Review: A Gift for Gita

This is the second year in a row that we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving away from family.  Some of you may be traveling to see relatives this week.  Others may have family visiting  for a short time.  It can be difficult to feel torn between the people and place you grew up and where you now call home, and hard to say goodbye, albeit temporarily, to family.  The book I'm reviewing today isn't about Thanksgiving, but it is about family, and being separated from family by distance.  It is particularly well suited for children from other countries (India especially), but I think it could also be enjoyed by children whose grandparents live in other parts of the U.S.

A Gift for Gita (Paperback), by Rachna Gilmore. This is a sweet book about a girl named Gita who moves from India with her family. The story begins with a gift that her grandmother ("Naniji") has brought her from India - a set of nesting dolls. Naniji's visit is nearing its end when Gita's Papa receives a letter notifying him of a job offer back in India. Gita realizes that the U.S. is her home now. "When had she stopped missing India? When she and Amy became friends? When she first skated on the frozen canal? Gita opened her doll, took out the next one and the next, right down to the centre. It was like that inside her, so many moments, different parts of her - making the baseball team, camping in the Rockies, her first taste of pizza, planting roses with Mr. Finch next door . . . India was now a blur of distant colour and voices, an echo. Here was full and clear, loud and now. Home." Gita's family feels the same way, and decides to stay in the U.S. Gita asks her Naniji to stay with them, but she explains that her home is in India (see excerpt). They have a sweet goodbye, in which Gita is assured that part of of her Naniji is always with her.

Excerpt:

"Naniji smoothed Gita's hair. 'My home's back in India,' she said softly. 'I love it there, just as you love it here. It's where I belong. All the parts of my life are there, and all my memories - everything except you.' 'You can make new memories. Here.' 'I already have. To take back and keep with the ones I have of you there.' Gita tried to smile. Naniji always smiled when saying goodbye, she never cried."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: None really. He's too young. Reading level: ages 4-8 .

For companion activities and discussion questions, see the "Teachers Take Note" page on the publisher's website.  (Among other things, children create their own personal flags.  Fun!  I'd imagine if we try this tomorrow, we'll end up with a yellow flag with a car on it).

What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Thank you to Tilbury House for sending us a copy of a Gift for Gita to review.  Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Review: Look Whooo's Counting (Children's Books About Counting)

Look Whooo's Counting (Hardcover), by Suse MacDonald. I love this book. I'm fighting the urge to buy it, but I'm not fighting very hard. If the name Suse MacDonald sounds familiar, it may be because she authored the dinosaur "Shape by Shape" book we praised this week. Look Who's Counting follows an owl as he flies through the air and encounters different sets of animals (1 through 10). What makes the book so unique? First, the owl himself changes to reflect the numbers being counted on the adjoining page. If you look carefully at the cover image here, you'll see the numbers on the lower half of his wings. Very cool. Next, the animals themselves very subtly include the number featured on that page. The ducks flying through the air look like number 3's; the curled horns of the "big-horned sheep" look like 6's; the bodies of the spiders look like figure 8's. If you click on the book cover, you'll be taken to amazon, and you can probably peek inside the book and see a sample. The text is a simple accompaniment to the illustrations.

Excerpt:

"Owl saw 8 spiders in a web. / She counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8."

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: He likes it very much. He loves saying "whooo whooo" when he sees the owl. He also likes to count the items.

Note: I am adding Suse Macdonald's website to our list of authors and publishers with companion activities on our right side bar; check out the link for fun coloring pages, mazes, paperdolls, and other activities.

Click here to see the additional children's books about counting that we have reviewed, or click on the individual titles below to be taken to the posts that reviewed these titles (some of which we should probably try reading again now that he's older):

1,2,3 to the Zoo, by Eric Carle

Anno's Counting, by Mitsumasa Anno

Big Board Books: Colors, ABC, Numbers, by Roger Priddy

Chicka Chicka 1,2,3, by Bill Martin Jr.

Construction Countdown, by K.C. Olson

Daddy Hugs, by Karen Katz

Doggies, by Sandra Boynton

Duckie's Ducklings: A One-to-Ten Counting Book, by Frances Barry

Goodnight Moon 123: A Counting Book, by Margaret Wise Brown

One Chocolate Fish: A New Zealand Counting Book, by S. W. Norrie

One Duck Stuck, by Phyllis Root

One Watermelon Seed, by Celia Barker Lottridge

Activity (Sort of):

The Infant Bibliophile loves counting.  Most of the ways we incorporate learning about numbers are not formal lessons or activities.  We just count often as we go about our day.  Lately he loves to read out the numbers on houses as we walk.  As we've mentioned before (here), he loves board games too.  Some, like the Diego 1,2,3 game we reviewed here, are aimed at counting.  

But mostly he enjoys playing with our adult games.  He learned his smaller numbers from books, I'm sure (he started reading them off the page to me awhile back), but many of the larger ones - the 20's and 30's - he gets from rolling large multisided dice with his Dad.  Here are two photos of him playing, with blokus and trivial pursuit.  Being careful about choking hazards of course, take a look at your closet of games, and you might find some new forms of (free) entertainment ... and learning.

Question:

What are your favorite children's books about counting?  What are their favorite board games, adult or children's?

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

A Thankful Tree and a Giving Tree (Help Me Make Up My Mind)

Like many other blogging moms out there, no doubt, we've created a "thankful tree" this year.  While the little guy napped, I created a quick tree out of brown construction paper and cut out some leaves.  When he woke, I explained that it was a "thankful tree," and that we would write things on the leaves that he is thankful for.  I asked him to tell me things he was grateful for.  The leaves here were his first batch, with no prompting from me (I did prompt him on other days, to help him understand what grateful meant).  Among his answers: Mama, Dada, games, balloons, yellow, and walks outside.  In general, I'm really happy with how much he seems to understand the idea of being thankful.  He's not even 2 yet, so I think he's doing well to get it at all.

Review:

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. I read this book years ago, as a single girl in her 20's, as I happened by it in a bookstore. I was a huge fan of Shel Silverstein's wacky poems when I was younger (still am), so it immediately caught my eye. I didn't like it. It wasn't what I expected, and I put it down and moved on. Now, as a parent, I wondered if my opinion had been too hasty, so I recently reread it. Again, I found it depressing. But then I came home, and kept thinking about it. And then I thought maybe I really liked it. A lovely story about the selfless nature of motherhood. But then I thought, "no, maybe I still don't." A depressing view of motherhood in which a child takes more and more from her, as she desperately longs for his attention, and he abandons her throughout most of her life. I know many people who love it. Yes, I realize this is not a very helpful review. I haven't reviewed the book for two months since reading it, because I am really not sure how I feel about it. So, instead, I'm just posting this as an open query: do YOU like it? Why or why not?

Excerpt:

"But the boy stayed away for a long time... And the tree was sad. And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy and she said, 'Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and be happy.'"

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: We tried reading it together at a friend's house, but he hopped off my lap and played while I finished it myself.

Fantastic Fiction for Kids (Guest Posting at Playing By the Book)

We're excited to be contributing to a new feature today over at Playing By the Book, a wonderful blog  that recently made it into a list of the top 100 UK Parenting Blogs.

"Fantastic Fiction for Kids" is a weekly project that will ask guest bloggers to share a short selection of fiction books on a particular topic for children.  We've made some recommendations about our favorite children's books featuring trucks.  Go take a look and leave a comment about our choices, or just let Zoe know how much you like her new feature.

Children's Books About Shapes (and a Simple Craft)

We found three great books about shapes at the library today.  The Infant Bibliophile knows most of his shapes pretty well, thanks in part to a Melissa and Doug puzzle, but I like to reinforce the things he already knows, and he of course enjoys when he knows what a book is talking about.  There were also a couple of new-to-him shapes in the book, and the story lines were all fun enough to be enjoyable reads regardless of whether kids already know their shapes.  When we got home and read the books, they motivated us to do a craft right away.  In fact, we had to go back and finish the third book later because he was running to his art closet midway through!

Books:

Shape by Shape (Hardcover), by Suse Macdonald. I happened upon this great book by Caldecott Honoree Suse MacDonald. Die-cut pages slowly reveal more and more of a "mystery" brachiosaurus. Each revelation also highlights a different shape - circle, triangle, crescent, semicircle, oval, and diamond. Scant text keeps the focus on the shapes and the die-cut feature.

Excerpt:

"Do you know what I am? I lived a long, long time ago. / I had round eyes . . ."

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: 

He was very engaged with the book right away, turning the pages and pointing to the shapes he knows and saying them aloud in his own toddler-speak. I know crescent was a new one for him, and I think semicircle was as well.

Shape Capers (Hardcover), by Cathryn Falwell. A group of five boisterous children dressed in black and white sweatsuits bounce around the pages of this book, shaking shapes out of boxes. Each shape -- circle, square, triangle, semicircle, and rectangle -- gets a 1-3 page spread full of the shapes in a scene with the children. "Now what can we do?" the book then asks. And a handful of playful scenes show how shapes can be used to create a racing scene, rocket ship, dragon, boat, and playground. The second-to-last page features a birthday party scene, and the reader is asked to count how many of each shape he/she can find. The last page shows a person and dog constructed collage style out of shapes, with the suggestion: "You can make shape pictures! Cut shapes from all kinds of paper, old magazines and newspapers, wrapping paper, greeting cards, and other scraps. Glue the shapes together!"

Excerpt:

"Shake the shapes - what will they be? Here's a semicircle, just for me! / Lots of semicircles, half circle style - rock them, wear them, make me smile!"

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: He enjoyed this one very much also, and was excited by the idea of making collage-style images. He kept pointing excitedly to the figure of a person and indicating he wanted to make one like that. 

Until, that is, we started the craft, and he changed his mind and opted for a "vroom vroom!"

Mouse Shapes (Hardcover), by Ellen Stoll Walsh. A group of mice hide in a pile of shapes to avoid a cat.  They use the shapes to construct fun images, simple enough for toddlers to recognize and reproduce.  Ultimately, they outwit the cat by making three large pretend mice out of the shapes.

Excerpt:

"'Look, we've been hiding in shapes!' said Violet. / 'We can make things with them. Here's a square. A triangle on top makes it a perfect house for a little mouse.'"

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: He wanted to stop midway through, but only because he was so anxious to start creating images with his own shapes! We finished it and he enjoyed it again later with Daddy too. Another hit.

Other books by Ellen Stoll Walsh that we have reviewed recently are Hop Jump, For Pete's Sake, and Mouse Count (links go to our reviews).

Craft:

I quickly cut up a pile of shapes out of construction paper.  Like this:

And then we used them to construct a few scenes: (baby stroller, cat, owl, and truck).  I don't know what blogger has against posting the rotated version of this image, but I'm giving up...

He loved doing this craft, and kept asking for "more."  We would have done it for hours if he hadn't decided that he wanted to practice cutting with scissors, so we switched to that activity.

Question:

Do you have any favorite books about shapes in your house?

Books About Bird Conservation

Today I'm reviewing three wonderful books for older children, all involving birds and conservation efforts.  All of these are National Audubon Society Books.

Project Puffin: How We Brought Puffins Back to Egg Rock (Paperback), by Stephen Kress as told to Pete Salmansohn. Having grown up in New England, and being familiar with certain conservation efforts in Maine (but not the story of the puffins there), I was really excited to read this book and the companion teacher's guide. The book tells the story of Biologist Stephen Kress's experiment to bring the puffin population back to the coast of Maine, starting in the 70's. The first person narrative is very effective at showing the thought process required to formulate and carry out a successful conservation effort. The book is full of lovely photographs, many (as you'd expect) of puffins and other bird life, but also images chronicling the efforts of the scientists involved in the project - taking notes, transporting puffins, sneaking vitamins into meals for them, etc. I especially like the photographs of the scientists huddled in makeshift burlap hideaways spying on the puffins.

Excerpt:

"When I take my boat out to Eastern Egg Rock now, I remember my first trip to this tiny island off the coast of Maine. It was a cloudy day in June of 1969, and as my boat circled the island I could see only gulls and a few eider ducks. There were no puffins anywhere. From my reading, I knew that it has been almost 100 years since puffins were last seen here. I looked at the quiet ocean around me, and I felt sad. In my mind, however, I could see the chunky little puffins whizzing through the air. I could picture their stubby black wings beating quickly, and their snowy white chests looking bright against the sky. If puffins once lived here, why did they leave? Was it possible they might come back again? I began thinking how, as a wildlife scientist, I might help to bring puffins back to Eastern Egg Rock."

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: He's too young; we didn't try yet other than skimming the photos.

Giving Back to the Earth: A Teacher's Guide to Project Puffin and Other Seabird Studies Around the World (Paperback), by Pete Salmansohn and Stephen W. Kress. A companion to Project Puffin, the Teacher's Guide is aimed at children in grades 3-6, although some of the activities might be fun for younger kids (such as a puffin mobile). For homeschoolers with children of multiple ages, perhaps the older children could read Project Puffin while the younger crowd reads something like Puffins Climb, Penguins Rhyme (I haven't read this one, but it looks cute and has a suggested age range of 2-6). The lessons in the Teacher's Guide are divided into 7 themes:  

1. Puffins and Seabirds are Magnificently Adapted to Living on the Ocean (16 activities) 
   
2. A Healthy Marine Ecosystem is the "Invisible Support Structure for Seabird Colonies and Other Ocean Inhabitants (5 activities) 
   
3. Birds and Wildlife in North America Have Suffered Depredations Over the Past Centures (4 activities) 
   
4. Current Human Impacts Threaten Marine Ecosystems (3 activities) 
   
5. Careful Observation and Good Record-Keeping Are Important Research Tools of Wildlife Biologists (6 activities) 
   
6. One Person With a Dream Can Make a Difference (4 activities) 
   
7. Projects to Help Restore and Protect Animals, Plants, and Habitats Are Taking Place Around the World (2 activities plus additional resources).  

The activities include fun arts and crafts like making a quilt using fabric transfer crayons or sketching birds, engaging exercises involving role play, and hands-on scientific experiments. This is an amazing resource.

Excerpt:

From "Oil's Deadly Deeds" "Methods: Have students work in pairs. Float a feather in the bowl of water and take one drop of water at a time and drop it on a feather. Observe what happens. Then put a drop or two of cooking oil on the feather. Let is 'soak' in. Try again with drops of water and see what happens. Does the water roll off?" ... "Discussion: Oil destroys a feather's waterproofing qualities . . . This is a good lead-in to showing photos of oil soills like that of the EXXON VALDEX, and studying what happened to marine life. What do students think can be done? . . . "

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: Too young - we didn't try beyond a quick glimpse at the photos.

