs. George’s love of our world and its inhabitants shines through.

We’ll miss you, Jean; but every time someone opens one of the treasures you have shared with us, it will seem as if you are here.