2008 picture books I liked

Unfortunately, I started my book journal in May 2008, so I am missing a chunk of the year. However, since I'm starting to become a bit more adept with Web 2.0 programs, I thought I'd put some of the highlights of the year to October on here. These are picture books I feel would really rock a Storytime.


Zen Ties by Jon J. Muth

Ages 3-6

A beautiful follow up to Zen Shorts. Koo still speaks in Haiku, and Stillwater is as wise as ever. The illustrations are simple and beautiful, and the message of helping others and seeing beyond first appearances is lovely. Good for panda or bear storytimes, or for storytimes focusing on helping others and being nice.


What Pet to Get? by Emma Dodd

Ages 3-6

This is an ideal storytime book: Short and funny with bold illustrations. Jack wants a pet, but what pet to get? An elephant? A dinosaur? Kids will definitely get the giggles and start calling out "NO!" everytime Jack suggests a new silly pet. Good for animal and pet storytimes, or just when you want to have a silly story to read. Since the final pet is a dog, you could convince yourself that it'd be good for a dog storytime, as well. It'd be a good pair with the previously discussed books by Jan Thomas.


Maisy's Nature Walk by Lucy Cousins

Ages 2-5

This lift the flap book would be great for Storyimes about nature, walks through the woods, trees, mice... It's broad enough to fit a number of topics, if a filler is needed.


Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

Ages 3-5

This is a great book for truck storytimes. It's a simple, rhyming story about a nice blue truck who helps a mean red truck when it gets stuck in the mud. Blue truck's kindness inspires his animal friends to help the mean red truck, even though he was very rude to them before he got stuck. The story can be followed by a brief discussion on why no one wanted to help the mean red truck at first, and why it's important to always be polite and nice to others.


Red Truck by K. R. Hamilton

Ages 2-5

"Can red truck make it up the hill? Red truck can! Red truck will!" The jolly red tow truck ZOOMS to help a school bus stuck in the mud. It's a short story with a fun, catchy rhyme scheme and many great noises to make! Have the kids ZOOOOM along with you with this tale, perfect for truck storytimes.


Harriet Dancing by Ruth Symes

Ages 2-5

All Harriet wants to do is dance with the butterflies, but first she has to convince them to dance with her! Harriet is the cutest little hedgehog, and young dancers will feel sad when the butterflies first ignore her, then feel absolute joy when they agree to dance with her. The illustrations are bright and cheerful, and the butterflies are appropriately colorful. Everyone looks lighter than air and hopefully kids will be inspired to dance dance dance. Good for butterfly, animal, and dancing storytimes.


Big Plans by Bob Shea

Ages 4-6

One young man is sentenced to the corner of the classroom, where he rants: "I have big plans! BIG PLANS, I say!" It's highly energetic, and that rapscallion proves that he does, indeed, have big plans for the future. A must for storytimes about occupations.


I Love My New Toy by Mo Willems

Ages 3-6

Elephant and Piggie again! This time, Piggie has a new toy, which Elephant promptly tries out... and "breaks". Piggie is sad and mad, until she realizes that the toy is SUPPOSED to come apart. Elephant and Piggie books are great explorations of friendship. They get mad at each other and they forgive each other in this book, and realize how important their friendship is. This book will work great for storytimes about toys and friends. Don't let the length deter you, there is only one sentence per page!


Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

Ages 2-5

"Monkey and me, monkey and me, monkey and me, we're going to see, we're going to see some..." These lines get repeated through out the book, as the little girl and her stuffed monkey play pretend. When I first used it as a storytime, the kids were chanting along with me after only a couple pages! I had them clap their hands in rhyme, as the song has a fun, schoolyard chant rhythm. This worked out very well, they were clapping and chanting in time with the story. It is such a fun story to read out loud, that it is easily one of my favorite picture books of the entire year. A must for monkey storytimes!


Stuck in the Mud

Ages 3-6

Oh no! Little chick is stuck in the mud! His frenzied mother enlists the help of all the barnyard animals to pull little chick out... only to find that he wasn't even stuck in the first place! A very funny story, and the animals are very expressive. This would make a fun chicken or barnyard storytime book.


Be Gentle with the Dog, Dear by Matthew J. Baek

Ages 2-4

Tag is a gentle dog. He knows baby Elisa means well, but her friendship is a bit too painful for him. The baby and the dog manage to resolve their differences. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Great for dog storytimes, especially for the younger set with puppies they're fond of squeezing.

Stargirl

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Ages 9-16

This has been reviewed countless times and won countless awards, so I'm just going to say that I just finished reading it and it is AMAAAAZIIIIING.