You can learn more about Project Puffin on the National Audubon Society Website.  The site explains that "at least 40 seabird species in 12 countries have benefited from seabird restoration techniques developed by Project Puffin."  You can also Adopt-a-Puffin via the website.

Want a companion snack?  We used to love this Cinnamon Puffins Cereal until allergies intervened.  (The price you see is for four boxes of cereal, but we used to buy single boxes at our local grocery store).

Saving Birds: Heroes Around the World (Paperback), by Pete Salmansohn and Stephen W. Kress. "There are many kinds of heroes in our world. In these six, multicolor, multicultural stories you'll learn about young people and grownups fighting against the odds to save wild birds -- and about the birds themselves, some on the brink of extinction." In the first story, a scientist manages to save a bird -- the New Zealand black robin -- from extinction when only five were known to exist in the entire world. He did it in part by finding other birds that could incubate the eggs and raise the chicks (while the robins laid another batch of eggs). The other stories, equally inspiring, take place in:

• Chiapas, Mexico (two men perform at schools and meetings to spread the word about protecting birds called quetzals); 
• Sarawak, Malaysia (a group of scientists convinced dance groups that were using feathers from hornbills in their costumes to accept painted feathers from an Arizona turkey farm instead); 
• Caohai, China (a compromise was forged between farmers and a nature preserve, partially through the provision of small gifts of $100 each to help businesses that agreed not to harm the preserve, in order to protect black-necked cranes); 
• Israel (among the innovative efforts to protect a falcon called a lesser kestrel is a "hotline" that people can call to report on the status of 50 or 60 nests); and 
• California (scientists' efforts to protect the common murres involved "400 wooden murre decoys, two sound systems, solar panels, batteries, and tweve large mirror boxes up to the top of the 150-foot-high-Devil's Slide Rock.").  
  

These are really inspiring stories, simply told in an interesting and engaging way.

Excerpt:

"Can a puppet show, a song, a coloring book, or a poster help save a bird? If you ask Oswaldo Conreras these questions, he will let out a big laugh and then tell you, 'Yes, of course -- it is being done right now, here in the mountains of Chiapas, Mexico!'"

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: He's too young for it, although I'm told Daddy used it to say: "I spy with my little eye a green bird with a very big tail" earlier today.

Thank you to Tilbury House for providing us with copies of these books to review.  Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Review: Make It Fast, Cook It Slow

Yum.  Yum.  Yum.  Sometime this year I came across Stephanie O'Dea's blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, on which she posted a recipe using her slow cooker every single day for one year.  The recipes looked delicious, and her writing was funny, down-to-earth, and honest.  I loved how she included a "verdict" for every recipe, including the reactions of her picky kids.  I was hooked.  I bought my first slow cooker just to try her creations, and I wasn't disappointed.  My favorite dish from the site is her orange chicken.  

Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking (Paperback), by Stephanie O'Dea.  When I learned that Stephanie was having her first cookbook published, I knew I needed a copy.  I have cooked too many meals with my laptop precariously balanced by the stove, a misstep away from a cup of chicken stock coating its keys, and having to tap my touchpad with my elbow every few minutes to keep the screen saver off.  I was thrilled when my copy arrived last week.  The book is divided into 16 chapters.  Here they are, with a sample recipe title from each chapter:

• Beverages (pumpkin spice latte)
• Appetizers (sweet and spicy chicken wings)
  
• Breakfast (breakfast risotto)
  
• Baking (five-layer brownies)
  
• Side Dishes (sweet-and-sour caramelized onions)
  
• Beans (clean-out-the-pantry chili)
  
• Pasta & Casseroles (barbequed chicken and cornbread casserole)
  
• Soups & Stews (pizza soup)
  
• Seafood (fillet of sole with pesto)
  
• Poultry (chipotle chicken with sweet potatoes)
• Meatless Mains (ratatouille)
  
• Meat (pineapple pork tenderloin)
  
• Takeout Fake-Out (chicken makhani (indian butter chicken))
  
• Snacks & Fondue (chocolate and marshmallow fondue)
  
• Desserts (cheesecake)
  
• Fun Stuff (brownie-in-a-mug)

Hungry yet?

For those with gluten intolerance or wheat allergies, everything in the book is gluten free.  We have to avoid dairy and egg as well as wheat around here, but most of the recipes can be easily altered to be safe for us.  Every time I pick the book up, I find another five recipes I want to try right away.  My only complaint is that the book lacks photographs of the finished dishes, something I usually like to see in my cookbooks.  Really, though, photographs are not necessary to follow the recipes, and I appreciate the lack of photos if it kept the price down.

When I received the book, I poured through it wondering which recipe to try first.  I settled on "Brown Sugar Chicken."  Here is Stephanie's "Verdict" on the recipe: 

It should be noted that this chicken has been named "Candy Chicken" in our house.  I don't think my kids have ever eaten so much chicken in their lives.  If you are tired of dried out, boring chicken, you must try this.  You simply must.  Go.  Now.  Go to the store and buy the ingredients. 

I listened!  Well, sort of.  I sent my husband to the store for ingredients.  

We made a few substitutions based on what we had on hand, but the end result, served over rice, really was delicious.  So delicious that I completely forgot to take a photo before we ate it all.   But here is a photo stolen from Stephanie's website (I cut my chicken up a bit smaller, so mine looked a little different than this): 

Verdict: Make It Fast, Cook It Slowwould make a wonderful holiday gift paired with a slow cooker.  You must read this.  You simply must.  Go.  Now.  Order this book.  

Question -- 

What are your favorite cook books?  Do you have a slow cooker?  What are your favorite recipes for it?

Thank you to Stephanie O'Dea and Hyperion for sending me a review copy.  Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

What My Child is Reading This Week

Am I really hosting What My Child is Reading this week?  Imagine my surprise when I read that in my Google Reader this morning.  I had no idea.  This is a fun weekly activity where bloggers post about what their kids are reading, and link up in one central location.  I actually haven't participated many times, because it is what I post about almost all of the time... one post about it seemed a little forced.  But as I have been reviewing more books that are beyond the Infant Bibliophile's age level, maybe I will start participating more in the future.  

 

I'm a bit rushed this morning, but here are three favorites from this week. 

Yellow . Part of a Colors Series, this one is (obviously) all about yellow, with large, bold simple rhyming text, and then a more detailed box insert about the subject on every two-page spread.

Excerpt:

"Yellow can buzz. Yellow can sting. Bees live in hives and make honey. Yellow honey tastes sweet."

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: As predicted as soon as we saw it, he loved it. I don't know where his affection for the color yellow came from...

Let's Listen: Nursey Rhymes for Listening and Learning (Mother Goose) (Board book), by Studio Mouse. Our full review is here. We've also been really enjoying his "Let's Listen" Nursery Rhyme book this week. This was one of the best first birthday gifts he received. Now that he is getting more verbal, I like to sing the songs with him and pause now and then for him to fill in the missing words.

I Spy A To Z (Hardcover), by Jean Marzollo.

This I-Spy book (full review here) has remained a perennial favorite. If I let him to choose what to read, he ALWAYS chooses this one off of his shelf.

What are YOU reading? Leave a comment and let us know!

October/November Craftiness

October and November were somewhat crafty months for us.  

First, we are late in posting about Halloween, but I have to share this post-Halloween-party photo of our little UPS man (he put the hat like that himself).  

These little monster treats were my favorite Halloween craft.  I think I might have gotten the idea from My Family My Forever.  I melted chocolate into a shallow bowl.  Then I helped the little guy stick a marshmallow on each craft stick, dip the top in the chocolate, dip again in a separate bowl of shredded coconut, and then give to me to do the freeze-dried blueberry eyes (held on by a little more melted chocolate).  They were delicious, and he loved making them.  

We really turned a corner this month in terms of sewing together.  In theory, the Infant Bibliophile loves to sew with me, on my knee, for short bursts of time.  Before now, though, I have always found it too difficult to get a project together quickly enough before he tired of the idea and moved on.  But these last couple of months, I've just been making small projects with him with little or no planning - a bag here or there or sandwiching a few pieces of fabric together and practicing some stitches... anything to get us back into my quilting room every day.  For instance, here's a pencil case we made to hold the colored pencils I put in his Halloween basket.

And here is a tactile/texture book we made for a friend.  (Thanks to One Inch World and Mama Smiles for the idea).  We took all sorts of different fabrics - denim, corduroy, soft minkee, high contrast cotton prints, etc., and sewed pairs of them right sides together, with a small opening for turning inside out.  We ended up with 5 "pages," and since I don't have a serger and couldn't get the bulk under my machine presser foot to bind it as a real book, I just sewed the top left corner by hand:

I also remembered that I had this advent calendar kit.  It was the perfect project for us. We did a little sewing every day.  I even taught the little guy to push pins into my pin cushion as I pulled them out.  The final project is nowhere near perfect, but it is finished (except for a hanging mechanism), and I'm a happier person for having had more time in my sewing room lately.

Comment -- 

What crafty things have you been up to lately?  What things make you a happier person when you can find the time to fit them into your life?

Review: Our Friendship Rules

I have had this book out of the library for so embarrassingly long without reviewing it that it is now overdue. I was waiting for a book about the friendship between two pre-teen girls to relate to something in my two year-old's life, and I never really found the hook. I have to get this back to the library, and besides, it is too good to keep it to myself any longer. So, I'm going to share it now, with this weak hook.

I've started talking to the Infant Bibliophile about Thanksgiving, and what it means to be thankful for things. We play a little game as we go for walks in his stroller, where I ask him to tell me things that he is thankful for, i.e. that make him happy. Here are some of his recent answers:
"Mama" (I'm always first!)
"Yaya" (yellow - then he points to everything yellow he can find)
"Dada, dame!" (playing board games with Daddy)
"Honeydew" (he does eat honeydew, but I think he just loves to say the word)

So, as Thanksgiving nears, and we all start to think about the things in our life that we are most thankful for, friendship will be near the top of my list.  (I told you it was a weak hook).  Now let's see if I can do this book justice.

Our Friendship Rules (Hardcover), by Peggy Moss and Dee Dee Tardif (Illustrated by Alissa Imre Geis). "It's pretty easy to join the cool crowd. All you have to do is ditch your best friend first. Alexandra and Jenny have been best friends for a long time. But when Alexandra is momentarily dazzled by the glamour of a new girl at school, she's willing to do almost anything to get to be the cool girl's friend. Ultimately, she tells her best friend Jenny's biggest, most important secret - and just like that, Alexandra is in! When Alexandra realizes what it feels like to lose her best friend, and see the hurt she's caused, she knows she has to figure out a way to regain the relationship that's far more important to her than being invited to sit with the popular girls."  The story line of the book is a familiar one, but it is beautifully covered here. The authors tell the story brilliantly in Alexandra's voice.  Reading it made me feel 13 again.  They capture how amazingly close friendships feel at that age, with their secrets and endless hours together: "We sit next to each other on the bus. We play cards in her tree house. We spy on my brother. During recess, we play 'Jenny Tag.'  It's really complicated.  And fun.  We made up rules. Jenny keeps them in her pocket, just in case."  I love this excerpt:  'Jenny and I aren't really friends anymore, I said.  'She talks too loud.'  I felt a little sick to my stomach when I said it.  But only for a minute, because Rolinda smiled a big welcome-to-my-club smile and said, 'You're right!'"  

The illustrations are fantastic.  The girls look modern in a way that young girls would really relate to, and the drawings of them are interspersed with illustrations that the main character has drawn - the most powerful one a black and white sketch (with a bit of red) of Jenny in tears, labeled "And this is what Jenny Martin looks like when she can't believe that her best friend told a story about her just to impress the coolest girl in the school."

No doubt about it, the world of pre-teen/teen girls is complicated and can be downright cruel. I think this is a fantastic book, especially for young girls (maybe boys too - I'll tell you in a few years as my little guy ages).  My friends and I may have benefited from a copy when I was younger, as we tended to have shifting alliances and weren't necessarily the best friends we could have been to each other.

Excerpt:

"Rolinda let me sit at her table at lunch. She and her friends talked about how Jenny Martin looks just like a lizard because she is so small. 'All she does is run around and hide under things,' Rolanda laughed. I sat quiet as a leaf. I didn't say a word."

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: Too young, though we glanced at the illustrations.  The suggested age is 4-8, but I wouldn't hesitate to share it with older girls who need a lesson in friendship.

Source: library copy.

Comment

Do you have any other books about friendship that you or your children enjoy?  Any fond or terrible memories of friendship that you feel the need to share?  I'm happy to put the drama of those days behind me, but I do sometimes miss the intensity of the friendships from that stage of life.

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Winner announcement: Winter's Tail prize pack

Wow, you all like dolphins!  After 157 entries, the winner of our Winter's Tail prize pack give-away (as selected by Random.org) is:

pauline15 said...

My son is finally loving to read and I am always looking for new books to read. Since he loves animal books, I look forward to checking out this book further!

I have contacted the winner by email.  Thank you to Scholastic and Big Honcho Media for sponsoring this give-away.  

If you're disappointed that you didn't win, you can enter our current give-away for two wonderful Christmas books.   And of course, you can pick up your own copy of Winter's Tail or pre-order the Winter's Tail Nintendo DS Game.

The Search for Flat Stanley's Next Big Adventure

My son and I have never read any Flat Stanley books together, but I have seen the books, love the concept and have just been waiting until he is old enough to enjoy them (anyone who has read them: should we try them at two years old or keep waiting?).  I know many of our readers enjoy the Flat Stanley series, though.  Christy at Superheroes and Princesses had an especially entertaining series of posts about their Flat Stanley project awhile back.  

So, I'm passing along information about a really fun sweepstakes that HarperCollins is running in partnership with Adventures by Disney.  (Christy, I hope you guys enter!)

Here is the site for the Search for Flat Stanley's Next Big Adventure contest (wait for it to load, then click on contest).  The basic idea is that kids choose a continent for Flat Stanley to visit, download and print a Flat Stanley pack from the website, color it all in, do some pasting, and write a story of no more than 150 words about Flat Stanley's adventures on that continent.  Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Three Grand Prize winners (one per age group) get to choose from a list of Adventures by Disney 2010 season Vacations.  They can bring up to three guests, so hopefully they'll choose to take their parents along.  Not sold yet?  Look at these choices from among the 19 different vacations:

•    Central Italy “Bella Italia” Vacation to Sorrento and Florence for 8 Days/7 Nights (ARV $16,616 - $21,406).

•    Australia “Discovery Down Under” Vacation to Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock (Uluru) and Sydney for 10 Day/9 Nights (ARV $21,176 - $27,256).

•    Ireland “The Emerald Isle” Vacation to Dublin, Killarney and Shannon for 8 Days/7 Nights (ARV $15,546 - $20,006).

