Friday, September 30, 2011

Iris and Walter by Elissa Haden Guest, illustrated by Christine Davenier

This series was suggested in a comment on my review of Jean Little's Emma series and was looking for more realistic stories about kids in easy reader format. This is a perfect addition to that small genre and Davenier's lovely washy illustrations are the perfect complement.

Iris' family is moving from the city to the country. She misses her apartment, her friends, and her neighborhood. Her parents try to cheer her up by acting silly, but only Grandpa really understands and they set off for a walk together through the vast, lonely country. As they walk Iris explains why she doesn't like the country; there are no other kids for her to play with! Grandpa encourages her to be an explorer, searching for children and together they discover a treehouse and a boy named Walter! Now Iris and Walter are friends. Iris still remembers her old life in the city, but she loves her new life and her new friend in the country too.

Christine Davenier's swirling illustrations in pen and ink, washed with color, fit with the text's exploration of moving and exploring the country, which is show in explosions of green and color with white spaces and soaring distances. Iris' loneliness in a new place is portrayed simply and her joy at finding a new friend will be something children can easily relate to.

Verdict: A lovely and well-written easy reader series. I would put it at about a level 2 or early 3, if you divide your easy readers (I just sticker mine). Some of the vocabulary is a little advanced for a really early easy reader, but intermediate kids could handle it with a little help. Some of the hardbacks appear to be out of print, but paperback and library bound editions are available. Recommended.

ISBN: 0162021221; Published September 2000 by Harcourt; Borrowed from the library

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tiny Titans: Welcome to the treehouse by Art Balthazar and Franco

In the world of the Tiny Titans, all the superheroes are students at Sidekick City Elementary. Their principal is Slade, with occasional substituting by Trigon, and their parents are their superhero leaders.

Hilarious! In this collection, the titans await their new principal with terror, Beast Boy tries to get a new friend to play with him, various girls have crushes on Robin, Robin attempts to change his name, Wonder Girl tries to change her costume, and gags and hilarity abound on subjects such as why is Speedy not actually speedy? Does Robin really have a secret origin? And what happens when Blue Beetle's talking backpack forgets to pack lunch?

There are guides to the characters' names, but not their comic history or powers, so readers who are unfamiliar with the titans will have a lot of fun googling each character, if they're not patient enough to pick up the clues in the text. It's pretty easy to pick up on the humor, even if more subtle touches, like Robin's name and costume changes, will pass over the heads of those who aren't die hard fans, they'll still find the chicken wing references hilarious.

The art is perky and cartoonish without being overdrawn and the text is bold and easily readable. The stories are short, sometimes just a few pages, interspersed with games and activities.

Verdict: The humor and school setting will appeal to a wide audience, even those who aren't interested in superheroes, while fans of superheroes will enjoy picking up on the inside jokes. The vocabulary and large type size make this a good choice for younger readers as well. The only drawback is you may have to deal with some kids drawing in the activities. Keep an eraser on hand!

ISBN: 9781401220785; Published February 2009 by DC Comics; Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist

Monday, September 26, 2011

Nonfiction Monday: Energy Island: How one community harnessed the wind and changed their world by Allan Drummond

This week, I'm looking at a book about environmental responsibility with plenty of practical advice and fascinating facts. This is the story of the Danish island of Samso.

Samso used to be an ordinary island. They had farms and a fishing fleet, a ferry and lots and lots of wind! Then the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy chose Samso as the place to become independent of nonrenewable energy and a teacher named Soren Hermansen decided to help bring the project to life. Despite initial resistance, residents of the island gradually came to support the idea and offered their own suggestions and innovations. Wind turbines were built and after a storm knocked out most of the island's power, people came to see the advantages of independent power. Finally, the island became independent of nonrenewable energy sources - and even makes more energy than it can use!

Explanations of the various terms and concepts related to energy, including nonrenewable and renewable energy, climate change, etc. are included in sections set throughout the book. Drummond's illustrations swirl and explode throughout the book with life and energy and excitement. Ideas are spread throughout the story for ways to save and improve energy sources in big and small ways.

Verdict: This is an inspiring book for children and adults alike. An enjoyable read-aloud that easily incorporates an important message without being preachy or laden with doom. Recommended - would make a good nonfiction read-aloud for storytimes with older kids.

