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The Field Guide to ParentingChildren's BookstoreGreat Books to Read With and About the Children in Your Life
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Best of 2008 - 2009
Picture Books
The
Sequel to the Chester
is Great! Guaranteed Laughs.
Chester's Back! by Mélanie
Watt
Kids Can Press, 2008
Chester is a cat who MUST be center stage and armed once again
with his trusty red marker, he makes sure that he is. The
enormous amount of fan mail (written by Chester) leads Chester
to write a sequel. Once again, Melanie begins the story, but
even with Chester as the main character, he can't resist taking
over. His portrayal of himself as a caveman is met by Mélanie's
T-Rex, and so on, until Mélanie
can't take Chester's impudent ways any more and she tried to
replace him. The impartial mouse looks on, sometimes acting as
Chester's butler, and other times shaking his head in disbelief.
This time, the fun is not in wondering what is going to happen next, but how the dueling duo will outsmart each other this time. Again, full of laugh-out-loud humor like Chester's portrayal of Mélanie as a bearded lady, and the line of pigs, rabbits, elephants, and you name it in cat suits in line to audition for his replacement. Even the dedication is hilarious (black text is Melanie's words, red are Chester's corrections:
For my sister, Valerie...who is much nicer than me. But, more importantly, I would like to thank CHESTER, the star of this book, for being kind enough to take time off from his busy schedule to be in this sequel. I OWE him BIG time!!
Dance
with Me (Super Sturdy Picture Books)
by Charles R. Smith Jr., Illustrated by NOAH (not Norah) Z. Jones
Candlewick, 2008
LOVE this book! Readers are invited to "wiggle, waggle to the sound" and "twirl your hips round and round" in easy, lyrical rhyme while the colorful, energetic pictures are irrestitable. An engaging boy and girl entice everyone along the way to dance, whether at the bus stop, the bakery, on the street corner, at the pet store, or at a birthday party.
From one of my favorite illustrators who gave us Not Norman: A Goldfish Story, Those Shoes, and the latest Always in Trouble.
Board Books
Hug,
Hug! by Lorie Ann Grover, Illustrated by Rebecca MaloneLittle Simon, 2008
Did you ever wonder how owls, seahorses, and other creatures hug? Some do it with their ears, or with a peck, but sure enough, every animal has it's own way of showing affection. The pictures are beautiful and seem so soft, you are likely to want to feel the Koala bear and even the camel.
One of the better board books; it's just about the most lovable book you could imagine.
Non-Fiction
National
Geographic Investigates: Not a Drop to Drink: Water for a
Thirsty World (NG Investigates Science)
by Michael Burgan, National Geographic, 2008
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Plenty of full color photographs on glossy pages, interesting and easily understood text about environmental and social aspects of the topic, well formated, indexed with bibliogrpahy and glossary--all together create an excellent, fascinating, well-researched book, as I've come to expect from National Geographic.
What's the big deal about water? We all know it is essential to
life, but if you've ever been to an ocean, a Great Lake, or the
Hoover Dam, there seems to be plenty of water.
Here's the big deal: One child in the world dies from unlcean water every eight seconds. Over one billion people do not have access to fresh water. Even though 70% of the the earth's surface is water, only 3% of that is fresh water; only 1/3 of fresh water is drinkable, while the rest is frozen or underground. There is only so much water on earth that changes form, but does not produce more water, which is why polluted water that can carry deadly diseases can be devastating.
The International Polar Year (IPY), which runs from 2007-2009, is a united intitiative to better understand polar regions. Not a Drop to Drink grew out of the ClipOPEN (Climate Coastal Peninsula) project, during the IPY.
An attractive, important book for every school, public, and home library.
Paula
Deen's My First Cookbook
by Paula Deen
with Martha Nesbit, illustrated by Susan Mitchell
Simon & Schuster, 2008
One of the best cookbooks for kids that I have ever seen! Not
only does this book present tasty recipes with easy to follow
instructions, but it goes a step beyond breakfast, lunch and
dinner, to include holidays, birthdays, craft recipes involving
cooking, snacks, and what is sure to win over parents, cooking
for mom and dad. The note to adults is wisdom earned from
Paula's own experience with kids. Before you get to even the
first recipe, Paula offers readers information on a variety of
things, not always found in children's cookbooks, such as safety
tips like "Don't try to cut or cook standing on your tippy
toes," and good manners ("Compliment the cook.").
The friendly, conversational style of recipe directions is both clear and direct, but also detailed: "Break the egg into a small bowl by pushing gently into he crack with your thumbs and pulling the two sides of the shell apart. Throw the shell away." I don't recall ever enjoying reading a glossary before, but the easy to understand definitions are often fun: "TOSS: Don't throw it! Mix it very lightly."
The cheerful borders around each two-page spread, the chipper family of four that illustrates the book throughout, the pictures of each item you need in every recipe, and even the pleasing font all add up to an inspiring cookbook. With sections on "How to Measure," and "How to Set a Table," and an index, what more could you want? She says, "My mission is to excite a new generation of cooks;" mission accomplished!