•    Ecuador “Treasures of the Galapagos” Vacation to Quito, Otavalo Valley, and the Galapagos Islands for 10 Day/9 Nights (ARV $21,386 - $28,736).

•    Alaska “Taming the Last Frontier” Vacation to Fairbanks, Denali National Park & Reserve, Kenai Peninsula for 8 Days/7 Nights (ARV $16,466 - $20,266).

Official rules are here: http://flatstanleybooks.com/adventuresbydisney/rules.html

Who's entering?

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.

Review and Give-Away: Christmas Magic and the Nutcracker and the Mouse King

I remember when the Christmas season started on the day after Thanksgiving, and people thought that was early.  Maybe it is because our son's birthday falls in November, but it seems everyone has already been asking what he would like for Christmas, and friends have begun to stock up on gifts for under their trees already too!  Is Halloween the new Thanksgiving?  (Image is of the Infant Bibliophile's first Christmas, at one month old).

If you find it hard to get into the Christmas spirit early, here are a couple of books to get you on your way.  (Read through to the end for a give-away!).

The Christmas Magic (Hardcover), by Lauren Thomspon (illustrated by Jon J. Muth). From publisher: "Far, far North, when the nights are longe

st and the stars shine brightest, Santa begins to prepare for his big night of giving. He gathers his reindeer, feeds them parsnips and berries, and polishes his bells and his sled. Then lovingly, he chooses toys for every child in the world. For Santa loves them all, and he knows what each child at heart wants most. Then, with the thrum of magic that makes reindeers fly, he spreads ... Christmas joy and warmth throughout the world ..." Santa may be slightly trimmed down, and wearing bunny slippers, but his long white beard and big black boots should satisfy the most traditional Santa-fans among us. As Santa wanders around the house preparing for Christmas, he's like a lovable combination of a traditional, jolly Santa and everybody's favorite grandpa. A lovely book about the magic of Christmas.

Excerpt:

"Far, far north, where the reindeer are, there is a snug little house with a bright red door. And in that house lives Santa Claus. / Every year, just when the nights are longest and the stars shine brightest, Santa feels a tingling in his whiskers. / Then he knows that the Christmas magic will soon be here."

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: I thought it was beyond his age level, but he sat rapt through the entire book, and I think we'll get a lot of use out of this one as the holidays draw near.

Parent's Peeve: Where is Mrs. Claus?

Source: Review copy from publisher

Youtube trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI6XkJdI5lo

The Nutcracker And The Mouse King (Hardcover), by E. T. A. Hoffmann (Illustrated by Gail de Marcken). Publisher's summary: "On Christmas Eve, Godfather Drosselmeier has arrived with gifts of marvel and enchantment for his young godchildren. Goddaughter Marie falls in love a bewitching nutcracker doll and claims him as her own. Yet when the clock strikes midnight, something terribly amazing happens to Godfather’s handcrafted toys…they come alive. Marie is swept off her feet on an incredible journey with the Nutcracker in this astonishing classic story by E.T.A. Hoffman. Critically acclaimed artist Gail de Marcken’s stunning illustrations bring this spellbinding tale to life." Aimed at children 4-8, this is a large, beautifully detailed version of the classic tale. Although I often read to the Infant Bibliophile outside of his age level, this one really does have a LOT of text per page, so the really youngest set probably wouldn't sit through it. On the other hand, it is so beautifully illustrated that I wouldn't hesitate to gift this to an older child or adult with a particular fondness for Christmas.

Excerpt:

"The room has become a Christmas wonderland. The Christmas tree was giant and covered with dancing lights, silver and gold apples, sugar almonds, and all sorts of treats. Around the bottom of the tree were gifts for both Marie and Fritz. From a beautiful new doll in a pink silk dress to a cavalry of toy soldiers on toy horses, the children gazed in delight."

Bookworm's interest at 24 months: He is way too young for the text, but as I sat down to type this review, it occurred to me that the detail-rich illustrations would be great for playing I-Spy, which he loves.

Parent's Peeve: More of an admission. It has been a crazy month around here, and I haven't read this book entirely through yet. I am saving it. One of these nights, when the house is quiet, I plan to sit down with a nice hot cup of apple cider, put my feet up, and get into the Christmas spirit with this one.

Source: Review copy from publisher

Give-Away

Two lucky readers will receive BOTH the Christmas Magic AND the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Wow!

How to Enter:

1. Comment on this post for one entry.

2. Follow or subscribe to Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile and leave a comment letting us know.

3. Blog about this give-away and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Tweet with a link to the give-away and leave a comment letting us know.

Maximum number of entries: 4 per person.  This book promotion is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail).  Please make sure that I have a way to contact you if your email address is not available in your profile.  Deadline: November 23, 2009, midnight, Mountain Time.

Disclosure: Thank you to Scholastic Books for sending us a copy of each of these books in order to write this review.  Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Blogger SOS

?

Does anyone know how to revamp blogger labels so that, for instance, all things labeled "A" will now be labeled "B"?  The only way I know how to get all of my labels cleaned up, which I've long been wanting to do, is to click on every single post individually and edit and republish them.  

Back to our regular programming soon

Hi all -- just a quick note to say that the Infant Bibliophile is back to 100% (I left the room for a moment today and came back to find him swinging from the kitchen island, in preparations for chin-ups apparently).   I've noticed last night and tonight that suddenly he enjoys me reading quite long books to him.  I'm excited because I think this will allow us to pull out some books that before now were just too long.  Maybe we'll even go back to reading him the Winnie the Pooh short stories, like we did when he was truly an infant and couldn't resist.  Tonight's stack included his little chunky ABC book, Harold's ABC, Are You My Mother, Bunny Hop, and Curious George at the Aquarium (have I really never reviewed this on our blog?!)(all links should go to the posts with our earlier reviews).  Those were all bedtime attempt number two, after giving up on the first try, which mainly involved Boggle.

 I hope to get back to some book reviews tomorrow.  I also have some fun crafts that I may blog about soon too.  I hope all is well with you and yours.

Blog Tour/Review (with Prizes): Always My Brother

Today we have the honor of being a stop on the blog tour for a wonderful book, Always My Brother, by Jean Reagan (illustrated by Phyllis Pollema-Cahill).  

Always My Brother (Hardcover), by Jean Reagan. Becky and her brother John were best friends (and avid hockey players). "But that was all before--before John died." Beautifully illustrated, Always My Brother tells the story of Becky's grief in the ensuing days. It is a thoughtful, honest tale of grief, in language able to be understood by children. "When they left, life went back to normal. Only it wasn't normal at all. At meals, I stared at John's empty chair. When we had his favorite--pizza with pineapple--I felt so sad, I ran from the table. And slammed my door. Hard." "On my first day back at school, my friends looked away. I guess they didn't know what to say. I didn't either." Ultimately, Becky begins to heal. "By the time winter came again, I didn't feel so sad when I saw pictures of John. I even smiled while I looked at the one of us in the tub." One day, she actually laughs again; another day, she manages to sing; and, eventually, she returns to the soccer field. I love that the story does not trivialize the magnitude of grief, anger, and sadness resulting from the death of a close relative, and yet ultimately manages to convey a message of hope about the healing process. Although we all hope that our children stay shielded from grief, I'm glad to know that this book exists. It would be a lovely gift for a child that experiences the loss of a loved one, certainly of a sibling, but also of a parent or grandparent.

Blog Comment Prizes

Tilbury House has offered some prizes in connection with the blog tour.

They will draw 7 lucky winners from all of those who leave comments on the participating tour posts (Nov.1-13) to win one of the following prizes:

- A copy of Always My Brother signed by author Jean Reagan (5 available)*
- A set of 10 winter notecards with art by illustrator Phyllis Pollema-Cahill (2 available)

* Winners are welcome to designate a grief center, school, or library to receive their signed copy in their place.
All winners will be announced after the tour. US/Canada addresses only, please.

Twitter Prize
Everyone that tweets about the tour using the hashtag #AlwaysTour from November 1-13 will be entered to win a set of three children's books from Tilbury House — your choice! Winners will be announced after the tour, US/Canada addresses only, please.

The other dates on the blog tour are:
Nov. 1 — Welcome from Tilbury House
Nov. 2 — Griefcase
Nov. 3 — Author Jean Reagan's website
Nov. 4 — Healing the Grieving Heart
Nov. 5 — Grief Speaks
Nov. 6 — Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile (that's us)
Nov. 7 — heartfeltwords4kids
Nov. 8 — I Did Not Know What to Say
Nov. 9 — Moziesme
Nov. 10 — Anastasia Suen
Nov. 11 – Maw Books
Nov. 12 — Author Emily Wing Smith
Nov. 13 — Bri Meets Books

Discussion Question

Do you know of any other children's books about grief and loss?  Did you have to deal with loss at a young age?  Would a book like this have been a comfort to you?  

Disclosure: I was provided an unbound advance copy of Always My Brother in order to write this review.  Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Our turn

It seems that my Google Reader is infested lately with stories of illness and hospital visits. We had our turn at the Emergency Room last night from about 10:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m., as the Infant Bibliophile was treated for asthma-related complications from the flu (or a common cold). He's flirted with asthma before, and is high risk because of his multiple food allergies and severe infant eczema, but I have held onto the hope that he might escape it. It seems to be somewhat under control now (fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc.), and we're hoping we don't need to make any more midnight runs to the ER.

It will take us awhile to get caught up on sleep (and book reviews!). In the meantime, here are a few cute things our little charmer, as we affectionately refer to him around here, has been saying lately. I don't know about the "terrible twos," but I'm finding 23 months to be an adorable age.

Last week, my husband took the little guy for a short walk, and he saw two construction vehicles. Dad said, "look, two diggers!" But he was corrected: "one backhoe, one digger!" All of those truck books are teaching him a thing or two apparently.

Dad was also told off for crossing the street before the flashing light had turned to a walk signal. "Red hand!!!" he heard from the stroller.

He has recently learned the meaning of "tomorrow." In case you don't know what this word means, it is a synonym of "never." As in, "we have to go to the doctor's today..." "No, tomorrow!!!"

On our flight last month, I was struggling to keep him entertained while the plane landed, as we were looking out the window at night and not much was visible. We began this little game, which he started spontaneously playing on the ride home from the ER last night (at 3:30am, and full of meds!). He'd point excitedly at the lights of the city.

I'd say, "you see lights?"

"Yeah, digger!" (comes out sort of like "duhduh!").

"Oh, you see a digger?"

"Yaya!"

"A yellow digger?"

"Pooooo!"

"It's building a pool?"

"Yeah. (pause) Pretending!"

Perhaps you have to hear the slow, methodical way he annunciates "pretending," but trust me, it is CUTE.

He greets Daddy lately with, "hi! *kiss* Dinna yeddy!"

OK, I guess that's all I've got. What time is it? What day is it? Is cold/flu season over yet? I hope you and your families are staying well. If you face a hospital stay, you might like this wonderful list of children's books about hospital visits that Natasha at Mawbooks posted awhile back.

How have your families been faring the flu storm so far?

And since this post needs a photo, wouldn't it be nice to be in Tahiti right now? (If you click on the image, you may see that there is a Maori proverb at the top of the photo, from when I was playing around with designing some notecards:

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."

Happy Halloween and a New Button

Happy Halloween from the Infant Bibliophile!  AKA  The UPS Man, Yellow Kitty Cat, Pirate, or King, depending on what mood strikes. 

Following in the footsteps of Mama Smiles, who recently posted about her new button (you can find it in our sidebar), we finally got this task off our to-do list too.  You can now find the code to add our button to your website on our right sidebar.   If you post our button, make sure to drop us a note and let us know.  Thank you!

Library Book Sale - Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, I posted Part 1 of our library book sale finds.  I was kindly reminded by someone tonight that I have yet to post Part 2.  I know you have all been on the edge of your seats.  Here are the other four books we picked up that day.

Tall (Hardcover), by Jez Alborough. This wonderfully charming tale is told with very, very few words (as in, three words other than "tall" and "small"). In this way, it reminded me of Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. The illustrations are playful; you just want to smile along with the animals. Bobo the monkey feels "small." He finds a rock and stands upon it. Then he feels "tall," until a bigger animal comes along. He gets on the animal's shoulders, and then feels "tall" again, until another, and another, and another taller animal appear in turn. At the end, Bobo falls from his highest seat, into his mother's arms, and appears perfectly content being carried in her arms and feeling "small" once again.

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: I thought it was adorable that he ran to an ottoman and climbed up on it when we first read the page with the monkey climbing on the rock. Since then, Daddy and I have read the whole book to him quite a few times, and he loves showing off that he can "read" the words "tall," "bobo," and "mommy."

Parent's Peeve: None; I love this one!

I Love You So Much (Hardcover), by Carl Norac. Lola wakes up eager to share "special words" - so eager that the words are puffing out her hamster cheeks. Unfortunately, those she'd like to share the words with all seem too busy. Eventually, after some cute hamster pouting, she gets to share her special message with her parents, and she goes to bed happy. "Tomorrow's special words were already on the tip of her tongue."

Excerpt:

"'Mommy, I want to tell you . . . ," Lola whispered. 'Can it wait, angel?' said Mommy. 'You'll be late for school.' / On the school bus, it was much too noisy for Lola to say her special words."

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: He picked this one off the shelf himself at the book sale and insisted we buy it, every time I asked him if he was sure. Once we got home, he didn't make it all the way through. I'm not sure he really got what it was about. We'll keep trying.

Parent's Peeve: I like the idea of the story, and the parents being busy, etc. But trying to share the special words with various people throughout the day at school (like chasing after "Frankie, the Skateboard King" to try to "say her special words to him") didn't appeal to me as much. It is still a cute story, though, and I don't regret buying it.

Motherlove (Hardcover), by Virginia L. Kroll. My first impression when I opened this book was that it was beautiful. The illustrations of mother-child animals are lovely. The text is like two books in one. Poetry in large, bold text describes the various things that mothers do for their young. Then, smaller text on the page adds additional information for older readers. I love when books can grow with a reader in this way.

Excerpt:

"Some mothers are purry; all mothers are wonderfully warm. / They cradle and cuddle and coddle and huddle and spread out their wings in a storm. " "Like many birds, these mute swans sit carefully atop their babies. When the nestlings are older, parent birds shield them with their wings from wet or chilly weather."

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: He enjoys sitting as we read this together. I think he just likes listening to the rhythmic text (me too!), and he always says, "Mama!" when we get to the orangutan page, because I love seeing orangutans at the zoo.

Parent's Peeve: I agree with the amazon customer review that some of the text - like this "They're good at respecting, directing, protecting and teaching their offspring to fly. They separate hagglers and bring in the stragglers and know when (or not) to ask why" - is a little over the head of young readers. But I really enjoy reading it aloud, so I don't mind very much. While I like my son to understand what we read, I think books like this can also give him an appreciation for the rhythm of poetry and language generally, and that's equally important to me.