ISBN: 9780374321840; Published March 2011 by Farrar Straus Giroux; Borrowed from the library

Saturday, September 24, 2011

This Week at the Library; or, Back to school!

Monday - School visits started this week with my 6th grade visits at the middle school on Monday. I promoted programs and booktalked to various groups of sixth graders all morning and we all had fun, I hope! I did add one book to the list, Stuff that will scare your pants off! which I'll be reviewing in October. The hot items were the My Boyfriend is a Monster series and Hero.com/Villain.net. I think the mix I brought this time was good and most books got at least one ask. I did work on making sure I said the titles clearly, which I tend to forget in the excitement of booktalking! If anyone is interested in hearing my booktalks for any titles on the list, let me know! Long day, b/c I started at 7:30am and dragged home at 8:30pm. Phew!

Tuesday - Started yet another try at teen programming again. This time I'm trying a Teen Cafe program, like Miss Ami's. I had caramel popcorn, chocolate chip cookies, rubber band bracelets from The Hipster Librarian's Guide to Teen Craft Projects, mini journals from Tiffany Threadgould's Remake It, and locker magnets. I had all the books I talked at the middle school, plus other new teen books. I put out flyers, sent flyers to school, posted reminders on facebook and the website, and promoted it during my talks at the middle school.

6th graders came!! Yay! The rubber bands and locker magnets were favorite crafts, I signed 5 more kids up for my new Automatically Yours program, we discussed whether or not they wanted their checkouts tracked, and several of them took advantage of my "you can check out without a library card after programs" special policy (which I haven't really told anybody about so....shhhh)

Wednesday - I had FORTY PEOPLE at Preschool Interactive! Woo! We did the third storytime here and it was chaotic and crazy and fun! Our Lego Building Club numbers are up again - just took people a little while to get back from school.

Thursday - I worked the desk in the morning and then I took off on a little trip...I'll be back on Saturday! At 5am! Happily, I am not scheduled to work that day.


Friday, September 23, 2011

The smurfs and the magic flute by Peyo

Fans of the classic Asterix the Gaul comics will enjoy this classic Smurf stories. I don't remember much about the Smurfs television show (other than the bit of family lore which says it was the Smurfs who were the last straw and inspired my mom to turn off the tv for good when I was 4 or 5). A quick glance at forthcoming books shows the Smurfs are on their way back; easy readers, 8x8s, and more will be available in May. There's an upcoming movie, which accounts for the renewed interest. I picked up some of the cartoons at Walmart for the library and quite a few people have been happy to discover them (although not as many people as have been thrilled with the Care Bears movies I added. Okaaaay).

Papercutz is getting on the bandwagon with what I had understood to be reprints of the original French comics, although this isn't reflected in the copyrights of the title I looked at. However, the art has the classic, scratchy feel and definitely reminds me of Asterix. Oh, it says on the back. Must be from pre-1980s, since the television show was based on these.

In this particular story, a boy named Peewee is driving everyone insane with his music. When he accidentally gets his hands on a magic flute that makes people dance, things are worse than ever. Than a villain named Matthew Oilycreep steals the flute and uses it to ransack several towns; he takes this treasure to the wicked and greedy Lord Mumford and the two conspire to use the flute to become rich and powerful. Peewee and his friend Johan set out on a journey to recover the flute and with the help of a wizard travel to the land of the Smurfs, makers of the magic flutes, to recover the magic flute before disaster strikes.

This is the second volume in the Smurfs graphic novel series, so presumably we find out more about who the various characters are in the first story. The art is lively and detailed and the whole story is beautifully organized in panels that are clear and easy to follow. There's not too much of the annoying "smurf" language, and several funny moments.

The dialogue is in a fairly light and rather sketchy font, and there's quite a bit of text. Younger kids might be interested in the Smurf characters, but will need some help to get through the vocabulary and some encouragement to get past the smaller type.

Verdict: Not an absolutely necessary series, but a fun addition to your graphic novel collection. If you purchase these, I highly recommend the hardcovers. Papercutz has very affordable hardcovers but their paperbacks have truly awful bindings.

