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Follow along as I take a journey through the world of children's and teen books! Hear about great new books, undiscovered titles, and old all but forgotten classics.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Stranger in the Woods

Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy: Snowflake Edition

Authors: Carl R Sams II, Jean Stoick
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 48
Recommended Age: 3+

There's a stranger in the woods! Forest animals investigate this stranger, a snowman, that has taken up residence in their woods. The birds snap up the birdseed scattered on the forest floor around him, and a deer bites off his carrot nose. Meanwhile, unseen by the animals, two children watch in silence from their hiding place to make sure the animals eat all the food. On their way home, they wonder how many more carrots they'll need to make sure the deer don't go hungry before the snow melts.

This endearing book, especially suited for animal-loving children, will be a favorite winter story in no time. The illustrations are photographs taken out in a snow-covered forest and are accompanied by clever text and dialog from all sorts of curious critters.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Jolly Christmas Postman

The Jolly Christmas Postman

Author: Allan Ahlberg
Illustrator: Janet Ahlberg
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 4+

Now here is a fantastically fun book for all ages! When I was little I used to love the original version of this book The Jolly Postman, and I am very excited that a Christmas edition has joined it. This book centers around the postman who delivers mail to a magical neighborhood of fairytale and mother goose characters(such as the three bears, Jack of the magic beanstalk, etc). In the Christmas edition the postman is delivering holiday cards and gifts from one character of a given fairytale to another from the same tale.

What is even more fun about this book is that the letters are included! For each letter being delivered, there is a page designed, front and back, to look like a fully addressed and postmarked envelope. The envelope opens and the card, letter, or note is tucked inside for kids to take out and read for themselves. I think it is great fun to not just tell kids what is in each letter, but to actually include it for them to see for themselves.

This clever book is a great addition to any Christmas collection. Kids will look forward to it every holiday season for years to come.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Wish To Be A Christmas Tree

A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree

Author: Colleen Monroe
Illustrator: Michael Monroe
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 3+

This is a charming story about a forest pine tree who keeps getting passed over by all the people who come looking for a Christmas tree because he has grown too tall to fit in anyone's house. To cheer him up, all the forest animals he has provided shelter for over the years wait until he goes to sleep Christmas eve, then decorate him for Christmas(think of the animals decorating the forest in Frosty the Snowman). This is a touching story about friendship and helping to cheer up those who could use a little cheer.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas

Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas

Author: Jane O'connor
Illustrator: Robin Glasser
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 3+

Okay, after years of super-seller Fancy Nancy books, they finally released a Christmas book last year! For those who are unfamiliar with Fancy Nancy: if you have a girl under about 6 they are must have books. Fancy Nancy is the quintessential little girl. She loves everything to be dressy and fancy, including her words. This is where the real value is. She loves fancy(often French) words and explains them when she uses them.

In her Christmas book it is all about getting ready for Christmas. She and her family go to get a tree, they go caroling, they wrap presents, and so on. When they decorate the Christmas tree Nancy is super excited to put their beautiful star on top, but when she is playing with the dog, there is an accident and the whole tree falls over and the topper get broken. Nancy is "devastate, which is upset only a zillion times worse!" until her grandfather arrives and shows her that they can make the best of it by making a new tree topper themselves. Robin Glasser's fun, extravagant illustrations compliment the "fancy" tone of the story perfectly.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Christmas for a Kitten

Christmas for a Kitten

Author: Robin Pulver
Illustrator: Layne Johnson
Format: Paperback Picture Book
             Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 3+

This is a sweet tale about a little kitten who is separated from his mother and ends up eventually being adopted by Santa Claus! It is a delightful story that will be fun to read over and over. Painted illustrations compliment the story nicely. Especially great for homes with a pet!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Winter's Gift

Winter's Gift

Author/Illustrator: Jane Monroe Donovan
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 2+

This is a beautiful story about a Christmas miracle. When a horse gets lost in a snowstorm, an old man finds her collapsed in the woods and barely manages to lead her into the shelter of his barn. When he goes to check on her in the morning, he discovers that during the night she gave birth to a little colt with a perfect star on his forehead.

I used to recommend this to almost everyone who came into the store when I was at Barnes and Noble because it is such a sweet story. I think the underlying lesson that it is always good to help those in need and that you never know what additional good will come of it is a great lesson for kids of all ages.   

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Advent Storybook

Advent Storybook

Author: Antonie Schneider
Illustrator: Maja Dusikova
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 64
Recommended Age: 3+

Here is another great book to incorporate into your holiday traditions! It is a collection of short stories to go with the days of advent. The primary story is about a mother bear helping her cub to deal with his impatience for Christmas to come by telling him a story each day when he opens a door on his advent calendar. The stories are about another little bear journeying toward Bethlehem for the nativity. This is an endearing book with sweet illustrations and children will quickly identify with the young cub who is so excited for Christmas he just doesn't want to wait anymore.