I've posted about a book called Peekaboo Morning before (link goes to our review).  We took the board book version out of the library often.  I was delighted to see the full-sized version at the sale.  The text appears to be identical to the board book version - short and simplest enough for the very earliest readers.  

And that rounds out the eight books we picked up at the sale.  Now I'm starting to think about birthday and Christmas purchases.  As of now, my birthday/Christmas buying plans include There Are Cats in This Book, My Truck is Stuck, and Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever.  They're all books we've read at the library and loved.  And I am thinking about stuffing homemade goodie bags at the Infant Bibliophile's birthday party next month with copies of Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks from A to Z (all links go to our reviews). 

Question: Have you started thinking about holiday shopping yet?  Have any other book purchases in mind?  Any children's books you're currently coveting?  Please share with us.

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Review: Amadi's Snowman (Children's Book Re: Learning to Read)

Amadi's Snowman (Hardcover), by Katia Novet Saint-Lot. Set in Nigeria, Amadi's Snowman tells the story of a young boy who dreams of being a businessman. He has a knack for math, and sees no need for him to learn to read, despite his mother and a well-meaning neighbor's attempts to teach him. But when Amadi spots a boy at the market reading a book about a snowman, and learns what snow is for the first time, he realizes how much books can teach him, and how much he is missing. Walking home from the market, "the sign boards on the roadside seemed to laugh at him, their giant letters taunting him, daring him to understand their meaning." When the neighbor gifts him with the book, he resolves to learn to read, and "his heart is filled with joy." A beautiful story about literacy, Africa, and the power of books.

Excerpt:

"Amadi closed the book and looked at the cover. The boy seemed to smile at him, as if challenging him. Amadi smiled back. Yes, he'd learn about snow. And then he'd learn more, because when this book was finished, there'd be others. And the more he learned, the more he'd know."

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: He's too young; we'll try again in a few years. Suggested reading age: 4-8.

You can find discussion topics and companion activities on the publisher's website. For instance,

• Find Nigeria on the map or globe. Make up a story about how you would travel there from your home. Your story can be told in writing, in words, in pictures or in movement/acting...
• Research a game children play in Nigeria. Try it out.
• Cook and eat fried plantains. Find out what other foods Amadi might eat.

Source: Review copy from publisher (Tilbury House).

Question: Who most influenced your learning to read, or your appreciation of reading? If I had to pinpoint one person in my life, I'd say my mother, because she stocked me with books, brought me to the library, and read often herself. Who was it for you -- a parent, sibling, teacher? Comment and tell us about it.

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Review and Give-Away (Winter's Tail)

Today I am reviewing and hosting a give-away of a wonderful new release from Scholastic Press - Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned To Swim Again.  

Here is the publisher's synopsis: 

When Winter, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, was found trapped with her tail badly damaged, she was not expected to survive. This is her miraculous story, from her rescue to learning how to swim again to her unprecedented success using a prosthetic tail. This is also a celebration of her indomitable spirit.

It wasn't until I sat down to type up my review that I realized that Winter's Tail  is written by the authors of Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship (a New York Times bestseller that I have been meaning to read; see recent review on Mama Smiles blog) and How One Little Polar Bear Captivated The World (Knut).  It is no surprise then, that this endearing book is so beautifully written.  I think it would appeal to any fans of animal and ocean life, but would be an especially wonderful book for children with prosthetic devices, hearing aids, or other assistive devices.

Excerpt: "One cold winter morning, just off the east coast of Florida, a baby female dolphin managed to get tangled up in a crab trap.  In the effort to free herself, the dolphin caused the ropes securing the crab trap to the buoy to become wrapped around her tail.  The more she struggled, the tighter the ropes became, quickly strangling her tail.  Luckily, a nearby fisherman caught a glimpse of this unusual situation and came to set the little dolphin free.  It was not clear she would survive.  And even if she did survive, how would a dolphin manage without a tail?  How would she swim?  How would she thrive?  Life without her tail would cause many challenges, but with the help and case of a great number of dedicated people, a dolphin named Winter would beat the odds.  In return, Winter's story would inspire and warm the hearts of people all over the world."

The photographs throughout the book alternate between beautiful shots of Winter swimming and detailed images of her rescue and treatment.  They show the multitude of people who were involved with her care and the wonderful reception she received from an adoring public.

The suggested reading age is 4-8.  I just flipped through the photos with our two-year old Bibliophile and then read it on my own.

Additional Links

• Official Winter's Tail website
  
• Book Trailer
  
• Meet the Authors
  
• Discussion Guide / Lesson Plan
  

Give-Away Details

One reader will receive a  Winter’s Tail prize pack consisting of:

• Dolphin Plush
• Dolphin Key Chain
• Winter’s Tail game for Nintendo DS
• Copy of Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned To Swim Again  Book.

Prize value is $81.99!

How to Enter:

1. Comment on this post for one entry.

2. Follow or subscribe to Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile and leave a comment letting us know.

3. Blog about this give-away and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Tweet with a link to the give-away and leave a comment letting us know.

Maximum number of entries: 4 per person.  The Winter’s Tail book promotion is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail).  Please make sure that I have a way to contact you if your email address is not available in your profile.  Deadline: November 9, 2009, midnight, Mountain Time.

Essay Contest

If you have any young readers/writers in your home, or if you are a teacher, take a look at this essay contest that Scholastic is running.  "Scholastic wants to hear about an animal that has most inspired your children by having them tell us about their favorite animal hero in 200 words or less.  One grand prize winner and his/her guardian will receive a trip to visit Winter at her home in Clearwater, Florida, one night's stay at a hotel, $500 travel voucher, a Winter prize pack and a Nintendo DS Game system!  10 runners up with receive a copy of Winter's Tail, a Winter's Tail Nintendo DS game and a Winter plush doll!"  

I was provided with one copy of Winter's Tail in order to write this review.  Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Mini Challenge

Today over 300 book bloggers across the world are participating in a 24 hour read-a-thon, the fourth of its kind.  It sounds like great fun.  I briefly considered signing up, but it turns out to be on the same day that I helped to organize a Halloween party for 60-70 people (half of whom are kids).  So, I have signed on to be a "cheerleader" - someone who visits the pages of those participating in the read-a-thon to offer encouragement -  for at least 4 hours throughout the day/night.  

And I'm also hosting this mini challenge.  To those visiting Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile from the Read-a-thon, welcome.  Way to go!  Hip Hip Hooray!  You're over halfway there!   Here is my challenge to you:

Give Me Five: Go to your blog and post a list of five favorite children's books.  They don't have to be THE five end-all-be-all of your favorites, because then you'll just agonize over which ones to pick, and we want this to be easy.  Just list five off the top of your head that you enjoyed as a child, or that your children enjoy.  If you'd like, include a one sentence description of the book, but no need to post full reviews.  Then come back here, and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.  The contest will remain open for three hours (until 1AM mountain time).  I'll pick a winner from the comments using random.org.  That person will win a $15 ebay gift certificate.  Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your email is not available in your profile. Because the prize will be delivered electronically, this challenge is open worldwide.

Now, where did I put those pom poms?

UPDATE:  The winner is: Monica.  Congratulations!

A You're Adorable (Children's Book Review)

This week we reread a book that failed to capture the Infant Bibliophile's attention 6 months ago.  Today, it is topping the charts.  It also sticks in my head. ALL.  THE.  TIME.  And every time I accidentally start to hum it, he runs to grab the book, and we're off to the races again.  

A You're Adorable (Paperback), by Martha Alexander. A Scholastic alphabet book read/sing to the 1940's tune of "A You're Adorable." The soft watercolor illustrations depict a parade of children and animals interacting with a large capital letter on every page.

Excerpt:

See below.

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: We first tried this one at 17 months, and he wasn't interested at all. At 23 months, he really enjoys and interacts with the book. We have a little routine going when we read it. He points to each letter. When I sing, "A you're adorable," he repeats "adorable" in that adorably garbled way that only a 2-year old could. When I get to C ("you're a cutie full of charms"), he says, "mama!" I ask, "Mama is a cutie full of charms?" and he says, "yeah!" At "K you're so kissable," he puckers up. "F you're a feather in my arms" - he lays his head down (took me awhile to make the connection... "in my arms" = sleep, so he feigns sleep). You get the idea. We have a lot of fun with this one.

Other books that we own and that are traditionally sung are this Itsy Bitsy Spider board book (review here), and a few children's nursery rhyme books that we reviewed here).

I've heard good things about What a Wonderful World and Puff, the Magic Dragon . I also had Sunshine on My Shoulders in my hands at the last library sale and left without it (it was one of my grandfather's favorite songs, and I have such nice memories of it, but I didn't think it would appeal to the little guy yet, so I hemmed and hawed.)

Leave us a comment! Do you have any books set to tunes that you like to read/sing? Have you read any of the books mentioned above? Please share!

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Autumn Outdoor Story Time (Guest Post from Frugal Family Fun)

I love reading other blogs.  My Google Reader is bursting at the seams.  But among the 160 blogs that I currently follow, a handful stand out to me, because they are authored by women that I like to think I'd be friends with if they lived in my neighborhood.  One of those stand-out bloggers, for me, is Valerie at Frugal Family Fun.  After all, who wouldn't want to be friends with someone who does this, and this, for their friends and neighbors?  (Not to mention this).  So, when Valerie contacted me about guest posting on our blog, I was elated.  You can visit Frugal Family Fun today to see our guest post on making the most out of library book sales.  But first, enjoy Valerie's wonderful guest post (and the interspersed photos of her beautiful kids) here:

Autumn Outdoor Story Time

Hello! My name is Valerie, and I blog daily over at Frugal Family Fun Blog. I am so happy to be here guest posting on Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile today! I have two daughters -- Emily (5 yrs.) and Clara (1 yr.), and I frequently write about inexpensive craft and activity ideas. Lately, we have been inspired by nature's Autumn beauty. I thought I would share one of our most recent outdoor story times with you.

First, I want to point out that books do not need to be read indoors!  If the weather is nice, grab your book tote and head outside. Find a cozy spot under a tree, and crack open that book.

Some of our Autumn favorites include:

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt -- What a fun read this turned out to be, and we will surely be exploring more from the Scaredy Squirrel series. Emily appreciated the humor in this book, and so did I.  Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his tree, until one day when the unexpected occurs. This has been a frequently requested book in our household.

Why Do Leaves Change Color? (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2)? by Betsy Maestro and Loretta Krupinski -- If your child is always asking questions, you may want to check out this book. The science behind why leaves change color is explored in accurate detail, but in terms children can understand. If you are outside while reading this, be sure to allow enough time for some Autumn leaf collecting.

Squirrels (Nature's Children) -- During Autumn squirrels can be seen while they busily prepare for the Winter months ahead. This book explores where squirrels go during Winter, where baby squirrels are born, and introduces kids to several different varieties of squirrels. We have found the Nature's Children series to be thorough, and both Emily and I have learned a thing or two about various species by picking up one of these books.

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert -- This is an Autumn classic. We love the vivid colors and interesting illustrations. The life cycle of a Sugar Maple tree is explored, and Emily also enjoyed the Appendix in the back which explains the parts of the tree and their various functions. Afterwards, she was inspired to draw her own version of a Sugar Maple tree during various seasons.

After all that reading, you simply must rake up a large pile of leaves and jump in!

Have fun!

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Library Book Sale - Part 1 (Children's Books About Transportation)

This weekend we attended our local library book sale, and I was delighted at both our finds and our self control.  We ended up with 8 picture books (7 hardcover and 1 seemingly brand new paperback) and spent $8.  I valiantly resisted going to the last day of the sale, during which you can fill a bag for a set price, because I found myself taking home books I really didn't want last year just to fill our bag.  

Today I'm posting reviews for the four books we bought about transportation.  I remember scrambling last year to find any, so we were thrilled about these:

Dazzling Diggers (Amazing Machines) (Paperback), by Tony Mitton. A fun, brightly illustrated paperback book about diggers. The construction crew is made up of a mouse, bird, and bunny rabbit, but I'm not sure our little guy even noticed, once he saw the diggers. The last page defines various "digger parts," such as levers, bucket, tracks and breaker. I like the amount of text per page (just right for a toddler), and that, although short, the text contains new concepts, such as using oil to fuel the digger, jacks to keep the digger steady, or a piston to make parts of the digger move around.

Excerpt:

"Diggers move rubble and rocks and soil, / so diggers need drinks of diesel oil."

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: Loves it.

Construction (First Discovery Books) (Spiral-bound), by Claude Delafosse. From back cover: "In this unique introduction to Construction, A First Discovery Book, young children can visit a construction site, find out what a mason and a joiner do, learn how a new subway is built, and marvel at the world's greatest constructions!" As soon as I opened this book, I realized that it was part of a series which includes one of the little guy's favorite books (Cars & Trucks: Scholastic First Discovery - see our review here). The story and text are slightly more detailed in this Construction one, making it suitable for older children. There are really a few stories here, loosely joined: the first about an old building being replaced, then a new subway being built, then an expressway, some shipbuilding, and lastly, a two-page spread looking at some of the world's greatest constructions. Occasional plastic pages and a 3D sort of effect to some of the illustrations add visual interest.

Excerpt:

"The old buildings are dangerous and need to be replaced. Big machines, like this front-end loader, arrive so that construction can begin."

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: So far he hasn't really grabbed onto this one the way I thought he would, but I think it's partly a matter of timing (many new books at once) and that it is better suited for a slightly older child. I think he'll love it over time.

Subway (Hardcover), by Anastasia Suen (illustrated by Karen Katz). I rode the subway to work every day while pregnant with our son (standing, usually, but that's another story). I used to think he'd be lulled by "Next stop, downtown crossing!" like other moms hope their babies will be lulled by classical music that they were exposed to in utero. And when he was an infant, I'd bundle us both up and go meet Dad for lunch. As he got a little older, he seemed to really enjoy interacting with other passengers on the subway. So I was excited to see this book, by an author whose other books we've enjoyed (Anastasia Suen) and an illustrator (Karen Katz) who needs no introduction (but, just in case, does "Where is Baby's Bellybutton ring a bell?). The text is short and simple. The excerpt, for instance, is all the text for a two page spread. The illustrations are bright and bold, with a playful (and diverse) set of subway passengers.

Excerpt:

"side by side 

in cars we ride 

ride, ride, ride 

on the subway"

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: He's wasn't wildly interested in this one. Sadly, he probably doesn't have any memory of riding the subway at this point, since we moved away from the city when he was 1. A child who rides the subway often might enjoy it more.