ISBN: 1597072095; Published August 2010 by Papercutz; Borrowed from the library

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Dorje's Stripes by Anshumani Ruddra, illustrated by Gwangjo and Jung-a Park

An almost stripeless tiger, named Dorje, lives in a monastery in Tibet. One day, he has a new stripe and Master Wu tells the story of Dorje's stripes. Dorje is a Bengal tiger and his breed is becoming extinct. He fled the hunters to find safety in the monastery, but every time a tiger is killed he loses a stripe. Now that he has a new stripe, there is a new tiger in the jungle and hope for the tigers to survive. A brief after note explains the plight of the Royal Bengal tigers.

The watercolors are attractive, but I found it difficult to picture an audience for this story. The message is heavy-handed and although the story ends with hope, it rings false, since there's no information given about how the tigers are supposed to survive. Is Tibet a suitable place for a tiger sanctuary? Are the tigers supposed to save themselves, as Dorje and assumedly the new female tiger, do?

Verdict: The watercolor illustrations are lovely, but the story is too meandering and mystical for my taste. I'd rather see either a straightforward fiction picture book about tigers or a factual presentation of their current status and ways kids can help, if the book is being targeted to kids.

ISBN: 9781935279983; Published March 2011 by Kane Miller; Review copy provided by library

Monday, September 19, 2011

Nonfiction Monday: Can we save the tiger? by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicky White

When I purchase books about endangered animals, environmental catastrophe, and other cheerful topics for children, I usually stick to a pretty firm rule: No "the world is coming to an end" nonfiction without a corresponding "how you can help" section. And I mean REAL suggestions, not just "write on both sides of paper." Sheesh.

However, this book is so gorgeous I will make an exception. This over-sized book is a tribute to the amazing animals that have become extinct - and the many endangered species on the verge of extinction.

Jenkins begins the book with a list of some of the animals that have become extinct, illustrated by Vicky White's pencil and oil drawings. Then we move on to the animals on the edge, starting with the beautiful tiger. Jenkins talks about the reasons the tiger is becoming extinct; loss of habitat, poaching, and hunting in a simple way that's easy to understand. He includes human - and local - perspectives as well. We see animals who are threatened for similar reasons and then a very different creature; the partula snail. This snail is threatened because of invasive species and the concept is explained clearly and graphically. We see more animals threatened by invasive species.

We also get to see success stories, starting with the American bison who was nearly extinct but saved just in time. Jenkins looks at other animals who have moved from near extinction to healthy numbers. But then we see an animal who's not so easy to save; the kakapo. We also have a look at the polar bear, who was thought to be safe but isn't anymore.

The end matter includes a list of websites devoted to conservation and containing more information on endangered and extinct animals and an index.

This book won't tell kids how they can help; but it's a beautiful and graphic depiction of the many animals that are endangered today and the variety of reasons they no longer thrive. It includes hope for the future with success stories like the American Bison, but is honest in showing the difficulties and problems of saving an animal.

Verdict: Pair this with a book on how kids can help (I have a title coming up next week with more on this). Kids and parents alike will be stunned by the beautiful illustrations; and inspired to do some research on conservation on their own. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780763649098; Published February 2011 by Candlewick; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

Saturday, September 17, 2011

This week at the library; or, celebrating 110 years!

I've realized that moving Make it and Take it to Tuesdays was a really good idea, at least in theory - now I have Monday afternoons to prepare all my weekly programs, post updates and reminders on facebook and the website, and generally get the week going.

Tuesday - Happily, it mostly worked out in practice. I had about 12 kids come, 2 were regular attendees last year and about 5 were 6th & 7th graders who like to hang out at the library and happened to be around, and then some new kids came. I'm hoping as people get back into the school mode that more kids will come. I consider this after school program my "building relationships" time with the kids while the Wednesdays are more connecting with parents. We made one of our favorite craft projects, the Magic of Lamination, with locker magnets while we were waiting for paint to dry. I also got all the kids to tell me what they were reading, ranging from Natasha Friend's Perfect to "I'm reading so many I can't remember" to something about an earthquake, which I think for some reason was a Kathryn Lasky book. I booktalked Sidekicks by Dan Santat and Mysteries of the Komodo Dragon by Marty Crump (the dead rats were much appreciated) and both books got checked out as well as several easy readers, picture books, and I specifically asked one girl to read Mason Dixon: Pet Disasters by Claudia Mills and tell me if I should buy the sequel. So it all went great, ended promptly at 5. And took me 45 minutes to clean up, and my aide couldn't help as we'd planned because the shelving is so insane and then I had to print more calenders, and then my director came back and I wanted to hear about the libraries she visited, and then I had to pull today's new books to put on my desk so I can put new stickers on...and by the time I walked home it was about 6:30. Oh well, I did take almost 20 minutes for lunch, so it was only a little over an 8 hour day.