Monday, December 6, 2010

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the Night Before Christmas (AniMotion)

Author: Clement Moore
Illustrator: Jon Goodell
Format: Board Book
Pages: 26
Recommended Age: 2+

Loyal fans of Clement Moore's classic 'Twas the Night Before Christmas poem are in for a treat with this book!

If you are familiar with scanimation books such as Gallop and Swing, then you know exactly what to expect from this one. Scanimation, for those to whom this is a new term, is a method of making the content of given pictures appear to move. A scanimation picture has black lines evenly spaced through it, with movable paper underneath, so that as you open the book at a given page the black lines move across the screen to create the illusion that the picture is moving. Scanimation books are incredibly entertaining and popular for toddlers and kids of all ages.

Jon Goodell's work for this book is a fantastic example of scanimation. The clever incorporation of this illustrative concept into the story is exceptionally well done, with everything from dancing sugarplums to Santa's belly "That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly". The overall illustration is stunning and fits well with the classic feel of the poem.

Friday, December 3, 2010

The Gift of the Magi

The Gift of the Magi

Author: O. Henry
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 40
Recommended Age: 5+

This stunning tale of love and generosity is an absolute Christmas classic. It is the story of Della and Jim, who have very little wealth but want desperately to obtain the perfect Christmas presents for each other. In order to buy a beautiful chain for Jim's prized pocket watch, Della cuts and sells her luxurious long hair. When they exchange gifts, it turns out the Jim sold the watch so he could buy a lovely comb for Della's hair.

There are many versions of this touching story on the market, but I personally think this is the best one. The backdrop of early 1900s New York is beautifully portrayed in P.J. Lynch's sepia-toned watercolor illustrations, giving the book that old-timey, classic feel that can be so difficult to obtain. This particular version of the story is unabridged, and might be a little wordy for children under 5, but what a great read-aloud for Christmas Eve! This book could easily be a yearly Christmas tradition right alongside as Clement Moore's Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Santa Paws

Santa Paws (Paw Pals)

Illustrator: Rachel Hale
Author: Jane Gerver
Format: Board Book
Pages: 20
Recommended Age: 6mo+

This has got to be the single most outright adorable Chirstmas book I have ever seen. As the cover indicates, Rachel Hale's illustrations are all cutsie photographs of dressed up baby animals. The text is a fun, witty Christmas poem with passages like, "Puppies chase kittens, kittens chase mice. Have you been naughty, or have you been nice?" This is a great Christmas read-aloud for kids of just about any age.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Light the Lights! A Story About Celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas

Light The Lights! A Story About Celebrating Hanukkah And Christmas

Author/Illustrator: Margaret Moorman
Format: Paperback Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 3+

This is probably one of the best books out there for interfaith families celebrating the holidays. When I was at Barnes and Noble, I had a number of families come to me during the holidays looking for books about families celebrating both holidays. They a few and far between, but so important for interfaith families struggling to balance the two holidays. Using the common ground of the lights utilized by both holidays, it tells the story of a young girl named Emma who celebrates the holidays by lighting the menorah wit her father and decorating the Christmas tree with her mother. She gets to experience the fun of playing dreidel at Hanukkah and the joy of opening presents on Christmas morning. You really get the sense that, while the history and stories of each holiday is very different, the spirit is the same and the two holidays are very capable of living in harmony in the same household.

Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story

Hannukah Story (Latkes And Applesauce)

Author: Fran Manushkin
Illustrator: Robin Spowart
Format: Paperback Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 4+

This is a really great book to read with children as part of the Hanukkah celebration. It tells the story of a family overcoming hardships and creating a special Hanukkah for themselves. It is a sweet story for kids of any age(though it is wordy enough that kids under for may have attention span issues). It also includes a recipe for latkes and rules for playing dreidel.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Soldier's Night Before Christmas

The Soldiers' Night Before Christmas (Big Little Golden Book)

Author: Christine Ford, Trish Holland
Illustrator: John Manders
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 2+

Over the course of four Christmas seasons at Barnes and Noble, there was something that really stood out to me. Something like 25% of the Christmas books that came in each year were all Night Before Christmas books. If you go into a bookstore kid's department right now you'll see what I mean. They're EVERYWHERE! There are dozens of different versions of this favorite, both in the form of the original poem accompanied by different illustrators' works and themed variations on the original poem(Teacher's Night Before Christmas, Louisiana Night Before Christmas, etc). A few times I actually set up entire displays that were nothing but Night Before Christmas.