Parent's Peeve: I know children like repetition, so I'm a little torn on this point, but the three word repetition pattern feels a little awkward when I read it aloud. I have a similar problem with another book (Summery Saturday Morning, by Margaret Mahy - review here), and I end up sort of singing that one, and then I really like it. But I don't know if that would really work for me on this one. I'd like to hear someone else read this type of pattern aloud to see if it's just me. Youtube video anyone?

Katy and the Big Snow (Hardcover), by Virginia Lee Burton. I snatched this (near perfect) copy up as soon as I saw the author. We read The Little House (review here) by the same author around the time of Earth Day. This was originally published in 1943, and the style of the illustrations is charmingly nostalgic. "Katy" is a tractor with a bulldozer and snow plow. She belongs to the Highway Department of the City of Geoppolis. The book details all of the ways she helps the city, working on the roads with her bulldozer, rescuing a steamroller from a pond, and (most importantly) plowing everyone out of a huge snowstorm.

Excerpt:

"'Help! Emergency!' called out the doctor. 'Help me get this patient to the hospital way out in West Geoppolis.' 'Sure,' said Katy. 'Follow me.' / So Katy plowed out the roads to the hospital."

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: He made it about halfway through. Definitely better for a slightly older child (although not out of the question at all for a two year old), but this is one that I'm happy to own for when he's ready for it.

See our other reviews of children's books about transportation here.

Have you read any of these?  Did you enjoy them?  Do you attend your library's book sales?  What children's books have you enjoyed enough to buy lately?   

Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com.  

Winner (Vinyl Banner)

The winner of our custom vinyl banner give-away from Uprinting.com is: 

MOMFOREVERANDEVER said...

would offer to a friend who is a small at home business who goes to fairs/events on weekends. This might help her look more professional and boost business and help people remember her name

Congratulations!

Disclosure/Review Policy

The primary aim of this blog is to record and share the reactions of our son to the books he reads.  Secondary goals are to promote early literacy, encourage parents to read to their children, and assist with the selection of quality books.  In accordance with those goals, we occasionally accept children's board or picture books for review from publishers.  We are not paid to review these books, but we do generally get to keep the review copy sent to us.  We read the book and review it on our blog with our honest opinion.  Sometimes we keep the books, and sometimes we donate them to our local library.  On each of our reviews, we will indicate when a book that we are reviewing has been received from a publisher, generally in language such as "Source: review copy from publisher."  We do our best not to let the source of the book sway our review in any way.  When the source has not been noted in a review, it is most likely a library copy, or a personal purchase for our home collection.

We have done a small number of product reviews, for items such as wooden puzzles.  In the future, as our son's interests expand, we may choose to review additional learning activities and board games.   When we receive a copy of a product for free in order to conduct the review, we will clearly indicate this fact in our review, but our review will reflect our honest opinion of the item.

At this time, Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile also participates in a Blog Sponsorship Program run by Uprinting.com.  Occasionally we host a give-away for the company, in which readers enter by leaving comments on the blog post.  In exchange, we often receive a "Blogger Appreciation Prize" of the same item being given away, and will also indicate this fact clearly in the relevant posts.  We also receive advertising funds from Uprinting.com for advertisements appearing in our sidebar.

We have an affiliate account with Amazon.com.  When a reader clicks through a book title or image from Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile to Amazon.com, and makes a purchase, we receive a modest commission on those purchases.  It occasionally helps the Infant Bibliophile add a new book to his collection.  In the interests of full disclosure, all posts will now contain the following disclosure: "Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post to Amazon.com will provide us a modest commission through our affiliate relationship with Amazon.com."

We occasionally post other advertisements in our sidebar (currently, Google Ads, Ergo baby carrier, and a few through text-link-ads.com).  None of these advertisements influence the content of our blog posts in any way.  In some cases, we will receive a small commission when a reader clicks through the links and/or makes a purchase after doing so. 

If you are interested in posting an advertisement in our sidebar, or in having a children's book or other toy aimed at young children reviewed, you may contact us through the email address in our profile.  We will occasionally update this Disclosure/Review Policy.  If you have any questions about it, feel free to contact us.

Blog Tour/Review: Bear-ly There (and a Contest)

Bear-ly There (Hardcover), by Rebekah Raye. This book tells the story of a young boy named Charlie that faithfully takes care of his pet geese. When Charlie notices an uninvited guest -- a large brown bear -- in the backyard coming to eat the geese's food, he fears for their safety. Other neighbors have been having problems as well (one even wants to shoot the bear), so Charlie creates a poster with six practical solutions for "What to do if you have a bear in your backyard" ("1. Only put bird feeders out during the winter months, when bears are hibernating.") He puts it on the town bulletin board. Later that day, the bear makes a return visit to their yard, and he and his family are ready with a cacophony of loud instruments to drive the bear back into the forest where he belongs. Their plan works, and when they spot the bear again during a family picnic, he is enjoying some blueberry bushes back in the woods. As Charlie concludes: "That's sure better than seeing him in our backyard!" The author, Rebeckah Raye, is also a painter and and sculptor, and she has illustrated the tale beautifully. Teachers and parents can find companion activities and classroom discussion topics on the Tilbury House website. (In part, "Activity: What Do Bears Eat? Using some of these websites or books in your school library, research what bears eat. Are bears herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores? What kinds of wild foods would bears find in your area? Why would bears be hungriest in the spring?" I love that the author has taken the time to come up with these and that the publisher has made them available.  

(Reading level: ages 9-12).

Excerpt:

"Charlie slowly looked around the corner of the house - there was the bear! When he saw Charlie, he turned and ran up the hill. The bird feeder was on the ground, empty. The compost pile was torn up and scattered over the lawn. It was time to come up with a plan to keep the bear where he belonged - in the woods."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: We just "read" through the book together with me explaining the illustrations and making up my own text, as we often do with books that are clearly beyond his current age level. He sat through the whole book that way.

Parent's Peeve: None

Source: Review copy from publisher.

Craft:

I wanted to do a companion craft with the Infant Bibliophile. The activities and discussions on the publisher website are great for older children, but of course wouldn't really work with a two-year old. He was a bit tired (and hungry), so I decided to do some chocolate painting. A corn-based cake (like a rice cake), some melted chocolate chips, freeze-dried blueberries for decoration, and a spoon to "paint" led to a happy toddler and a bear-like creation. (Edit: I'm linking this post up to the Weekly Unplugged Project at Unplug Your Kids, because this week's theme is "B" activities.)

Other bear-related books we own and enjoy (clicking on title brings you to our review post):

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?

Busy Pandas

The Berenstain's B Book

The Berenstain Bears New Baby

What bear-related books do you or your children enjoy? Have you ever seen a bear? Tell us about it!

Contest:

Author Rebekah Raye and publisher Tilbury House have arranged to give out some fantastic prizes during this book tour.  

Blog Comment Prizes:
They will draw 9 lucky winners from all of those who leave comments on the participating tour posts, including this one, from October 16-30 to win one of the following prizes:
- A set of four art cards (2 sets available)
- A signed wildlife art print
- An original sketch from Bear-ly There
- An original sketch from The Very Best Bed
- An original sketch from Thanks to the Animals
- A copy of Bear-ly There, The Very Best Bed, or Thanks to the Animals, signed by Rebekah Raye
Winners will be announced on Oct. 31, US/Canada addresses only, please.

Twitter Prize:
Everyone that participates in the Twitter Book Party, and/or posts anything about the tour using the hashtag #BearlyThere from October 15-30 will be entered to win a complete set of Bear-ly There, Thanks to the Animals, and The Very Best Bed, all signed by Rebekah Raye. Winners will be announced on Oct. 31, US/Canada addresses only, please.

So, leave a relevant comment on this post for your chance to win!  Tell us about when you've seen a bear, your favorite book starring a bear, or recommend another bear craft for us.  And then go over to Twitter and try your hand there, too.

Tour Schedule:

You can also visit (and comment on) the other blogs participating in this tour.  They are: 

Oct. 15 - Twitter Book Party (@bookbday)
Oct. 16 - Bri Meets Books
Oct. 17 - In the Pages
Oct. 18 - Infant Bibliophile (that's us)
Oct. 19 - Grass Stain Guru
Oct. 20 - Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them!
Oct. 21 - Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Oct. 22 - On My Bookshelf
Oct. 23 - Nature Moms
Oct. 24 - Tilbury House on Facebook
Oct. 25 - Ready Set Read
Oct. 26 - Mozi Esmé
Oct. 27 - Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day
Oct. 28 - Byron T. Bear Foundation
Oct. 29 - Amy Lundebrek's blog
Oct. 30 - Get Bear Smart Society

Aloha! Our Hawaiian souvenir books

Aloha.  We've been a bit silent this week, as we were enjoying a family vacation in Hawaii.  Much fun was had by all, and we're slowly trying to adjust our sleep schedules to the time change.  Highlights of the trip were a helicopter tour, the Honolulu Zoo, Sea Life Park, and of course trips to the beach and the flights to get there and back.  The Infant Bibliophile behaved beautifully on the plane trip in both directions, sleeping the whole way there after a TWELVE HOUR delay/diversion/rerouting on the way there.  

I have many books that I hope to review this week, including some wonderful, educational selections for older children.  But I'll ease back into blog posting by sharing two simple books that we purchased in Hawaii for the little guy.  They both have a bit of an "I-spy," quizzing sort of element, which he loves.  And I love the idea of buying books while on vacation.  Possibly my new favorite souvenir (I also love buying a Christmas ornament on each trip - this time a Santa in a straw skirt with a surfboard).   

Gecko Hide and Seek (Hardcover), by Gill McBarnet. From back cover: "In the colorful pages of GECKO HIDE AND SEEK, geckos are hiding in a variety of Hawaiian settings. Young readers are invited to find the geckos as they appear in ever increasing numbers, from 1 to 10. Counting skills are consolidated at the end of the book . . . 'Now that you've found ONE to TEN, You can add them up again.'" Little yellow geckos hide amongst Hawaiian flowers, pineapples, surfers, and fish in lovely, vibrant watercolor illustrations. This is a beautiful souvenir of our trip that I'm so glad we bought.

Excerpt:

"If you think you can find more, Look in the flowers and you'll find FOUR."

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: He loves counting, and finding hidden items, so I knew this would be a hit as soon as I saw it. He does enjoy it very much, but tends to lose interest partway through. Actually, now that we're back home, his attention span may be a bit better.

Diving For Shapes in Hawaii (Board book), by Johann Bosgra. I almost put this board book back at the last minute, thinking that we're starting to move beyond the board book age, but my husband convinced me to keep it, and I'm glad - it's a big hit. Each left-hand page contains a rhyme and brightly colored shape. The corresponding right-hand page displays an illustration which includes the featured shape hidden in it for the reader to seek out. For instance, a circle is hidden as a fish's eye, and an oval as a jellyfish. They're not at all hard to find, which is nice for staving off frustration in very young readers.

Excerpt:

"Before I could worry and swim away far, I saw on some coral a bright orange STAR."

Bookworm's interest at 23 months: He loves this one. He requests it often and reads it a few times in a row, pointing out each shape enthusiastically.

Parent's Peeve: The second to last page is a sort of round up of all of the shapes contained in the book, and the illustration shows all of the creatures that contain the shapes on all of the pages. The text doesn't exactly instruct you to find the shapes, but that is the implication, since readers have just done that on every other page. Unless we're missing something, the rectangular coral doesn't seem to be there. There are some sort of free form shapes in the sand that can roughly substitute. But our 2 year old noticed the omission right away. It didn't hamper his enthusiasm for the book, though.

If we didn't already have some animal identification books with us, we would have bought some of those geared toward the creatures we saw at the Honolulu Zoo, Aquarium, and Sea Life Park.  It's so fun to see children make the connection between their books and reality.  

Do you have any favorite books you've bought while on vacation?  Please leave a comment and tell us about them.  

Any other exciting news in your lives or interesting posts that I've missed while I was away?  Feel free to leave a link to your favorite blog post in the last week and I'll come by and visit.

Making Nice with the Animals: True Stories of a Goat Lady and an Elephant Trainer

The Goat Lady (Paperback), by Jane Bregoli. This is such a unique, charming book. Told from the perspective of a young neighbor, the true story focuses on an eccentric, elderly woman known for her yard full of goats in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Once they befriend her, the children learn (and share) the story of how the woman, named Noelie, came to be "the Goat lady." Their mother, an artist, eventually produces a series of portraits of Noelie, and a museum exhibition helps her to gain the acceptance and assistance of her community. Lessons I think this book can help reinforce:

1. appreciation of the elderly
2. not judging people based on first impressions
3. strength of community/kindness of others
4. charity (The "Goat Lady" provided some of her goats to Heifer international).  

Overall, a fun, quirky book. I really liked it. I think it would make a fantastic gift for a child within the recommended age range (9-12, although I think a bit younger would also be fine) paired with a Heifer International gift. A gift of a "share of a goat" from Heiffer International costs $10.

Excerpt:

"Mom finished enough paintings of Noelie and her goats to fill the walls of the town hall for an art show. On opening night of the show, lots of people came: the "Meals on Wheels" drivers who brought Noelie's lunch on weekdays; the young man who helped her feed the goats between his school bus runs; the church lady who helped her with grocery shopping; the men who delivered hay and dried corn; the nurse who changed her bandage on her sore leg; the nurse's husband, who liked to talk in French with Noelie; and a young woman who had been able to drink only goat's milk when she was a child."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: "Mehhhhhhh." He's too young for this book, but he does like making his goat sound.  

Source: Review copy from Publisher.

Travels With Tarra (Hardcover), by Carol Buckley. Travels with Tarra tells the amazing (true) story of Carol Buckley's life as caretaker to an elephant named Tarra. The beginning of the book had me a bit hesitant, because it starts off on the depressing side. Tarra makes her way from Burma and arrives in the U.S. "cold and hungry," "confused and frightened." Cared for by the owner of a tire dealership hoping to drum up publicity by keeping her on display, Tara's life isn't very enjoyable. Teased by kids, running into walls, screaming, sleeping alone in a trailer... not so happy. But, lucky for Tarra, the author spotted Tarra walking down the street with her owner one day, and befriended the animal. She began to care for Tarra more and more, eventually buying her from the tire owner. She cared for her lovingly, and they experienced years of adventures, and apparently quite a bit of fame. Tarra became known as "the world's only roller-skating elephant." She skated with the Rockettes, appeared at the Academy Awards, and made a guest appearance in the movie Annie with Carol Burnette on her back! According to the author, Tarra quite liked all of the attention and had fun performing. I wasn't sure how I felt about the idea of touting Tarra around to television commercials and talk shows. But the book won me over in the end. After Tarra failed to fit in with a few different zoos and suffered a personal blow, the author created an Elephant Sanctuary -- 800 acres, with no visitors. Just a safe haven for elephants that have been retired from zoos and circuses. A wonderful ending. You can learn more about the elephant sanctuary here, including downloadable curricula for grades K-3 and 4-8 (nice!). The book is full of black and white photography of Tarra's life; I really liked this effect in the book. Overall, this is a really sweet tale, and some of the passages were particularly delightful. See below.