Wednesday - Double program days are a bit tiring, with Preschool Interactive in the morning and Messy Art Club in the afternoon, but we had a nice group in the morning - I wasn't sure how our lace and sew project would work, but it went well, yay MaryAnn Kohl! Only two people came to do sidewalk chalk for Messy Art, but we're having a slow start b/c of school getting back in session. I hope.

Thursday - However, doing two programs on Wednesdays clears Thursday for other projects - like my new display, Book Bundles! My director saw this at some other libraries in Wisconsin and we're going to try it out. I'm keeping a list of all the titles and themes I use. I also finally put together some signs for the teen display - I'm rather pleased with them, they're little half-sheets with teasers and book lists.

Friday - it was Friday. What can I say? Had a surprisingly large number of middle school boys show up demanding books - I think the middle school teachers just announced how many books, at their lexile level of course, they have to read.

Saturday - For the past two years we've done birthday parties - babies, 1 year olds, and 2 year olds in the fall, 3s, 4s, and 5s in the spring. We had crafts, cookies, and community information. The idea was to get new people into the library. The first year we did pretty good (I say we b/c these were joint between me and Miss P. from the school district). The second year we had ok numbers, but all the same people back again. Plus, I got tired of working 2-3 Saturdays every month, especially when not many people attend Saturday programs. So starting this fall I've strictly limited myself to one "special" program a month, in addition to my 2-3 weekly programs, so I'm only working 2 Saturdays each month, one on the desk, one at a program. This month's program was Sample the Library, combined with our 110th anniversary and a book donation drive.

Meh. First, I accidentally set my alarm clock to pm instead of am, so I didn't show up early enough to get everything set up. Fortunately, one of the middle school guys I was talking to yesterday said he'd come by and help, and sure enough he showed up on his bike promptly at 9:45. so we got everything done in time. Yay! We had a table of handouts and information about the library, a table for Miss P., butterfly masks and glitter, crowns (from Miss P left over from another program) Legos, paint, and a sample of all the different formats of materials you can check out at our library, and a scavenger hunt. We had one new family, a couple regular patrons, and some middle schoolers who were thrilled with the scavenger hunt.

While patrons frequently say they want weekend programs...I don't think they really mean it, as shown by attendance! What they really want, I think, is more along the lines of "hey, we're not doing anything let's go to the library....oh cool, something is going on!"

So I'm thinking of opening our storyroom and putting out craft materials once a month, on the Saturday when I work, advertising it as "open craft day". This would be less time-consuming, and people could wander in and out as they pleased. Maybe I'll try this next year.

I would have published this earlier but I fell asleep when I got home at 1:30pm...

Saturday, September 10, 2011

This week at the library; or, The beginning of the madness

We had Monday off - I spent most of the day reading, sleeping, and checking up on the various members of my family, down in the Texas wildfires. We're all ok, but many people have lost everything. Thankfully, the wind seems to be dying down so hopefully it will rain soon and they'll get the fires under control.

Tuesday - Toddler storytime started back up, kind of a small group but that will change soon I am sure! I spent most of the afternoon at a system committee meeting on our summer reading program. We're going to adopt a summer reading log adapted from Marge Loch-Wouters' program at La Crosse and I am very excited!