New Pre-teen Novels

Ways to Live Forever, by Sally Nicholls

Ages: 10-13

Sam McQueen is an 11 year old boy who is living through the last stages of leukemia. When his teacher request that he write something about himself as an assignment, Sam begins writing about the questions that nobody ever answers, and sets about finding those answers. The first one is: "How do you know that you've died?" He writes lists of facts, and a wish list of things he wants to do before he dies. His friend Felix encourages him to really try to do all those things, and a good part of the story is about the two friends trying to accomplish everything on Sam's list. The other part is the story of Sam and his family, and how they are coping with his cancer.

This is a book that is both funny and VERY sad. It isn't schmaltzy or overly dramatic. It feels like it is really from the point of view of an 11 year old, who both his illness and yet, finds it all dreadfully unfair. I felt great joy every time Sam accomplished something on his list, and I laughed at his misadventures with Felix. I also cried... a lot. I feel that a pre-teen audience would do better with this book than any parent. So, I recommend this book to anyone under 13, but would warn parents to stay away from this one at the risk of spending an entire night awake with swollen red eyes.

Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning by Danette Haworth

Ages 10-12

Fiction books about a girl feeling jealous and left out when a new girl appears to be stealing her best friend are a dime a dozen. I've read about 10 of them already this year. Violet Raines..., though, adds a dash of small-town charm to this age old story, making it feel almost new. Tomboy Violet has been friends with Lottie for years, but when Melissa moves in from the city, things start to change. Suddenly, Lottie is paying attention to boys, bras, and makeup, three things that send Violet running for the hills. Violet takes an immediate dislike to Melissa and her big city airs, and sets about trying to win Lottie back. A lightning bolt hits Lottie's house, and Violet finally starts letting go of her self-centered plans in order to help Lottie's family. A boy enters the story, and adds a very realistic portrayal of first crushes that ends on just the right note.

If you're going to read a story about friends torn apart by a new girl entering the picture, this one is pretty darn good.

Spotlight on Local Author

Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in her Head, by Nancy Viau.

Ages 8-12.

Nancy Viau's first book follows Samantha Hansen, a 10 year old rock collector and aspiring geologist, as she faces off against her bossy older sister and an annoying classmate, gets her first crush on a boy, and prepares for a trip to the Grand Canyon. All the while, Sam tries to find out more about her father, who died of cancer when she was a young girl. Critics have called Sam a new Junie B. for the preteen set, a very good description of Sam's temperament!

Nancy Viau lives in Mullica Hill, NJ, but she has vacationed in Stone Harbor every year since she was a little girl, so I consider her a local author. Nancy will be coming to the Cape May County Library in July 2009 to host a writing workshop for preteens and teenagers. Keep an eye on Cape May County Library's web site for more information on that program. For now, check out her book!

New Picture Books

Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up?, by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, Ill. by Laura J. Bryant

Ages: 2-6

Bill Martin Jr. continues his streak of storytime friendly books with Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are you Waking Up? The book features a cute, fuzzy gray and white kitten who has a hard time getting ready to go to school in the morning. Like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Kitty Cat has a question/answer format that has a nice repetitive quality. However, unlike Brown Bear, Brown Bear, this book varies the wording of the question: "Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, are you out of bed? /Not yet, Mother, I'm standing on my head." This prevents Kitty Cat from being as interactive as Brown Bear during storytimes. However, it is a very charming, simple story that kids will want to have read to them over and over, a good choice for first-day-of-school reading. Have I mentioned how utterly adorable the kitten is?


The Rain Stomper by Addie Boswell, Ill. by Eric Velasquez.

Ages: 3-6

Jazmin has been waiting to twirl her baton in the big neighborhood parade! She puts on her new red suit, marches to the door, and sees the rain pouring down. Jazmin won't let a little storm rain on her parade! Addie Boswell conveys the rhythmic sound of a thunderstorm as Addie jumps and splashes, while Eric Velasquez captures the joy of Jazmin's movement. It's the book version of the song "Singing in the Rain." Jazmin's determination is admirable, but it is very tempting to run out and splash in the rain after reading this story! It's short enough to make a good storytime reading, with a lot of sounds the reader can make to entertain the audience.


One is a Feast for Mouse by Judy Cox, Ill. by Jeffrey Ebbler

Ages: 4-7

This book is a cautionary tale against being too greedy, even on Thanksgiving! The mouse, who is wearing glasses, is very expressive and cute! A fun read-aloud, just in time for Thanksgiving.



Penguins by Liz Pichon

Ages: 3-6

What happens when the penguins find a camera in their pen at the zoo? They have loads of fun, and readers will, too! Perfect for penguin and zoo storytimes, it's simple, short, and funny! My favorite kind of picture book.