Excerpt:

"I gave her one bottle after another until she was full. Then, with her tiny trunk she reached out for Bob's hand and pulled it in her mouth, thumb first. She dropped her head back and draped her limp trunk back over her face. Her long eyelashes fluttered slowly, her eyes closed, and she let out a heavy sigh. I heard what sounded like sucking...Soon she let his hand drop from her mouth and then like a falling leaf gently dancing down from the sky, she folded ever so slowly to the floor and fell into a deep sleep." 

***

[After the loss of her calf] "Scott and I set up cots and slept in Tarra's barn to keep her company and to grieve together. She stood close and found it reassuring to be able to reach out and touch us throughout the night. But even during this sad time Tarra kept her sense of humor. In the middle of the night she would quietly place small piles of hay on top of us while we slept. When we woke up she would be towering over us, squeaking her delight that we were awake."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: As expected at this age, we just looked through the photographs together. Suggested age range is grades 3-5.

Parent's Peeve: Not a peeve, but just beware before you start reading aloud to young children that Tarra does experience a stillborn death in the book.

Source: Copy won in a give-away.

Children's Books About Frogs

Ever since a temporary exhibit of frogs hit our Natural History Museum, the Infant Bibliophile is a big fan of frogs ("ribbit ribbits").  Last week when I asked him what he'd like to get books about at the library, that was his choice.  Although I know it is a bit old for him, I thought it would be a good time to finally read Nic Bishop's Frogs, which I've heard such wonderful things about.  I'm also pasting reviews for a couple of other frogs books that we've read over the past few months.  They're all a bit above his "reading" level, but great for older kids.

Frogs (Hardcover), by Nic Bishop. I love this book, and so does everyone else who has written a review that I've read over the past year (sorry for not linking to you, but it's been awhile, and I can't remember who reviewed it when)(why are there only three reviews on amazon?!). Full of visually stunning photographs of frogs from around the world and detailed information, it belongs on every 9-12 year old frog-fan's bookshelf. Within the text on each page, one sentence is bolded and highlighted in a different color. This gives the option of just reading those sentences when children are younger or have shortened attention spans.

Excerpt:

"Most frogs are found near ponds, swamps, and other wet place. They need water, but they do not drink it. Instead, they absorb it through their skin, when just when sitting on damp ground."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: We just look at the photos, and he makes it about half way through before wandering away. Don't let it deter you, though. He's just young for it. The photographs are amazing. I tried to read the bolded sentences on each page, and that kept his interest for awhile, but they got a bit over his head. He also loves the fold-out page.

Green Wilma (Puffin Pied Piper) (Paperback), by Tedd Arnold. A girl turns green, starts requesting bugs to eat, and hopping. The rhyming text is simple. The illustrations are a little strange, as befitting the amphibian storyline (see the cover, with the bulging eyes on the family). When I first read it, I didn't really get the ending. Just found the whole thing a bit weird. I just read the review from School Library Journal on amazon.com, and I see that "of course the adventure turns out to be a dream--but the dreamer, as it turns out, is a frog, not a girl." Ah, ok, I guess that makes sense.

Excerpt:

"The principal yelled, 'Stop her! She should know we have a rule / That children aren't allowed to munch on flies while they're in school!'"

Bookworm's interest at 21 months: Vague interest, but we didn't finish it.

Parent's Peeve: see above.

Froggy Plays T-ball (Paperback), by Jonathan London. This is the only "Froggy" book we've read, but there are many others (Froggy Goes to Camp, Froggy Plays Soccer, Froggy Rides a Bike, Froggy's Day with Dad, etc.). In this one, Froggy wakes up excited for his first game of the T-ball season. His dad is coaching. The funniest moment of the book comes when he runs home -- to his house. I think little baseball enthusiasts would enjoy this book, especially if they're frog-lovers as well. Frank Remkiewicz has playfully illustrated it in a style that seems to be consistent throughout the Froggy series.

Excerpt:

"'I know!' said Froggy, and together they leap-frogged all the way to the baseball field singing, 'First, run to first. Second, run to second. Third, run to third. Then run home!'"

Bookworm's interest at 21 months: He sat through the whole thing multiple times, despite it really being intended for older kids.

Another frog book we recently reviewed was Hop Jump (links to our review). We also tried Frog and Toad are Friends awhile back, but he was too young to sit still for it. We'll try it again sometime. Another I hope to get soon is the The Wide-Mouthed Frog: A Pop-Up Book, since our son seems to have lost his irrational fear of pop-ups.

Do you have any other books about frogs that your children enjoy? Any interesting stories to share about encounters with frogs growing up? I can fondly remember searching for little frogs in my neighborhood, and now it seems that as an adult I never see them anymore. Apparently there has been a decline in amphibian populations worldwide (link to Wikipedia). Do you still see many frogs where you live?

Review: Bunny's Noisy Book

Bunny's Noisy Book (Hardcover), by Margaret Wise Brown. I'd read mention of this book often, but never read it, so when I spotted it at the library last week, I made sure to snatch it up. The book tells the tale of a bunny's day, from morning ("When he first woke up in the morning he didn't open his eyes. Why should he, that little bunny? He raised his ears without opening his eyes.") to nightfall ("His ears fell down and he nodded over, sound asleep in his own warm hole in the big quiet night."), with a focus on the noises he hears around him. Question marks are common, as the reader is asked to identify the cause of various sounds. As you probably know, the author Margaret Wise Brown also wrote Goodnight, Moon, which we reviewed here. Lisa McCue's sweet illustrations are detailed (I want to reach out and pet all of that soft rabbit fur), without being too busy. I like her style.

Excerpt:

"Birds getting up out of their nests and off the branches and beating their wings. Far off - very far away - he heard a Cock Cock Cock-a-doodle Doo! What was that?"

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He enjoys it. His favorite part is the appearance of the bees ("honeybees!"), and a close second is a tie between the rooster and the yawn. He doesn't always make it to the end, but he usually does.

If you enjoyed this book, you might also like:

Busy Bunnies

Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon 123: A Counting Book

Guess How Much I Love You

Had you read this book before? Do you/your children enjoy it? Leave a comment and let us know.

Review: Toddler Two / Dos anos

Toddler Two/Dos anos (Board book), by Anastasia Suen. Terry Doherty of the Reading Tub recommended this book to us in a comment on an earlier post in which we reviewed three books by Author Anastasia Suen. It was a great suggestion. I really like bilingual books, and the Infant Bibliophile warmed to this one right away. The text is short and sweet, with an English and Spanish version on each page. Each two-page spread focuses on a different body part, and the text follows the pattern of the excerpt below. The illustrations by Winnie Cheon appear to be made out of bright pieces of appliqued felt. The resulting images are cheerful and fun.

Excerpt:

"Two hands, one, two. Dos manos, una, dos."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He points out each of his body parts as the book refers to them. He loves a good quiz. Are all toddlers like that?

Parent's Peeve: I assume I just got a wacky copy, because one set of pages (with the hands) repeats twice.

Click here to see other bilingual books we own. Do you have any other Spanish or bilingual books you enjoy? We haven't read many, and I'd love to broaden our list.

September Craftiness

September was a crafty month for us around here, but I have been lax about uploading photos from my camera, so all of my good intentions for participating in various link-ups fell by the waste-side.  I finally uploaded today.  I think I'll spare you from our various construction paper crafts and family outings (not that I don't love being a voyeur on all of your sites when you post about those things!).   But I will share three projects that we particularly enjoyed this last month:

1.  Muddy Buddies

As our regular readers may know, the Infant Bibliophile has multiple food allergies that add a challenge to our baking adventures.  When I saw this recipe for allergy-safe Muddy Buddies, I saved it for a rainy day.  We gave it a try this month, and it was an instant hit.  They're unbelievable easy and REALLY good.  It's now my go-to dessert to make for parties and other get-togethers.  To make them, you just microwave chocolate chips, sunbutter, and a butter substitute, stir in vanilla and rice chex (we also add shredded coconut), and then shake it all together with powdered sugar in a big ziplock bag (you can guess who loves to do that part).   The result is delicious.  And as an added bonus, "Muddy Buddy" is a perfect word for a newly talking toddler to say... over and over and over again, apparently.  (Image shows the little guy feeding one to Daddy).

2.  Road quilt

Given our son's love for all things transportation-related (hence all of our children's book reviews with books about cars and trucks), I've wanted to make him a little quilt to play with his hotwheels on for awhile.  I got this fabric a few months ago, but it wasn't until I got the inspiration to add pockets onto it for holding his cars that I took to the sewing machine.  The pockets hold four cars -- more if you double them up -- and then the whole quilt rolls up nicely to take along on picnics and other outings.  I need to add some more quilting to it sometime, but here it is undergoing rigid product testing.

3.  Animals/Bag

The Natural History Museum we often frequent sells adorable replica animals for $1 each.  I've been eyeing them for awhile, but I wanted so many of them that I was hoping to find an inexpensive set somewhere else.  I lucked out last week and found little tubes of animals, with approximately 10 animals per tube.  I picked up a set of farm animals, zoo animals, horses, and dinosaurs.  My plan for them was really meant to be a stocking stuffer,

but since the little guy got ahold of them early, I decided to just go ahead and let him help.  So he hopped up on my knee and we created a really cute drawstring pouch for them made out of giraffe fabric.  I didn't have any cording, so it's currently cinched together with rainbow colored rick-rack.  He loves sorting all of his animals, standing them up, putting them back in the bag, getting out his dinosaur and animal books and matching them up to the animals, etc.  Well worth the $4 I spent on the animals and the free bag from supplies already on hand!  He has already informed me that we'll be making a yellow bag soon.  The idea for the bag came from a beginner sewing workshop run by Valerie at the Frugal Family Fun Blog.  The pattern is here.  Another item I might make to go along with it is an advent-calendar style hanging with pockets, labeled A-Z.  Then he can take his animals and practice putting them into the lettered pockets corresponding to each animal (or other small items if we don't have an animal with that letter).  

What crafty things have you been up to lately?  What do you have on the agenda for fall crafts?    Have you started planning or making holiday gifts already?

Review: The 13 Days of Halloween

The 13 Days of Halloween (Hardcover), by Carol Greene. I'm thrilled to be part of the blog tour for this fun spoof on the Twelve Days of Christmas. The 13 Days of Halloween is just the right blend of creepy and silly to delight children without scaring them. As the book jacket explains, "In this delightfully offbeat story, a dashing ghoul tries to win his ghostly love's heart with heaps of hilarious gifts--ranging from broomsticks and bats to cauldrons and cats!" Tim Raglin's detailed, whimsical illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the sing-along tale. The gift on the 13th Day is a bit of a mystery. An open-ended question/rhyme leaves the reader guessing as to the contents of a box. On my first read, I thought I clearly knew the answer. Then I asked another mother, who thought it was something different. Then I asked my husband, and he figured it was an open ended, no right answer sort of question (I guess he's right). Children might get a kick out of trying to guess. I thought this was a fun read, and I'm grateful to Sourcebooks for the opportunity to review it. I think it would be a hit with children in the 4-8 year range. For the younger crowd (like my son), it makes a good counting book.

Excerpt:

"On the fourth day of Halloween, my good friend gave to me: four giggling ghosts, three fat toads, two hissing cats, and a vulture in a dead tree."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: It's obviously aimed at an older crowd, so I didn't think he'd make it through it at all, but he enjoyed the whole thing. His favorite part was pointing out the ghosts on most of the pages and shouting "boo!"

Parent's Peeve: I guess I'm not a huge fan of open-ended questions. I want there to be a right answer. So I actually would have preferred this as the 12 days of Halloween, without the last page. But otherwise, I really liked it. 

For additional reviews (and proof that older kids will like it), see Jenn's Bookshelves, which includes her sons' reactions, and Dolce Bellezza, where the reviewer quizzed her entire class about what they thought was in the last box, as well as their opinion about the book (her conclusion: "There you have it, in better words than I can say. This is a great Halloween read, and the kids totally loved it. Totally.").

Source: Review copy from publisher.

Plastic Pumpkin Fillers: Children's Books about Halloween

Last year, I was incredibly excited to buy my son his first plastic pumpkin for Halloween.  At less than a year old, he had no idea what was going on, and certainly wasn't ready for many sweet treats, but there's something so wonderful about being able to share the activities that brought you joy in your own childhood with your children.  You won't be surprised to read that I think books make perfect Halloween gifts.  Today I'm sharing a review of a wonderful picture book for slightly older children, in which Halloween serves as the backdrop for a touching lesson about immigration and love of family.  I'll also include reviews of the two board books we bought last year.

Shy Mama's Halloween (Paperback), by Anne Broyles. This book tells the beautiful story of a Russian family that recently settled in the United States and experiences its first Halloween. The mother, a naturally shy woman, speaks little English and is understandably hesitant about the idea of mingling with goblins and ghosts. She helps to make her children's costumes, but leaves the task of trick-or-treating to her husband and the children. When her husband is too ill to take the children, Mama leaves her fears behind and takes the children out. Author Anne Broyles describes the magic of Halloween, as seen through the eyes of the excited children: "We didn't need more fruit or cookies or candy. We already had more treats in our bags than we had had in a lifetime. We wanted to savor the magic of Halloween: its orange and blackness, the sounds of happy children, the smiles on adult faces as they surveyed the variety of trick-or-treating creatures, the chirps of 'Thank you! Happy Halloween!' as kings and monsters raced away from the generous hands outstretched with candy." Against the backdrop of Halloween, the book also serves as a lesson about immigration, and specifically, what it feels like to be in a new place, that is now your home, but where the traditions are foreign to you. Leane Morin's illustrations are lovely and fit the tale perfectly. From the black and white image early in the book of the family huddled together with their suitcases to the brightly colored illustration of little Dimitrii dressed as a clown, clinging sleepily to his older sister, who is bedecked in devil's horns and pitchfork, after a long night of trick-or-treating. Wonderfully captured. The back of the book contains two pages with suggested conversation points for parents and teachers wanting to share Shy Mama's Halloween with children. For example, "Papa seemed to feel at home more quickly than Mama did in the new country. Can you think of some reasons why?" and "Are there children at your school who originally came from other countries as immigrants? Look up where they came from on a world map or globe. Can you give these classmates a chance to tell you about the places where they came from?" I love the questions (there are many more), and the fact that they are included here. They turn the book into an excellent teaching tool.