Wednesday - Preschool Interactive is now on Wednesday! Today I used the first plan here, except that Fuddles didn't arrive! so we read The New Bear At School by Carrie Weston. Note to self - request materials earlier. Happily, there were only a few families who came expecting baby storytime, and they both had older children as well, so it worked out. One mom had a good idea - we did fingerpaint and some of the parents aren't comfortable with their really little ones trying it (although in my experience kids under 3 almost never stick their whole hand in - just finger tips) I had left markers out to do nametags at the beginning of the program and she took her little girl over to that table and just did markers while the rest painted. A small thing, but I am making a note to have a "non-messy" table as often as possible so parents with multiple ages will feel comfortable. As far as attendance...I was really worried that we were going to drop back down, after my very successful summer, but we had several summer regulars return, several new families, and the promise of more (schools were closed on Monday, so all our local preschools did extra sessions today) so I had about 20, kids and parents. Yay!

But only 15 at Lego Building Club - I think it will pick up again when school's been running longer.

I am now working Thursday nights instead of Wednesday nights, which will be nice since the Daisy Scouts are going to be here Thursday nights. It's also nice that I wasn't here this Wednesday for the Urine Incident (I was here for the last one, it's someone else's turn! and this was an adult one anyways so...)

Thursday - Very short day as I had a meeting this morning and didn't get back until 3pm. My evening was blessedly urine-free. I never get to see how baby storytime goes since I don't work that morning though )-:

Friday - another half day, since I'm working tomorrow. A pretty good group for toddlers, I think it will just take people a little while to come back as always after a break. Very busy morning on the desk!

Saturday - busy. busy busy busy. Questions included...where are the books on writing a business plan? adult mysteries? automotive manuals? what is my library card number? what is my pin? why can't I get on the internet? how do i place a hold? *chat with teacher about the class she's bringing soon* can i have a guest pass *pause to listen to political diatribe from patron* I also do a lot of roving reference on saturdays, so plenty of pouncing on bemused patrons wandering around.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Chicagoland Detective Agency: The Maltese Mummy by Trina Robbins, illustrated by Tyler Page

It's been a while since I read the first Chicagoland mystery and I jumped right into this graphic novel without reviewing the first volume, so I felt a little lost, trying to remember characters etc.

Megan wants a good story for the school paper - and a chance to see her crush, music star Sun d'Arc. Bradley, the talking dog, wants a good mystery. Raf is suspicious of Sun, but not really interested. Megan has hopes of finally making friends with the mysterious new girl at school, but it turns out she just wants a chance to see Sun d'Arc with Megan's free tickets. Megan finally manages to find someone to go with her, only to discover that Sun isn't at all what she had expected...and maybe something mysterious is really going on, little though she wants to admit it.

I felt that this story was rather chaotic. Unless you've read the first volume, the odd...well, it's not quite friendship, between Raf, Megan, and Bradley is bewildering. Events seem to happen randomly and without motivation. I would have liked to see a more cohesive mystery and some additional character development.

Verdict: Adult fans of Robbins' work may enjoy this, and it had several moments of humor and horror, but I don't think tweens will find it very interesting. I'm going to try it out on some kids and see if any of them like it. Right now, I feel rather meh about this series.

ISBN: 9780761346159; Published April 2011 by Lerner; ARC provided by publisher at ALA Midwinter.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Nonfiction Monday: Meadowlands by Thomas Yezerski

Yezerski presents the history of the Meadowlands area of New Jersey from the time it was home to wildlife and the native Lenni Lenape, to its settlement, destruction, and pollution and finally to its resurrection as a place where a variety of wildlife lives side by side with people and their businesses, homes, and highways.

The story begins with a long-distance view of the Meadowlands from the Empire State Building. The illustrations and brief descriptions take us through the early days when the Lenni Lenape lived there to fur traders, settlers, loggers, and farmers. Then we jump ahead to the twentieth century when the area was completely industrialized and polluted by factories and mass transportation. There's a grim illustration of the Meadowlands as garbage dumps in the 1960s and we move on to the decision to turn the wasteland into a giant development. Chemical and garbage dumping was halted, but the land was built over. Only 7,000 acres remained of the 20,000 acre wetlands.

At this point, things get more cheerful! The author shows how, once pollution was halted, the land began to clean and restore itself. He shows the plants, birds, and other wildlife that returned to the wetlands and how people have helped and continue to help this natural resource coexist with humans through restoration, legislation, and education. The final spread shows the flight of a young osprey, the first time one had fledged in this area in fifty years. The book concludes with an author's note, bibliography, and suggested web sites.