When I pulled this variation out of a box one year, I instantly fell in love. This book is a great way to lift the spirits, especially for families of deployed service members. This is all the same landmarks and flow of the original Clement Moore poem, but instead of being about a father in his house on Christmas Eve, it is about a soldier in an outpost in Iraq. It is fun and silly, service members themselves will laugh their heads of at the portrayal of Santa and his sleigh. This book makes a fantastic gift for any military family. On a more serious note, this book would also be excellent for any child of a deployed service member who is worried about whether Santa will make it to their parent overseas.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Gingerbread Pirates

The Gingerbread Pirates

Author: Kristin Kladstrup
Illustrator: Matt Tavares
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
Pages: 32
Recommended Age: 2+

I absolutely LOVE this book! It came out with last year's round of Christmas releases and it is such a fun story. It is all about the the gingerbread cookies, decorated as pirates, who come to life after being left out on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus. They run from the cookie plate and are trying to rescue their friends from the cookie jar when Santa comes down the chimney. Instead of eating them as they thought, he turns them into wooden pirates on the toy ship he had brought for the little boy who lives in the house. With lively, colorful illustrations and such a fun filled adventure story, this will quickly become a holiday favorite.

Holiday Books Galore!

Hi everyone! Now that Thanksgiving break is over and I'm back, I wanted to let everyone know that from now to New Years is going to be a holiday book bonanza here on my reading list. And I won't just be covering Christmas books. I'll also be listing some Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and general winter books. Stay tuned for lots of great holiday book ideas! 

Friday, November 19, 2010

The Westing Game

The Westing Game [WESTING GAME]

Author: Ellen Raskin
Formats: Paperback
              Hardcover 
Pages: 192
Recommended Age: 8+

Now here is a classic for the ages. This was one of my all time favorite books I read(and remember) when I was a kid! This is an old-fashioned style mystery. An old millionaire invites a number of, what seem to be, strangers to his hotel for unknown reasons. When he is found dead, it turns out that they are all beneficiaries in his will, except that they won't all inherit anything. The will lays out a puzzle, and whoever solves it gets everything! What follows is a riddle to rival any murder-mystery party, along with fun, crazy antics, and and intrigue.

This is a definite must have and, for most kids, its on at least one of those recommended reading lists they're supposed to read from. Special note, I know its a murder mystery and while their are a couple of relatively suspenseful moments, there's nothing any more scary than in a movie like Disney's The Aristocats, so no need to worry about scaring your kid with it.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Is this book the right reading level for my child?

I just wanted to take a few minutes to talk about reading levels. With practice, you can start to recognize, just by flipping through a book, approximately what reading level it is or whether it is an appropriate level for your child. Many teachers, however, actually have a basic rule of thumb for determining whether a specific book is appropriate for a specific child. This will generally work with most children/books that are no longer easy readers but are in to chapter books.

What you do is sit the child down and open the book to any full(top to bottom) page. Have the child read the page aloud and note any words the child does not know. If there are more than 5 the book is too challenging and your child is likely to get frustrated and unhappy reading it. If there are 2 or less the book is below their level and will not provide much challenge or growth in reading ability.

Hope this is helpful for everyone!

A Countess Below Stairs

A Countess Below Stairs

Author: Eva Ibbotson
Format: Paperback
Pages: 383
Recommended Age: 8+

This is a fun, entertaining historical fiction for girls. It is the story of a young Russian countess whose family is forced to flee to England during the revolution. In order to help her family survive, Anna takes a position as a servant in noble English household. The story draws a number of parallels to the classic Cinderella as Anna develops feelings for Rupert, the young Earl whose household she works for. It even has the classic evil stepmother(in this case, Rupert's spoiled, mean-spirited fiance). This is a fun, lighthearted story rich with historical context.

While the book is technically classified as a teen book, the content is perfectly appropriate for younger girls, as long as their reading level is up to it.


Other Historical Fiction for teens from Eva Ibbotson:
   

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

Author: Barack Obama
Illustrator: Loren Long
Formats: Hardcover
Pages: 40
Recommended Age: 5+


Just out today! This wonderful book is a small history lesson in the form of a letter. President Obama finished writing it just before taking office. The book is written as a letter addressed to his daughters about the American legacy. It details the lives of thirteen prominent Americans from history, from George Washington to Georgia O'Keeffe and Jackie Robinson. He does a wonderful job of tying history to the potential the future holds in what is, for all intents and purposes, an illustration of the "you can be anything you want to be" lesson we all tell out children. It is a beautiful showcase of those in the past who helped create and follow the classic American Dream.

With stunning illustrations by Loren Long(Otis and Toy Boat), this is a must have for any child's bookshelf. And with all proceeds benefiting children of fallen and disabled soldiers, it will be money well spent!