Excerpt:

"Halloween was not just a matter of treats. We had no tricks in mind. Here, in the darkness, surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of other children, we, too, were American. No one cared that our 'Thank you' was said with an accent. No one cared that our Mama, in her babushka, could speak only a few words of English. Halloween was our holiday, as much as anyone else's."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He's not old enough for this yet, but we looked through the illustrations together.

Parent's Peeve: Near the back of the book, there is an illustration of the halloween candy the children collected. There are all kinds of loose nuts, including peanuts and walnuts in their shells. (Actually everything is loose - chocolate chip cookies, apples, chocolate squares). I'm biased due to my son's multiple food allergies, but I can't imagine anybody gives out loose nuts to kids for Halloween these days (I hope not). The detail in the illustrations does make clear that the story is set in an earlier time period (whenever ketchup cost 10 cents), so that probably accurately represents what trick-or-treating was like then. A small peeve in an otherwise wonderful book. And it will give me an opportunity to reinforce my "no nuts" lesson with my son!

Source: Review copy from publisher.

Bright Baby Touch & Feel Spooky (Board book), by Roger Priddy. This made a fun Halloween gift for a baby that couldn't yet eat candy. There isn't much "touch and feel" to it (one furry cat, a bit of sparkle, a slightly raised web...), but our little guy was never all that much into the touch and feel stuff anyway. Single word descriptions pair with (non-frightening) Halloween images.

Bookworm's interest at under 12 months: He enjoyed the whole thing.

Source: Purchased copy.

Trick or Treat Vampire (Flip Flap Books) (Board book), by AnnMarie Harris. This (tall and skinny) book fit wonderfully into a plastic Halloween pumpkin, which was its major selling point. The book, which is velcroed lightly shut, opens up to reveal a thick board book featuring a (not so) scary vampire who is auditioning Halloween costumes. A fun way to introduce the concept of costumes.

Excerpt:

"It's Halloween and Little Vampire is going to a party! What costume should he wear?"

Bookworm's interest at under 12 months: He still pulls it out to read (and enjoy) months later.

Source: Purchased copy.

Will you be putting books in your kids' pumpkins this year? If so, what books? We'll be looking for some age-appropriate editions to his basket again this year, and plan to review a few more Halloween books over the coming weeks.

Winner (Custom Greeting Cards)

The winner of the Uprinting give-away of 250 Custom Greeting Cards, chosen by random.org is:

jj said...

I would use the cards to keep up with family and friends from the Carolinas to Washington state. i have slacked off in previous years because of cost and babies, but my toddler could help me design and write this year.

September 28, 2009 3:08 PM 

Please contact me with your email address ASAP so I can provide it to Uprinting.  Congratulations!

Banned Books Week: My Last Word

There have been many, many posts about Banned Books Week this week. I won't attempt a round-up, but I wanted to just share a couple of links (the first one involves a free book).  

Random House has a great site set up for Banned Books Week; it includes a First Amendment First Aid Kit , as well as a section entitled "In Their Own Words", which quotes authors talking about what it was like to have their books banned. I especially love this excerpt from Judy Blume:

Censors don’t want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the school library would be close to empty. I wish the censors could read the letters kids write.

Dear Judy,
I don’t know where I stand in the world. I don’t know who I am. That’s why I read, to find myself.
Elizabeth, age 13

But it’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.

(Source: www.judyblume.com)(read the full discussion on Random House's site)

Although I didn't see reference to it on the Random House website, the Blue Rose Girls blog 

alerted readers to the following: "Random House will send a free banned or challenged book (while supplies last) to anyone who posts the graphic or blogs about Banned Books Week.  Tell them about it at firstamendment@randomhouse.com."   I emailed with a link to my earlier posts about Banned Books Week, and sure enough, they responded offering me a free banned book (I have no idea what book it is).


If you enjoy haikus, wander over to Jo Knowles blog and read all of the haikus people are submitting for a contest in honor of Banned Books Week.  (Jo Knowles is an author, and the image to the left is the cover of her book.)  There are some amazing ones there. I submitted this light-hearted one:

Born rebel, my son
Reading "Where's Waldo" and Pooh
Banned books, at age 2!

I think that's all I will be posting in honor of Banned Books Week.  My pile of books to be read and reviewed is looming.   And I need a nap.  For a week.

(I'm still planning to read all of the Banned Books Week posts, though, so feel free to comment with the URL to yours and I'll read and comment).

Give-away winner (Uprinting.com custom poster)

Congratulations to the winner of our custom poster give-away sponsored by Uprinting.com. Chosen by random.org, the winner is:

purango said...
I would make a poster of my daughter's sixteenth birthday photo for her room. garrettsambo@aol.com

I'll be notifying you by email. To those who are disappointed not to win, our give-aways for custom greeting cards and a custom vinyl banner are still open.

Do Donkeys Dance? Do Monkeys Tweet?

Last week, I posted about my son's enjoyment of Do Lions Live on Lily Pads. Nice mom that I am, I went back this week and picked up two more titles by the same author:

Do Monkeys Tweet? (Hardcover), by Melanie Walsh. Like the other books in this series, this one depicts various animals engaged in unusual (for them) activities, with a question posed to the reader. "Do horses bark?," "Do little mice purr?," etc. The answer (always, until the last page, a resounding, "no!") is answered on the following page, with the proper creature performing the activity. It's a short, simple book, with enough repetition to engage the toddler set.

Excerpt:

"Do horses bark? / No, dogs do. Woof! Woof!"

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He seemed a bit hesitant about that cover image of the monkey at first, but now he's read it a few times. He likes it, almost as much as the first in this series. He shouts out, "no!" each time he turns the page.

Parent's Peeve: Same issue of the cover not being in the book. (Cute how the monkey is hanging upside down on the back cover, though).

Do Donkeys Dance? (Hardcover), by Melanie Walsh. Same format as the other two books in the series. This one includes, among others, a hopping hippo, hanging cat, and leaping turtle.

Excerpt:

"Can a ladybug stand on one leg? No, but a flamingo can."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He enjoys it, shouting out the usual "no." I struggle to slow him down to see if he's actually digesting what the question is. The last page asks, "Can you fly up in the sky?" and he always shouts, "no!" (can't say he's wrong about that), but the actual answer is "Yes! Bon voyage!" with an illustration of an airplane. So, after a few reads, he now yells "no!" and then, after he turns the page, "sneaky!" because it's sort of a trick question. :)

Parent's Peeve: If it's on the cover, it should be in the book. OK, I'll stop saying that now. Until the next review. Also, for an animal that hops, I think a bunny would have been better than a flea.

When I read books as an adult, I often will find one author I love and then rush through everything he or she has written. I remember when our son was very young, he LOVED a board book called Peek-a-Who by Nina Laden, so I went online and ordered every one she'd written (not a huge fan of library board books when children are still putting things in their mouth)(I reviewed all four of the Nina Laden books here). For the most part, though, we tend to hop around from author to author.

What authors have been such hits with your kids that they've sent you back for more?

"Put Something Silly in the World"

Today during a trip to the library I decided to pick up Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and Falling Up. The first two, at least, are on lists of "banned books" that I've seen in connection with Banned Books Week. My son is still too young to enjoy them (not quite age two yet), but I loved these books when younger and have been looking forward to rereading them with him someday. So instead of any full reviews tonight, I'm just offering up a poem from A Light in the Attic:

PUT SOMETHING IN

Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
'Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain't been there before.

-Shel Silverstein

Reminder: Enter now!

Just a quick reminder to go and enter our three current give-aways, for a total of over $175 worth of personalized printing. (All are sponsored by Uprinting.com, but unlike their previous give-aways, they don't involve any shipping or handling charges). All can be used to make really fun, unique holiday gifts. What grandparents wouldn't like a custom poster print of their grandkids? How about a custom flag for a little pirate-loving toddler? A head-start on Christmas or thank you cards? Please go enter, but do it quickly, because some of them are ending very soon:

Here is the link to enter to win an 18" x 24" custom poster print of any of your images (value: $24). Deadline is September 30, 2009.

Here is the link to enter to win 250 custom greeting cards (value: $90+). Deadline is October 1, 2009.

Here is the link to enter to win a 24" x 36" custom vinyl banner (value: $62). Deadline is October 18, 2009.

Why I Support Banned Books Week

I'm all decked out in my  I Read Banned Books Bracelet, and ready to start reading my son scathingly controversial books, like Where's Waldo? and A Light in the Attic (both of which have made lists of challenged books). I hope he copes. But, in addition to motivating me to seek out some of these challenged books and to give them a second look, Banned Books Week has also got me thinking about what it means to ban or censor a book, particularly when it relates to children.  

Are there books you would keep out of your home library, and try to keep away from your kids?  I admit that, for me, there are books that I would prefer my son didn't read (books with excess commercialism, violence, inappropriate solutions to problems, fighting, poorly contrived rhymes, Elmo . . . ). Ok, the Elmo was a joke. Sort of. But really, some books do give me pause, and I can see why parents who view school as an extension of their home might become concerned when school libraries add books to their shelves that contain messages that disagree starkly with the lessons they teach their children at home. How would I feel if a publisher dared to release a children's book that promoted the superiority of one race over another and if that book lined the walls of my child's school library? Or, unlike books like And Tango Makes Three, which I reviewed here) and which has topped objection lists for years running, what if a school purchased books saying that homosexuality is wrong and that homosexual men and women will go to hell? It is easy to oppose book banning when the books that are being banned are ones with which I have no objection. In a sense, I am relying on publishers and school librarians to do some self-censoring/banning of their own. But there is a lot of grey in the world.

While pregnant, I reread Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. While I enjoyed most of it very much, I also wondered when an appropriate age might be for a child to be exposed to the racial slurs and generally awful treatment inflicted on former slave Jim, not to mention the references to hangings. Would I want my son to read this? Should I shield him from the hateful language? Logic won out, and Huckleberry Finn earned a spot on our bookshelf. It captures a moment in our country's history that children will need to learn about, and when the time is right, Mark Twain will help us.

For the most part, I'm a firm believer that books bring knowledge, and that knowledge is power. Like we handle everything that life throws at our children, we need to handle books wisely -- to read to our children when they are young, explain stories in age-appropriate language that they can understand, to read alongside them when they're older, to discuss what they read, quiz them, challenge them, teach them. That is the beauty of books. I'm less frightened by what my son might learn from a book than by the prospect of a world that decides for him what knowledge he is allowed to access.  

And that is why I support Banned Books Week.

Please share your thoughts.  Have you posted about Banned Books Week?  Are there books you would prefer that your children never read?  Have you ever questioned the appropriateness of a book that your child has read in school or found at the library?

Banned Books Week: Review of "And Tango Makes Three"

As you may have heard, September 26, 2009 - October 3, 2009 is Banned Books Week.  According to the American Library Association, "Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.  Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States."  You can check out the lists of most frequently banned books, by year, on the ALA site (use the column on the left hand side to see other years).

In honor of the week, I decided to read and review And Tango Makes Three.  The book topped the list of frequently challenged books in 2006, 2007, and 2008.  The reasons cited include being "anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group."

And Tango Makes Three (Hardcover), by Peter Parnell. This book tells the story of two penguins, Roy and Silo, who become a couple at a New York zoo. The author's note at the end explains, "All of the events in this story are true . . . After years of living side by side in the Central Park Zoo, they discovered each other in 1998 and they have been a couple ever since. Tango, their only chick, was born from an egg laid by another penguin couple named Betty and Porkey. That couple had often hatched their own eggs, but they had never been able to care for more than one at a time. In 2000, when Betty laid two fertile eggs, Rob Gramzay decided to give Roy, Silo, and one of those eggs a chance to become a family." The illustrations are lovely, as is the text. Of course, parents will understand the concept of homosexuality at play here, but for a young reader, the message is fairly subtle.

Excerpt:

"Two penguins in the penguin house were a little bit different. One was named Roy, and the other was named Silo. Roy and Silo were both boys. But they did everything together. / They bowed to each other. And walked together. They sang to each other. And swam together. Where ever Roy went, Silo went too."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Not much, at this age. I pointed out the penguins, and that's about it. I explained that the cover showed a baby and two Daddies, and that was fine with him. He doesn't always know the distinction between "man" and "woman" yet, so this book wasn't likely to phase him as out of the ordinary.

Parent's Peeve: I didn't expect to like this book much -- not because I am offended by homosexuality, or even its presence in children's books, but I figured it would be a sort of rushed, overly trite book trying too hard to make a point. Of course, it is true that it is trying to make a point, but it does so in the context of a really lovely, beautifully illustrated story. I think a child reading it would just take it at face value. Two boy penguins became close friends and did everything together (nothing unusual there). If the child understands where babies come from, they might get that it would be impossible for the two boy penguins to have a baby, and they'd see a zookeeper helping them out with an "extra" egg. Call me crazy (or liberal), but I just can't see spending time and energy trying to ban this. It may not suit every family, but what book does?

Does anyone understand what the "anti-ethnic" criticism is with this book?  That flew over my head.  Does that just mean certain ethnicities don't believe in homosexuality?  Or because the baby penguin is brown?  I don't get it.  

If you looked on the ALA site, what titles surprised you?  Are there any books that you refuse to let your children read, or that you actively keep out of your home?  Did you also do a post about Banned Books Week?  Leave a comment with the URL to your post so we can check it out.

One more give-away: custom vinyl banner

OK, one more give-away this week!  Planning a birthday party or other celebration?  Have a business or yard sale or club to promote?  Enter to win a custom banner.  

Uprinting.com's 15 mil vinyl banners are top-notch quality and don't look cheap like low-end banners.  UPrinting clients have used their vinyl banners (with photo quality printing) for weddings, parties, graduations, advertisements, rallies, political campaigns and backdrops. The banners come with heavy metal grommets that make them easy to hang for any event. The durable material and archival ink will ensure that these banners will last for years to come.  

I'm eyeing them as a possible birthday party decoration, but they would also be great for personalizing a child's room or playhouse in a fun way, or as a sign at a family reunion or club event.  I might even make a personalized ABC or counting banner for the little guy.

Win it!  Uprinting.com has offered  (1) 24 x 36" Vinyl Banner w\ grommets ($62 value) to one of our readers.  Offer open to U.S. address only.  Free UPS ground shipping.

How to win:

1) Post a comment saying how you'll use the prize if you win.

2) Blog about the give-away (with a link to this post and to uprinting.com) and comment here for one extra entry.

3) tweet about the give-away @uprinting and @I_Bibliophile and leave a comment here for one extra entry

4) subscribe to Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile or follow - leave a comment here for one extra entry.

Deadline: Midnight, EST, October 18, 2009.

Disclosure: Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile participates in Uprinting.com's Blog Sponsorship Program and will receive a banner in exchange for hosting this give-away.