Each illustration spread includes small inset pictures that show the many elements that coexist in the wetlands. Businesses, plants, animals, people, garbage, and more are shown in delicate drawings that will engross children who like details as well as a big picture.

Verdict: This is a fascinating story and would make a good read-aloud or independent reading for 1st grade and up. I liked the way Yezerski showed how humans and wildlife could coexist and how a combination of natural forces and human intervention restored the wetlands.

ISBN: 9780374349134; Published March 2011 by Farrar Straus Giroux; Borrowed from the library

Saturday, September 3, 2011

This week at the library; or, interesting expeditions

My last week of freedom...I love programming, but having a few weeks off reminds me of just how many things are left undone while I'm going, going, going during the programming semesters. Alas, those stacks of paper will have to wait, hopefully I'll get to them before they engulf me completely.

Monday - the usual flurry of Monday morning on the desk, still working on missing lists from the inventory, I nearly screamed the roof down when I realized some bloated tick of a human had STOLEN the ENTIRE list of Cinda Williams Chima's works. No wonder they were always gone when I went to grab them off the shelf for booktalking. They've been missing since January! At least, that's when they last checked out. Not surprised to see that Sonya Sones has been stolen again though...spent most of the afternoon at a lengthy staff meeting. We still have a lot to discuss about the library redesign and budgeting, but we got through a lot of stuff as well. I was excited to be contacted by another teacher from Lakeland School, which is the special education school for the whole county. I now have two groups planning visits, which we've never done before! It will be something new for everybody and I'm very relieved that the teachers are going to help me out in working out the best way to do this, since the kids are all at very different developmental stages.

Tuesday - working a later shift today, so I drifted through the early morning, poked all my friends with some interesting personal news which involves a meticulously and delicately planned trip at the end of September, did a little grocery shopping, wrote some reviews, and floated into work around 11. The county fair is starting tomorrow, so we have an influx of people wanting guest passes - always interesting to see the different ids and passports. So far this year I've had Poland, Ukraine, Korea, and I think Germany? and New Jersey. Found a book in which a child had scribbled liberally with marker...so the parent (presumably) coated it with whiteout to hide the marks. Um...ok...lots more work on planning preschool storytimes, creating flannelboards (I'm going to post them on pintrest soon) and then covered the desk so our director could make an appearance at the volunteer ice cream social, first time we've tried it, and I hear it was a success.

Wednesday - I left at 7 to drive to Skokie to attend the Illinois Performers Showcase. Lots of interesting acts ranging from the "oh noes they didn't!" to the "wow, but we could never afford them". I was personally enamored of the Beatles impersonators...Got back around 6:30.

Thursday - drove down to Racine to use their large die cut collection in the morning. Hot. Very, very hot. My car has no a/c. Did I mention it was hot?

Friday - last day! Frantic finishing of programming, cleaning off desk, etc. etc. etc.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Batman the brave and the bold: Night of the Mummy by Tracey West, illustrated by Dan Panosian

Stone Arch's Batman chapter books have been very, very popular at my library. I was looking for something similar, and unwilling to buy their other series. I have yet to meet a 7 or 8 year old who even knows who Green Hornet or The Flash are, let alone cares. I was excited when I saw Penguin had a series of beginning chapter books based on the popular cartoon show Batman the Brave and the Bold. We love that show at my library. I love that show. It's funny! It's exciting! It's got Batman!

Unfortunately, this book has only the last item mentioned. Minimal black and white illustrations add nothing to a text-heavy and clunky story. It reads like a script, rather than a story. For example, "Batman and Green Arrow jumped down to the floor. 'Looks like the score is heroes, one, Fun Haus, zero,' Green Arrow joked. Batman heard a beeping sound inside his helmet. A message was coming through, and Batman listened."

Clunk, clunk, clunk. This is too long for fans of the show and kids wanting a chapter book about Batman and the writing is full of unnecessary descriptions. The few black and white illustrations add little to the story and don't keep the reader's attention.

Verdict: Disappointing. Not recommended. There are more Stone Arch Batman books I don't have and they're doing Superman now, so I'll add those instead.

ISBN: 9780448453392; Published January 2010 by Grosset and Dunlap; Borrowed from the library