The Companion to Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses is Outstanding!
Why Do Cats Have Whiskers?
by Elizabeth MacLeod
Kids Can Press, 2008
Reading level: Ages 9-12
So, are you wondering yet? Whiskers actually are sensitive hairs that can tell a cat if the opening is wide enough to get through. Do you know why cats circle around a spot before laying dawn? When cats were wild, thousands of years ago, they slept in tall grass and had to stomp it down to make it flat.
"Who's more popular: cats or dogs?... What was the first cat like?... Do cats have nine lives?" These are only a few of the interesting questions presented and answered in this fun, informative, engaging, astounding book. Once again, Kids Can Press has done an excellent job, and just like the the Wet Noses book, the photographs and their placement on the pages are outstanding. One of the best non-fiction books of the year!
Fiction, Graphic Novels, and Drama
Acting Out:
Six One-Act Plays! Six Newbery Stars! Edited by Justin
Chanda
Atheneum, 2008
Reading level: Ages 9-12
In case you didn't know it, "plays make for great reading... and are great for reading aloud," according to the editor. The enticing introduction offers every reason that children will love reading and acting out plays that have been created just for them. The genius of this work is that the editor asked six of the best children's writers in America to participate (from Avi to Richard Peck), and then added some fun by asking each playwright to choose one word, like "hoodwink," that each must include somewhere in their play.
Themes include the nature of bad and good, and EdgarAllen Poe and 'The Raven;' settings range from a 1901 one-room schoolhouse to a construction sight, some are realistic while a voice with special powers appears in another, and in one fantasy play, the Cubs even win the World Series. In other words, a wealth of well-written, fun choices that has something for every kid.
These short plays beg to be performed; while rights to perform them are reserved and you must request performance rights, the authors intend to grant permission to perform free-of-charge for non-profit productions in schools; how and where to make those requests are included.
The Tale of Despereaux: The
Graphic Novel
Adapted from the motion picture by Matt Smith and David Tilton
Original story by Kate DiCamillo, Candlewick, 2008
Reading level: Ages 9-12
"...from the very beginning, Despereaux
Tilling hear more, saw more, and experienced more than any of
the other mice." And so, an old-fashioned fairy tale of good and
evil, chivalry and danger, complete with a princess in a tower,
servants, knights, and heroes begins, but it's also so much more
than an ordinary fairy tale. While tiny Despereaux is the center
of the story, the other characters have surprising stories that
weave in and out of the main fable in an exciting way. In
between dialogue, a narrator fills in the gaps with great
insight, humor, and yet, few words.
The graphic novel was based on the movie that was based on the Newberry Medal winner novel. Those who loved the original book, and/or the movie, will enjoy reading the tale in the new format, and for those reluctant novel readers, this is the perfect way to enjoy the story. Well done.
Young Adults
War Is: Sodiers, Survivors, and Storytellers Talk About War
Edited by Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell, Candlewick Press
Hardcover--2008, paperback edition--2009.
In Patty Campbell's introduction, she clearly states that she is against war and intends this book will help young people with the decision to go to war or not, with the hope that they will choose peace instead. Both editors sought experienced and honest accounts from people who know--soldiers, war reporters, and military families. Marc Aronson believes that war is a fact of life, and that in hating war, it's "too easy to avoid really looking at the war itself...Make of this book what you will, but at least you will have heard directly from those who have faced the fire."
In addition to information necessary to making a decision about going to war, this material acknowledges the sacfrices and costs of those who have served in an effort to fulfill our responsibility to hear and care for them. These powerful voices cut throught the myths of the romance of war to offer a difficult, sometimes excrutiating reality that is anything but clear-cut or one-sides. A staff sargeat interviewed in the peice, "In Order to See Beauty in Life, I Had to See Hell," says:
Life is about service; that is the lesson you find in war. you serve your buddies in combat, or you serve at home. You serve wherever the hell yo go. That is what makes life worth living.
War Is includes a wide variety of voices and formats by design: first person accounts, men, women, a Nagaski survivor, a Vietnam vet, an army chaplain, interviews, press stories, a prayer, a song, a one-act play, a "miliblog" of writings from Iraq, and a selection of compelling columns by the Pulitzer Prize-winning WWII reporter, Ernie Pyle. The pieces are arranged into broad areas such as "Experiencing War" and "The Aftermath of War." This one seemingly small volume is huge in scope and rich in perspective.
Substantial, valuable, significant, highly relevant, and perhaps even urgent or vital to everyone in the United States, but especially for young men and women contemplating service during war time.
Board Books
Hug,
Hug! by Lorie Ann Grover, Illustrated by Rebecca MaloneLittle Simon, 2008
Did you ever wonder how owls, seahorses, and other creatures hug? Some do it with their ears, or with a peck, but sure enough, every animal has it's own way of showing affection. The pictures are beautiful and seem so soft, you are likely to want to feel the Koala bear and even the camel.
One of the better board books; it's just about the most lovable book you could imagine.
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