Don't forget to also offer our give-aways for a custom poster print and custom greeting cards.

Give-away: 250 Custom Greeting Cards

Well, we still have an open give-away for a custom poster print (go enter!  this would make such a fun holiday gift, and few people have entered, giving you great odds to win).   But Uprinting.com is just going wild with the give-aways lately.  I know some of you entered and didn't win our last give-away of 250 custom greeting cards, and they're offering another set!  This time, they've listened to feedback and eliminated the shipping fee.  So it's just a good old fashioned freebie.   

A bit about what is up for grabs:

Uprinting.com's greeting card printing allows you to upload your own designs and create customized holiday cards.  They offer a free support number and Live Chat on the site to assist you with the design and submission of your order.  The give-away set of  250 7" x 5" (folded to 3.5 x 5") custom greeting cards has a value of over $90.  Envelopes aren't included.  Free UPS Ground shipping within the United States.

How to win:

1) Post a comment saying how you'll use the prize if you win.

2) Blog about the give-away (with a link to this post and to uprinting.com) and comment here for one extra entry.

3) Follow or subscribe to Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile and comment here for one extra entry.

4) Tweet about the give-away @uprinting and @I_Bibliophile for one extra entry.

Deadline: Midnight, EST, October 1, 2009.  Offer open only to U.S. addresses.

Disclosure: Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile participates in Uprinting.com's Blog Sponsorship Program and will receive a "Blogger Appreciation Prize" of 250 greeting cards in exchange for hosting this give-away.

Where I Gave Ellen Stoll Walsh Another Chance

This is one of the reasons that I love blogging.  When I posted a slightly lackluster review of the counting book "Mouse Hunt" a week or two ago (it's quite a good book; I was just a little icked out by the whole snake attempting to eat the mice theme), Christy from Superheroes and Princesses commented that her family loves Ellen Stoll Walsh's books.  Those are my favorite type of recommendations.  So, this week we checked out two of her other books:

For Pete's Sake (Hardcover), by Ellen Stoll Walsh. Pete is an alligator, but doesn't seem to realize it. He's hanging out with flamingoes, and all he can see are the many differences between himself and the birds. He wants to be pink, has two many feet, and not enough feathers. Although the flamingoes are very nice about it (about his four leggedness: "'You're lucky, Pete,' said the others. 'Two, and two extra. C'mon. Let's go wading."), it takes him running into some other alligators for him to realize his lesson. "'I'm different but the same,' he told the others. 'Well for Pete's sake, Pete,' they said. 'You always have been.'" A lovely tale about wanting to belong, the beauty of friendships with people different than yourself, and coming to accept your own uniqueness. The text per page is short; perfect for toddler attention spans.

Excerpt:

"'I'm green,' said Pete. 'I want to be pink. Everyone else is.'"

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Honestly, he's not really into it. I can't get him to sit still for it. I'm a little surprised, because he enjoys seeing flamingoes at the aviary. I'm going to keep trying. As always, I figure he might just be a little young for it. The illustrations (a cut paper collage style) don't vary all that much from page to page - the flamingoes and alligator partake in a few activities, but there isn't much in the way of background. I think this minimal amount of extras suits the simplicity of the story, but it also means that after he's seen the flamingo and alligator once, he's kind of ready to move on. I really do think he'll like this one when the text means more to him.

Hop Jump (Paperback), by Ellen Stoll Walsh. Betsy is a little bit different than the frogs around her. The other frogs go "Hop jump, hop jump. It's always the same." Betsy, on the other hand, takes her cue from some floating, twisting leaves, and decides to cut a rug (lilypad?) with some lovely movements of her own. "'It's called dancing,' she said." The other frogs are a bit taken aback, and tell Betsy that there is no room for dancing. Betsy goes and finds her own place to dance. The curious frogs follow her, and "before too long their feet began to move." Another wonderful tale about being unique, refusing to conform, and acceptance of others. My favorite part is the conclusion (see excerpt); no sour grapes for Betsy.

Excerpt:

"Soon all the frogs were dancing. All but one. 'Hey, no room for hopping,' said the frogs. 'Oh yes, there's room,' said Betsy. 'For dancing and for hopping."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Again, I'm a bit perplexed at his lack of interest, because he loves frogs. If he starts to show an interest, I'll consider this one for our permanent collection. It's that cute.

So which Ellen Stoll Walsh titles should we track down next? Have any of you had a similar experience with not liking a book but giving the author another chance and being happily surprised?

You can access our complete list of read and reviewed books (with links to the reviews) here.

Review: The Everything Book by Denise Fleming

The Everything Book (Hardcover), by Denise Fleming. This book truly has a little bit of "everything." Playful poems; word identification pages with body parts, pets, and foods; the seasons; the alphabet; counting; colors; shapes; emotions; and hidden ladybugs - all are introduced briefly. Fleming created the rich, colorful illustrations by pouring colored cotton fiber through hand-cut stencils. The result is beautiful - very visually appealing and kid-friendly.

Excerpt:

"Two Little Blackbirds. Two little blackbirds Sitting on a hill. One was named Jack And one was named Jill. Fly away, Jack, Fly away, Jill, / Come back, Jack, / Come back, Jill. Two little blackbirds Sitting on a hill. - Anonymous"

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: We first received this book at 12 months, and he had no interest in it. I recently pulled it out again, and it definitely has a lot more appeal. Some of the pages (the poems, usually) still fail to grab him, but he enjoys word book type pages, as well as the counting, shapes, and alphabet sections. He probably likes 75% of the book now, and I am betting he'll grow into the other 25%. He loves doing hand motions for the poem I've excerpted above, after we saw it in the back of a Highlights magazine a few months ago.

Three Books for the Transportation Loving Toddler (Spotlight on Anastasia Suen)

You know when you discover a new word, place, issue, and then suddenly seem to hear about it everywhere?  You wonder if your brain had just been skipping over the references before or if the whole world is just on your wavelength.  For me, that "new" word this week is author Anastasia Suen. 

Many months ago, I subscribed to her blog, but when it changed addresses at some point, I neglected to resubscribe.  When I was recently combing through the blogs in my reader, I rediscovered her blog, 5 Great Books, and I even blogged about it in my BBAW Kick-Off post.  Then a week later, I went to the library.  The Infant Bibliophile requested books about cars this week (surprise, surprise), and having exhausted the list of those I know by heart, I hit the online catalog.  I can across Red Light, Green Light (see review below).  And when I pulled that off the shelf, I grabbed another two with it.  Ah, "authored by Anastasia Suen.  How do I know that name?"  Then today, I read apost on Jen Robinson's Book Page that mentioned that Ms. Suen was the founder of Nonfiction Monday (something I had known and forgotten), and that A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy just posted an open thank-you letter to the author.  So, hop.  Here I go on the bandwagon.

Anastasia Suen has authored 115 books.  Here are the three we read this week.

Red Light, Green Light (Hardcover), by Anastasia Suen. If you're not paying close attention when this book begins, you might wonder why there are zoo animals in the intersection or (as my husband asked the first time he read it aloud) pencils in the road. But, all will become clear as you reach the conclusion of this sweet picture book. The brief text, which is perfect for toddlers just beginning to read picture books, narrates the action as a boy creates lively city scenes with plenty of fodder for transportation-loving toddlers. The idea of the boy creating the scene reminded me of the clever conclusion to Construction Countdown (quite a different book, which we own and love).

Excerpt:

"Red light, stop. Green light, go. / Cars and trucks drive to and fro."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Of the three we read this week, I think this one captured his interest the most. The style of the colorful illustrations (by Ken Wilson-Max) seems suited for his young age. I think he enjoys it enough to consider purchasing our own copy, which I don't do very often these days.

Window Music (Hardcover), by Anastasia Suen. My husband and I at one time lived in different states, connected by a rail line. We spent A LOT of time on the train that year, and with all of its quirks, I'm a huge fan of this mode of transportation. "Window Music" is a lovely tribute to locomotive transport. The text is simple and sweet, following a young girl and her family from departure to destination, focusing in particular on all she sees out the window. I just peeked at the amazon.com listing for the book, and I'm going to borrow this description of Wade Zahares' illustrations, as summarized by the Publishers Weekly review: "In his first picture book, Zahares uses thickly applied paint and strong, geometric forms to create scenery that looks almost sculpted. A wave resembles a curl of plaster; a grape arbor is a tangle of thick wiry tendrils and bulging fruit; the train winds through the very peaks of conical snow-dripped mountains. The trip begins and ends in a docile, realistic station, but in between, the journey takes some surreal turns. This magical excursion is music with several movements, returning readers to a familiar theme in the final stanzas." Yes, what they said. I think my favorite part of the book is the conclusion, as night has fallen and the train pulls into the darkened station. I can just feel myself reaching for my suitcase, wrapping my coat around me a little tighter, and stepping onto the platform.

Excerpt:

"train on the track clickety clack / behind the sign, cars in line/ street after street under our feet"

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Once we got beyond just shouting "choo choo!" gleefully 14 times, he enjoyed this. I'm not 100% certain he's connecting the text to the illustrations (getting that the text is describing the train ride), so I'm going to work on that the next time we read it. The illustration style, which really is beautiful, doesn't necessarily lend itself to identifying items on every page (a favorite game of our son's and my trick for engaging him in a book), so he kind of breezes past the middle pages quickly.

Parent's Peeve: The book doesn't appear to be in print any longer, which is a shame, but if you like the sound of it or enjoy a copy from the library, there are plenty of used copies to be had on amazon.com.

Delivery (Hardcover), by Anastasia Suen. Like Window Music, Delivery is also illustrated by Wade Zahares. The book begins with early morning (gassing up of a delivery van) and ends at nightfall. In between, we see bicycles, airplanes, logging trucks, cement mixers, trains, and even oil pipes, all doing their part to complete deliveries.

Excerpt:

"Boxes and cans come in trucks and vans / Unwrap it all for shelves on the wall"

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: Although the illustration style is the same as Window Music, there is more detail to the illustrations here, and every page contains a number of items (house, helicopter, tree, etc.) that pique his interest.

Parent's Peeve: Again, out of print, but plenty of used copies around.

If you're interested in other children's books about transportation, click on the highlighted words for our earlier reviews.

Do you have any favorite titles by this author?  Please comment and share them with us.

Give-Away: Poster Print

Although I don't post many photos of our Infant Bibliophile here, those that know our family personally know that we have taken thousands of photos of our son in less than two years. When I was contacted recently about hosting a custom poster give-away (and receiving one myself - yay!), I thought it sounded like a great use of our shots. 

 LargeFormatPosters.com is an online company "committed to providing high-quality printing experience at affordable prices."  Their poster printing and other large format printing services

provide a wealth of ideas for unique home decorating, as well as for business and commercial use.

Since I still have dreams of painting and redecorating our son's bedroom in a transportation theme -- preferably before he decides that he hates cars and is now into monkeys -- I thought it would be adorable to print an enlargement of a single, black and white (or otherwise artistically rendered) shot of him playing with a toy truck.  I also created a really fun father-son comparison print this week with both sitting on tractors at around the same age.  

How cute are they?

I also like the idea of a collage of photos.  I could create a poster for his second birthday with a headshot for every month since he was born.  

What would YOU print?  Get ready to let us know, because we have one up for grabs!

What you win: 18" x 24" rolled poster print from LargeFormatPosters.com.  Offer open only to U.S. residents.  FREE UPS Ground Shipping for U.S. residents.   

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment explaining how you would use the poster print if you won.
   
2. Blog about the give away and link to Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile as well as LargeFormatPosters.com - one additional entry.
3. Tweet about this giveaway @uprinting with trending topic #giveaway and ask your readers to RT (leave a comment here to let me know) - one additional entry.

Deadline: Midnight, EST, September 29, 2009.

Disclosure:  This give-away is sponsored by LargeFormatPosters.com, a division of Uprinting Network.  Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile participates in Uprinting.com's Blog Sponsorship Program, and will receive a poster print in exchange for hosting this give-away.

Back to the Books (and Their Reviews)

Now that Book Blogger Appreciation Week is over, and we visited the library today, I'm ready to jump back into reviews this week. I'll start out with the Infant Bibliophile's favorite of the bunch we picked up today:

Do Lions Live on Lily Pads? (Hardcover), by Melanie Walsh. Our little guy has decided quite determinatively that he will be a "yaya meow meow" (translation: yellow cat) for Halloween, and that Mama will be a black cat, and Dada a "roooooooar" (translation: lion). So when I spotted this playful book on the library shelves, I had to take it home with us. Very bright, simple illustrations of animals (in the wrong locations befitting their kind) pair with questions about their habitats. The book follows a pattern - see excerpt - until the last page. A fun, short book.

Excerpt:

"Is this the nest of a goat? / No, it belongs to a bird. / Do crocodiles live in shells? / No, but snails do."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: I lost count, but I believe we read it approximately 19 times in the first go. All while sitting next to a pile of 7 other new library books. He likes to say "nooooo" as we turn each page to answer the question. I'll be hunting down the other books by this author soon. They include "Do Pigs Have Stripes?," "Do Donkeys Dance?," and "Do Monkeys Tweet?" among others.

Parent's Peeve: I don't like that the lion on the cover isn't actually included in the text of the book. The title page has a picture of a frog, which obviously answers the questions on the front page, but there isn't any text saying that. Still, he didn't seem to mind one bit. He still refers to it as the "roooooar" book when he wants us to read it.

If you enjoy this book, you also should check out our review of Lemons Are Not Red, a longstanding favorite in our house which follows the same sort of quizzing pattern, with the addition of a clever cutout feature.

This one wasn't such a hit, but maybe some of you will love it:

Chicky Chicky Chook Chook (Hardcover), by Cathy MacLennan. I spotted this book on the shelf, and thought the title just screamed "fun read-aloud!" It stars an unlikely trio of animals - chicks, bees, and cats - as they have their peaceful slumber interrupted by a rain storm. The text is all very sing-songy and silly ("Sticky, icky, chicky. Soggy, groggy moggy. Wet. Wet. Wet. / Crazy . . . dizzy . . . buzzer! How will we get DRY?"). If the excerpts appeal to you, you'll probably enjoy the book. The illustrations are fun - quite clear, colorful, and visually appealing as a whole. I wasn't as delighted with reading it aloud as I had hoped.

Excerpt:

"Sunny, sunny, hot shine. Snuggle, snuggle, sleepy shine. Lazy . . . dozy. Snoozy . . . woooooozy."

Bookworm's interest at 22 months: He loves cats and bees, which both feature prominently in this book, but he didn't show much interest in it. I'll try a few more times, but I don't think it will become a favorite without some extra effort (for instance, maybe if I try singing the words as lyrics).

What are you reading this week?

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day

Arrr, today is Talk Like a Pirate Day.