The Doghouse by Jan Thomas

Ages: 2-5

Jan Thomas' picture books are laugh out loud funny. The Doghouse is no exception. A ball rolls into the doghouse, but who will get it out? The cow, the pig, the duck all try to get the ball, egged on by the fearful mouse, but none of them come back out of the doghouse! The illustrations are bright and bold, the text is very simple, and it makes an excellent, funny storytime book. Useful for storytimes about fear, farm animals, dogs, or just read for fun! For more hilarious hijinks, also read What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, one of my personal favorites, as well as A Birthday for Cow.


The Juggling Pug by Sean Bryan, Ill. by Tom Murphy

Ages: 2-5

I bought this book solely because one of the library workers loves pugs. Upon reading this picture book, however, I burst out laughing. The author ends every sentence with a word that rhymes with "pug", which cumulates in an extremely funny last sentence, that I refuse to give away. My loud guffaw has already recommended the book to one patron. Great for a dog storytime, if you want to give the younger kids the giggles.



Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

Ages: 2-5

This is perhaps the perfect dinosaur storytime picture book. It features dinosaurs, always a plus. There's also plenty of opportunity for audience participation, like having the kids ROAR as the dinosaur, and shout triumphantly at the end of every obstacle: "DINOSAUR WINS!" The text is simple, the illustrations are bold, and there are plenty of sound effects strewn over the pages. It has the same frenetic energy as Shea's Big Plans, one of my favorite books this year.



Thing-Thing by Cary Fagan, Ill. by Nicolas Debon

Ages: 3-6

Thing-Thing is a bit too long to be used for a storytime, but it's a wonderful story about a toy who is tossed out the window by an ungrateful boy. Thing-Thing witnesses many things through the windows, thinking all the while about the looming ground and dreaming of the perfect life with a child who cares for him. Luckily, things end well for Thing-Thing. This story is sure to make any child think twice before mistreating his or her toys!



Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

Ages 3-7

The Elephant & Piggie series is one of those rare books that works as an Easy to Read book, as well as a storytime book. As always, the book is presented as a conversation between Piggie and Gerald. The dialogue boxes are color coded, so the reader always knows who's speaking. An adept storyteller can convey the plot of the story through voice changes and actions. Gerald and Piggie are very expressive characters with their own personalities, and I love seeing their friendship in action. This book shows how Gerald and Piggie deal with rain on a day they really want to play outside.

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Ages: 13+

The Hunger Games is an intense work of teen survival fiction. Reading this book, I could instantly recognize the many sources that seem to have inspired this book: Survivor, various Greek Myths (particularly Theseus in the Labyrinth), Roman Gladiator games, and Battle Royale for those reading this over 17.

Katniss is a 16 year old girl living in the not so distant future, when the United States has been dismantled due to natural and manmade disasters and turned into a totalitarian* state called Panem. At the center of Panem is the Capitol, which 12 surrounding Districts. In an exercise to show their power over the 12 Districts, the Capitol requires one boy and one girl from every District to fight in the Hunger Games every year. This is a fight to the death, and only one person can be the winner. Katniss is to fight this year...

This book is brutal. The teens do die, some in horrible ways. Suzanne Collins doesn't mull on gory details, thankfully, but each death has an emotional resonance that really reflects the WRONGNESS of the situation. After all, not only are children and teens forced to fight each other, they are doing so live on television, while the whole country watches. It's entertainment to those not participating. This is reality tv of the future.

I enjoyed reading this book. It has many themes that can be discussed for hours, making it ideal for book clubs and schools, as well as individual reading. Katniss is a fully developed main character, and I enjoyed her perspective on the events that occurred within the book. She is not without flaws, but she is a very strong and resourceful person. I found myself admiring her survival intelligence. The world of Panem is very well describe and many images still haunt me. However, I did not know ahead of time that The Hunger Games is part of a planned trilogy, so I was really annoyed by the "To be continued" at the end of the book. There are a few loose ends and honestly, I have no idea where the second book is going to take me. I enjoyed The Hunger Games so much, though, that I'll definitely tune in for Part Two.

I was excited to read this book based on advance reviews. I wasn't disappointed one smidging bit. I devoured this book in 4 hours, then immediately convinced my 14 year old sister to start reading it. She read 50 pages in the time it took for me to have a cup of tea.

I recommend this for teens that enjoy books like The Giver by Lois Lowry, or any of the works I've mentioned above. It will also be appreciated by those who question the current Reality TV trend, or by those who enjoy survival fiction, like the Island series by Gordon Korman.

*totalitarian state-n. A form of government that controls many aspects of its peoples' lives, including what they should say, think and do. Freedom of speech doesn't exist in these governments.

**dystopian-adj. highlighting human misery. Dystopian books talk about poverty, oppression, and violence usually caused by a totalitatian state.